This week's editorial is actually a sneaky excuse to re-review a book that was a Book of the Week winner way back in 2012.

The reasons we wanted to trumpet about this book all over again are numerous but there's one very important reason why even now, some four years on and with Charlotte rapidly moving on from picture books and moving towards more independent reading on her own, we just cannot get enough of Rebecca Patterson's sublime "My Big Shouting Day".

It is, without a doubt, the greatest children's book in the world to read out loud.

Loud being the operative word here, because Rebecca's acute observations of toddler behaviour are brutally spot on. Bella, the little girl in this story, is like a mad ogre on the rampage. Waking up one morning and definitely getting out of bed the wrong side, Bella proceeds to spend the entire day like a seething ball of rage.

Bella is having what we parents often politely describe as "A mare of a day"

Nothing is right for Bella, everything is wrong. Her food is wrong. Her little baby brother's seemingly innocent behaviour is wrong. Shoes are wrong. Going shopping? WRONG! Bella makes no bones about telling the entire world AS LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE just how wrong everything is.

There are so many genius observations in this that you almost want to cuddle the book and cuddle Rebecca for recognising all the things that parents put up with when their toddlers are on the rampage. Mum in the story somehow (mostly) remains an ocean of calm, quietly and patiently dealing with Bella's behaviour. Bob (probably the most adorable younger sibling in children's picture book history) seems completely bemused by Bella's behaviour, an innocent bystander wondering just what all the fuss is about.

Other peripheral characters are also rather amusingly drawn into the story as Bella's boiling point is swiftly reached and we get to one of the greatest spreads in the book...

This is the point where grandparents usually make a helpful comment like "Ooh, someone's tired!" - NO KIDDING!

I love reading books out loud to Charlotte, and we read this one an awful lot. I just can't help it - as a piece of performance art, stepping into Bella's shoes (assuming you can find them after she's thrown them off in disgust) is cathartic and soothing. Getting just the right balance of shoutiness and anger into your reading is ridiculous fun, and of course it helps serve as a bit of a guilt trip for your children if they suddenly recognise that at times, they are Bella and they have big shouting days of their own (Charlotte does virtually every saturday morning at the merest mention of going out for the day, or at any time piano practice or maths homework is mentioned).

Rebecca followed up "My Big Shouting Day" with another book featuring Bella ("My Busy Being Bella Day") and has written many other children's books that are brilliant and well observed. But for us, "My Big Shouting Day" is that perfect example of a children's book that just works on so many levels that you just can't help - well - shouting about it!

"My Big Shouting Day" by Rebecca Patterson is published by Jonathan Cape Picture Books. 

Once again it's been an absolutely stunningly good year for children's books and every week we've struggled with the dilemma of which to choose as our "Book of the Week".

Our Top 50 Children's Books of the Year aren't necessarily books that have been released in 2013, but are the books that we just couldn't put down, that were demanded again and again, and quite rightly ended each week in the supreme top slot of Book of the Week. We'll still be carrying on this tradition in 2014 when the blog has a bit of a reboot, but here's our fabulous fifty, listed by month and linking through to the original reviews.

Phew, it's a huge list! On with the show!

January

Beauty and the Beast by Ursula Jones and Sarah Gibb (Orchard Books)

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Andersen Children's Books)

Our Big Blue Sofa by Tim Hopgood (Macmillan Children's Books)

The Princess and the Peas by Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton (Nosy Crow)

February

Eric by Shaun Tan (Templar Books)

Monkey Nut by Simon Rickerty (Simon and Schuster)

The Rescue Princesses - The Secret Promise by Paula Harrison (Nosy Crow)

I Really Want to Eat a Child by Sylviane Donnio and Dorothee De Monfried (Hodder)

The King of Space by Jonny Duddle (Templar Books)

March

Ding Dong Gorilla by Michelle Robinson and Leonie Lord (Orchard Books)

The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen (Orchard Books)

La Sirenita by Oriol Izquerdo and Max (Chronicle Books)

The Cloud by Hannah Cumming (Child's Play)

Sidney, Stella and the Moon by Emma Yarlett (Templar Books)

Red Butterfly by Deborah Noyes and Sophie Blackall (Candlewick Press)

April 

Zephyr Takes Flight by Steve Light (Candlewick Press)

Cozy Classics by Jack and Holman Wang (Simply Read Books)

Bubble and Squeak by James Mayhew and Clara Vulliamy (Orchard Books)

