The Star-Faced Crocodile, by David Melling

Before meeting the star-faced crocodile himself, we are introduced to a bear with a banjo sitting beside a lake, singing to the stars. The crocodile loves the song; he swishes his tail to the music and the bear sees his eyes just above the surface of the water, piercing the centre of the reflection of a star. The bear is astounded to see what he presumes is a star-faced crocodile, and every night when he sings, he tries persuade the crocodile to dance. The crocodile, however, knows that if he comes out of the lake he will no longer be star faced and will not impress the bear.

Being a rather imaginative creature, the crocodile makes a hat out of star-shaped flowers, but the petals drop out as he dances. The crocodile slithers back into the water, ashamed. When the bear asks the trees to fetch a star from the sky for him, they bring all the stars down but are so delighted by them they decide to hold on to them on a string. The crocodile manages to pull the string of stars away and plunge to the bottom of the lake. The moon is afraid of being captured too and hides behind a cloud, making the world very dark.

When the crocodile emerges from the lake with the string of stars wound around him, nobody admires him because the stars are no longer shining. The night has lost its twinkling sky, and the music and dancing have stopped too. The crocodile, the bear and the trees realise that they must put the stars back where they belong, and when they eventually complete their task the stars shine again and the moon comes out. Music and dancing fill the air once more, and then suddenly a shooting star falls into the lake, just beside the crocodile, who really does look like a star-faced creature again.

The inspiration for 'The Star-Faced Crocodile' actually came when David Melling was visiting his daughter's school and one of the children suggested a star-faced crocodile as a character for a story. Melling has certainly developed the idea into a delightful tale, where the bear doesn't mind if the crocodile is really just a plain ordinary one and just wants him to be his friend. As for the trees, they are helpful in some situations, but they have their selfish moments too when they are dazzled by the twinkling stars they have plucked from the sky.

The text of the story is set in a clear, good-sized font and is mainly on a white background. On just one page it is a pale mauve colour on a very dark ground, and on a couple of pages the background is orange. There are two sentences at the beginning of the story that are completely in capitals. On the whole there is just a paragraph of text per double page, sometimes less. This is a book that is ideal for reading aloud to a young child, but it could also be suitable for a young independent reader as the amount of text is not off-putting. The vocabulary, whilst being varied, should not pose too many problems either. The writing style goes from being quite poetic when recounting how 'A shy crocodile, drifting by, had never heard such a beautiful song' to the much more down-to-earth 'Oh flip!' exclamation when the crocodile loses his star-flower hat.

Melling illustrates his picture books himself and here he combines imagination and humour to create a visual feast. The watercolours, whether in a woodland or under-water scene, have a translucency as well as a richness of colour. Aside from the two main characters, we see caricatured trees with knobbly noses and spindly arms or tiny birds hopping and jumping around the bear's feet. Once or twice a double-page spread entails turning the book sideways so that we can see the crocodile swimming right down to the depths of the lake, or the crocodile and the bear standing at the tops of the trees as they fix the stars back up in the sky.

When I came across 'The Star-Faced Crocodile' I had high expectations and was not disappointed. David Melling's other picture books, such as 'The Kiss that Missed', 'The Ghost Library' and 'Good Knight, Sleep Tight' have proved to be very popular as read-aloud books for three-to-four-year-olds, as well as providing inspiration for drama sessions. My only reservation with 'The Star-Faced Crocodile' is that one or two of the illustrations are rather dark and those with the trees might just scare very young children. On the whole, however, the pictures are full of humour that children will delight in. This is a book that is full of fun and ideas about friendship against a background of music, dancing and starry nights. Enjoy it with your children.

The Star-Faced Crocodile

David Melling (Author and Illustrator)

Paperback, 32 pages

Hodder Children's Books, July 2009

ISBN 0340930470

Price £5.99 (Amazon £5.39)

The Three Wishes - David Melling

When a king and queen go away for a few days and appoint their knight and his horse as babysitters to the prince and princess, it sounds like an easy task. Soon, however, the knight and his steed find there is too much tidying up to do, and the knight says he would rather fly out into a 'night of surprises' than babysit any longer. The horse is afraid that magic might indeed make them fly out of the window, and it does.

