Ella Burfoot has a taste for monster tales or tales tinged with darkness - but never fear, the monsters in this book are fairly colourful and happy chaps.

Which is more than can be said for poor Louie, who finds their monstrous behaviour a bit much to bear at times. Monsters eat messily and noisily. Monsters don't really like sleeping when everyone else does, so they're always making a noise or creating havoc. Monsters don't like colouring in colouring books, and much prefer to colour on the walls with Louie's crayons.

As you'd imagine, Louie gets very fed up with this outrageous behaviour and writes a note to the monsters telling them to go away.

Peace at last! Or so Louie thinks. You see life's always fun when you've got three monsters around, and Louie's life suddenly becomes a bit too quiet, a bit too ordered and - well - boring!

Can he win his friends back?

We never ever get tired of monster books, even ones where we're fairly familiar with the storyline as we are with the friendship dynamic of "You're a pain in the neck, but without you things just aren't the same" - it does crop up in so many children's books but here, delivered by three cheeky monsters, it's a fun romp!

Charlotte's best bit: Monsters playing (somewhat cruel) pranks on Louie. How rude!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Loved Ella's monster designs and it's a nice lightweight story, no "Darkness Crept In"-style pre-bedtime scares here, hooray!

A wonderful flight of imagination in a book that eases a child's fears about starting school for the first time. As Ruby and her mum walk to school, Ruby imagines all the amazing things that she sees out of the corner of her eye. Something floating down the river as she crosses a bridge - crocodiles perhaps? An old abandoned house with flapping curtains - home to a crew of friendly ghosts?

Kathryn White and Miriam Latimer have come up with a brilliant and imaginative story as Ruby tells her mums about the things she sees, and mum gently points out what those things probably really are. Secretly though we love Ruby's version of events far more!

Charlotte's best bit: A ghostly haunted house, or is it? (Charlotte says when she grows up she wants to live in a haunted house!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: A lovely gentle imaginative tale to assuage fears young children might have about starting school or fears of the unknown.

It's absolutely wonderful to see the Little Tim books back in print from Francis Lincoln. Edward Ardizzone was always a bit of a hero of mine at school, mostly because he was the uber-talented inkscribe who provided the illustrations for that masterpiece of children's literature, Stig of the Dump by Clive King.

The Little Tim books are full of old-school adventure, thrills and of course as you'd expect from Ardizzone, fabulous inked drawings that perfectly capture the most exciting moments in the story.

In "Tim in Danger", Ginger (who is usually at the centre of any chaos or trouble) has run away to sea. It's up to Tim and Charlotte (needless to say, having a character called Charlotte in a book is an instant win for OUR Charlotte!) to try and track him down and rescue him.

Spotting Ginger departing from the docks on a ship, Tim and Charlotte give chase but soon find that they're press-ganged into working on a ship themselves. Adventures on the high seas are only just beginning, but when a terrible fog envelopes their ship and there's a huge accident, can the plucky duo rise to the challenge of a rescue at sea?

I wondered whether these books could be a hit with today's young audience. Are kids still interested in things like The Famous Five, The Secret Seven or are they a bit too old and twee now? Likewise, are the "Tim" books too evocative of an era long since past (I mean can you imagine three little kids leaving home to go and work on a ship today?)

As usual though, I vastly underestimate children's utterly delectable ability to suspend their disbelief. Why on earth SHOULDN'T children do these things in stories? They are stories, children can do anything - and they do here. For that reason, Charlotte consumed this story voraciously and was very excited at the prospect of finding more Tim and Charlotte (and Ginger of course!) adventures to read.

For me, the real draw is Edward Ardizzone's utterly wonderful artwork. I love working in inks, and it's given me the taste for trying again. Such simple strokes and lines, cross hatching and shading to die for, simple, understated, beautiful and a perfect fit for a thrilling adventure like this.

Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte's expertise in all matters domestic and medical - which really would NOT go down at all well today (but hey, at least Tim was also made to scrub the decks on board ship!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Edward Ardizzone's art is timeless, perfect and makes me green with envy, I'd love to be able to draw like that!

Oh no, the floodgates are open on the christmas books now, but this one is a heck of a lot of fun, so we'll let it slip through the net.