May

Gum Girl Volume 1 by Andi Watson (Walker Books)

Hildafolk by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)

Monsters and Legends by Davide Call and Gabriella Giandelli (Flying Eye Books)

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen (Penguin USA)

Zed the Zebra (64 Zoo Lane) by An Vombraut (Hodder Children's Books)

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)

June

Father and Daughter Tales by Josephine Evetts-Secker and Helen Cann (Barefoot Books)

Splash! Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia (Walker Books)

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss (HarperCollins Children's Books)

Wild by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye Books)

July

Mixed Up Nursery Rhymes by Hilary Robinson and Liz Pichon (Hodder Children's Books)

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies (Simon and Schuster)

Laika the Astronaut by Owen Davey (Templar Publishing)

Little Red Riding Hood by Alison Jay and Katie Cotton (Templar Publishing)

Help a Hamster by Hilary Robinson and Mandy Stanley (Copper Tree Books)

August

Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown (Macmillan Children's Books)

I Hate Picture Books by Timothy Young (Schiffer Publishing Ltd)

Hey Presto by Nadia Shireen (Jonathan Cape PB Ltd)

September 

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew DeWalt and Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins Children's Books)

Dixie O'Day in the Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy (Bodley Head)

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr (HarperCollins Children's Books)

Beware of Girls by Tony Blundell (Picture Puffin)

Walking your Octopus by Brian Kesinger (Baby Tattoo)

October 

The Opposite by Tom Macrae and Elena Odriozola (Andersen Children's Books)

Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space by Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman (Flying Eye Books)

The Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat by Coral Rumble and Charlotte Cooke (Parragon Books)

My Mum Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister and Alex T. Smith (Scholastic Books)

November

Sir Mouse to the Rescue by Dirk Nielandt and Marjolein Pottie (Book Island)

Hilda and the Bird Parade by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books)

Isabel's Noisy Tummy by David McKee (Andersen Children's Books)

The Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan (Hodder Children's Books)

Have You Seen Who's Moved In Next Door to Us by Colin McNaughton (Walker Books)

December

Murilla Gorilla and the Lost Parasol by Jennifer Lloyd and Jacqui Lee (Simply Read Books)

The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara (Macmillan Children's Books)

Aunt Amelia by Rebecca Cobb ()

As soon as we saw Sue Hendra's latest book, we knew we'd love it. Sue's books are always cute in spades, hilariously funny and have the sort of characters that stick in the mind (we've loved Normal the Snail with the Funny Shell and Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat). How many books off the top of your head can get away with being so downright cheeky yet so endearing?

"No-Bot - The Robot With No Bottom" tells us the tale of Bernard the Robot (such a great name, more children should be called Bernard!) While playing on the swings one day, Bernard realises he's left behind a rather vital part of his anatomy. His bottom!

Fruitless searching back at the playground doesn't reveal its whereabouts, and soon Bernard enlists the help of his animal friends on a great bot-bottom hunt! Has Bird used it as a nest? Has Bear used it as part of his drum kit? Has dog taken it to use as a rather novel window box?

When Bernard finally tracks down his bottom, all seems lost. Will Bernard the No-Bot win the day and get his butt back?

It goes without saying that anything vaguely relating to bottoms - specially robot ones -  is utterly and completely hilarious. This is one of those rare books that has Charlotte giggling her head off all the way through, and even more so at the very end when Bernard neatly sets things up for a sequel (pleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE Sue, we want more Bernard!)

Fantastic, and as our last book of the week for 2012, it's a corker! Look out for it on 3rd January 2013!

Charlotte's best bit: That final frame! So brilliantly funny!

Daddy's favoutite bit: I love Sue's illustrations, and her great characters. Can't wait to see whether Bernard gets a sequel.

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Simon and Schuster Children's Books)

For someone brought up loving gothic horror novels, and the classic MGM monster movies, I've always had a soft spot for the story of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's peerless novel is riffed on so beautifully here in a children's picture book with a difference.

Young Frank Shelley (love it!) is an only child, and often gets lonely. Despite begging his mum and dad for a baby sib to play with (and probably boss around, it's an older sibling's prerogative, right?) they merely answer "one day, perhaps".

Frank can't wait though, so he sits down at his drawing board to design the ultimate big brother, Stan.

Scrounging bits from a scrapyard, butchering household appliances, and creating the perfect power source, young Frank soon creates a behemoth of a brother - a robotic masterpiece who will play with him, talk to him, and clankily cuddle him.

