Nosy Crow ISBN 9780857637475 £11.99
A giant pink doughnut is the disastrous result of Professor Nutcase’s experiment at the Lemon Labs. Panic ensues in Food Town when the doughnut escapes, and attempts to catch it by the emergency services fail, as the doughnut eats its way through their defences. Nancy McNutty, a trainee reporter in hot pursuit of an exciting story, turns heroine, as she finds the solution, and confronts the monster doughnut. The storyline is very simple, though told in a jokey style in the voice of an American cop, with the inclusion of spoonerisms and wordplay. The attractions of the book are its full page colourful illustrations, depicting a variety of vegetable characters, with amusingly expressive features . While the main story unfolds, it is fun to search for minor characters on each page, and follow their stories. A huge pink explosion brings the story to a predictable sticky end.
Jane Coverdale, school librarian at Spratton Hall Prep, Northampton