Our Chapter Book of the Week is a gorgeous story anthology that reinforces the message that women can be every bit as brave, mighty, heroic and strong as their male counterparts.

"Forgotten Fairy Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls" comes with a foreword from Kate Pankhurst, author of "Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World" and this sets the tone perfectly for the collected stories you'll find in this fabulous book.

Various authors and illustrators pull together an amazing selection of traditional tales that were once very well known, but have been lost to history - overshadowed by stories about brave princes and damsels that need to be rescued rather than rescuing themselves.

Our Chapter Book of the Week is something very special indeed, and a book that we really took our time over, savouring every single glorious descriptive moment of it.

"The Girl who Speaks Bear" by Sophie Anderson, with cover by Kathrin Honesta, is the second book from the massively talented author of "The House With Chicken Legs" (which we sadly missed out on - but will definitely be sticking on our 'to buy' list given how amazing this book is).

The books open with a simple prologue, described from the point of view of a young girl named Yanka. They call her Yanka the Bear because she's as strong as one, and her earliest memory is of the huge bear that nuzzled her and protected her before she was found, abandoned, in a cave as a babe in arms.

Yanka is not like the other children - she grows taller and stronger by the day, and villagers often ask for her help. But Yanka always returns home every night, safe and warm in the home she shares with her foster mother Mamochka. Theirs is a simple life but soon Yanka will learn more about herself, and her world than she could possibly ever imagine.

Sophie once again delves into traditional oral and written stories from other countries to provide something sparkling, imaginative and atmospheric that just draws you right into Yanka's tale as it begins to unfold - with so many things for girls like C to identify with and nod wrily along with.

I'd find her tucked up in bed with this book over the course of the two evenings she polished it off in, absolutely pulled into this book, and savouring every moment until the hugely satisfying end.

Definitely not to be missed!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A rich and glorious classic-feeling story of bravery and acceptance from a writer who pours their heart and soul into their books.

"The Girl Who Speaks Bear" by Sophie Anderson, with cover by Kathrin Honesta, is out now, published by Usborne Children's Books (kindly supplied for review). 

I can hardly believe it's back! Anna Howorth, the tireless campaigner for the re-release of Usborne's fantastic "The World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts" has pulled off the reprint of the century, bringing back a book that has so much personal history attached to it. After years of searching in vain for used copies that weren't in a sorry state, I'm holding in my hand a pristine copy of the 2019 reprint.

Though the book is largely unaltered from its 1977 original version, this time there are two very important differences.

One is a foreword by fellow paranormal obsessive Reece Shearsmith, actor, writer and producer of some of the most darkly disturbing comedy shows you can name ("The League of Gentlemen", "Inside Number 9" to name but two).

The other...well that's something I could never imagine ever happening as I skulked around the library at middle school at the tender age of 8, the "New Kid" having recently moved to Oxford from London and feeling completely out of place.

The school library was two things - a place filled with something I loved (books, obviously), and a refuge from kids who liked nothing better than to dump your trainers down the loo at playtime, or rub crunched up packets of Pickled Onion Monster Munch into your hair (yeah I had hair back then, trust me!)

I discovered Usborne's "The World of the Unknown" series, having spent far too many years nicking my uncles' books about the paranormal. Titles such as "Stranger at the Pentagon" - a book all about Project Blue Book, the supposed secret dossier created by the US Government to catalogue and track UFO sightings, to "Strange Creatures of Time and Space" by John A. Keel - a book that is still an "uncomfortable" bedtime read even to this day.

Here though was a book for us, for kids, that wormed its way into your daydreams and tapped gently at your window as the Autumn nights drew in darker and darker.

The infamous "Altar Ghost" photo. See you in your nightmares later, kids!

"Ghosts" didn't pull any punches, and though largely illustrated, the scattering of photos inside were enough to give me the heebie jeebies. I still cannot get over that photo of the guy innocently sitting in his car smiling for the camera, with the spectral image of his wife's dead mother sitting in the back seat, eyes weirdly glowing...

So the thing I couldn't imagine? Well, this really...

Mind...blown!

