Our third entry in our Booky Advent Calendar is the first and definitely not the last entry from super-talented and hugely prolific author Holly Webb, who has an absolute knack and talent for producing some of the most gorgeous and atmospheric winter and christmas stories.

"Star (Winter Animal Stories)" by Holly Webb begins when Anna borrows a tiny wooden tiger from her Russian grandmother's mantelpiece.

No Booky Advent Calendar could possibly be complete without at least one version of this classic tale!

"The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore and Roger Duvoisin has been described by many as 'the definitive version of the story' and it's difficult not to agree with that.

In a stocking-filler-sized long narrow format, the book opens with jolly St Nick about to make his rounds, alongside his faithful reindeer Dasher Prancer, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolf!

We love this edition - gorgeously reprinted in its original format by Scallywag Press - mostly because Roger's illustrations are always fab, mischievous and of course packed to the gills with detail (including a certain escapee lion making a guest appearance, much to the delight of C who absolutely loves that book to bits!)

Absolutely fantastic, and as we said, perfect for sliding into your christmas stocking!

"The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore and Roger Duvoisin is out now, published by Scallywag Press (kindly supplied for review). 

Welcome, welcome, welcome to our stunning Booky Advent Calendar 2019 - with a peek behind door one, and a book that arrived in the midst of a boiling hot summer. Yes indeed, this one was our very first Christmas picture book arrival of this year, and there's nothing more christmassy than reading all about one of the naughtiest unicorns in the world, and his antics around yuletide.

"Oscar The Hungry Unicorn Eats Christmas" by Lou Carter and Nikki Dyson reunites this dream team for a new tale about the surly, grumpy and ever-hungry Unicorn as his bestie Princess Oola readies herself for the big day.

But just before Santa can wedge his big fat bum down the chimney, Oola makes a horrifying discovery. Oscar has eaten the blimmin' Christmas Tree.

What's more, Oscar doesn't stop there, he's determined to scoff just about everything Oola has laid out for Christmas. What on earth will Santa say? Will she end up on the naughty list? Oscar certainly might!

Brilliantly funny with gorgeous christmassy and colourful illustrations, get your Christmas booky celebrations under way in grand style.

"Oscar the Hungry Unicorn Eats Christmas" by Lou Carter and Nikki Dyson is out now, published by Orchard Books (kindly supplied for review).

Bringing back awesome comics from yesteryear is definitely a trend we'd love to see continuing well into 2020, as 2019 has seen some brilliant compilations coming from various comic publishers.

"Marge's Little Lulu: Working Girl" by John Stanley has been gathered together into a colossal volume presented in a gorgeous hard cover by Drawn and Quarterly.

What's really interesting for us is that this comic, hailing from the "Golden Age" of newspaper-based short-run strips and 'funnies' pull-out sections in the 1940s and 1950s over the pond in the US, would have been totally lost to us if it wasn't for a publisher taking a chance on producing an excellent collected volume like this.

So who is Little Lulu? For generations of Americans she was their equivalent to our Minnie the Minx or Beryl the Peril. A little girl who wasn't just content to play with dolls or fit to the usual feminine stereotypes. Little Lulu, along with her best buddy Tubby, liked to play with catapults, get up to all sorts of hi-jinks and definitely was not content to sit on the sidelines while the boys had all the fun.

Each of the strips here reinforces what made Little Lulu such an inspirational and favourite character, often cited by celebrities as being almost unique in popular comic strip culture at the time, emerging from an era where women in comic strips were either subservient housewives, slightly dizzy (as with Blondie) or there to be rescued by some lantern-jawed goon with a gun.


Most of the strips feel very much of the era yet their messages remain pretty timeless, and sometimes Lulu's visible frustration at the patriarchy is - sadly - all too relevant to the way the world often is today, more than 70 years after the strips first saw the light of day in Dell Magazine.

It feels somewhat ironic that the male creator of these strips had such an acute and accurate view of what it would feel like to be a 10 year old girl just wanting to join in and have fun without being subjected to discrimination and sexism. We'll slide some of the other non-politically-correct aspects of the strip under the rug, but this is a superb collection and one that had C's complete attention (and still does as it's one heck of a weighty tome, weighing in at 256 pages).

Sum this book up in a sentence: A sublime slice of awesome comic strip fun with a feminist hero who was way, way ahead of her time, created by an artist and writer with some seriously sharp observational skills.

"Little Lulu: Working Girl" by John Stanley is out now, published by Drawn and Quarterly (kindly supplied for review).

Our final Picture Book of the Year may not be something that was published this year (in fact it was published for the first time almost 30 years ago! Wow!), but it's a book that we were prompted to re-buy recently after being completely hypnotised by it in a bookshop.

