Torla and Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole

When Torla, the taller-than-average giraffe, is stuck in a deeper-than-average hole, it is up to her smaller-than-average friend, Smorla, to find a way to get her out!

I absolutely loved ‘Torla and Smorla and the Lower than Average Cloud’ and was so excited when I spotted that another adventure for this loveable duo is on its way! ‘Torla and Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole’ is just as brilliant as the first book and I hope that there are many more to come!

As with the last book, the friendship between these two giraffes is at the heart of the story. When Torla falls into the hole and gets stuck, Smorla is determined to help, coming up with different ideas and persisting until Torla is at last free. Not being able to free Torla alone, Smorla first seeks help from others and when that doesn’t work, comes up with an ingenious solution to solve the problem!

The illustrations are a complete joy and add much to the humour of the story. The tall, thin format of the book emphasises the height difference between the two and readers can fold some pages out or up, allowing them to be part of the adventure as the story progresses. The giraffes’ faces show a whole range of emotions through the ups and downs of Torla’s time in the hole, allowing for plenty of exploration of emotions.

There is much repetition of the phrase ‘(something)-than-average’, encouraging children to explore what this means (in simple terms!), perhaps leading to discussions about the joys of being unique and the fact that being different from your friends is absolutely normal! The book really lends itself to a book groups session as there are so many crafty ideas which it inspires as well as being a really fun read!

Can’t wait to see what these two get up to next!

Torla and Smorla and the Deeper than Average Hole

Kes Gray, illustrated by Chris Jevons

Happy Yak ISBN: ‎ 978-0711288126

Published 3rd July 2025

You can read my review of ‘Torla and Smorla and the Lower than Average Cloud’ here.

A Mouse Just Ate My House

A naughty little mouse with very sharp teeth is constantly eating…the kitchen, the bathroom, the pest controller. Will anything make it stop?

Fast paced and funny, ‘A Mouse Just Ate my House’ is a riotous romp, perfect for reading aloud!

Many readers will be familiar with Kes Gray’s ‘Oi Frog’ series and his latest story does not disappoint. The lively rhyming text keeps building as the mouse’s eating antics get wilder and wilder until everything is resolved…or is it?!

Cut through sections add extra excitement to the illustrations and children will enjoy peeking through the pages as the mouse chomps its way into the story. They will quickly learn to join in as each possible solution is followed by ‘The mouse just ate my…’ and the story romps on. It’s the sort of story which inspires children to create their own additional scenarios whether in rhyme or not and perhaps illustrate these as well. As the mouse’s meals become more and more unlikely, readers are sure to try trump these ideas with whackier and whackier suggestions.

I would not recommend this as a bedtime read, however, as it will do nothing to lull little ones off to sleep- quite the reverse in fact!

A Mouse Just Ate my House

Kes Gray, illustrated by Sebastien Braun

Happy Yak ISBN: 978-0711288034

Torla and Smorla and the Lower than Average Cloud

Torla and Smorla are giraffes. Torla is taller than average whilst Smorla is smaller. One day, while out for a longer-than-average walk together, Torla encounters a lower-than-average cloud and finds she can’t see anything! But with the help of her best friend, she manages to navigate this tricky situation.

I’m not sure what I love most about this one! Let’s start with the names…I’m ashamed to say that it took me until my second read to ‘get’ the joke there. In my defence, I wasn’t reading the story out loud and there is so much else to enjoy because how else could I miss it!

The story is bursting with humour as Smorla leads Torla through a series of hazards which introduces the reader to the wonderful sight of crocodiles doing yoga and lazing lions amongst other things. Torla trusts Smorla and her faithful companion leads her safely past everything, showing the strength of their friendship and the importance of kindness and supporting others.