Outside, they land on top of an old lady riding a donkey. Her bag of spells spills, so she offers the knight and his horse three wishes if they can catch the spells for her. This is another task that is not so simple, but they manage it. The grateful old lady and her donkey vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving magic in the air.

Unfortunately, one extremely naughty spell is still on the loose. It teases the poor knight, making plants grow out of his hair. He asks the horse to make a wish, but the horse thinks of himself and asks for a bucket of carrots and some fluffy slippers. The knight says, 'I wish you hadn't done that,' thus squandering the second wish. He and his horse are not pleased with each other, but they agree to make the third wish together. Oh dear, the knight then has carrots growing from the extremely long plants in his hair, along with the fluffy slippers on his feet. The horse ends up wearing the knight's armour but the knight soon gets it back. The horse trims the unruly carrot plants into a neat shape, but they just grow back again. Fortunately, the prince and princess hear all the noise and come out to see what is going on. They simply pull the carrot plants out by the roots and lead the knight and his horse back inside the castle. The next day finds them all busy doing some DIY and happily play acting. Babysitting doesn't seem so bad after all, although the horse secretly wishes he could have those carrots and fluffy slippers again.

'The Three Wishes' is not of course the first story about being granted wishes and wasting them, but David Melling serves up his version with originality and plenty of humour. His illustrations are always a delight. As the story starts, you feel almost as though you are turning the pages of a mediaeval manuscript. At various stages of the book, we see the knight with a banana skin on his head, a carrot tree growing out of his hair, and down on his hands and knees giving the little princess a ride on his back. The colour scheme throughout centres around autumnal greens, oranges and browns, although the old lady wears a blue dress and the princess has a pink nightie. The horse in his various ridiculous situations will be a great source of amusement for any child.

The text is in a large, clear font and usually on a white background. When it is superimposed on an illustration it is always on a light colour to make for easy reading. There are never more than a few lines per page, but occasionally the lines swirl around, following for example the movement of the really naughty spell. This is of course a read-aloud book, but because of the strong element of humour I'm sure that young independent readers would enjoy it too.

'The Three Wishes' is a sequel to Melling's 'The Kiss the Missed' and 'Good Knight, Sleep Tight', both of which are also very popular with three- to four-year-olds. This is a lovely series that most adults will enjoy sharing with young children. I borrowed a copy of 'The Three Wishes' from the library, but I would say that it is worth buying and could make a great Christmas present. If your family hasn't yet enjoyed the magic of David Melling's picture books, I would definitely encourage you to do so.

The Three Wishes

David Melling

Paperback, 32 pages

Hodder Children's Books, 2008

ISBN 9780340931530

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

The Scallywags - David Melling

No, they're not naughty children: these Scallywags are a pack of wolves. We see all nine of them curving over the double-page spread of the frontispiece in a line. Brooz is pushing Jumble in a wheelbarrow, and they are followed by Earwax and YoYo, each holding onto the tail of the wolf in front with their teeth. Knits, along with her babies, knitting wool and needles has YoYo's tail in her hand while Scribble, behind her, has designs on the banana in Knits' hand. Scribble is followed by Hairball and then Grub, whilst poor Crumbs brings up the rear but is being dragged along the ground. They look friendly but capable of all sorts of mischief.

As the story begins, we see all the other animals: bears, pigs, geese, sheep, foxes, rabbits, meerkats and a moose. They are all lined up ready to have their photograph taken in the light of the full moon, and the photographer decides that he can wait no longer for the wolves or the special silver light will be gone. Turn the page, and the wolves crash in on the scene, sending all the other animals flying, along with the photographer. The following morning the animals are so angry that the wolves ruined the photo that they decide not to invite them to breakfast. They never liked the wolves' bad manners anyway. When the wolves realise they are no longer being asked along to meals, they try playing on their own but come to the conclusion that they need to learn good manners so that the other animals will like them.

After spying on the other animals to see how to do things properly and then practising hard at home, the Scallywags dress in their very best and go to have supper with the other animals. The trouble is, however, they are just too fussy, and the other animals wish they could have the fun-loving Scallywags back. As the full moon comes out the wolves become restless and return to their old ways, and the other animals can enjoy themselves so much more. The photographer even succeeds in getting his photo this time.