"The Tunnel" by Anthony Browne is one of those 'dark' children's books you always hear about, you know, the ones the industry seems to have taken a pass on in recent years. Yet here is the perfect modern fairy tale, every bit as edgy and faintly menacing as classic tales from Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm - but with a contemporary look and feel which - even after 30 years - still feels timely and relevant.

Once upon a time a brother and sister lived a fairly happy and ordinary life. Like most siblings, they were prone to fighting and arguing with each other, with either one annoying or playing pranks on their sibling.

When their mother eventually tires of their bickering, she sends them out to play - and the mischievous brother finds a strange tunnel, and can't resist exploring it.

The sister is left all on her own, and when the brother doesn't reappear, she confronts her own fear head on, and crawls into the tunnel after him. What she finds on the other side is an unexpected, magical and thoroughly menacing new land that seems to have sprung to life from her own fairytale-obsessed imagination.

So many hidden images tucked into Anthony's amazing paintings. See what you can spot!

The story maintains an air of making the reader and the main character thoroughly uncomfortable, at times you're convinced you're being watched as well as the poor sister in the story. With good reason, as the illustrations feature all manner of mystical shapes, beastly and menacing, ready to eat you all up!

When the sister finally finds her missing brother there's a chilling shock in store - one we're desperate not to spoil for you, suffice to say beware when checking this book out on Amazon as one of the images has a whomping great big spoiler in it!

If you've never encountered any of Anthony Browne's books before, they're all fantastic - every single one of them, the man is incapable of writing / illustrating duff books, and this is probably our favourite of all of his brilliant 'hidden image' books (we're also huge fans of his brilliant Chimpanzee books featuring hapless hero Willy).

If you want to see what folk really mean when they talk about dark children's books, here's one of the finest examples, still as good on a re-read as it was when we first got it out of the Library many, many years ago. Thoroughly recommended!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A dark and delicious modern fairy tale wrought with Browne's expert eye for playing on your visual sense as you read through this superb story.

"The Tunnel" by Anthony Browne is out now, published by Walker Books (self purchased - not supplied for review). 

Our Chapter Book of the Week is the glorious third book for an intrepid hero who embraces adventure with aplomb, in a middle grade series that's just chock full of giggles, awesome characters and compelling stories.

"Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise" surprised us at first by the sheer size of the book, giving kids plenty of story to dig into as Mr Penguin heads off on a cruise ship for his latest case.

Oddly, despite being a penguin, he's not exactly a fan of water and can't swim. But the briny deep will be the least of his worries, as in grand style there's a mystery afoot - and if there's one thing Peng definitely does like it's solving a tricky puzzle or two!

With best chum Colin performing in the ladies choir on board, and the lure of 24-hour-a-day fish finger sarnie availability, Mr Penguin feels that it might actually be a lovely rest, and a chance to recuperate after all his previous adventures. But nefarious characters on board ship have other ideas...

Is it me, or is that woman slightly suspicious?

Our second Picture Book of the Week - and in fact our final Picture Book of the Week for 2019 once again touches on a theme that has, without a doubt, dominated the headlines and of course kidlit this year.

"PlanetRescue" by Patrick George follows other titles in the acetate-paged "Rescue" series, using a minimal word count and innovative design to allow children to make a change for the good when it comes to the environment.

Each page allows them to see one aspect of pollution or planet-affecting change and flip the page to see what could be done instead.

Engaging kids very early on when it comes to environmental issues really is the way forward (in fact we'd like to make a point that more early years books along the lines of this one are desperately needed).

A book that is both brilliant for use in early years classes to drive class projects around the environment and ecologically sound practices, and one that also uses clever observations and even a touch of deft humour to get its points across (the "eat less meat" page-flip is just superb and SO clever, have to say!)

Sum this book up in a sentence: Showing kids how to be kinder to our planet never looked more stylish and was never more cleverly executed than in this brilliant book!

"Planet Rescue" by Patrick George is out now, published by Patrick George Publishing (kindly supplied for review)

"Aww, poor Heidi!" - This was at one time one of my wife's childhood catchphrases, as her mum read to her this well-loved children's classic nestling into our Book of the Week slot this week.

"Heidi" by Johanna Spyri, retold here by Jeanne Willis with gorgeous new illustrations from blog fave Briony May Smith is much, much more than just a lovely edition of a classic book. It's a book that comes to life as you read, a tale that speaks of idyllic childhood days spent in the crisp clear air of the mountains, but also a twinge of tragedy as Heidi is taken away from her loving grandparents to live in the city.

Missing the mountain life, her goats and her best friend Peter, it's not long before Heidi manages to make a new friend. But there's always a dream of returning to the mountains at the back of her mind. Will Heidi get her most heartfelt wish? 

Heidi's new life in the bustling city of Frankfurt is a far cry from her beginnings in the mountains.

