Giant Jim and the Hurricane; The Indoor Pirates

Strong knows his giant stories and Giant Jim and the Hurricane is a variation on the friendly giant, hostile town theme, where the only welcoming face is little Polly Palmer. The sad saxophone playing giant and his giant hen, Florence Fluffybum, are likeable creations and the illustrations make the most of the catastrophes visited on the town by the hapless pair.

The Indoor pirates is more of a domestic tale, concentrating on the relationships among the motley crew of land locked misfits, notably the bossy Captain Blackpatch and the ever arguing twins, Polly and Molly. Apocalyptic mayhem here, too - the pirates blow themselves up when they mistake the electricity junction box for a treasure chest - but there is as much fun in watching Blackpatch grumpily ironing or Bald Ben squeezing Lumpy Lawson too hard.

What transforms these old themes is Strong's humour, invention and grasp of human nature, and Sharratt's ability to dramatise the text with cartoons that convey mood and action equally adroitly. Both stories would read aloud well.