Bottoms, Royal Knickers and a Santa with a rather full bladder! Nicholas Allan doesn't shy away from being extremely cheeky (and very funny) about subjects that children will be in fits of laughter about. So in some ways "Jesus' Christmas Party" is a bit of a departure as it's a rather sweet book that doesn't prod or poke fun at the little fellah in the manger or his mum and dad, and doesn't require you to be particularly religious to enjoy the story either.

An innkeeper is rudely awoken from his blissful and comfortable slumber by a knock at the door. A couple want a bed for the night, but there's only one place they can possibly squeeze in - the Innkeeper's stable. They're very grateful and make themselves comfortable, and soon the Innkeeper is heading back up the wooden hill to Beddington. Ahhh!

But this is just the start of a night of disturbance for the poor Innkeeper as Shepherds, wise men, angels and soon the whole town gather to find out what exactly is going on in the Innkeeper's stable - and who that wonderful little baby is, nestling in the manger!

This is a book that stands up well to a bit of a daddy "performance" and reading the exasperated innkeeper's bits is great fun as you stomp up the stairs, try to sleep, stomp back down the stairs and deal with the next interruption.

Charlotte is already familiar with the story, of course, most children are - but she loved the way the subject of the nativity is dealt with in a fun way. Whether you believe in the big fellah with the halo or not, you'll love children's reactions to this version of the tale nonetheless (and I'm sure Jesus would definitely have approved of anything that made kids chuckle!)

Charlotte's best bit: The poor innkeeper. Would he ever get a wink of sleep?

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love the fun way the story is told, and Nicholas Allan's lovely cosy art.

Just in case you missed it, September 5th saw the release of the latest and greatest Amazing Esme book for young readers. "Amazing Esme and the Pirate Circus" by Tamara Macfarlane and Michael Fowkes has a brilliant heroine wrapped up in an adventure beneath the big top and beyond. Esme and her Uncle Mac must return the abducted animals to their homes, after the dastardly exploits of the pirate circus. Naturally the pirate circus won't give up their ill-gotten menagerie without a fight. Can Esme and Uncle Mac win the day and take all the animals back home?

Amazing Esme is our sort of hero, she fizzes with energy and will stop at nothing to do the right thing.

"Amazing Esme and the Pirate Circus" is out now, from Hodder Children's Books, recommended for ages 7-9 years.

(Kindly sent to us by Hodder Children's Books)

We truly do love James Mayhew's sublime "Katie" books, particularly when Katie and her Grandma visit galleries, and dive into the world of famous paintings and the artists who painted them.

Here, Katie and her sleepy Grandma are at the National Gallery in London, home to some of the finest and most famous British paintings ever created.

The fact that the book cover features "The Fighting Temerare" was a huge draw for me, and soon we were wrapped up in the story as Katie wriggled her way into famous works by Turner, Constable and Stubbs.

Mayhew's illustrative prowess means that he can fit a wonderful story around each famous painting and adapt the artist's styles, producing stunning illustrations that make us want to dive in and join Katie on her adventures.

Sublime and inspirational in so many ways, a celebratory homage to some of my favourite artists and a book that inspires us to try and visit the National one day soon to view these fabulous works 'in the flesh' for ourselves.

Charlotte's best bit: Noticing the sheep escaping from John Constable's beautiful painting "The Cornfield"

Daddy's Favourite bit: The wondrous fabulous "Fighting Temerare" by Turner

I have a confession to make. I have never seen an episode of Downton Abbey. Nor has Charlotte, but we know a canny idea when we see one so when "Mouseton Abbey" popped up on our Twitter feed, and then (very kindly thanks to Make Believe Ideas Ltd) through our letterbox, we thought it was time to get educated in the ways of the landed mouse gentry (and of course their faithful servants).

This luxurious book is a rather tongue-in-cheek homage to Downton but with a charm and style that actually makes me wish the REAL Downton was acted out by talented crocheted mice with brilliant cheese-names.

Just LOOK at how cute these little mice are!