Stan is gigantic - and we loved M.P. Robertson's brilliant steampunky scrap-metal robot design.

For a while things are brilliant but then something happens that changes both Frank and Stan's lives forever.

We're going to be dreadfully mean, of course, and not tell you what happens - because we really want you to read this utterly brilliant book. There are so many juicy little references to Frankenstein, and even to Ted Hughes' superb "The Iron Man" in here. You'll be bowled over by the artwork for sure, but you'll also love the rather touching tale of family and brotherly love.

Kids will love the inventiveness of Frank. What a cool kid!

Charlotte's best bit: Frank and Stan's brilliant rocket kart

Daddy's favourite bit: M.P. Robertson has expertly borrowed from the Frankenstein legend and produced a clanking, piston-powered, steampunky classic. If you love Frankenstein or Robots, you really need this book on your shelf.

Children's books that deal with loss and grief are few and far between. This year we've seen Jo Empson's utterly sublime "Rabbityness" (which was also a book of the week a while back) and here's Sparkle's Song which is extremely touching and very beautifully written and illustrated.

But it's Sparkle's story that truly touches the heart. Living in a comfortable home with her loving parents, one day they leave on a trip and never return - leaving Sparkle with her rather stand-offish auntie.

So far it sounds a little familiar and I guess you're expecting things to take a turn for the worst. Sparkle's Auntie doesn't like music in any form and won't even let poor Sparkle listen to her radio.

But one night soft tinkling tones wake Sparkle from her sleep, and she realises that a soft lullaby is coming from the nearby deep dark wood.

Sparkle's journey of musical discovery is just the start of an adventure as she discovers the magical instruments that live nearby, and listens to them play and talk - realising that things aren't quite as bad as they seem, and that the music holds a special link to her parents - and her Auntie too.

We've tried very hard not to spoil the book for you. We've barely seen this book mentioned anywhere, and I'm worried that a lot of people have missed out on something that's very special and certainly not quite what we've come to expect from Maverick Books (though their funny and monstrous books are utterly brilliant, of course!)

So seek this out, and see if it touches you the way it touched us. Charlotte loved Sparkle but more importantly the book raised lots of questions and not always questions that are easy to answer. Books like this help a great deal though, and our children learn from them and more importantly from how we read books like this to them.

Charlotte's best bit: Sparkle's love of music and her magical first journey into the enchanted forest.

Daddy's favourite bit: A touching and very subtle way of dealing with childhood grief and loss, utterly beautifully written and illustrated - a real rare gem.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Maverick Books)

We absolutely loved Nicola L Robinson's tale of monstery goings on, "The Monster Machine" but how  would you like your very own festive monster to make, colour and keep? Of course you would! So why not step over to Nicola's rather excellent blog via this handy dandy link:

A Monster Pop-Up Card to Print, Make and Colour



As you can see from the link, Nicola's monster is wonderfully decked out in festive green and red but you can colour and decorate yours however you want.

If you've not seen the book yet, what on earth are you waiting for! Take a look at our 'Book of the Week' review of "The Monster Machine", out now from Pavilion Books. Perfect for the little monsters in your life!

Our local library, Abingdon Library, is wonderful and they have a great Twitter feed if you fancy following it. Thankfully there's only one lion in there though, and he's a nice (slightly grubby) cuddly lion that likes to join in with the story time and singalong sessions.

A bit like Library Lion, the subject of our book of the week. Wandering in one morning to have a mooch around, Library Lion alarms the regular library goers. Mr McBee, the library assistant, is not impressed but the Head Librarian allows the lion to stay as long as he doesn't break the rules. No roaring and absolutely NO running.

Library Lion soon begins to enjoy his new surroundings and even takes to helping out. He's a whizz at the dusting with his fluffy-ended tail. He's great at putting books away, and he's a very useful cushion and backrest in the children's story corner.

Alas one day, Library Lion breaks the rules and knows what he must do. Leave the library forever!

Everyone begins to miss him, it's just not the same without their favourite cuddly cushion and helper-outer!

What happens next? Of course you'll have to read the book (or better still, borrow it from our library then read it like we did!) but you'll soon find out that sometimes rules are made to be broken.

A delicious discovery and a great story with some brilliant retro-style children's picture book art from Kevin Hawkes.

Charlotte's best bit: Lion roaring at Mr McBee

Daddy's favourite bit: A gentle almost old fashioned (but in a very good way) children's book that celebrates how great libraries are and - of course - how great lions are!

