He's naughty, usually a bit pongy, and he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve - but where is our gallant hero Henry?

Such sad news today. Babette Cole, author and illustrator of many many children's stories including "Dr Dog" and "Princess Smartypants" has died at the far too young age of 68.

Babette's work was a mainstay of my growing up, her fantastic illustrations for other authors - and of course her own brilliant children's books were part of Charlotte's growing up too. We borrowed "Dr Dog" from our local library and had to own it, and the equally fab sequel "A Dose of Dr Dog" too.

Babette's ultimate mighty girl though was Princess Smartypants - a girl who eschewed the usual pretty dresses and endless supplies of shoes to pursue her own dreams. A clever lass, just like Babette herself.

She was always a funny and warm person to converse with over email or via Twitter, and someone whose work we loved sharing with others.



It's a very sad day for children's literature indeed.

Oh we're so mean! This week's Chapter Book of the Week isn't out until March but you will want to get your preorders in early, it's that good...!

Our Picture Book of the Week this week deals with a hugely sensitive subject in an amazing visual way. Debi Gliori's "Night Shift"

We're well and truly back into the swing of things and today (Jan 12th) is definitely a red letter day for plenty of artists and authors, as the first big launch push of the year begins in earnest.

Well, we're not quite sure how you answer a question like this but one penguin absolutely needs to know!

After a recent brush with growing a beard, it was almost spookily timed that we'd end up receiving a new picture book to review that's all about face fuzz...

We do love an infectious bum-wiggling BUN wiggling book or two. Here's a fab and busy little book for ickle tiny ones...

Join us in an undersea world fraught with danger, and meet a very brave girl called Merryn in "Song of the Deep - Merryn's Journey"...

Tune in each month in 2017 to hear us talk about 5 books currently nestling in our reading pile at the moment.

The January Podcast (16 mins 28 seconds) features:

The Lumberjack's Beard by Duncan Beedie (Templar Publishing)

The Lumberjack's Beard by Duncan Beedie (Templar Publishing)

Elspeth Hart and the School for Showoffs by Sarah Forbes (with illustrations by James Brown) (Stripes / Little Tiger)

Elspeth Hart and the School for Show-offs by Sarah Forbes and James Brown (Stripes)

The Big Book of Mr Badger by Leigh Hobbs (with illustrations by Sandra Nobes) (Allen and Unwin)

The Big Book of Mr Badger by Leigh Hobbs and Sandra Nobes (Allen and Unwin)

Lots by Marc Martin (Big Picture Press)

"Lots" by Marc Martin (Big Picture Press)

Rabbit and Bear - the Pest in the Nest by Julian Gough and Jim Field (Hodder Children's Books)

"Rabbit and Bear, the Pest in the Nest" by Julian Gough and Jim Field (Hodder  Children's Books)

Be gentle with us, it's our first go but any feedback, comments etc welcome!

(Get the MP3 version here)

Podcast feedburner access at http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/NcbjD