What a great idea and beautifully done. Buy!

This book is very cleverly done. It's so clever it seems terrifically simple. There are a dozen fairy tales, all of which you'd expect a four year old to be familiar with, stripped down to a single longish sentence of four components which can then be mixed an matched in the time-honoured way that's often used to create mixed up animals. For example: the Ugly duckling.. is scratched by a spinning wheel, then falls asleep in baby bears bed after eating... Red Riding Hood's granny. The children love it because they're meddling with and subverting stories they know and it is great fun for the parent too. Also, as the words are fairly simple, a beginning reader can do it themselves and is inspired to keep on doing it. As you'd expect from Nick Sharratt, the illustrations are straightforward and appealing. You just can't go wrong! If you like this, look out too for 'You Choose' which is another great Sharrat classic which is also an inspiring fun book for this age group.

Killing me softly with his song...

A"Must-Have" for all fans - amongst all the usual games played by Tim, Graeme, Barry and guests (overseen by Humph and the lovely Samantha, still sitting on his left hand), I am continually enjoying Rob Brydon singing"Killing me softly" to the tune of"The Bear Necessities" (as Tim rightly says, he's no Jeremy Hardy)and in the same programme an ad-lib sketch set in Space... which I will not spoil for you by discussing here! <br /><br />If you find nothing here to raise a smile, you are truly beyond help. For most people, however, I would advise not listening to this the first time while behind the wheel of a car. ISIHAC always carries a Dangerous Driving Warning.

Funny, but short

I read this in about an hour at the weekend. Its incredibly funny, its pure Gene Hunt (mentally I kept hearing Philip Glensiter as I read it) but its also very expensive for what you get. There's about 30 words per page and lots of photos. If you're live, sleep and breath 'life on mars' this is essential fan material, but for the rest of us I'd really recommend you just buy the TV series on DVD... you'll get much better value for money.

Better as a song than a book

This is a great song for children but doesn't really work as a book. The words are crammed in so is difficult to read and very repetetive. My daughter loves all books but after two pages of this, she is ready to move on to something different. <br /><br />I'd buy a CD of nursery rhymes for this song rather than buy the book.

Spider Jerusalem meets Oliver Kalkofe

... the first one being the"Transmetropolitan" comic series cynic' journalist/hero, the second being a German comedian feared and loved for his witty comments on German TV rubbish.<br /><br />Too obscure? That's exactly my problem with Brooker's book: Not coming from the UK, I haven't heard of half of the TV shows he refers to, and hardly ever bothered to watch the (usually: continental version of the) other half. But brainless idiocy is a world-wide phenomenon - the mindless TV formats and media goons are indeed so generic that it doesn't really matter. <br /><br />Throughout most of the book, the author is busy shouting back at TV shows that would insult a six-year-old's intelligence and sense of taste. Funny, witty, and aimed at a deserving target - but tiring after some time. It's when he focusses on the retarded stuff of real life this book really gets interesting: Politics. 9/11 conspiracy nuts. Religion, as in"notoriously offended feelings" and violent fundamentalism. <br /><br />Brookers unrestrained use of sarcasm is simply hilarious, even if his targets are quite often not worth the effort. If you like watching dumbness being bludgeoned in all its forms, you will probably find this book as refreshing as I did.

consistantly great

Well worth waiting for! The whole series is great I love the characters the humour and the adventure. There are books you read once and pass on but these deserve to be treasured. These are beautifully presented they look great so you would want to keep them just for that reason alone. You can enjoy reading them again and again.

This is radio comedy at its best ; a British institution

I'm probably preaching to the converted, but ISIHAC is intelligent, naughty, fantastic, foolish, sarcastic, and more. <br /><br />iPod users beware - you simply cannot stop yourself laughing to this. <br /><br />The radio in my car died and so I dug these out of my cupboard. Haven't enjoyed the commute so much for ages.<br /><br />Don't miss out.

Lovely for young children

This is a lovely book for young children. Mine love looking on every page for the hidden character, and the rhyming text is great and easy to remember so little ones can join in when they've heard it a few times. <br />My 3 kids love this one!

