Somewhere between picture books and chapter books are the Hook Books, and books for this age-group are so important! One step up from the 'Read It Yourself' series, they are slightly more complex than picture books, but still have full-colour illustrations right through.I remember reading hundreds--well, dozens--of Noddy books at an age when I could have read books like this. I loved Noddy because of the familiarity of a series. Characters I know, settings I love - these appealed to me, like they appeal to most children.The Hook Books aren't a series in quite the same way. Like the hOle books, they're clubbed together in terms of readership, rather than characters and setting. I finally got around to reading a couple of them - The Sweet Shop Wars and A Birthday Present for Aaji. I LOVED the illustrations in both books! I've always enjoyed Rajiv Eipe's work - Ammachi is one of my … [Read more...]