It's wonderful to see this fantastic book getting a lovely 20th Anniversary polish. One of the best dinosaur books out there, "Dinosaur Roar!" is a brilliant 'join in' book for younger readers who will love the big bold and colourful illustrations, and the low word count with lots of opportunities for enthusiastic audience participation!

Henriette and Paul Stickland's book is one we often spot in the library, each and every copy is well loved (and very well worn) and that's always a great sign that it's hugely popular.

We enjoyed reading through this together, Charlotte supplying the roars, squeaks and grunts of the various dino species inside - and I enjoyed laughing my socks off at her impression of a Triceratops.

Charlotte's best bit: Big grumpy dinosaur (is like you daddy! Charming!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Bold and colourful, big and noisy, a wonderfully satisfying book celebrating its 20th Anniversary with this awesome edition!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Picture Corgi)

So far we've been immune to the scatological charms of this well known dinosaur and his equally well known creators. Tom and Dougie from McFly created a poop-fuelled yuletide classic in "The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas" (Which we still haven't read) but we're catching up with them as they head into space. Along with talented illustrator Garry Parsons, they find out what happens when young Danny get up to mischief when they visit the science museum. They hijack a rocket and soon they're jetting off into the inky blackness of space! (Charlotte kept pointing out how naughty Danny and Dinosaur were for stealing exhibits from the museum and misusing them. I did point out that it's a 'boy' thing but she was unconvinced).

In their haste to explore outer space, Danny and Dinosaur forget their lunches - and soon Dinosaur's tummy is rumbling. With nothing around to eat, Dinosaur picks the nearest thing to satisfy his humungous appetite - the spaceship! Eeek!

Can Danny and Dino make it back home for tea? Or will Dino's huge appetite and equally huge bottom mean serious trouble for the milky way?

Charlotte lapped this book up and I'd imagine a huge amount of kids her age would. There's just something about it that really switches me off. Don't get me wrong, I think Tom, Dougie and Garry are fantastic talented folk but I just couldn't really get past the book's core draw. Dino poo.

Having only read this book, I can't comment on the more festive version - and a quick glance at Amazon suggests that there are more dino-poop-fests on the way (The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past is on its way in September 2014). As ever with books we disagree on though, the sound of Charlotte snorting with laughter at any book (even if I don't like it) is one of the best sounds in the world, so I'm willing to read it with her whenever she asks.

Charlotte's best bit: Martian cats (with extremely groovy hats!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Some nice Seuss-ian rhyming going on but I had little stomach for the brown stuff later in the book! Ew!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Red Fox Picture Books

Every time we hear that Emma Yarlett has produced a new book, or is illustrating someone else's stories, we get a little over-excited. Charlotte is a huge fan of Emma's - because her artwork is always gorgeously detailed, there's always a necessity to read her books again and again and again so you don't miss anything, and her stories are deftly woven to inspire and delight.

"Orion and the Dark" deals with a theme we have seen several times before, and looking back through the blog it's a theme that seems to consistently feature in books that end up as our "Book of the Week" nominees. Children's fear of the dark can be a very real fear - and a problem for parents who want to make sure that their child feels safe in their environment, and also get a good night's sleep so they're not complete grumpy-chops in the morning.

Most recently we absolutely loved "The Dark" by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen, and Emma Yarlett's tale adopts a similar theme, but approaches things in a fresh and engaging way.

Orion (coolest name ever!) is a little lad who has many fears, not just of the dark. Darkness is the worst though, and Orion hates all the spaces in the house that are dark (like under the bed and inside the wardrobe). Poor Orion's imagination works overtime and he gets into a real lather. One night, worse than all the others, something amazing happens. The dark comes to visit Orion but is the complete opposite of the nasty monstrous dark Orion was expecting.

Thus unfolds a new chapter in Orion's tale, which we'll leave you to discover in this lovely book (lovely THICK book we should say, it's a really nice long story for a special treat when you want to send your children off to the land of nod with a belter of a tale).

Emma's talent is that she engages children on two levels in her books, she wraps them up in an exciting and stimulating story, then engages their curiosity and observation with her beautiful illustrations. We mentioned at the top of the review how gorgeously detailed they are, and how Emma uses various media, collage and top-notch character work to give her stories a truckload of immersion and emotion.

We've gushed enough. Simply put, go and buy this book. If your own children have their own fears about darkness and what lurks therein, this could be a really brilliant book to offer reassurance that the dark is nothing to be scared of - in fact sometimes the dark holds hidden wonders and amazement all of its own.

Charlotte's best bit: There are some utterly brilliant spreads in this where elements of the page 'fold out' to describe the action in the story. Truly wonderful and such a brilliant idea to immerse children in the story and in books this way.

Daddy's Favourite bit: For someone relatively new and fresh to children's books, Emma is fast becoming the safest pair of hands in the business for both illustration and storytelling duties. This is a theme we've seen before but Emma's take on it feels original and engaging from page one right through to the end.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Templar Publishing)

A Story Your Way from Novacarta. Adaptable art to help produce a book tailored to your own situation at home

One of the best things about the whole "Kickstarter" phenomenon is that it helps some extremely important projects get a much needed boost.

