What happens when a little dragon hatches out of her shell and feels rather peckish? We run, that's what happens!

Comics have always had a bit of a poor reputation when it comes to literacy, and yet they're such a fantastic way to engage reluctant readers. So why the bad rep? Let's try and redress the balance by showing you a heady mix of five utterly essential comics, graphic novels or comic strip collections that will give your child a brilliant head start and an urge to read more.

Kicking off with Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin's sublime "Akissi", the first collection has been translated into English and is now available through Flying Eye Books.

Akissi is the story of a little West African girl and her mischievous little life. She's definitely no prim and proper princess but she has a superbly infectious joie de vivre that saw the Akissi collection move straight into our Book of the Week slot.

Everything from a spot of sneaky subversive babysitting to a brand new family pet (a rather naughty monkey called BouBou) and of course a goodly dose of sibling rivalry between Akissi and her older brother and sister. The collection is brilliant (and quite gross in places, we'll warn you in advance about the last story in the Flying Eye collection that involves tapeworms, AIEEEE!) but it's riotously funny stuff.

Make way for Akissi, from Flying Eye Books

Sticking with Flying Eye for a moment...another superb comic heroine who now stars in 4 (soon to be 5) brilliant graphic novels...

"Hilda" by Luke Pearson is a sublime cocktail of Nordic-noir, child-friendly adventures and a whole ton of adventure and excitement that feels like it pays nods to the likes of Tintin and Asterix in scale and scope. The first "Hildafolk" (now renamed and republished as Hilda and the Troll) paved the way swiftly for Hilda and the Bird Parade, Hilda and The Midnight Giant and Hilda and the Black Hound (with Hilda and the Stone Forest arriving this September).

As with all our recommendations, this is a fantastic series that has strong appeal to both boys AND girls so catch up with Hilda's amazing adventures as soon as you can, and look forward to an upcoming Netflix series being worked on as we type! Cannot wait for that one.

Moving on from Hilda, more brilliance with a female protagonist this time hurling herself into a maelstrom of danger in a harsh and unforgiving landscape...

"Pirates of Pangaea" by Daniel Hartwell and Neill Cameron is a strip that has regularly run in our favourite weekly comic, the mighty "Phoenix".
Collected together in volume one, you can now catch up with Sophie Delacourt, a young girl who embarks on a perilous journey to stay with her uncle but ends up kidnapped by nefarious pirates all set against a lost world landscape inhabited by dinosaurs. Pirates use these giant beasts to roam the landscape and in Book 1 we see Sophie largely adapting to a completely new way of life.

This plucky 12 year old's bravery is tested to the max as she learns the secret of how dinosaurs are tamed by a mysterious botanic concoction that subdues and controls them. Sophie herself ends up taming a T-Rex lovingly named Cornflower, and thus her adventures really begin.

The storytelling is tight, absolutely chock full of excitement and derring-do. Probably more suitable for older children but still an utterly fantastic introduction to the Phoenix Comic and the hugely talented folk who contribute to it.

Though we're not really doing it on purpose, we're still sticking with female heroes because...well because that's where all the cool stuff seems to be going on at the moment, and what's drawing us in the most.

Andi Watson's awesome "Gum Girl" is a fantastic mix of school tales and superhero (and super-villain) craziness. Gum Girl is an ordinary everyday girl who just happens to have a rather sticky but stupendous super-power. She can use her chemistry skills to make an amazing bubblegum that possesses super-strength, and can be moulded into tons of cool shapes to save Gumgirl in times of danger and crisis.

Gum Girl now stars in three separate collections, pitting her wits and gum against weird father christmases, absurd easter bunnies and a ton of nefarious characters hell bent on destroying her school and home town.

As you'd expect from a superhero comic, this is fast-paced action-packed stuff and if you'll pardon the pun, will give your little ones plenty to chew on!



Last but by no means least, we'll let the boys have a say. Go on then...

Garen Ewing's fantastic "Rainbow Orchid" series may not be brand new but it's still one of the most impressive comic collections we've ever seen. The stories of Julius Chancer, historian and adventurer, play out in a series of comic books (or you can just opt for the version we did and devour the whole lot in one glorious gulp!)

A heady mix of Tintin-esque adventuring, saturday morning pulp and swashbuckling action, it's one of those comics we return to again and again.

So that concludes our round-up. Suffice to say that we've merely dipped a toe into the water when it comes to the sheer brilliance on offer to today's kids when it comes to awesome comic action. If you've got a favourite and want to shout about it, please do drop a comment below as we're always on the hunt for the cream of comic action!