Some of the pages fold out - or up - allowing readers to fully enjoy the adventures of Torla and Smorla as they head off on their walk. The book would be wonderful to use to support early maths work as they can compare the two giraffes and begin to use mathematical language to describe this. To extend this as needed, pictures of more giraffes of different sizes could be added and children encouraged to order these from tallest to smallest and vice versa. Pictures of other animals from the story could be added to help children compare other (clearly specified) attributes as developing both informal and formal mathematical language in the classroom allows children to take an active part in learning and helps them to develop a better and deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. The story is also perfect for exploring positional language as with Smorla’s guidance, Torla walks above some hippos, over an elephant and across a bridge. With older children, this would make a great introduction to prepositions in English as well!

Children might also have great fun creating and navigating obstacle courses and perhaps plotting their route around these on a basic map just as the giraffes’ footprints indicate the path they have taken in the illustrations. This could be done as part of a book group session with children creating large giraffe pictures of different sizes, a simple slider mechanism behind a picture which would allow them to raise the umbrella over Torla’s head or perform a simple trust exercise based on the friend’s journey! There are so many ways to develop a book hook with this one in addition to just enjoying it as a brilliant story! Loved it!

Torla and Smorla and the Lower than Average Cloud

Kes Gray, illustrated by Chris Jevons

Happy Yak ISBN: 978-0711288072

Beware the Blue Bagoo

Rumours are flying around the appropriately named Rumourville about the evil deeds of the Blue Bagoo, an awful creature who has committed many nefarious deeds. However, no one seems to be able to answer the simple question posed by one brave detective- who is the Blue Bagoo?

This is one of those joyous picture books which can be read and enjoyed at so many levels! The lively rhyming text offers plenty of opportunities for joining in with different voices, at different volumes and with great enthusiasm yet the story brilliantly lends itself to discussing how rumours, misinformation and gossip can distort the truth.

As the inhabitants of Rumourville put up posters, sing songs and tell their tall tales, one intrepid detective sporting a Sherlock Holmes style deer stalker and clutching a magnifying glass is determined to uncover the truth and make people answer the question. Eagle eyed readers will notice clues as to the true identity of the Blue Bagoo as the story progresses and appreciate how wild some of the claims are. At one point, someone claims the Blue Bagoo is green!

The story exposes how baseless rumours can quickly take hold and become ‘truth’ as they spread, making an excellent starting point for discussions with any age range. It could be used for assemblies or PSHE session on situations between friendship groups, within a class or school- or on wider issues in the news. The detective concludes that mistakes can easily be made, but that if we are friendly, kind and caring and give love, then this is what we will find in return.

The illustrations are delightful- full of details to notice and enjoy. Turn the cover over and it shows the back view of the image on the front plus the owner of the trail of little footprints on the front. The final illustrations underline the point that the addition of the Blue Bagoo and its relatives to the community has both enriched their lives and made the town a happier, nicer place to live. This is sure to become a firm favourite at home and at school!

Beware the Blue Bagoo

Karl Newson, illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier

Happy Yak ISBN: 978-0711267824

You can read my review of ‘I Really, Really Love You So’ here.

The BIG Christmas Bake

In this delightful book, the traditional song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ is given a tasty twist as once Christmas Day is over, the children bake up a delicious treat. One the first day of Christmas, a partridge brings dried fruit, followed by two speckled doves with flour on the second. As each day passes, more and more creatures arrive bearing ingredients for the Twelfth Night Cake until the dried bean is added on day ten- whoever finds this will be crowned the Twelfth Night King. Additional information and a recipe are included at the end of the story, along with the words from the original song.

Told in deliciously bouncy rhyme, this is a perfect story for reading aloud. The illustrations are full of humour and wonderful detail, offering new details to notice with each reading. The ingredient bearing animals are bursting with quirky personality- I love the dancing hippos and the leaping frogs!

There is so much to love about this book- plenty to discuss and laugh about as well as the fun of making Christmas cupcakes should you wish! Baking and books- the perfect combination.

The BIG Christmas Bake

Fiona Barker, illustrated by Pippa Curnick

Happy Yak ISBN: 978-0711268128