At ReadItDaddy we wanted to make sure we reviewed Debi Gliori's wonderful book, and steered away from producing a piece that just regurgitated the controversy surrounding it. You can read more on that on Debi's excellent blog.

When I was a wee whippersnapper, my two best friends were two girls - one called Selma and one called Merrel. Merrel had Spinabifida and had also suffered severe birth trauma and when I first read "Just Because" it took me back nearly 40 years to a time when the three of us were as thick as thieves. Selma (we used to call her the naughty one because she was always daring us to do really daft things like drink pond water or see if the insides of Rosehips really did work as itching powder by testing them out on ourselves  - Note to kids: Do NOT try that one at home) loved Merrel with the kind of unconditional love that children reserve exclusively for their close siblings. Merrel was in a wheelchair and could not speak (she could make noises, much like the little girl in "Just Because") but she was awesome and I'd never met anyone else like her.

As children we don't see 'different' until it's pointed out to us by others (usually adults, sometimes well meaning, sometimes cruel). Rebecca Elliott's "Just Because" absolutely captures the essence of this and Toby, the young lad in the story absolutely adores his big sister Clemmie. She's beautiful, she's funny, she has the most amazing hair on the planet and she has a cool wheelchair that can visit the moon. Most of all, he loves her "just because".

The most touching part of this book wasn't just that it almost made me burst into tears with the sharp and distinct memory of Selma and Merrel, but Charlotte's reaction to it. She asked a lot of questions about Clemmie but she asked them because she wanted to understand her own response to the story and then she asked that $6 million question - "why did this happen to Clemmie?" Which is, of course, a question I couldn't answer. "Just Because" just didn't seem adequate enough.

This is one of the most beautiful children's books ever written, handled in such a thoughtful and also thought-provoking way. I defy anyone not to feel a lump in their throat reading this, there are so many reasons why it can't be praised enough - from spellbinding illustrations beautifully painted by Rebecca herself, to the quiet and understated beauty of Clemmie as a character. There's another Clemmie and Toby book called "Sometimes" and I really really want to read that now!

Charlotte's best bit: Clemmie as a princess sitting atop her sand castle

Daddy's favourite bit: It'd be impossible to list all the tiny and beautiful little moments in this book that struck a chord with me, suffice to say that this is an incredibly important book that (to use a well worn cliche) really should find its way into the hands of every child.

(Kindly supplied to us for review by Lion Press)

It is a bit cheeky having two "Book of the Week" nominations, but we're like that here at ReadItDaddy. So cheeky you could tweak our cheeks for a week!

Stopping by Mostly Books last week we picked up a brace of scintillating titles and it was too tough a call to decide between Levi Pinfold's sublime "Black Dog"  and this superb book.

Jonny Duddle has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in children's books, and he weaves a pirate tale with style and expertise. We've already reviewed his superb book "The Pirate Cruncher"  and we've been after "The Pirates Next Door" for quite some time. Available previously in hardback, it has now been released as a superb paperback edition with an audio CD - a reading of the story by the great man himself.

With Mr Duddle's career riding the crest of a wave (a film based on his piratical characters, produced in conjunction with Aardman Animation, has received critical acclaim and is now available on Blu Ray and DVD), it's a timely re-release of (arguably) his best book.

"The Pirates Next Door" weaves a moral tale of twitchy curtains and neighbourhood unrest spliced by the mainbrace with a piratical tale of a young girl called Matilda, who longs for a playmate to move in to the empty house next door. She gets better than she bargained for when a whole family of seafaring pirates move in, and change her life forever. She instantly becomes firm friends with Jim Lad, the pirate boy and becomes enthralled by his piratical ways.

Others in her neighbourhood (including her sniffy middle class parents) don't quite take to the newcomers as readily. Some say they smell, some say they dig up roundabouts in the dead of night, and some campaign at the council offices to get rid of the Jolley Rogers (as the family are called). But Matilda stands firm in her friendship of Jim Lad and defends them to the hilt.

The rest of the tale I'll leave you to discover yourself. The Audio CD version of the book is ridiculously reasonably priced for such a plush and beautifully presented story. Duddle's artwork and illustrative style is something I truly envy. Dabbling in digital art (his preferred medium) myself, I know how tough it is to get rich vibrant colours and engaging character work to look as beautifully made and as perfect as Duddle seems to manage with ease.