We have been contacted by Novacartawww.novacarta.org, who have put together some of the most innovative and amazing artists, authors and computer programmers to produce something truly original, an adaptable book - "A Story Your Way" that allows someone to set parameters to describe their own family unit, choose an art style and other items to tailor-make a book that can help convey an important story that follows their own experiences dealing with cancer.

 If you or your loved ones have ever been affected by the disease, and there's a high statistical chance that you have, you will understand the importance of projects that deal with the subject sensitively, and so I'll let the trailer speak for itself:



So many families would benefit from the book, and Novacarta obviously recognise the importance of ensuring that the deep customisation accurately reflects the modern family unit.

Parents can choose from different art styles, each reflecting the story and their individual scenario

In their own words, Novacarta describe the book in more detail and outline their aims:

Explaining illness and its consequences to children is often a difficult and complex endeavour. A simple approach rarely reassures a child. It is therefore important to thematize the situation, the new daily routine and the specific changes the patient will go through. Studies done over the past 20 years show the importance, for children's well being, to include them in open discussions concerning a parent's illness. These studies explain that parents often find themselves lacking the appropriate means to have such discussions.

Is 'different' good or bad? Do children grow up with an inbuilt sense when something's different or 'normal' and what is normal anyway? So many books have covered this tricky multi-layered subject in many different ways and here's a book that children will more readily identify with, picking out the core theme with ease and clarity.

For a child, introduction to 'different' happens early on, so having books that celebrate, shout "Vive la difference!" is definitely a very good thing.

Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell have conjured up a world filled with fantastical creatures, though one is distinctly different from the others. Normally happy to live life in solitude, little "Something Else" is spurned by his peers whenever he tries to join in.

Then "something" turns up and turns "Something Else's" world upside down. "Something" is a little too different. Can the two find a common ground and perhaps even become friends? It doesn't seem so at first...

Delightful and whimsical, a perfect pairing Kathryn and Chris with Kathryn's cool way with nonsensical words mixing into the story, and Chris's sublime illustrations. We've said it once and we'll say it again, "different is groovy, baby!"


Charlotte's best bit: Aww Charlotte felt very sad for "Something Else" at first as he tried to fit in.

Daddy's Favourite bit: A great little tale with an important core theme, imparted expertly by Kathryn and Chris

With a crazy chaotic story style, and visuals to match in that gorgeous "retro fantastic" illustration style so beloved of artists like Bob Staake and Chris Hitchins, "Children are Naughty" by Vincent Cuvellier and Aurelie Guillerey is a stark fire-engine-red warning tome designed to keep adults aware of just how naughty kids are.

Got a prized possession you love more than anything else? Kids can probably trash it within a moment or two.

Wondering who shaved the dog (or themselves?) Kids may act innocent, but they're likely to blame.

With each page spread we see kids behaving badly, but in each and every case, the kids are having fun and enjoying themselves as kids do.

What we loved about this was the very end of the book where you find out just where all that bad behaviour comes from, and how generations of adults will maintain that they were the pinnacle of perfection, blessed and well-behaved when they were kids but every now and again that mask slips with hilarious results.

Loved this, it's energetic and fun!

Charlotte's best bit: Kids invading the grand piano!

Daddy's Favourite bit: loved that end spread with the family. Yep that actually happens when our lot gather together too!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Flying Eye Books)

Books that celebrate children's endless curiosity always pique our interest. Curious Charlotte definitely identified with the little girl in this book for several reasons. 1) She does have a fairly messy room when she gets all her toys and books out and 2) She would definitely have pulled that piece of wool too...!

A piece of wool? Yep that's how this story starts off, with a little girl called Little Lou and a solitary strand of yarn sticking out from a huge pile of toys. Little Lou wants to know what this wriggly fuzzy piece of wool is, so like most kids, she pulls it and soon unravels a HUGE WOOLLY MAMMOTH!

Now, as you'd expect, Little Lou is a little bit surprised and scared by this new blue (and huge) visitor, and isn't quite sure that a child's room is the right place for a huge woolly mammoth. But Mammoth has other ideas, and soon Little Lou finds that curiosity can be rewarded - sometimes with an amazing friendship that stretches to the moon and back, far longer than any random piece of wool.

We won't spoil the twist in this yarn-entwined tale but it's rather lovely, in fact the whole book has that warm fuzzy cuddly feeling about it - a bit like a gigantic woolly mammoth in fact. Just never feed it dustballs otherwise you'll never get rid of it :)

Charlotte's best bit: The mammoth first appears, and he's HUGE! Eek! A little bit daunting for a little girl

Daddy's Favourite bit: Warm, fuzzy, charming and funny - and celebrates a child's endless curiosity perfectly

(Kindly sent to us for review by Bloomsbury Publishing)

We love, love, LOVE Kazuno Kohara's books and we really love this awesome little tale of a young wizard and his new found friend. It reminded me a little of the brilliant "Meg and Mog" books with Kazuno's artwork kept simple but effective. Little Wizard is the only wizard at Wizard Academy who can't yet fly on his broom. Poor Little Wizard is left out of all the games and hi-jinks by the older children as they whizz off into the sky and have fun.