Hugely talented Kevin Crossley-Holland's new book is a riddling tour-de-force...

On the 1st of July 1916, one of the fiercest and most bloody battles of the First World War began. The Battle of the Somme resulted in a terrible and tragic loss of life on both sides and in "Flo of the Somme" Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey also remember the animals involved in the conflict, and how their heroic acts contributed to the war effort on both sides.

"Flo of the Somme" was a well deserved Book of the Week last year in October and you can read our original review of the book here:

ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 9th October 2015 - "Flo of the Somme" by Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey (Strauss House Productions)

Strauss House have released a book trailer for the title to once again remember those who did not survive the conflict, and respectfully pay tribute to those who did.

Take a look at the trailer below and please do re-read our review.


"Flo of the Somme" by Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey is available from Strauss House Productions.

Our Second Book of the Week delves into the treasure-trove archives of Tove Jansson's fantastic Moomin comics for a slice of gangsta life...

This week's first book of the week stuck its tongue out at us, parped, made several rude hand gestures and then sat atop the "Book of the Week" slot like a smug night-club bouncer...

When we're not wrapped around a good book, more often than not Charlotte and I find ourselves scribbling, doodling and drawing.

I've had a lifelong passion for drawing and sketching, branching out into dabbling in digital art (thanks to a speedy little Mac mini, a copy of Manga Studio 5 and a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet). Charlotte has drawn and painted from an early age and it struck me the other day just how damned GOOD she is compared to what I could draw like at her age.

At 8 years old, she's on the brink of moving between the two states that I believe artistically minded folk exist in. On the one hand, there's that blissful child-state of not caring a bugger about proportions, anatomy, perspective, form, composition, colour or realism. I wish with all my heart that artists could stay locked into that state. Some do manage it, some are extremely skilled at being able to draw like kids do, without stressing, without constant reworking, and completely carefree when it comes to criticism.

Cool cartooning stuff from Chris!

Charlotte loves to develop her own ideas and like me she often draws from her imagination. She loves tutorial books too (Chris Hart's utterly fantastic books in particular) but hasn't quite got to the stage of wanting to take things further and start applying those (horrible, in some cases) rules of form, anatomy and composition to her own drawings. However she's completely addicted to Christopher Hart's fantastic 'tutorial' books and has been working her way through these little beauties to get her cartooning skills up to scratch:

Chris Hart's books make drawing cool characters a real breeze!

I also love that she doesn't stress about what she draws with, or on for that matter. When I consider how much time I've spent trying to find the perfect pen or pencil to draw with (the Rotring Tikky range is a current fave and I also love Pilot's Frixion range if I'm going to ink something and need the safety net of being able to rub out. I also adore ink and nib just like great great great unc!) it's refreshing to see Charlotte dig any old stubby pencil or leaky pen out of her pencil case and just get on with it. Why do we adults always assume that our kit will somehow magically imbue us with more talent when really we should be able to do as she does and just knock out great art with a crayon!

With a couple of years of formal art training, I can honestly say that what I learned during two years on a foundation in art and design DID actually help me to appreciate and develop my (latent) skills but I really wish I'd finished my formal art education because I still slip into terrible bad habits. It was useful to see other people's work, hear their experiences and share the joy and pain of working on a piece to see it either triumph or fail when exams rolled around. Nowadays, Twitter is a godsend for providing that 'art class' type of community of like-minded scribblers (and professional artists who make us DROOL daily with their sublime work). All the topics like Sketch_Dailies, #ShapeChallenge, #Finishthescribble, #Colour_Collective and so many other art prompt tweeters really do help break the monotony of staring at a blank page and muttering "So what do I draw next?"

I wonder if Charlotte will carry on with art. I hope she does. Art has been an inspiration and at some points in my life it's actually saved my sanity, been like a soothing balm to rub on my mental wounds, I've filled sketchbooks and hard drives with work and over the last few years I've drawn more than I ever have at any other time in my life (and I can honestly say that if there's one piece of advice I'd give anyone, it's that you CAN draw but you'll need to do it daily to maintain any kind of consistency and style - the minute you stop, even for a short period of time, you'll really feel like you're getting back to square one once you do get back into it so draw daily, draw lots, draw anywhere!)

Now here's a neat story that warns of the snowball effect of telling a tiny fib...which quickly spirals out of control...!

Sharp eyes are required! A new range of fantastic 'spotter' books has just been released by QED Publishing, with various fun themes and tons of amazing facts packed between the pages.

The "Spot the" range kicks off with "Spot the Mummy at the Museum" - A cheeky Mummy hides in every scene so it's up to you to find him as he enjoys all the exhibits and scenes spanning world history.