Yup, being in the back of a book that you've always loved / been terrified of, is definitely something of a lifetime achievement. Again a huge huge thanks to Anna who set the ball rolling some time ago, putting out some subtle feelers on social media to gauge whether bringing these books back would be a good idea.

I think the rapturous response from just about everyone must have come as something of a surprise!

So for nostalgia fans like me, the reprint gives us the chance to recapture a tiny portion of our innocent youth where 'forbidden' books like this were like cat-nip.

For folk new to the book, like my daughter (who 'scoffed' at the 'obviously fake' photos, yet was found curled up with the book a few hours later, absolutely enthralled by it, with an expression on her face that I imagine I must have had when I first came across this, and the others in the series covering UFOs, Monsters and the like).

It is brilliant stuff, and you can hardly imagine that - back in the 1970s - books like this would have ever got into print (can you imagine the pitch meeting? "Yeah well basically Pete, we want to make a book that scares the living crap out of kids, that alright?"). The Black Shuck, Gef the mischievous ghost mongoose, phantom aircraft, haunted mansions, tracking ghosts yourself - all the goodies are in here, brilliantly and fabulously reprinted in a real keeper edition.

We only hope Anna can once again work her magic and bring back the entire range. We'll be waiting in the queue for when she does.

Sum this book up in a sentence: As our back-inside-cover quote says, it's the pinnacle of scariness, etched in the memories of an entire generation - no better way to put it really!

"The World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts" by various, is out now, published by Usborne Publishing (huge thanks for our review copy!)

Tiny space fans and would-be astronauts will absolutely love two new books arriving in time for the 50th Anniversary Moon Landing celebrations, from awesome publishers Usborne.

"What is the Moon" is a gorgeous little lift-the-flap book that asks (and answers) loads of moon-based questions that little ones might have.

What is the moon made of?

How long would it take to get there?

What does it take to be an astronaut?

What do you need to take for the journey?

With brilliant little reveals and a really cute art style, this is a superb little book that's the perfect size to sneak into your rucksack while you're out and about exploring space.

"What is the Moon?" by Katie Daynes and Marta Alvarez Miguens is out now, published by Usborne.

For slightly older kids, there's also "The Usborne Book of the Moon" by Laura Cowan and Diana Toledano...

Humans have looked up at the moon since time began, and this book deftly dives back into ancient history, showing how different cultures interpreted what that huge glowing orb in the sky really was.

As technology advanced, and the first telescopes began our real exploration of our nearest neighbour, scientists began to muse and wonder what it would be like to set foot on the moon - a question firmly answered many centuries later as the first manned mission to the moon touched down in Tranquility Bay.

This beautifully presented book practically glows thanks to its amazing cover, and inside you'll find tons of conversational details about what the moon means to different cultures, and many amazing scientific facts about it too.

Let's take a closer look at some of the inside spreads, as it really is such a gorgeous book...

The first space explorers used telescopes to map out the surface of the moon

How long would it take to drive to the moon, or the sun for that matter? Quite a long time!

As we've come to expect from Usborne, these books are of the highest quality, with quite a broad age range appeal.

"The Usborne Book of the Moon" and "What is the Moon?" are both available now from Usborne Publishing (kindly supplied for review). 

Usborne's superb "All About" range gets a new book today, with a subject that's becoming more and more important in children's literature with the passing of every year.

Children's emotional and mental health is always an important but sometimes really difficult subject to tackle and summarise in something that's both kid-friendly but gets to the grist of each important issue.

This range does it so well, and in "All About Feelings" by Felicity Brooks, Frankie Allen and Mar Ferrero there are tons of different subjects covered, ranging from what makes us happy and sad, to how it feels when things start to go wrong - and what we can do about it.

Designed to help children draw out and discuss issues with parents, friends and teachers, this is a really brilliant and useful little book to have around when kids feel like they need something to lift their spirits, or just something that shows all the things they're going through aren't abnormal or horrible. Perhaps they even know someone in their immediate circle of friends and family that may be going through exactly the same thing.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Beautifully illustrated throughout, this is a fab book to have around on the shelves when it's time to discuss feelings and emotions.

