Fri 16 Nov 2007
This is a delightful picture book, by Cressida Cowell with illustrations by Neal Layton. It’s been around for a year or more in hardback but is new in the paperback format. Several reviewers chose it as their picture book of the year when it was first published, and I can see why. Emily Brown has a tattered old grey rabbit called Stanley, and when the queen starts sending people to bring it to her, Emily is very assertive and won’t trade Stanley for “all the toys she could ever desire”. When the queen sends commandos to steal Stanley, Emily gives her a few lessons in how to treat a toy so that it is truly hers. A quirky, imaginative, lovely book for any child who has loved a toy, and any who haven’t yet had that pleasure.