Fellow Sniffers you simply must not tell a soul as this particular fishy gem isn't out until February 2013!
Trouble is I just can't wait that long, I may very well explode.
So here it is.
Penguin in Peril by first time author/illustrator Helen 'one to watch' Hancocks - Published by Templar Publishing
No doubt you all remember me bleating on about Sniffer fave, I Want My Hat Back, well there's a new Klassen in town. This book is going to be big....really big like Cheryl Cole's hair!
Aside from having a wonderful second cover underneath the dust jacket (a tradition which I adore and which Harper Collins and Templar are particularly good at) there are wonderful end papers all teasing us towards the start of this wonderfully humerus tale of kidnap, mild penguin peril and fish.
Three hungry cantankerous cats have eaten the last of the foody goods in their cupboard and spent their last gold coins on a trip to the cinema and are desperate for a fishy feast, there is only one thing for it.... they must kidnap a penguin to catch them some more fish (a natural solution to such a problem non?)
The fiendish gang put their cunning plan into action and before long they have one very bemused penguin in a sack ready for the fishing trip of a lifetime.
Fortunately the captive senses the perilous position he has unwittingly found himself in and makes a brave break for freedom. Thus follows an action packed and adrenalin fueled race across the city ... Will the cats get their fishy buffet? Will the penguin make it safely back to the zoo? Will they all just cut their losses and head to a well known frozen food retailer?
This is a clever, subtle and ingenious addition to the book sniffer shelf and one I will treasure and chuckle over many many times in the future.
I implore you to ore-order a copy if this gem and be ahead if the crowds.
Book Sniffer gives Penguin In Peril 5 Fish Fingers out of 5
Read Helen's blog here
Visit her shop here
Definitely a new author/illustrator to watch! And although I'm not a fan of dust jackets (I think they are for adult collectors, not child readers), I agree that the artwork underneath as well as the main cover is lovely.
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