But what of the story, I hear you ask? Well all is not well in Mouseton Abbey. The Earl of Roquefort, a dappy but dapper mouse who is the head of this mouse house, is a little muddle headed and clumsy. When he absent-mindedly pockets the fabulous cheese diamond for a spot of polishing, he stumbles and trips in the children's room, causes havoc in the kitchen (and is promptly and deservedly shooed out by Mrs Cheshire, the cook) and realises the cheese diamond has gone missing! Calamity.

Soon the entire household is in uproar. Monterey Jack (the Footman) and Wensley Dale (not to be confused with a certain president from another mouse-based children's book series - this is the head butler we're talking about) have to turn the house upside down to try and find the diamond - to no avail.

But is the diamond really lost? Has someone (gasp) stolen or eaten it?

The mystery can indeed be solved but you'll have to dive into this gorgeous book yourself to find out the answer. It is a mite cheeky, would probably make The Dowager Countess of Grantham say something like "Well, REALLY!" in a loud exasperated voice but we love it to little meecy pieces.

Charlotte's best bit: We can't give away the ending but this is definitely Charlotte's favourite bit.

Daddy's Favourite bit: A stroke of genius, recreating a well-loved TV series with knitted mice but actually making it fabulously entertaining for children in the process. Please tell us there will be more from Mouseton Abbey!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Make Believe ideas Ltd)

Ahh lovely, we've finally caught up with a book we've been meaning to read for absolutely AGES! We've previously loved Albie's plunge into the pirate pool, so kept "Welcome to Alien School" on our 'to-do' list for a long time. Now we've found it nestling in the library stacks and can have a good scrimmage through!

Imagine what it would be like if, instead of boring old normal school, you ended up at Alien School for the day. Albie's imagination soars as Mum drops him off on a distant planet for the day instead of the usual school run. Like most children going to a new school for the first time, Albie's a little bit nervous and unsure - but imagine what it would be like if your lessons were - well - completely alien!

Spelling an alien language? ABCs are hard enough but how about Gzzz, Frrrzzt and Sqrrrrrm? Alien playtimes? They're completely crazy (and a little bit scary if you don't know what you're doing?) And the less said about lunch, the better!

Soon though, Albie makes friends and realises that even at Alien School, there's always something fun to learn and lots of interesting times to be had.

It's a great book to help children address those 'starting school' fears, and we do love Ed's colourful and creative aliens in this (particularly the cute little ones!)

Charlotte's best bit: Alien Lunchtime!

Daddy's Favourite bit: We are definitely loving Albie's imaginative flights of fancy and still have lots of catching up to do with the rest of the books - but we'll get there in the end. This is fab though, hits the spot nicely!

Reading books does indeed make you better, not just academically!

We're very pleased to remake our acquaintance with one of the busiest and buzziest children's characters, the fabulous Felicity Fly.

It's a lovely summer's day and Felicity wants to get away from the droning noise of the washing machine, so heads out into the garden to make some new friends. The flowers are blooming as the sun is shining, and Felicity soon meets Bernice Bumblebee who has a very important job.

She tells Felicity Fly all about pollination. Bees are needed to help plants and flowers grow and thrive, and we learn that many other insects also help with pollination.

Felicity also meets Lizibet Ladybird and Charlotte's new favourite character in the Felicity books, the awesome and colourful Dakota Dragonfly. She's so cool and groovy, and has the best dreadlocks in insectdom!

Along with Baahir Butterfly, Felicity enjoys a lovely summer's afternoon with her new found friends and learns something new along the way too.

Christina's lilting sing-song text is lovely to read aloud, and we love Julie's wonderful and imaginative characters.

We listened to Christina's spirited reading of Felicity Fly in the Garden with the bonus CD that came with the book - and realised that Daddy really needs to brush up on his voices! Lots of catching up to do!

The charm of insect characters is undeniable. Children love Felicity's antics as she sizzles around and they will most definitely love the new characters they're introduced to in this book too.

We can't wait to hear where Felicity goes next! Don't make us wait too long for the next book, Christina and Julie!

(By the way, you can vote for Felicity Fly in the Garden in the People's Book Prize. Follow this link!)


Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte loves Dakota Dragonfly, so beautiful and colourful and a ultra-cool hairstyle too! Daddy's Favourite bit: Lilting and lyrical to read (or listen to!) Lovely!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Christina at Poems and Pictures)