"Grumpy" Grandpa isn't so grumpy after all.

Welcome, welcome to our last Chapter Book Roundup of 2019! December is traditionally our month for bringing you the very best Christmas books but we're not quite there yet, so let's see if we can find a ton of amazing books that might sneak their way into your christmas stockings at some point.

You might actually ladder them with our first book choice, the brilliant followup to "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" - Now we're on "Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling.

Meet Aven, no ordinary girl - and just as Aven starts to feel comfortable in Stagecoach Pass, with her friends and schoolmates accustomed to her lack of armage, everything changes once again.

She s about to begin high school - a huge place filled with 2,300 new kids to stare at her, and no matter how much Aven tries to play it cool, nothing prepares her for the reality.

In a year filled with confusion, humiliation, fears, loss, and just maybe love, can Aven manage to stay true to herself?

A superb book offering a tweenager's eye view of the world, arriving with perfect timing just as C enters senior school herself.

"Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling is out now, published by Sterling Books. 


For our next book, everyone knows "The Fonz" is cool, right? But did you know Henry Winkler is a successful children's author as well as Emmy-winning actor? No? Well you do now, and along with Lin Oliver his latest book series is here!

"Alien Superstar" tells the story of a super-cool alien called Buddy Burger (you probably couldn't pronounce his real name so don't even try). No one is shocked by the six-eyed alien strolling around the Universal Studios back lot.

The tourists just think Buddy is part of the show. It doesn’t take long for Buddy to land a role on a popular TV show, playing (of course) an alien. He becomes an overnight heartthrob and is suddenly faced with legions of adoring fans, rides in glamorous limos, and appearances at “all-the-shrimp-you-can-eat” red carpet parties.

But can Buddy maintain his secret identity while in the spotlight?

A fun and fabulous story urging kids never to judge a book (or an alien) by its cover. "Alien Superstar" by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver is out now, published by Amulet Books. 

Our next book is filled with glorious Nordic atmosphere, a distinctly different take on the usual 'teen upheaval' tale, but one that's filled with glorious characterisations and a storyline that most tweenagers will definitely identify with.

In "A Postcard to Ollis" by Ingunn Thon and Nora Brech, Ollis' life is less than perfect.

She's got a new baby brother and, even worse, her mum's neat-freak boyfriend has moved in.
Born in a Soviet prison camp, Lina has never seen the world outside until the night she escapes with her best friend, Bogdan.
Reinvented on one volume by the talented design firm MinaLima, whose stunning drawings of some of Western literature's most famous characters will delight and enthrall, In addition, they have created interactive features exclusive to this edition. Definitely destined to become a keepsake for folk to pass down through the generations, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll and MinaLima is out now, published by 360 / Harper Design.
Mickey is the type of kid who's always on the lookout for a code to crack, she loves to keep her brain constantly working and busy.
Young Chaya is a no-nonsense, outspoken hero. She leads her friends and a gorgeous elephant on a noisy, fraught, joyous adventure through the jungle where revolution is stirring and leeches lurk.
When Lewis and Rose Rita explore an abandoned theatre, they discover an unpublished opera score entitled 'The Day of Doom'. Ignoring a strange omen, they show it to their music teacher, who heralds 'The Day of Doom' a masterpiece. Little do they know that the eerie Henry Vanderhelm, the composer's grandson, arrives with a plan to awaken the dead and enslave the world!

Soon, all the adults are enamoured - and enspelled - by Henry Vanderhelm. A mysterious fog descends upon New Zebedee and everyone is trapped inside it. It is up to Lewis and Rose Rita to stop the dead coming back to life.

There's a fantastic and rapidly growing branch of non-fiction that caters specifically for younger kids who still prefer amazing visual presentation mixed in with their facts and figures. In fact in "Underground" by Uijung Kim, the text is purposely kept to a minimum as we take a journey across the globe to visit all the amazing places that have built public transport systems underneath our feet.

From New York, to London, to Moscow, there are many locations around the world that use subways or underground railways to help folk get to work, visit their friends and families, or perhaps even indulge in a spot of street entertainment.

This fantastic and colourful book is cleverly designed to follow the styles of underground systems in different locations (yep, did you know most underground railways have their own particular 'brand' that's instantly recognisable once you get to know them?)

To help engage kids further, there's a fabulous spotting game on each page too - can you find all the hidden objects in each colourful and busy scene?

We loved this book, it cleverly uses brilliant and yet simple design to convey the excitement of riding the underground (weirdly aside from the Northern and Victoria Lines, it's one of the things I miss most about living in London).

Sum this book up in a sentence: A fab little book this, and another brilliant title in Cicada's increasingly essential early years non-fic range.

"Underground: Subways around the World" by Uijung Kim is out now, published by Cicada Books (kindly supplied for review).