This is a book review Bryn and I wrote for the Guardian Family Reviews section

A cautionary tale of the dangers of being too greedy at Christmas time involving a crafty Santa, a ‘Gimungus’ egg and plenty of mess.

I have to confess, I didn’t find this a very satisfying read. Personally I found some of the phrasing clumsy especially when reading aloud such as ‘you’ll need new underweary’. The unpleasant image of Christmas in diarrhoea was off putting but then again I’m not the intended audience.

Bryn however did enjoy it & found it very funny. On reading the title he wondered what exactly was in Santa’s sack in the picture on the cover. The story includes 3 of his current favourite topics Christmas, Dinosaur and poo & the bright illustrations add to the fun of the story. After only a few readings he has also taken on board the moral of the story and when writing his list to Santa he was keen to tell me that his list was not as longs as Danny’s therefore his was reasonable.

A festive treat which I imagine will be read a number of times over this festive period hopefully in between some more classic stories which contain less poo for my benefit.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Review section

The stars of the book are two nattily dressed guinea pigs, Christopher and Posie, who get embroiled in a caterpillar mystery.

The guinea pigs find six colourful caterpillars and decide to keep them as pets, with help from the local cafe owner Mr Rosetti who “knows everything about everything.” They are however taken by surprise one morning when the caterpillars go missing.

Bryn immediately unravelled the mystery, having been a keen reader of The Hungry Caterpillar. A simple story but one Bryn repeatedly asks for. He is fascinated by the illustrations, a mixture of collage and drawing, and enjoys picking out the photographic detail. The last page is a favourite with its witty take on a few classic paintings.

On our first reading I thought that Christopher’s Caterpillars was a little young for Bryn. However, with Bryn’s clear enjoyment of the book, and repeated readings, I find myself admiring how the guinea pigs take charge of the situation, making lists, getting advice, checking email and drawing up posters. I am taking more notice of the rich, colourful illustrations and beginning to appreciate this charming fun tale.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Review section

I absolutely love this picture book; stylish, beautiful, fantastically funny and perfect for bedtime.

The book depicts a bedtime routine in a truly knightly fashion. The illustrations combine the mundane with the fantastical as we follow a little boy’s journey to bed. It begins in a hallway which turns into a forest, while a bath becomes a lake full of wondrous sea creatures & the family pet is apparently a three-headed dragon. The story perfectly captures the joy of imaginative play which I think appeals to Bryn.

I found it a charming book which made me smile. My favourite illustration shows the little boy with a colander on his head grasping his toy horse. Bryn chuckled at “lights out”, a double page spread in black paper with the faint outline of the knight.

With its retro illustrations and beautiful colour palette, this is one I enjoy even more than Bryn. An outstanding picture book.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Review section

‘I love it’ Bryn announced as soon as we finished Alfie Gives a Hand. Another classic Alfie story, here he goes to a birthday party and overcomes his shyness by helping a friend. I think it is a beautifully charming glimpse into toddler life & perfectly pitched at its reader.

We have read a few Alfie stories & like the others this one was met with an instant seal of approval from Bryn. He was engrossed by the realistic illustrations, noting the detail such as the transparent shower curtain which he said reminded him of water & the toys strewn across the room. He clearly enjoyed the comfort of being enveloped in such a recognisable & familiar world.

I also enjoyed this story & there was plenty of scope to talk to Bryn about the themes in the book, such as Alfie being worried about going to a party without his mum and birthday boy Bernard’s behaviour. I am also a fan of the illustrations & the joyous scene of the children popping bubbles wonderfully captures the party atmosphere.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Review section

There was plenty of laughter while reading this modern retelling of a classic fairytale, “‘a beanstalk with cans of baked beans!,’ how funny”, said Bryn.

The story starts with Jack and his mum running a successful burger van, but their fortunes are reversed when a new flyover diverts their customers. As in the traditional tale Jack is entrusted with their “last few pennies”. With a self-referring nod to the story Jack knows choosing the “magic baked beans” will lead to adventure. Like all good fairy tales this has a happy ending but with a few twists and turns on the journey down the beanstalk.

Bryn was very tickled by the nice giant with a love of cooking although he would have preferred him to be “eating people and grinding bones to make his bread”. He also liked the illustrations, especially the giants smart attire.

I felt the luxurious style of illustration and multi-layered story gave this book a cinematic quality. The drawings also captured the scale of the story and my favourite spread was of the giant & Jack sharing a large plate of food.

A fun rich read with both style and substance.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Review Section

The Day the Gogglynipper Escaped is part of the McDoogles Monster Farm series, featuring a farm with monsters instead of the usual cows & sheep.

Bryn’s first impression of the book was positive. He liked the cover illustration, showing a hairy monster with ‘funny nostrils’. He was fascinated by the first spread which introduces the farm and happily picked a favourite monster.

I found it a fun tale and liked Diggle, the spirited little boy who sets out to find an escaped monster with his trusted dog in tow. The illustrations are charming with lovely bright colours & vibrant textures. Bryn also found it fun, especially when Diggle finds himself in ‘a big steaming pile of Gogglynipper poo’. His fondness for the monster was clear when at the end of the story he told me he found it a little sad as ‘the monster didn’t get any socks to eat’

We enjoyed reading this story & look forward to hearing more tales from McDoogle’s Monster Farm.

This is a review Bryn & I wrote for the Guardian Family Reviews section

A revised edition of the classic fairytale of Rapunzel, who is trapped in a tower by an evil witch but, after much heartache, finally gets her happy ending.

Bryn’s initial response was that it was “not a nice story” as he didn’t like the “mean” witch. I had to agree having forgotten how many cruel incidents there are throughout the story: parents losing their baby daughter, Rapunzel trapped in the tower, the Prince being blinded and Rapunzel deserted in the wilderness.

Bryn felt the high point of the story was when the Prince fell from the tower and “the thorns pierced his eyes and made him blind” as this reminded him of the nursery rhyme ‘Three Blind Mice’. The high point of this book for me was the illustrations, they are rich, detailed & sumptuous.

The book has some fabulous double paged spreads, Bryn and I enjoyed pouring over them admiring the detail and spotting animals.

We enjoyed the book although it’s not a story that Bryn has asked for again, perhaps he may enjoy it more as he gets older.