There's a lot to be said for books that offer hope - and though at the time we write this review we're still in lockdown, and summer still seems like a million miles away (despite the weather warming up and the sun shining outside), here's a book that offers a glimpse of a world where a simple message of love can conquer all.

"Bloom" by Anne Booth and Robyn Wilson Owen is the beautiful story of a little girl who always spies a gorgeous flower on her way to school.

Every day she takes a moment to talk to the beautiful flower, and tells it how much she loves it.

But one day a mean grumpy old man hears her, and shouts out of his window at her to stay away from his prized bloom. What a nasty old codger!

Unfortunately for him, the flower closes up its petals one night and refuses to open - no matter how much he and his gardener tend to it, water it and feed it.

But the flower is missing something the man has not realised it lacked - that simple message from the little girl, and so he seeks her out and begs her to come back to work her magic on his bloom.

It's lovely to see Anne working her magic in picture books as much as she does in middle grade - and as for Robyn Wilson-Owen, here's an illustrator who is going to be extremely sought after from now on so snap her up for your projects, her work is exquisite and beautiful.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A simple message beautifully conveyed at a time we need it most.

"Bloom" by Anne Booth and Robyn Wilson-Owen is out today, published by Tiny Owl Books (kindly supplied for review)

Growing up in a part of London that was ethnically diverse, rich with many cultural influences that made their way into school, I've always been drawn to stories from around the world - particularly India and the Far East.

That's why I'm always delighted to see publishers like Tiny Owl bringing those stories to the west, stories that are colourful, vibrant and gloriously descriptive.

That's a very good way to describe the reinvention of a classic "World Story" - "Under the Great Plum Tree" by Safiya Ahmed and Reza Dalvand.

Safiya and Reza have woven a beautiful book that tells the classic fable of The Monkey and the Crocodile - a story that can be found in several countries and cultures in one form or another.

Reworked and revised, this version of the story begins with an unlikely friendship between Miss Bandari and Mr Magarmach, which forms when the pair meet under the great plum tree, deep in the heart of India. 

One thing we really believe on our blog is that the more children are exposed to stories that go far beyond their own comfortable cultural bubble, and the boundaries of their own country, the more they'll begin to learn and understand other countries and cultures - and perhaps find commonality in the way stories and morals are conveyed.

World stories are something we're keenly interested in, and publishers Tiny Owl have been leading the charge in bringing many amazing stories from across the globe to western eyes with their beautifully presented and brilliantly translated books.

Such as the divine "The Phoenix of Persia" adapted and translated by Sally Pomme Clayton with sumptuous illustrations from Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif.

The story opens in a bustling market in Iran, as a traditional storyteller regales her audience with the tale of Prince Zal and the Simorgh, a legendary bird steeped in mystical magic and myth. 

Meet two lazy, crazy and adorable cats called Will and Nill in this fabulously original book from Tiny Owl

Our second review of Tiny Owl's fantastic new book range is truly original. Stay a while at "The Orange House"...

Based on a classic fable by Rumi, here's a fabulous picture book version of an old, old story that instantly feels fresh and new...