"All About Feelings" by Felicity Brooks, Frankie Allen and Mar Ferrero is out today, published by Usborne (kindly supplied for review).

Usborne's absolutely gorgeous range of non-fiction books encompass so many amazing areas of interest and "The Usborne Book of Planet Earth" by Megan Cullis, Matthew Oldham and Stephanie Fizer-Coleman is no exception.

Children are becoming more and more aware of their planet and their world at an earlier and earlier age, and it's utterly fantastic to see a publisher like Usborne bringing books out for that younger age group that will instil a sense of wonder and curiosity in them as they grow with Usborne's range.

"Planet Earth" takes them on a whirlwind tour of our amazing, diverse and incredibly beautiful home world.

Where in the world would you most like to go? 

It's not quite the night before Christmas, but all through the house, special festive books are stirring, this one has a mouse!

We're looking at a bumper selection of absolutely GORGEOUS books from Usborne Publishing today, and they know a thing or two about producing brilliant books for tiny tots.

We have always loved the "That's not my" book series, and there are lots and lots of special festive ones, including "That's not my Snowman (His Hat is Too Soft!)".

The Usborne "Touchy Feely" range is the perfect entry point for your own little readers, who will really enjoy the brilliant colourful illustrations and the various textures worked into each of the illustrations (and of course they'll love spotting that mischievous little mouse in each page spread too.

There's also a newcomer to this awesome range...!

"That's not my Angel" is another festive classic in the making, again with a really nice sturdy and resilient board book format, and lovely textures perfect for curious little ones.

Simple text, clear illustrations and loads of festive fun in each of Usborne's great little range and they're also the perfect size for Christmas Stockings, so pick up a couple to tuck in amongst the satsumas (and lumps of coal if your little ones are on the naughty list!)

"That's Not My Snowman" and "That's Not My Angel" by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells are both out now, published by Usborne. 

If your children are slightly older, and still haven't "Let it Go" then they might love this next christmassy snowy book, particularly if they love getting creative with stickers.

The "Little Sticker Dolly Dressing range is perfect for smaller hands, little mini versions of the larger "Sticker Dolly Dressing" range with tons and tons of festive dresses and beautiful wintry colours to apply to the page designs within.

"Little Sticker Dolly Dressing Snow Princess" will definitely appeal to kids who are still completely in love with Disney's "Frozen" with lots of beautiful snowy scenes and colourful stickers to complete a wonderful story.

There's also "Little Sticker Dolly Dressing" books themed on many popular fairy tales, so children are bound to find a particular favourite.

Guaranteed to keep your little ones busy (and blissfully quiet) for a couple of hours while you baste your nut loaf and scrub up your roast spuds, check out the "Little Sticker Dolly Dressing" range by Fiona Watt and Antonia Miller, published by Usborne. 

Kids love getting messy, and this next title lets them get creative with just their fingers and thumbs...

"Fingerprint Activities: Christmas" lets your little ones get artistic with a beautiful set of festive colours on a special inkpad accompanying this book.

Create lots and lots of festive scenes with some great ideas for each christmassy scene. From snowmen to christmas trees, fat cheeky robins and of course lots and lots of presents.

(Keep the wet wipes ready before your little darlings get inky prints all over their best festive clothes though!)

"Fingerprint Activities: Christmas" by Fiona Watt and Candice Whatmore is out now, published by Usborne. 

More festive sticker fun now, with Usborne's brilliant range of "Little First Stickers" books, with a special Christmas edition featuring over 300 easy-to-stick reusable stickers to create the most adorable elf-filled snowy scenes.

With good quality die-cut stickers perfect for little hands, this is another winning range from Usborne designed for kids who are just beginning to explore their own creativity with their first sticker books.

Even busy 10 year olds can have fun with this one (right, C?)

Check out "Little First Stickers: Christmas" by Kirsteen Robson and Stella Baggott, available now from Usborne. 

Phew! Is there any more room in our bumper Usborne book bag for more? Dive down to the bottom of the sack for the last set of books - a glorious die-cut set of board books for the very youngest readers.

