The Bravest Ever Bear

Of course heroics and glory for the bear are a forgone conclusion, but when his friends (the princess, the dragon, the wolf and the troll, the wedding cake and the sausage) see what telling your own story can be like, they join in too, and the result is a collection of entertaining, contemporary takes on traditional fairy tales.

Colourful, glossy illustrations by Paul Howard back up the visual interest of the differently sized print, and the whole is a fun-filled ride through young imaginations that results in rather different stories than you would usually expect. The only one who didn't have his say was Penguin … perhaps there will be a sequel … (Ages 5 to 7.) --Lucie Naylor