One day, in a dark forest, Little Wizard meets a young dragon who becomes his best friend, and vows to teach Little Wizard the basics of how to fly, soar and swoop through the air (little dragon is a bit of an expert, you see).

Trouble is on the horizon though. One day a brave knight appears, and vows to slay any dragons in the vicinity. Little Wizard must find a way to warn his friend, but can he reach Dragon in time to save the day?

This is a really loveable and atmospheric little story, a nice easy read for youngsters who want to 'read it themselves' and striking artwork help it to stand out from many similar tales. A lovely story of friendship and believing in yourself. And it's purple. All the coolest things are purple!

Charlotte's best bit: Little Wizard's race to save his dragon friend

Daddy's Favourite bit: Love how the friendship develops over the course of the story. Very sweet and touching little book

Here's a successful formula we've seen before from Simon and Schuster - the brilliant "Jack's Mega Machines" stories by Alison Ritchie and Mike Byrne come with a brilliant pop-up cardboard model of the vehicle in the story. Now E.T. Harper and Dan Taylor's "Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs" series are doing the same thing, introducing kids to various dinosaur species, starting with "the Daddeh!" - The Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Dylan is the proud owner of a fossil journal, given to him by his grandad - and a magical model of a Pteranodon that comes to life and whisks Dylan away on adventures, to find out more about dinosaurs and help him complete his Grandad's fossil records.

The story comes with your own, your very own T-Rex model which takes a bit of extracting from the book in one piece (this is a similar problem we had with the Jack's Mega Machines books but the trick is to warm up that ultra-sticky glue by getting an adult to hold the back of the book against a radiator for a mo or two. This helps the glue come off more cleanly and means you won't damage your awesome dino-model!)

Back to the story and Dylan finds that counting a T-Rex's teeth isn't exactly a breeze (well, have you ever tried to face down a carnivorous dinosaur the length of a double-decker bus and count his toothypegs? We wouldn't advise you to try that at home!)

This is the first book in an eventual series and it's a real win for Charlotte who absolutely loves Dinosaurs, and really loved the "Jack's Mega Machines" collectable books and models. I do take issue with the fact that there has been a lot of furore over books targeted largely at girls when this is very boy-centric (even the back cover features two boys playing with the model rather than a boy and a girl). Girls think that dinosaurs rock too, particularly my little girl, so if you're looking for an exciting story, with a cool model to play with, and an ultra-colourful and brilliantly presented story you're onto a winner with Dylan!

Charlotte's best bit: Dylan in the sinking bog. Phew-eee!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A nice idea to produce more books with these excellent fold-out models. Great for boys but equally good for dino-loving girls too!

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

Holly Webb's gorgeous snowy stories have become well-loved books for us, but when we found out that Holly had been burning the pencil at both ends to write a fantastic series of books based on a victorian girl detective, we couldn't resist finding out more.

Meet Maisie Hitchins, a plucky girl with flame red hair and green eyes, who is curious and inquisitive. Along with her sidekick Eddie (a rather frenetic and energetic little dog) they embark on a series of adventures and mysteries - starting with the first book in the series, "The Case of the Stolen Sixpence"

Maisie Hitchins - The Case of the Stolen Sixpence by Holly Webb

Today is publishing day for book one, but we've been fortunate enough to take a look at two more books in the series too!

Maisie Hitchins - The Case of the Secret Tunnel by Holly Webb (Release Date: 6th May 2014)

Maisie Hitchins - The Case of the Feathered Mask (Release date: 6th May 2014

One of the things we find hard is to find really great books that have adventure, excitement and mystery in them - but have strong 'girl' appeal. Though the Maisie Hitchins books work equally well for girls and boys, it's a series that has instantly caught Charlotte's attention (and will probably fill our bedtime reading slot for quite some time to come!) A perfect combination of setting (Anything "Victorian" is always a huge hit with Charlotte), an air of mystery and supernatural suspense, and more than a nod to fabulous detective mysteries like Sherlock Holmes make this a truly unmissable series for our very own little girl detective! Fantastic covers and illustrations by Marion Lindsay (we love love LOVE the house drawing at the start of each tale) really make this series a brilliant transition for children who are moving on from picture books into early chapter readers.

Two more books in the Maisie Hitchins series, "The Case of the Missing Emerald" and "The Case of the Phantom Cat" will closely follow.

We'll be catching up with Holly really soon on the blog and will keep you up to date with all things Maisie, rest assured!


Charlotte's best bit: So far we're reading through "The Case of the Stolen Sixpence" and it's instantly grabbed Charlotte's attention and peaked her curiosity. Fabulous stuff!

Daddy's Favourite bit: A fantastic character, a brilliant setting, tons of atmosphere and suspense, Maisie is set to become an instant hit with girls and boys who love a detective mystery or two.

(Maisie Hitchins books kindly supplied to us for preview by Stripes Publishing. Look out for full reviews soon!)