THE ADVENTURES OF BIRPUS & BULBUS

When we first meet Birpus and Bulbus they're running for their lives in the Forest of Fine Repute. Their greatest fear has come about: the Sour Milk Dragon is chasing them. He's right behind them, spewing hot, sour milk from his nostrils. (Please don't try this at home: it won't end well.) Fortunately, they were nearly at Nobby Lob-lolly - and when a ladder of moss and vines was lowered for them, they escaped. They climbed up to the Tree Wee homes high up in the tangled woods where they lived with their Grand Wees, Nester Nook and Granny Cranny.

Don't you just love those names? They wander around your tongue and emerge with a giggle. The target audience for The Sour Milk Dragon is the five- to nine-year-old age group and whilst the story is quite simple, the language used and concepts are demanding. You need to accept that caterpillar coffee, weenut toast, worm waffles, marmalade moths, grasshopper gooeys and cricket cakes make for delicious food. Did you notice that gorgeous alliteration? It's lovely to read and even better to speak. It's a great book to share with a group of children.

But back to the plot. It is simple but it's a good point, well made. We all have our fears: for me, it's heights and snakes. Some of the fear is valid but much of it isn't and in the case of the two brothers their fears of this particular dragon are not well-founded. Fortunately, they find that Sour Milk is a good friend and playmate. But - you have to be open to realising that your judgement might be wrong this and that's a great life skill to have.

The writing is clear and direct but there's something else that raises this book above the norm and that's Indre Ta's illustrations. They are rich and lustrous, generous in what they deliver. I loved looking at the images and particularly appreciated that one of the brothers wears glasses. It helps children accept disadvantages are normal.

Sour Milk Dragon is book one in the Birpus and Bulbus books: I'm looking forward to hearing about what the brothers do next. I'd like to thank the authors for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Reading The Sour Milk Dragon before bed was the perfect way to end a perfect day. The well-crafted illustrations by Indre Ta are of high quality, giving the story a huge 'smile factor.' The illustrations took me back to the wonderful days of The Gruffalo. There should be more books like this, which clearly tell young readers that you cannot judge somebody or something by the way it looks. Just because you see what you consider a bad thing or a threat could very easily be somebody trying to make friends. Never judge a book by its cover - this is the rule of thumb that I was raised with, and that lesson so young is why I am still smiling at the messages that come across so firmly. Wynn Everett-Albanese and Michael Albanese have such a delightful writing style which keeps the reader engaged right up until the very end. This world needs more happy endings like this and the children of today need to grow up with great stories such as The Sour Milk Dragon to bring about a happy tomorrow. I recommend The Adventures of Birpus and Bulbus be read by children over eight years and i look forward to seeing it stocked in libraries and bookstores worldwide.

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers’ Favorite