Usborne's "Peep Inside a Fairy Tale" series has lots of festive titles including the very timely release of a truly gorgeous version of one of our very favourite festive-themed fairy stories ever, "The Nutcracker".

One magical Christmas night, a little girl's Nutcracker doll comes to life! 

The House with Chicken Legs Blog Tour

"Fifteen Russian Fairy Tales and What They Mean to Me" by Sophie Anderson, Author of "The House with Chicken Legs" (Usborne Publishing)

We're delighted to be joined by Sophie Anderson this morning on our stop on the fabulous "The House with Chicken Legs" blog tour. Sophie has spun a superb version of the classic Baba Yaga folk tale, adding an impressively atmospheric new twist to this well-loved classic.

Sophie has joined us to talk about another Russian folk tale as part of the tour, so take it away Sophie!


4. The Death of Koschei the Deathless (on untold stories)

‘In a certain kingdom in a certain land …’

The Death of Koschei the Deathless or Maria Morevna is a Russian fairy tale,collected and published by Alexander Afanasyev in 1855.

In the story, Prince Ivan’s parents die, and his three sisters marry and leave the kingdom. Prince Ivan becomes lonely and sets off to visit his sisters. On the way he finds an army, slain by the warrior queen Maria Morevna.

Maria takes a liking to Ivan, marries him, and takes him to her kingdom. But after a while, Maria decides to leave Ivan at home while she goes off to make war again.

Before she leaves, she tells Ivan not to look in a particular closet …

Of course, Ivan looks in the closet, and finds Koschei the Deathless chained up. Koschei begs Ivan for a drink and Ivan gives him some water. This restores Koschei’s strength and he breaks his chains, runs off, and takes Maria prisoner.

Ivan sets off to rescue Maria, visiting his three sisters along the way and leaving a piece of silver with each one. He finds Maria and attempts to take her home while Koschei is out hunting. However, Koschei catches him up and steals Maria back.

This happens a second time, and a third, and on the third time Koschei cuts Ivan into tiny pieces, throws the pieces into a barrel, and casts the barrel out to sea. The pieces of silver Ivan gave his sisters blacken, so they know something bad has happened and they send their husbands to find Ivan.

They do find him, piece him back together and revive him with the water of life.

Determined to rescue Maria this time, Ivan steals a super-fast horse from Baba Yaga and whisks Maria away. But once again, Koschei catches him up. However, this time Ivan’s super-horse swings a hoof and smashes Koschei’s head, and Ivan finishes him off with a mace.

‘Thereupon the prince gathered together a pile of wood, made a fire, burned Koschei the Deathless, and scattered his ashes to the wind.’

This story fascinates because of all the untold stories it contains.

Firstly, how did Koschei the Deathless end up chained in Maria Morevna’s closet?

Considering that, at the start of story, Maria is a warrior queen capable of slaying armies, my theory is she captured and imprisoned Koschei herself. This is an untold story I would like to hear!

Secondly, why does Maria Morevna, this amazing warrior queen, turn into a damsel-in-distress half way through the story; allowing herself to be captured by Koschei and waiting at his castle – even when Koschei is out hunting - for Ivan to rescue her?

This has never felt quite right to me, and I can’t help but feel something else is going on. Perhaps Maria willingly went with Koschei … perhaps they had a history together… perhaps she was testing Prince Ivan. Or perhaps this part of the story has been completely altered by a patriarchal storyteller.

I would like to hear this part of the story told again, from Maria’s point of view, and from Koschei’s point of view, as I think they may provide a more realistic and balanced version of events.

And thirdly, how on earth is Koschei the Deathless killed by a blow to the head? Koschei the Deathless is immortal, and according to other fairy tales, can only be killed by finding his death (or his soul) which is hidden far away …

‘in the sea there is an island, on that island stands an oak, under the oak a coffer is buried, in the coffer is a hare, in the hare is a duck, in the duck is an egg, and in the egg is my death.’

I have always been fascinated by the idea of Koschei hiding his soul to become immortal. It is another untold story I would love to hear. Why did Koschei hide his soul?

Untold stories like this are rife in fairy tales, and one of the reasons they provide endless inspiration for writers. Fairy tales beg to be told from different point of views; the hero’s, the villain’s, and the damsel-in- maybe-not- as-much- distress-as- all-that’s.

