The Blue-footed Booby

The uber-talented Rob Biddulph became a firm household favourite during the pandemic lockdowns thanks to his Draw With Rob videos, which attracted huge audiences and kept thousands of children and their parents captivated both then and since. Many of these fans will recognise the hero of Rob’s latest book as the star from one of these videos and this glorious tale is sure to create many more new fans.

As everybody knows, red-footed boobies are fabulous bakers, but when one of Desmond’s frangipane tarts goes missing, he begins a hunt around town to track down the culprit. All signs point to the lesser-known blue-footed booby being the culprit, but all is not as it seems.

‘Let’s follow the footprints to see where they go! Left footprint… right footprint… dash through the snow!’

From the very beginning of this delightful book, the fantastic rhyming storyline makes you smile to read it aloud. Each page holds a new delight of riotous colour and clever drawings, as we follow the red-footed boobies on their hunt for the baking thief.

I’ve enjoyed many of Rob’s previous books, but this one is sure to become a classic. The clever and funny story has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing to the very end, but also has so much to look at that it will keep you returning again and again, each time spotting something new.

Eagle-eyed readers will also spot the ‘Five things to find’ list at the front of the book, plus the removal of the dust jacket reveals some extra hidden delights.

This is a must-have book for all home and school libraries, and I loved it.