As well as the Mummy, you'll need to find a whole brace of other interesting objects and artifacts - all while enjoying the historical facts and figures that describe each period of history in more fun detail.

"Spot the Mummy at the Museum" is out now, written by Sarah Khan and illustrated by Joelle Driedemy.

We also took a look at "Spot the Bird at the Building Site", again a really fun book showing all the different stages of building everything from a library to a high-rise skyscraper. This time you're on the look-out for a cheeky pigeon who hides out in each scene, and once again there are loads of interesting facts about buildings and architecture to read. Did you know that the lifts in the Shard move so quickly that you can get to the top of the building in just over a minute! Stomach-churning stuff!

"Spot the Bird on the Building Site" also by Sarah and Joelle is also out now.

QED have more in the range so if you're on the look-out for a fun and challenging set of books to keep your little one occupied over the summer, take a look at the rest of the "Spot the" range as they're really brilliantly presented, full of colourful and fun illustrations and well worth closer investigation!

Find out more about QED's awesome range on the Quarto Knows website.

Welcome to Flaming June's chapter book roundup with another delicious and diverse selection of chapter books to win you over on lazy summer days sitting under your favourite tree, basking in the shade and reading a superb story.

We'll kick off with a book that celebrates our wild spaces and details what happens when a gang of kids realise that theirs is under threat.

In "The Wilderness War" by Julia Green (out now from Oxford University Press) we meet Noah and his friends who spend long idyllic summer days making dens, camping under the stars and toasting marshmallows on camp fires.

Unfortunately "The Wilderness" has been sold off to developers, and the dens torn down to make way for houses. But Noah and pals are determined to fight for their green space, can a gang of kids really make a difference?

We loved this book - mainly because green issues are something that we've always been keen to get Charlotte interested in. Thankfully she was utterly hooked and actually couldn't wait to tuck up in bed reading this every night, so a thorough and resounding thumbs up from her. I remember her loving OUP's awesome "Biff, Chip and Kipper" story called "Save Pudding Wood" which went along similar lines (albeit in a far simpler and less richly involving way) so it was obvious Julia's book was going to strike a chord.

"The Wilderness War" was released on June 1st by OUP.

A new book in Alex Milway's awesome "Pigsticks and Harold" series is our next candidate...

In "Pigsticks and Harold and the Pirate Treasure" you can expect plenty of peg-legged punnery and hilarity as Pigsticks (the pig) and Harold (the, er, well we think he's a Hamster but Charlotte swears blind he's a beaver who lost his tail) embark on a nautical adventure full of mysterious maps, creaking ships and of course a goodly dose of pirate booty.

Pigsticks (the rash one who always engages limbs before brain) and Harold (the quiet brainy one) have run into Pigsticks' arch enemy Sir Percival Snout, who claims that Tuptown is his - and it's time to bring in a wrecking ball to flatten the place and build it to his own designs.

Pigsticks' grandfather was a pirate, and his lost treasure has never been found. Can the dynamic duo retrieve the stash of gold and buy off Sir Percival before Tuptown is turned into an ugly block of flats?

Chock full of knockabout humour, perfect for kids getting their teeth into more wordy books than their usual picture book diet, this is a fabulous story series that will win just about everyone over.

"Pigsticks and Harold and the Pirate Treasure" is out now from Walker Books.

From pigs and hamsters to some seriously superb superheroes...

Floris Books have a knack for publishing fantastic and original books, and Paul Bristow's epic "The Superpower Project", mashing together mech-based mayhem with an unlikely duo of would-be superheroes.

An ancient and mystical force is under threat from a nefarious industrialist and his army of transforming robots, cunningly disguised as modern art installations. Megan and Cam are tasked with saving the world, staying in school AND also racking up some vital training with a rather grouchy were-tiger. Thankfully they've at least got some extra help from a clanky steampunk robot designed by none other than James Watt!

Hugely original, buzzingly energetic from page to page and cracking along at the sort of pace that will leave you gasping for more at the cataclysmic climax, "The Superpower Project" is definitely one to watch.

"The Superpower Project" was released by Kelpies / Floris Books on Feb 18th 2016.

More, more you say? Well who are we to deny you BRILLIANT BOOKS. How about a chapter book for middle graders that combines a bucketload of sass with...Yoga. Yep you heard us right...

Meet "Cici Reno #MiddleSchoolMatchmaker" in this fantastic and brilliantly observed new book from Kristina Springer. Cici is the queen of sass and she's also a bit of a Cyrano De Bergerac if truth be known. Her BFF is shy and retiring but has a huge crush on someone with absolutely no idea how to make the first move.

