Changes

The illustrations are just enough to allow us entry to this world – meeting Bertie's parents, his two best friends, and the one or two other adults as relevant. They range from UFO hunters to the aforementioned bird-watcher, and our hero's typical nemesis of a school teacher. They also put the biggest clue in the reader of the first story that something's not right – something we can see but Bertie just cannot. It's a circumstance – and bluntly finished story – that just nudges against the too-silly barrier; on the whole the book is sensibly and likeably daft. Tale three is again too abrupt to come to a sort-of close for my taste, and begs for a sequel, but as I say with simple and easy (and easily read and understood) qualities such as this book shows, more of the same is no bad thing.

If it is silly you want, the same illustrator has given us the very successful [[The Bolds by Julian Clary and David Roberts]].