It is immensely satisfying to pick at the threads that don’t feel right, and to reimagine the story until it makes more sense in your heart and mind.

And there is a lesson that carries over to real life too; about not making judgements on someone, or accepting them as a villain, without hearing their side of the story.

There is an upper YA / adult reimagining of this tale, Deathless, written by Catherynne M. Valente, published by Tor.

Celebrate the spectacle and ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games with a fantastic new fact-filled Usborne book.

"The Olympic Games Sticker Book" is perfect for rainy days indoors with over 100 stickers to keep kids occupied while they learn about the history of the Olympics, and catch up with the modern events that have shaped the games as we know them today.

With fantastic insights into the sportsmen and women who will take part in the events from Athletics to Sailing, from Fencing to Diving, there's a ton of amazing and interesting information.

Of course, the stickers are the main draw for Charlotte. Usborne thoughtfully perforate their sticker pages so you can take them out to work your way through the book (so many sticker books seem to demand that you practically destroy the entire book just so that you can use it effectively - Not the case here).

As usual, a fantastically high quality activity book from Usborne. Out now.

Here's a book that could have been MADE for us. As regular blog visitors will know, most weekends see us loading up a picnic, getting our walking boots on and heading for the great outdoors. As the sunshine shyly peeks through the crowds, we can't wait to get out there and explore.

"The Usborne Outdoor Book" collects together some truly fantastic ideas to inspire your little ones to explore the 'big outside' around them. Even if you live in the middle of a bustling city, there are wild spaces that you can find, and parks to explore where you'll be able to put some of the brilliant activities in this book to the test.

Each section will give you awesome things to make, help you identify plant and animal species and even give you some games to play while out in the countryside or exploring your park. The book is packed with fantastic factual nuggets and fascinating nature subjects. Like I said at the top of the review, it's practically made for us.

Usborne are encouraging you to keep your own checklist of things that you've done during your trips so check out their inspiring list on the Usborne website


We've still got a couple to tick off (haven't yet made a bees nest, and it's been too cloudy lately for stargazing) but we're well on our way to completing our challenge. See how you get on!

"The Usborne Outdoor Book" is out now from Usborne Publishing

No fooling! Our first Book of the Week this week once again comes from the uber-masters of brilliant non-fiction titles for children, Usborne's awesome "100 Things to Know about Space" by Alex Frith and Jerome Martin...

With a "WHOOP!" of glee, Charlotte greeted this latest book arrival with open arms. Any excuse to get mucky and she's there...!

It's only a matter of weeks before Star Wars Episode VII hits cinemas, and as the world has already gone ape crazy over Star Wars stuff, let's take a look at a couple of space-faring crackers from Usborne.

First up is a book full of the most incredible spaceships, robots and laser guns from the "Build your Own" series.

"Build your own Robots & Spaceships" is packed with gloriously illustrated page spreads waiting for you to decorate with a ton of stickers to complete each design.

Big clanking robots are ready to be kitted out with pincers, tractor treads and lasers while out in the depths of the galaxy you can also get busy building perfect spaceships to conquer and explore. "Build your own Robots and Spaceships" is out now so nip down to your local spaceport for a copy.

For younger children here's a fantastic space-themed activity book for budding little astronauts...

"The Usborne Little Children's Space Activity Book" is packed with tons of stickers, brilliant puzzles and tons of dazzling colourful designs for tiny hands to get to grips with.

There are tons of pages in here to keep little ones busy long after they're bored with their Christmas toys so it's a fabulous stocking-stuffer if space is your thing!

"The Usborne Little Children's Space Activity Book" is available now from Usborne Publishing.

Our second book of the week is something we've been hopping up and down in anticipation of seeing and here it is! The amazing "The Usborne Official Astronaut's Handbook" by Louie Stowell, Roger Simo and Tim Peake!

Science geeks are we, so dedicated to finding out more about science and science-ey things that we disappear to our local Saturday Science Club whenever we can.