It's up to Cici to inject the situation with some seriously cool philosophy and plenty of flexible yoga-skilling into the bargain.

I don't think I've ever actually come across a book that heads out with every chapter with a rather hilariously described yoga move. If you can do some of these while reading the book at the same time (presumably with your feet or nose) then you're a superhero par excellence.

Funny, cool and deliciously fourth-wall-breaking in places, this is one of the freshest MG books we've seen in a long time and Charlotte absolutely lapped it up! Hopefully there'll be more from Cici soon.

"Cici Reno #MiddleSchoolMatchmaker" was released on 7th May by Sterling Publishing

What's left in the book bag superchamps?

Oh boy, this one was greeted with a whoop of delight which slowly turned to a bit of a sad and bittersweet moment as we both realised that this is the last book! Cressida Cowell's utterly brilliant "How to Train your Dragon" series reaches its 12th and final book with "How to Fight a Dragon's Fury" as the chronicles wind down with a truly cataclysmic battle.

This time Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third is out to prove he is the rightful heir to the kingdom of The Wilderwest. Unfortunately for Hiccup he stands alone, as the evil and downright stinky Alvin the Treacherous has snatched all of the king's things, proclaiming himself to be the king not Hiccup.

As regular series readers will know, Alvin's evil scheme could see an end to the bond between humans and dragons and in fact the death of dragons entirely. Can Hiccup overcome insurmountable odds to triumph over Alvin and his nefarious Dragon Guardians of Tomorrow?

This book seizes you by the talons and doesn't let go. Exciting, page turning and at times quite heart wrenching stuff. Be prepared for the end when you'll need a new set of nerves and probably quite a few hankies...don't say we didn't warn you!

"How to Train your Dragon: How to Fight a Dragon's Fury" is out now in Hardback and Paperback from Hodder Children's Books.

"Bake Off" is responsible for inspiring a lot of books and here's another corker...

"Billy Bramble and the Great Big Cook Off" by Sally Donovan and Kara McHale features a rather unlikely (and hideously unlucky) hero. Young Billy never seems to be able to do anything right, and in his own words, he's the bad luck champion of the world.

It's not really Billy's fault, it's mostly down to Billy's invisible dog Gobber who seems to choose the most inopportune moments to interfere, cause chaos and upset the applecart (or in this case, the flour bag).

Billy has had enough, it's time to dig in his heels and see what he can do about this miscreant mutt.

Sally has written a rather subtle and beautifully observed book that will instantly make kids who feel that they're somehow less than perfect feel a heck of a lot better about themselves. It's witty, funny and deliriously chaotic so keep an eye out for Billy, he's sure to win your heart!

"Billy Bramble and the Great Big Cook Off" is out now from Jessica Kingsley Publishing

Ding the bell Charlotte, what's up next?
(Ding)

Ooh hello! Nick Sharratt, picture book superstar has come up trumps with his very first chapter book, an amusing and gorgeously illustrated tale. "The Cat and the King" tells the tale of a gentle king and his extremely clever cat (has anyone ever met a daft cat? We haven't!)

The poor king finds himself in a very odd situation after a nasty dragon burns down the royal castle. Now ensconced at Number 37 Castle Close, the king suddenly finds that real life is a bit trickier than he'd imagined. Thankfully the cat is on hand to help out, but when the fire-breathing dragon returns, The Cat and The King must join forces to get rid of their arch enemy once and for all.

Nick's storytelling is brilliantly funny and he's made the transition from picture to chapter books with ease. An absolutely perfect title for younger kids cutting their teeth with their first proper reading books, "The Cat and the King" is out on the First of September from Alison Green Books.

Uh oh, hide your valuables, I don't like the look of the fellas coming up next...

"The Bad Guys" by Aaron Blabey introduces a devilish gang of thoroughly bad eggs. Mr Wolf, Mr Snake, Mr Shark and Mr Piranha have a bit of a bad reputation but they're trying to change all that and become a force for good.

Their first mission, to free 200 dogs from the maximum security dog pound doesn't quite go as swimmingly as expected (imagine drowning in 200 puddles of dog drool for starters!) so the gang must re-evaluate their tactics and even figure out if it's worth changing your spots to become a good guy after all.

Fully and brilliantly illustrated, Aaron's new book series kicks off with this hilarious first story with Book 2 (Mission Unpluckable) also out by the time you read this roundup.

"The Bad Guys Episode 1" was released on 7th April 2016.