David Melling's picture books never fail to delight, in terms of story, characters and illustrations. The Scallywags is full of humour, as Earwax squashes a pea on Jumble's nose or decides to use a toothbrush to clean his ears. Every single page has colour illustrations showing animals wearing silly hats, having a bath on a balcony, or sitting upside-down on a car seat playing with a broken steering wheel. The caricatures are wonderful and the colours very varied but not too garish.

This is essentially a book to be read aloud to a child of perhaps three years old up to five or six. The font is quite large and well-spaced, with just a few lines of text on most pages. Sometimes the text is on a cream-coloured background, but on other pages the text is superimposed on a full-page illustration, on a turquoise or brown background. It is not always in straight lines; sometimes the line of text itself curves, and sometimes a single word, such as 'nipped' or 'popped', has letters that jiggle around. This adds to the fun but might be challenging for a young reader. The vocabulary is varied and would be interesting for a confident young reader to attempt, but words such as 'nincompoops' or 'delicious' will be tricky for children who are just beginning to learn to read independently. They will enjoy the book more when sharing it with an adult.

I have used 'The Scallywags' as a basis for a drama session with a group of four-year-olds. It is an ideal book for a largish group because there are so many characters. But there is also a huge amount of fun to be had while acting it out; most of the children wanted to be wolves, but a few of the quieter ones were glad to take the parts of the other animals. After reading or acting, it is interesting to talk about how it's a good idea to have some manners, but if you take things too far and criticise every little mistake your friends make, they might not enjoy your company so much.

I would say that 'The Scallywags' is a book that can appeal to boys or girls alike, and I'm sure most adults will enjoy reading it aloud and pointing out all the hilarious details in Melling's illustrations. I borrowed a copy from a library, but I think it is a book that will stand a few readings and therefore may be well worth buying.

The Scallywags

by David Melling

Hodder Children's Books, 2007

Paperback, 30 pages

ISBN 9780340884065

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

The Ghost Library - David Melling

I remember as a child how much my imagination was stimulated by C. S. Lewis's 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe': the idea of walking through the back of a wardrobe into a fantasy world where you met fauns and had to fight against a wicked Queen was enough to relieve the boredom of any school holiday. As my sons were growing up, it was the novels of Road Dahl that captured their imagination. Fancy being able to point your finger at people and turn them into birds, as the furious little girl in 'The Magic Finger' does. The idea of mixing up a glorious concoction to deal with a despicable person, as in 'George's Marvellous Medicine,' seems almost within your own reach.

Lewis and Dahl are still tremendously popular today, but what of younger children whose imagination needs stimulating? 'The Ghost Library' by David Melling seems to be just the answer.

Having been impressed by Melling's 'The Kiss that Missed' and used it successfully as the basis for a drama session with a group of four-year-olds, I asked if I might be the first to borrow his picture book 'The Ghost Library' when I spotted it amongst a pile of new books at my local library. The cover, which has 'glow-in-the-dark' appeal, shows three strange creatures peering down at a book that a little girl in dressing-gown and pyjamas is trying to read. It gives the impression that there will be plenty to stimulate the imagination inside.

Bo, the little girl on the cover, is reading her favourite book about a witch with smelly feet. It's bedtime, and the lights suddenly go out. Bo feels a hand grab her book, and before she knows it she and the book are jerked into the air. She soon finds herself in the ghost library, and the three ghosts from the front cover introduce themselves to her as Magpie, Twit and Puddle Mud. The ghosts explain that they wanted Bo's book, but she came too because she was holding it so tightly. Bo angrily accuses them of stealing, but they claim that they always give books back to children after they have read them. They ask Bo to read her book to them, and when she agrees ghosts fly out from all over the library to listen.

The ghosts enjoy Bo's book so much that they ask her for another story. She says it's their turn, but they protest that they don't know any stories. Bo says she will help them to make one up; they shout out their ideas, but they want Bo to tell the story because she is so good at doing different funny voices. After all the story-telling Bo eventually returns to her bedroom to find a little surprise on her pillow.

Melling's books are always so beautifully illustrated in a way that would appeal to any young child. Each of the ghosts is quite different from the next and most look very friendly rather than scary. One page opens upwards to show a tall tower with the ghosts and Bo swirling past in the night. There is a fair amount of text on many of the pages, so this is a book for reading aloud rather than one for independent young readers. Sometimes italics are used, and sometimes individual lines of text swirl around the page, in tune with the illustrations. All of this adds to the visual appeal.

