Clever Bill

I thought I had already reviewed this book. In any case, it's terrific. It piqued my interest when I read that Maurice Sendak spoke highly of it.

When this book was first published in 1926 the picture book as we know it did not exist. Nicholson's innovation was to make the illustrations do much of the storytelling. The story is a simple but charming one and Nicholson's illustrations fit it perfectly. When you hold this book, you're holding a significance piece of children's literature.

Very old fashioned, simple and glorious - my two year old asked for this story every day for a month.In the story, a little girl is packing her case to visit her aunt. She keeps taking everything out and repacking her case until she runs out of time and so does her last suitcase re-pack in a huge hurry, forgetting a very important toy!The toy looks very upset, but is very good at running and makes sure he is reunited with his owner.Despite being a book with very few words, the overall effect is wonderful. The story (apart from sprinting toys!) is based on themes that a two year old immediately understands too. Brilliant!

This book was hyped-up in the press, but I was disappointed in its content. Had I been browsing in a shop I would not have bought it. I doubt if my grandchildren will read it more than once.