We can't get enough of this story and we can't get enough of Duddle's other artwork, so it's a fitting book of the week and as we've said many times before, Templar Publishing really know how to pick the cream of the crop when it comes to authors and artists.

Charlotte's best bit: Too many to mention, she really loved the fact that Matilda is holding a placard with a 'tick' on it and not a cross at the 'anti pirate' lobby (I didn't notice this, she did, clever girl!). She also loves the way Grandpa Pirate hides in the ship most of the time.

Daddy's favourite bit: Dullsville twinned with Ennui Sur Mer gave me a giggle. Most of all though I just love Duddle's art and really wish I could somehow emulate his style (impossible with my pathetic skills but I'll keep trying!)

A ReadItDaddy Book of the Week

We make no apologies for the fact that we're going to have to 'double dip' on Book of the Week this week. It was nigh-on impossible to separate our two top books so they're both getting the lovely sparkly gold border and heaps of praise.

Visiting Mostly Books in Abingdon is a very very dangerous thing (for my wallet) but always a pleasurable one. It's impossible to drop in and pick one or two books, their selection is so brilliant and their ordering service (even a casual mention that you really want a book on Twitter) sends them into a flurry of activity, ensuring that you get the best service possible. We spotted Black Dog nestling on the new releases shelf and the artwork instantly caught our eye. A quick scan through and Charlotte wanted it right then and there.

Unsurprisingly "Black Dog" tells the story of - a black dog! Black Dog takes on titanic proportions as each member of the family looks out of the window one morning and spots it hanging around. It takes the smallest (and bravest) member of the family to slip out and confront the beast.

Two things mark this book out as special. One is Levi Pinfold's artwork. It's absolutely top notch, the sort of work that is utterly perfect for children's books but you'd also love to see on your wall at home. Pin-sharp observational art that depicts the typical family house in chaos, with so many details and deft little touches that it's just mind-blowingly taught and beautiful at the same time. No exaggeration, if there was a prize for the most beautifully painted Children's Book every year (WHY isn't there one? Maybe we'll start one!) this would be a shoe in.

The central theme in Black Dog should, by rights, be a bit scary for children but I think because the hero of the tale is so tiny and brave, it instantly gives children a feeling of empowerment - and the way the book ends reinforces that deliciously.

A worthy book of the week. What could possibly be the other? You'll have to keep reading all week to find out because we're going to be really mean and not reveal the other one till Friday :)

Charlotte's best bit: The Big Black Dog "Snuffling" Little Small.

Daddy's favourite bit: Tight writing, delicious artwork, those nifty pyjama suits the family wear, and an absolutely beautifully painted old-style radio. Sublime!

A ReadItDaddy Book of the Week

On a recent trip to Buckingham Palace, Charlotte's lovely Grandma picked up a copy of "Katie in London" from the palace shop. James Mayhew's "Katie" books are marvellous. Mixing a spot of tourism with high adventure, and often some really neat historical and educational stories, Katie in London takes us on a whirlwind tour of the capital, perched on the back of one of the Trafalgar Square lions.

He's a lovely chap, who turns from cold stone to sleek gold in order to whisk Katie and her little brother  on a whistle stop tour of the greatest sights and sounds of London. He's also a little mischievous this lion, and with a twinkle in his eye he joins the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (with a nod and a bow to the Queen of course!) and dives onto the London Underground to beat the traffic.

Kids absolutely love the Katie books, and the factual snippets at the end of the book are great. I think we loved the Lion as a tour guide best though, and giggled at the thought of his cold tum - and how Katie manages to help with that in the end (she gets far too much pocket money if you ask me!)

A charming, whimsical and delightful flight of fantasy that successfully mixes history and fun at breakneck pace. You too will feel like Katie and her brother at the end of the book, so it makes a great bedtime read and a very worthy book of the week.

Charlotte's best bit: The lion's cold tummy. Poor lion!

Daddy's favourite bit: Wholly identifying with the lion not being that keen on riding on the London Eye (but in the end, like the lion, I rather enjoyed it too though I was pretty petrified for most of it!)

A ReadItDaddy Book of the Week

We are in severe danger of becoming Peter Bently's unofficial fan club here at ReadItDaddy. We love his books and in particular, one of the weirdest and most bizarre children's books ever written - "The Great Dog Bottom Swap" which you should go and hunt down NOW!

