Gigantosaurus

Jonny Duddle overheard the story of his first book The Pirate Cruncher while sailing on a square-rigger. Since then he has written even stranger tales including The Pirates of Scurvy Sands, The Pirates Next Door, Gigantosaurus and The King of Space. The Pirates Next Door won the Waterstones Prize in 2012 and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Now in danger of becoming a landlubber, Jonny lives in Wales with his wife, Jane, and their daughters, Daisy and Rosie.

All we've heard about for at least the last decade is The Gruffalo (I know it was first published in 1999, but as with most things it took numerous years to become a household word). It certainly is an outstanding children's book in its own right. Having a small boy (our very own Gruffalo's Child), my husband and I can confidently recite the book from cover to cover (as can our son, an avid reader who has already loved several copies to death).It was therefore a wonderful surprise to come across something as good as The Gruffalo but with Dinosaurs: Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle (what a fabulous name for a children's author!).This book has detailed digital illustrations by the author himself. As an illustrator myself, I have to admit that I've not been that wowed by digital art for children, but this one demonstrates that if you know what you're doing you can create the depth and detail that usually only comes from physicalart. The illustrations are readable, original, and very inviting to a three-year-old's imagination. There's also a clever fold out when the 'Gigantosaurus' finally appears - the board book being too small to contain him. Speaking as a book designer, the only drawback for me is that the typography was a little less thought out than the illustrations, the story, and the cover. But this is where my criticism starts and stops.