Book review: Zog by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

An accident-prone dragon who flies into trees and sets his own wing on fire?

It can only be the deliciously adorable Zog, the new children’s picture book hero who has won the imagination of young readers - and the votes of the Galaxy National Book Awards judges.

Zog, the tale of a heart-melting dragon with a host of colourful friends, is their best children’s book of the year – and it’s easy to see why!

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His creators are the very gifted Julia Donaldson, whose story books are never complete without her fun and fabulous rhyming couplets, and renowned illustrator Axel Scheffler who breathes life into this fiery little dragon.

Top team Donaldson and Scheffler were the brains behind the highly successful Gruffalo series of books which featured the hilarious escapades of a quick-witted mouse, and now they have turned their talents to zany Zog.

Zog is the keenest dragon in school but he’s also the one who always seem to get into scrapes as he learns to roar and fly and breathe fire.

Fortunately for him, a mysterious little girl always turns up to patch up his bumps and bruises, whether it’s a sticking plaster for his head or a soothing peppermint for his sore throat.

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Now tough teacher Madam Dragon has set her hardest task yet for the young dragons...they have to learn how to capture a princess.

Can the little girl with her bag of medicines help him this time, or will he have to go back to the practice yard?

Funny, farcical and fiendishly rhymed, Zog’s fantastical adventures look set to enthral generations of youngsters.

A very special gift for any child aged two or over.

(Scholastic, hardback, £10.99)