In "Farmer Clegg's Night Out" Peter Bently and Jim Field take a wry look at what might happen if The X-Factor got spliced together with Animal Farm.

One night while Farmer Clegg is safely tucked up in bed after a hard day's work, the farm animals get together for a huge talent show, under the ever-watchful eye of a rather surly judge called 'Simon' (now where have I heard that before?). Everyone gives it their all. The pig mariachi band dazzle, the moonwalking breakdancing horse pulls some fancy moves but the star of the show is a huge surprise. Who crashes in on the contest and steals the limelight? None other than Farmer Clegg himself!

This is one of the funniest children's books we've read in ages. Even if you're a cynical old telly dodger like me, you can't fail to miss the references to TV talent shows in here and the rather wry and hilarious way Bently spins this into an animal caper full of chaos and giggles. Once again Charlotte had a great time picking out animal characters she'd like to be, and once again Bently's storytelling underpinned by Jim Field's absolutely brilliant comical panels make this a complete winner.

You're through to the final, kiddo! Book of the Week!

Charlotte's best bit: I'm slightly worried that she knew exactly who the singing sheep twins were supposed to be. We are now scouring the house to ensure there are no traces of Jedward fan material anywhere!

Daddy's favourite bit: Such a neat idea, I'm really surprised no one's done this before but it's been done expertly with a truckload of humour and charm. Brilliant!

So many times we hear publicists and publishers claiming that such and such a book is "The Next Gruffalo" or "The Next Very Hungry Caterpillar" but seldom few match up to such classics. I'm not going to tell you that "I Want My Hat Back" is the next anything, it's the first "Hat" book by Jon Klassen (he's since written and illustrated another called "This Is Not My Hat") and it's undoubtedly a book that is destined to become a true children's classic.

Quite simply, it blew our socks off here at ReadItDaddy because it's such a simple idea but executed with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel, the wit of an intelligent comedy play, and with illustrations that look deceptively simple but work on so many levels. Now and again we come across books that give us food for thought, trigger off debates and discussions or have us thinking about their impact all week. This is such a book.

It's the story of a bear, a fairly daft looking and docile chap who's in the deepest depression because he's lost his hat.

To try and break out of his deep blue funk, he proceeds to visit all the animals in his locale, asking if they've seen his hat anywhere. Each time he's disappointed, but offers up a polite "OK, thank you anyway" until he realises something. He has seen his hat!

What happens next is just too deliciously subtle and brilliant for me to spoil it for you here but if you find a copy of this book in your local library (as we did) or you find a copy in your local bookshop, grab it with both hands, hand over your library ticket or your money, and take it home and cuddle it. You wont be disappointed, but more importantly your children (no matter what their age) won't be disappointed either because it just works so beautifully for kids from 1 to 100.

In my head, Bear has a voice a bit like David Walliams' annoying bookshop customer on "Little Britain" - Slightly daft and a bit thick, with a zombie-like stare straight ahead as he asks each animals whether they've seen his hat. It's a work of comedy genius, it also has one of the greatest pay-offs I've ever seen in a children's picture book.

I can't understate how utterly fantastic this book is, so naturally it's our book of the week in a week where once again we've really been spoilt for choice and have seen and read some really brilliant children's picture books. Jon Klassen, you sir are a genius!

Charlotte's best bit: Can't tell you, it'd spoil the book.

Daddy's favourite bit: The bear's expression. It rarely changes, but in that expression - that simple set of shapes, bear manages to imbue the reader with the sense that he's really deeply sad and depressed. Such beautiful work. Also loved the payoff but as above, can't tell you, it'd spoil the book!

Rating: If I could give this 10 out of 5 I would. But 5 out of 5 stars, Book of the Week

The three greatest cats in children's books return! We absolutely love Moonpie, Andre and Tiny and their cat antics so "There are Cats in this Book" was a well deserved Book of the Week when we reviewed it last September.

We've just enjoyed the follow up and Viviane Schwarz is obviously an expert in two things:

1) Observing, noting and absolutely nailing 'cat character' - so obvious in how Moonpie, Andre and Tiny behave and their antics in this book.

2) Playing with the format of children's books, stretching paper and paint to the limit to produce books that go way way beyond the usual staid 'lift the flap for a big surprise' idea.

So Charlotte loved "There are no cats in this book" and like other children, she loved the surprises (which I won't spoil - suffice to say that her face when she realised what had happened during 'the magic bit' was absolutely lovely).