Our book bag is almost empty. I did say almost. I've got a feeling there are a few more in there so reach in and dig deep...

One for older kids now from author Chris Russell fusing together YA coolness with boyband fanboism...

In "Songs About a Girl" you'll meet Charlie Bloom, the ordinary everyday girl next door who is quite happy to stay out of the spotlight and nurture her talent as a photographer.

When she's asked backstage to take photos of hot boyband sensation Fire&Lights, Charlie's life changes immeasurably and she's thrown headlong into the world of the paparazzi, of creative tension within the band and an inevitable tussle over matters of the heart.

Charlie's inquisitive nature leads her to a dark discovery, a deep secret within the band hidden in plain sight, actually in the lyrics of their songs. How can Charlie live with knowing that the band millions idolise are not at all what they seem?

A fantastic observation of the PR machine in action, the hype and excitement of the music industry and the inevitable heartaches when the perfect polished world peels apart. Tightly and tensely written and sure to be a big hit with 12 yrs and up, "Songs About A Girl" is out on 28th July 2016 from Hodder Children's Books.

Another fantastic YA novel for older kids (with a strong language & content warning, I should add) - particularly fans of grimy and dark conspiracy theory stories...




In "The Hatching" by Ezekiel Boone , a seemingly random series of mysterious events rocks the globe. A group of US tourists and their guide are seemingly devoured by an unknown force deep in the Peruvian jungle, China unleashes a nuclear weapon on itself in a freak nuclear accident and strange seismic readings are registered in other parts of the world. Somehow all these events are connected and time is running out as scientists and politicians struggle to piece together the clues and maintain order as the world goes to hell.

Sweeping and cinematic in its world building, it's no surprise that the book has already been optioned for a movie by Joel Schumacher. "The Hatching" is gripping page-turning stuff, veering from deep dark mystery to political machinations, and written as tightly as an overwound bolt. "The Hatching" arrived on shelves on the 5th July 2016.

Phew! After all that tension we could do with something a lot more lighthearted and summery...!

Enid Blyton's Summer Stories collects together a fabulous sunny collection of her short stories, perfect for lazy reading splayed out on a picnic blanket in your favourite spot beneath some shade (don't forget the sun cream).

Timeless classics all, it's a new collection to compliment the previous anthology (Holiday Stories) and perfect for fans of Enid's fabulous "Famous Five" books and other collections.

"Summer Stories" is released on 28th June 2016 from Hodder Children's Books. Anyone for an ice cold ginger beer?

Don't run off just yet, we're still dipping into our summery book bag and I'm sure we can squeeze in a few more.

So how about more summery goodness, with rib-tickling humour and an enviable collection of authors contributing to an awesome story compilation? See, we told you it was worth sticking around for...

"Holiday Ha Ha Ha!" is a collection of 8 hilarious stories by a hugely talented bunch of authors including Joanna Nadin, Jonathan Meres, Steven Butler and Steve Cole. Perfectly pitched for those beachy reads (though don't get sand in your book, it's almost impossible to get that stuff out!) "Holiday Ha Ha Ha!" is a gigglesome collection covering a completely bonkers set of subjects.

Crazy grannies, terrible car journeys (yep they're usually part of our summer whether we like them or not), and gruesome ghosts all feature amongst the 8 tales of holiday woos and woes.

A perfect collection to work away on in between building sandcastles or wolfing down whelks, or to devour in one huge summery sitting when you find the perfect shady spot to laze in.

"Holiday Ha Ha Ha!" is released on 30th June 2016 from Simon and Schuster Children's Books.

One more, one more, g'wan then...

In Jo Franklin's rib-tickler "Help, I'm an Alien" a boy called Daniel is suffering
from a bit of an identity crisis. Daniel is convinced he's actually not human, but an extra-terrestrial, stolen away from his home planet to live with a fairly weird human family. His sister convinces him that he is indeed an alien. His mum doesn't seem too sure either. Whereas Daniel is tall, gangly with brown hair the rest of his family are blonde, blue eyed and diminutive so is Daniel really a cuckoo in the nest?

A fantastically funny and sharply observed story of family, friendships and that weird feeling that we all get from time to time - that we're different but not always in a good way. I remember being a rather cruel older brother to my little sister, convincing her that I was indeed an alien who had replaced her real brother so this book appealed to me and Charlotte found it furiously funny too!

"Help I'm an alien" by Jo Franklin is out now from Troika Books.

And we're done, really done this time! Phew, that was a big one. Tune in next month when we dip into July's big ol' book bag and see what's tickling our fancy.

See you in July!