The unusual thing about this book is that when Bo is reading her book to the ghosts or telling them a story, you see merely a series of pictures without any text. This is in fact an ingenious way of stimulating a young child's imagination and encouraging them to tell the story as they see it through the pictures. When Bo is reading her own book to the ghosts, the double-page spread shows around thirty-six small pictures, mostly in light blue on a yellow background. This would necessitate some quite detailed story-telling, and might be suitable for a child of six or seven. When Bo is telling the story that she and the ghosts have made up, however, there are two double-page spreads in comic-strip style with very colourful and bold pictures that a slightly younger child could follow and tell the story that the illustrations show.

This is a story that successfully combines fantasy with the reality of story-telling ideas. Although about ghosts, they are friendly ghosts and all ends happily, so it should not be too scary as a bedtime story. I would recommend this for children aged three up to either six or seven; with David Melling, I think it is hard to go wrong.

The Ghost Library

by David Melling

Hodder Children's Books, 2005

Paperback, 34 pages

ISBN 0340860898

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.99)

The Kiss that Missed

Looking through a list of David Melling's books on Amazon, it is striking that they all have five-star ratings. I'm surprised that I have never come across any of them before, but having read 'The Kiss that Missed' I will certainly be on the lookout for the others. Melling is both author and illustrator of this delightful picture book. He began his career as an illustrator and then progressed to writing his own stories that were inspired by his drawings.

The story centres around a goodnight kiss that is blown by a busy king (on his way to have a bath) to his young son. The kiss unfortunately misses the little prince and bounces out of the open window. The king orders his loyal knight to go in search of the kiss, so the knight mounts his trusty horse and they gallop off to the wild wood. This is a pretty scary place when it is dark, and our knight does not seem to be the bravest of young men. Luckily, the royal kiss comes floating by and calms all the wild creatures down. They settle down to sleep, so the knight and his horse decide to have a seat on what they think is an old tree trunk. They soon discover that they have in fact sat on a dragon who rises up and decides that the knight and the horse would make a good breakfast. Just in time, the kiss floats by again and makes the dragon sneeze. The knight and dragon seize their chance to escape, but the dragon of course is now utterly calm. He picks them up, kisses them goodnight and takes them back to the castle. The story ends peacefully and happily.

One unusual aspect of this picture book is that the text sometimes appears on a white background independent of any pictures, and sometimes it is superimposed on a whole-page illustration. I particularly like the fact that some phrases appear in a larger font than others, and one phrase is in bold type. One or two words, such as 'sneezed!' are in a completely different font. It seems to me that, because Melling is primarily an illustrator, he puts more emphasis on the visual aspect of the text than other writers do. I find this very effective.

The illustrations took Melling six months to complete, and that is not hard to believe. From the skinny, dragon-like creature on the first page of text that gives the impression of an illuminated manuscript to the final double-page spread of a happy family scene with the enormous dragon curling around, this is a feast for your eyes. The passage of the kiss is shown by a curling gold thread, and the wild creatures can be either scary or amusing. We see a close-up of the dragon's face with the knight and the horse reflected in the pupils of his eyes, as well as panoramas of the wild wood at night where snowflakes fill the air and the twigs on the branches of the trees resemble fingers reaching out to grab passers-by.

This is of course an ideal bedtime story, as it ends on such a tranquil note and shows the prince tucked up in bed. There is a wise message for parents here, about not being in too much of a hurry but finding time to spend with their children. I would say that three to six would be a suitable age range for this story. Confident five- to seven-year-olds would probably enjoy having a go at reading it for themselves, although I don't feel that it was written with this intention. A fair amount of descriptive language is used, and phrases such as 'galloped off it hot pursuit' are not the easiest for emergent readers to tackle.

For such a beautiful and enjoyable book, I don't think anyone will feel that £4.02 is a lot to ask. If you haven't read any of Melling's books aloud to your children before, I think you and they are missing out. I certainly am going to keep an eye out for his other story books, and I would recommend them to all parents of young children.

The Kiss that Missed

by David Melling

Barron's Educational Series

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 0764136240