RING THE CHANGES

I don't know how we came across them but they're just fantastic. I found one on our book shelf the other day, liked the title and read it to Nat as a bedtime story.

He laughed and thought it was "well cool and well busy", his line for something great.

And so, when I was in Borders the other day, I searched for more in the same series and wow, there are loads of them. Top!

What am I rabbiting on about you ask? Well maybe you didn't but I'll tell you anyway. I'm talking about a load of books loosely based on the traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears type stories that we all grew up with and came to love, and know off by heart.

These books however, ring the changes, and are as Nat described them, just "well cool and well busy".

Tonight, I read Cinderboy to Ben and Lauren - we laughed out loud at the silly story of a boy who was at the beck and call of his ugly stepbrothers but whose life was changed for the better by his TV Godmother. Clever stuff.

And then there's Daft Jack and the Bean Stack. Jack and his mother have a cow, but they're sick of drinking milk. The giant is sick of eating children and really wants beans instead, and when he meets Jacks mother they fall in love and live happily ever after. Superb writing.

One more before I give you the author etc. - Eco Wolf and the Three Pigs . The wolf is the so-laid-back-he's-falling-over 'goody' in the story and the three pigs are the thoughtless moneymaking 'baddies', out to ruin the environment.Engaging to children and adults alike.

I've got to tell you the best title : Rumply Crumply Stinky Pin, we love the name in our house, and the story is just hilarious too.

They're a must if you fancy something light hearted for the kids before bed, or at any time for that matter. They work for all ages too. Ben's nine and he loves them just as much as Nat who's five. Lauren has memorised most of them and likes to join in with me in 'reading' them.

If you fancy reading one of these Seriously Silly Stories, they are by Laurence Anholt and Arthur Robins and are published by Orchard books. Probably available from Amazon.co.uk but I found Borders (near Ikea) have virtually the whole series.

Some other titles include :
Mary,Mary, Fried Canary
Old King Cole Played In Goal
Ding Dong Bell What's That Funny Smell?
Little Bo Peep Has Knickers That Bleep

Hope you get as much out of them as we do.
RX