Irreverent And Brilliant

What more can I say, my title says it all. One of the funniest books I have read and deserves five stars. It would cheer anyone up. Its what we all need in these days of doom and gloom, a good hearty belly laugh and this book delivers. There is a lot of good genuinely funny writers about at the moment, check out 'Bollocks to Alton Towers' and 'The Post Box at the Crossroads' by Alan Bates.

Halloween teamed with Charlie and Lola perfection - lovely!

As you'd expect from a Charlie and Lola halloween book, this is perfectly pitched for young children - it is just a tiny bit scary but really not very frightening. Charlie makes Lola jump so"I really want to make YOU jump Charlie" says Lola in reply. He doesn't think they'll be able to and indeed Lola and Lotta try without luck as cute ghosts under sheets. Then Lola tells a spooky story, with good spooky castle pictures. However, the end is rather soft and sweet so Charlie and Marv laugh. Lola has the last laugh though as Sizzles the dog jumps onto Charlie which does make him jump. I recommend primarily the C&L books that were published prior to the TV series where the text is stronger, better to read aloud, with less dialogue (I am not sleepy and will not go to bed; I will not ever never eat a tomato, I am absolutely too small for school). However, this is a lovely book, and there isn't too much two-way conversation. A smasher for the Autumn.

Don't go

Recently Natsuki Takaya has dealt with the relationships of some of the supporting characters... and now it's back to the main trio.<br /><br />And the nineteenth volume of"Fruits Basket" focuses on Tohru's growing feelings for Kyo, even as she struggles to free him from his curse -- and the scorn of the other zodiac members. Though there are some funny moments (mostly from the wonderfully wacky Ayame) growing romantic feelings and past regrets are littered all through these chapters.<br /><br />Heartfelt talks take up a lot of space -- when Shigure tells Tohru about the approaching"last banquet" and the cat's place, she is left struggling with her torn feelings. Kyo has a chat with her kindly grandfather about Tohru, and remembers his own talk with her dead mother. And Shigure has a soul-baring talk with Hatori about the increasingly reclusive Akito, and just what he wants from her.<br /><br />But the romantic tension growing between Kyo and Tohru are stifling Yuki, so he goes shopping out on the town, and eventually ends up visiting his brother. While the brothers talk, Yuki stirs up memories of the first time Ayame realized that his careless words could hurt people. But he isn't the only one -- amid the usual school council hijinks, Yuki finds out about a past conflict between Kakeru and Tohru...<br /><br />In the grand scheme of things, not much actually happens in this volume -- it's mostly about the characters and their feelings.<br /><br />Don't worry. It's not boring, especially since Takaya continues to weave in some darker threads about Kyo's bleak past and future, and his half-hidden regrets about Kyoko. And she lets readers have a look at how the characters are changing as they approach adulthood (Momiji has become the new"prince"). There's a bittersweet flavour even to the lighter chapters, since everything around them is changing so quickly.<br /><br />But don't worry -- despite the darker moments, we still get lots of comic relief like Kyo bashing his head against the wall in exaggerated shame. And there are some deeply romantic moments, like a beautiful flashback to the start of Ayame's relationship with Mine. These moments are exquisitely beautiful without having to be too obvious, and Takaya's delicate artwork only adds to the feeling.<br /><br />But the biggest romantic moments come for Tohru and Kyo. Tohru's inner struggles are further revealed, since she turns out to have some conflicting feelings about her parents and Kyo. And Kyo shows that he's grown out of the angry, self-loathing cat-boy he used to be, while Yuki has become more patient with his brother, and very sweet and loving toward his new girlfriend.<br /><br />And Takaya doesn't neglect the other characters -- Kakeru turns out to be a romantic, Ayame definitely isn't gay, and Momiji has some secret romantic feelings. And Shigure's darker side casts a shadow over the first half of this manga.<br /><br />The nineteenth volume of"Fruits Basket" explores the changing feelings of the characters, even as it inches toward the end. A really stellar, polished little manga.

What Is Mornington crescent????

It is hailed as the antidote to 'quiz shows'! That aroused my curiosity so I bought it. Not only am I now 'cured' but I am absolutely addicted to this little gem of a show. It is very, very funny; very, very clever and the Mornington Crescent GAme will have you on the edge of your seat! Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden are hillarious. Barry Cryer is just a genius and Humphrey Littleton's double entendres with the mysterious Samantha is just outrageous. It is good clean fun though and I could happily listen to it with great aunt Agatha and granma. Definitely one for sunday afternoon tea - but make sure you don't have a mouthful of cake, it really is laugh out loud stuff!