When sessions aren't running however, we love dabbling in a bit of science-based bookage, and Usborne are definitely one of our go-to publishers for engaging and expertly presented science stuff for kids. Showing that science can be fun, facts can be fantastic and non-fiction books don't need to be 'school-like' Usborne's science range truly has something for everyone.

In "100 things to know about Science", you get a nice big thick paperback to delve into that covers the main three branches of science (Physics, Biology and Chemistry) with a good dose of peripheral subjects such as geology and astrophysics too. Usborne's approach here is to break down each subject into a series of engaging page spreads, for children who are at Charlotte's level of being taught science in schools (before they start to funnel off into each branch of science as a separate entity).

With that in mind, the book does cover a fairly broad base but does so in a way that piques children's curiosity and gives them a really great steer in possible science directions they might like to specialise in later on.

Full of quirky characters and cartoon-infographics-style art to get kids interested, the book doesn't feel dry at all - it dishes up fact after fact in a fun and brilliant way, ensuring that the next generation of would-be science fans are off to a fantastic start.

Charlotte's best bit: Learning all about genetics and DNA!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A nice big thick and weighty science tome utterly packed with fascinating facts. SCIENCE ROCKS!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Usborne Publishing)

Charlotte absolutely adores any kind of sticker books and the fantastic "Sticker Dolly" and "Sticker Dressing" range from Usborne is gearing up for the long summer holidays with some new and reprinted titles for you to enjoy.

We took a look at "Sticker Dolly Dressing Holiday" which will really make you long for the summer sunshine and sandy beaches as you dress and arrange several summery scenes. This set contains re-usable stickers (over 400 in fact!) so if you decide your polka dot bikini doesn't quite go with that floppy straw hat, you can carefully remove the stickers and start all over again (reusable sticker books are a complete WIN with us because it does mean that they don't just end up being discarded or tucked to the back of the book case once they've been completed).

Hours of sticker fun guaranteed to keep your children thoroughly absorbed. The only negative point to make about the stickers is that some of the die-cutting wasn't quite exact enough, so some stickers were ruined trying to peel them from the backing sheet (very carefully I might add) so an adult might need to pitch in now and again to prevent any potential summer meltdowns!

You can find out more about the Sticker Dolly / Sticker Dressing range on Usborne's website: http://www.usborne.com/

Charlotte's best bit: The genius aspect of being able to stick down and then re-use stickers again and again. Fantastic for fussy madams who change their mind a lot!

Daddy's Favourite bit: The Sticker Dressing range is fantastic and absorbing fun for kids, for a really reasonable price. Pick up a few for the long summer holidays in a huge range of different subjects.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Usborne Publishing)

This is another fantastic activity book from Usborne, along very similar lines to the fabulous "Write and Draw your own Comics" (which we reviewed and raved about not so long ago). With the same awesome format - a hard-backed book with a spiral-bound but protected spine, so it lays perfectly flat while you're drawing on its rich innards for inspiration, you'll soon be off to a flying start making up your own stories.



We were instantly drawn to the cover (basically, any book that has big clanky spidery steampunk-looking alien invaders gets an instant "win" from us) and quite early on we were both nodding in recognition of Paul's early analogy of what it's like to write a story. A big picture of a mountain describing the various stages of story (setting up and introducing your characters, something happening, perhaps a cataclysmic action-packed event or two before you start to wind down to a conclusion and resolution). Writing is very much like climbing a mountain and Charlotte really bought into the idea as we started to flesh out a joint story idea.

Making a map to aid your story really does help!

(Our character - A pig who just happens to be A) called Merlin and B) is very happy. Merlin's curiosity often leads him into trouble and while ignoring his mum and dad, Merlin decides to explore a deep dank cave from which the most delicious smells are emanating. Will Merlin's curiosity and rumbly tummy lead him into trouble? If you comment below we might well reveal the FULL TERRIFYING STORY!)

Getting into the action, making word clouds (and here's a handy hint, arm yourselves with post-it notes if you don't want to scribble directly on this gorgeous book!)

Back to the book, and the various tutorials and ideas are actually laid out a lot like the chapters of a story book themselves. Story themes and genres are explored, as are the various means and methods to help really shape your story (we particularly love the idea of making a story map with key locations and events drawn on for good measure).