We're crazy maverick rule breakers here at ReadItDaddy and though we've already had one book of the week, we're going to squeeze Viviane Schwarz's "There are no cats in this book" as well, simply because - well because we can, and because what Charlotte says goes, and because we absolutely love it to bits.

Charlotte's best bit: The magic!

Daddy's favourite bit: Purring cats, lots of purring cats.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, book of the week

Here at ReadItDaddy we've discussed at length children's fascination with all things spooky and monstrous. Why are monster books so popular with kids? What is it about the slightly scary and unusual that draws them in more immediately than books that feature fluffy little bunnies running lemonade stands for their friends?

One person knows the secret, and she's not telling. Nicola L Robinson's "The Monster Machine" successfully taps into this rich seam of inspiration to produce a children's book that is fun, fantastically detailed and immensely entertaining.

Charlotte's first reaction was (of course) to pick "the monster that is me" (with a little boy as the main 'human' character in the book, her default position was to pick a rather beautiful beaky-toothy striped monster as 'her'). 'The Monster Machine' tells the story of a little boy and his inventor dad. After toiling in his workshop one day, Dad invents a machine that makes monsters (from a rather hilarious and gross list of ingredients that, hey, we all probably have kicking around at home at some point, right?)

The Monster Machine is a resounding success, with whirling gears, pulsating tubes and exquisite saxophone valves for controls. It's extremely effective too, and soon the house is filled with monsters of all shapes and sizes.

What can an ordinary everyday boy and his dad (and their dog) do with a houseful of monsters though? You'll just have to pick up Nicola's book to find out.

It's a real smasher this, with the bold colourful illustrations and entertaining story making it suitable for a wide range of young readers (the monsters are such a happy bunch that even the very youngest readers won't find them monstrous at all!)

Charlotte's best bit: Beaky monster (because she's so cute!)

Daddy's favourite bit: The marvellous, chaotic, steampunky monster machine itself and the glorious list of ingredients that go to make up a monster.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Book of the Week

(ReadItDaddy would like to point out that this book was generously supplied by Nicola herself for review. Review copies supplied by publishers / authors are reviewed under our guidelines fairly and basically, what Charlotte says, goes anyway!)

When I was a wee whippersnapper, both sets of grandparents had dogs. Toby (The Webb side) was a mischievous Manchester Terrier cross who liked to sit in the front seat of my Nan's old Hillman Minx and 'drive' to our destination (but he'd sleep all the way home in the back seat, content he'd done his job). My other Gran, Granny May, had Dachsunds. Two. William and Fred. William was a svelte little fellah, Fred was the dog equivalent of 'portly' but vicariously 'owning' dogs this way probably meant I never really wished for one of my own.

The girl in Helga Bansch's sublime book "I Want a Dog!" really wants a dog, really really wants a dog. Not a Dog puzzle. Not a knitted dog, nor a wooden dog on wheels, but a real live dog.

She begs, pleads and badgers her parents but they claim the apartment is too small, so the poor lass never gets her wish. Until one day she has a genius idea. Advertise to 'borrow' one.

What follows is a touching story, beautifully illustrated with lovely painted panels, and introducing us to Rollo, a playful, smart and funny Dachsund who has such a winning doggy smile that you'll just fall hook line and sinker in love with him. As Charlotte did when she read this book.

There are so many books of this ilk out there, child wants pet, child can't have pet, child settles for something else - but this is just beautifully told, and beautifully illustrated. A well deserving book of the week.

Charlotte's best bit: Rollo being naughty and stealing the girl's 'tie bow' from her hair (She always calls them tie bows!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Rollo's smile. A dog smile, but a smile that just gets you 'right there'

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, book of the week

With a wave of her wand, and a few magic ingredients, the Naughtiest Fairy creates complete and utter chaos in this amusing and beautifully illustrated book by Nick Ward. Feeling a little lonely and bored, the Naughtiest Fairy has trouble making friends until she consults her magic book.

Now with a doppelganger in tow, she can get up to double the mischief and have double the fun. Until, of course, things start to go horribly horribly wrong.

Charlotte absolutely ate this book up and demanded it again as soon as we'd finished (long-suffering daddy obliged of course!)

Secretly it's probably every young child's dream to whizz up a double, but as this tale shows, the consequences can be chaotic to say the least.

Charlotte's best bit: What the naughtiest fairy does to the giant

Daddy's favourite bit: Who knew that pepper was the magic ingredient for naughtiness?

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, book of the week