One of the Best Kept 31-year Old Secrets From the BBC

If you want to laugh...and I mean REALLY laugh..at impromptu, witty, cynical, clever, fast, wacky humour, then this CD and the radio show is for you! ISIHAC has been running for years, and currently goes out on a Mon evening at 6pm on BBC Radio 4 when broadcast. This CD captures four fantastic recent episodes of hilarity. If like me you subscribe to the theory that laughter is the best medicine - you will be cured after hearing this!! Totally recommended.

Good god, this man is GOOOD!

Even though Clarkson himself says so ("Good God I love being middle class") the truth is much more inspiring and it's nice to see how modest he is. Truth is, he's actually working class but has come into a lot of money using his talents over the years.<br /><br />If you want to see where the magic is, check out this literaly goliath!

'A Statue of Hitler Beating an Otter to Death'

A remarkably interesting, insightful, and overall hilarious set of articles orginally published in the Sunday Times from a man who one might easily presume has no interest in anything except cars. It would be wrong to assume this about Clarkson. In 'The World According To...' a vast variety of topics are covered from the interesting and emotional; particularly Clarkson's thoughts on the retirement of Concorde, to the side splittingly funny; such as Clarkson explaining what happened between himself and Piers Morgan abord the last flight on Concorde.

Not what I expected!

I ordered this for my husband and it's just arrived and I'm extremely disappointed that the cover is a completely different design. Instead of being the poe-faced stark cover advertised, it's a rather vile shade of red with a tabloid style title splashed diagonally across.<br /><br />Maybe I'm shallow but I even bought a more expensive version of"I am Legend" by Richard Matheson to avoid getting the one with the tacky Will Smith cover.<br /><br />Amazon, you should update the picture used to advertise this book (and be ashamed)<br /><br />PS Great book though

Dr Ten Thumbs rides again

Phil Hammond is a carrot-topped, motor-mouthed, whislteblowing medic; star of stand-up, small screen and author of the `Medicine Balls' column for Private Eye. This book is effectively those columns, extended with material from his successful Edinburgh Fringe show and interspersed with spoof GP consultations. It is, he says `a semi-autobiographical, medico-politico, self-help comedy with poems'. So you can see, he isn't quite sure where the book fits but, as you would expect, it's sharp and very funny.<br /><br />The autobiographical bits include the problems of being a `ten-thumbed' doctor hopeless at the dextrous bits of his trade, and his drug addiction - to Australian Shiraz. Edited, the medico-politico bits could stand as a Sunday broadsheet rant against what New Labour has done to the NHS, or, edited another way, a health policy document for Gordon Brown. The GP consultations suggest that Dr Hammond has a nice ear for dialogue and might one day write a good play. The self-help is succinct and spot on: `Other Emergencies: Sudden loss of anything - sight, movement, feeling, breath, blood, condom, consciousness, the will to live - requires urgent medical assistance. This does not apply to your cat or wallet.' Give this book or Christmas to anyone not going into hospital, or Alan Johnson. <br />

very disappointing, the songs get short shrift

Although this is worth a listen for diehard Conchord fans, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else. A big part of the appeal of their HBO show, as well as the concert clips I've seen, is the contrast between Bret and Jemaine's dead-pan"normal" personalities, and their exuberant and fanciful songs. Since a radio show obviously has no visual component, you'd at least expect performances of the songs to be front and center, but it's not the case. The songs are rarely if ever presented complete and uninterrupted, often stepped on by Rob Brydon's otherwise decent narration, or faded out and talked over by other characters, or cut such that the entire song never appears in the show. Contrived as it was, I much prefer the way the HBO show built the plot around the songs. Even the short clips of their live show on YouTube are better than this. <br /><br />With the exception of the excellent Rhys Darby as proto-Murray manager Brian Nesbitt, and, to a lesser extent, Neil Finn as Brian's unwitting rock-and-roll mentor, the supporting players range from forgettable to really annoying (especially Greg Proops).<br /><br />So, hardcore fans, check it out for Bret, Jemaine, and Rhys Darby. Everyone else, I'd recommend the HBO series DVD and YouTube.<br />