Just 24 (full-sized) pages long but with big, bold illustrations, this book has an arresting cover image of the bear staring grumpily straight into the viewer’s eyes. Bland, illustrator of Aussie Jingle Bells, patterns this story like a folk tale, with a cast of four friends who are playing in a cave on a rainy day. Each of the four assorted animals has some interesting characteristic, except for Sheep who is ‘plain’. So it can be predicted that Sheep will save the day. The animals are presented in an art style reminiscent of cheerful wooden-and-plastic toys. This style, and the fact that their play is with a deck of cards, will appeal to some adult buyers. The doggerel verse romps along to a pleasant conclusion. The bear emerges frighteningly from the cave (shades of Rosen/ Oxenbury’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) and is not placated with the gifts of antlers, stripes and mane, but really appreciates what Sheep offers to help him get to sleep. Not a subtle book, but the energy and scale will entertain some three to six-year-olds, and the price point is certainly attractive.

Robin Morrow was a specialist bookseller and now teaches and reviews children’s literature

Tags: nick bland