Sadly, all good things have to come to an end - including your story. But sometimes wrapping things up can be the hardest part!

We both thoroughly enjoyed this book (Charlotte whisked it off to school to show her story-mad teacher, and I found myself sneaking it out of Charlotte's book case for a bit of divine inspiration for my own terrible meandering stories). If you or your children want some expert tips from a visually stimulating and activity-packed book, this will definitely fit the bill.

"Write and Draw your Own Adventure Stories" is out now from Usborne Publishing. 

Charlotte's best bit: Story maps and word clouds to help really get a story idea under way!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fantastically presented story-dreamer's bible, a completely essential purchase for you and your kids if you're starting out writing your own stories. 

(Kindly sent to us for review by Usborne Publishing)

Like this? We think you'll love these too!

Write and Draw your own Comics (Usborne Publishing)

"The Story of the Second World War" by Paul Dowswell and Ian McNee (Usborne Books)

Lilya Litvyak, known as "The White Lily of Leningrad" - a truly gutsy and fascinating female fighter pilot

"Sticker Dressing Second World War" by Lisa Jane Gillespie and Emi Ordas (Usborne Publishing)

Charles Dickens' classic christmas tale deserves a place on anyone's Booky Advent Calendar, but the original story can be quite a hard sell to kids. It's very wordy and unapproachable for younger readers so it's great to see a fantastically edited and illustrated version from the Usborne Young Readers range.

The tale itself is so well known, the story of mean old Ebenezer Scrooge who pinches pennies and lives in a constant state of avaricious misery, inflicting misery on others too. A thoroughly nasty and unchristmassy chap!

On the night before Christmas, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late departed business partner Marley, who warns him that he will be visited by three spirits, the ghosts of christmases past, present and future. Scrooge scoffs at the warning but the first ghost soon arrives hot on the heels of Marley to show Scrooge the error of his ways.

The ghost of christmas present shows Scrooge what he's missing out on, and even though Scrooge is mean to his employee Bob Cratchit, the poor fellow manages to scrape together a christmas for his family and his young son Tiny Tim all the same.

The ghost of christmas yet to come has the most chilling message to impart. Scrooge is dead, and no one mourns him, no one is sorry that he has gone, no one misses him - the most tragic message of all. Is it too late for Scrooge to change his ways?

You'll know the rest - and though this book heavily edits down a fairly hefty story into just a few pages, it's nonetheless an effective and lovely version of a well loved classic, perfectly rekindled for children to love and enjoy.

Charlotte's best bit: Tiny Tim having a shoulder carry from a newly reformed Scrooge! Hooray!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A lovely version of a well loved Christmas classic, perfect for introducing children to the wonderful works of Dickens.

This is an utterly genius idea to get kids engaged with something that can rapidly become a bit of a chore. Charlotte has just started learning Times Tables in the usual 'parrot fashion' way at school. It's a dreary and boring task so anything that can help alleviate that boredom, and actually provide a better way of learning tables has got to be investigated further.

Charlotte actually brought this Usborne "Lift the Flap Times Tables" book home from her awesome school library (Hi Miss Storey! Yes that really is her school librarian's name, what an awesome name it is too!) Thankfully it was in good enough condition to allow Charlotte to dive in and start exploring.

As a lift-the-flap book, it would've already had her hooked if it didn't tie in tightly with what she's learning at home and in class for multiplication tables. It does though, and it also breaks away from the monotony of concentrating by numbers by teaching kids some of the cool tips and tricks they can use to quickly pick up and learn times tables without all that monotone repetition.

Each lift the flap section breaks out as a little 'game' encouraging children to learn and perhaps even to guess some of the answers. It's a great interactive way of learning (without resorting to the dreaded tablet or smartphone to look for an app-based solution - YAY!)

What a brilliant idea!

Charlotte's best bit: Helping a gallant knight across a perilous drawbridge with crocodiles waiting to snap him up!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fun and fantastic way of helping your child through the initial stages of learning times tables, without the dreadfully boring monotonous parrot fashion learning! Huge thumbs up!