Are we in agreement that recent Charlie and Lola books have been comparatively lack lustre?

[FrannyandZooey]

The last one I thought was any good was the one about the dog. The tooth one and the whoops one have left me cold, and the new snow one, about which I have been in a frenzy of excitement all week waiting for it to come (it has kit to make glitter snowflakes, 2 sticker scenes and a game) is v patchy indeed as far as the story goes.

Lauren Child isn't in fact writing them any more, I notice. When did she stop? Is it all downhill from here? Is it heresy to even be asking this?

I've secretly been thinking this too. I think it's become effectively contracted out; LC is doing some fab stuff still, though with the Clarice Bean stories among others.

Her others like That Pesky Rat are rather fabulous too.

I just bought the younger type C Bean stories for ds, but they would go over his head at the moment. Maybe next year. The books are still visually fab and this pack was very exciting, with all the extras and so on, but the story just didn't hit the spot at all. Shame as it is my favourite title so far by far

I've jsut given the whoops one and the tooth one to dd for her birthday but we haven't read it yet. What a shame. I like The Storybook Wolves best I think. I've read the dog one and tomato FAR too often to like them any more.

I think the one about the food is the only good one

I don't even like Clarice Bean much - written for adults IMO although dd1 is a bit young for them yet

At the moment we only have the "original" ones but ds2 is getting the Book People set in a bag for Christmas - I think the problem is that the "new" ones are based on the tv series, and I don't think many of the tv episodes were written by Lauren Child (I wonder why? - seems a bit like famous artists like Damien Hirst hiring other people to actually paint the dots, iyswim)

Well having checked I now find that the dog one was not written by La Lauren either and I think it is superb, so I guess it is either hit and miss or depends who has done the ghost writing

Perhaps you will like the two new ones WWW, I hope you do. And there are a couple of crackers in that set KTP, IMO.

I flicked through the Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child, and it's lovely - good fun for an adult to read, and great pictures too.

yes well there is also the cute little bag to consider isn't there?