Rhode Island Roy; Welcome Home, Barney; Pipe Down, Prudle!; We Want William

These four lively stories are, as one expects from Rose Impey, witty, unusual and entertaining. They're part of a series of well-produced 'Animal Crackers' books, each of which is based on real animal facts but which Rose Impey treats in her highly original style. Rhode Island Roy is about a swaggering rooster who is perfectly cast as a cowboy desperado, but who is really lonely. Prudle is a parrot who beats the burglars, William is a saviour of his friends and Barney, the bat, learns that friends and home are worth more than he thought. Each story has a nice twist, is cheerfully illustrated and will go down very well with both listeners and newly independent readers.