Muncle Trogg and the flying donkey by Janet Foxley

Ill. by Steve Walls. Chicken House. ISBN 9781906427955.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. The second Muncle Trogg book features Muncle, the world's smallest giant, and his good friend Emily. In this story, Muncle is trying to encourage everyone to evacuate their volcano home before it erupts. Fearing that no-one will listen to such a tiny giant, Muncle develops a plan to persuade his friends to listen to the Wonder Donkey, and Emily helps the plan come to life.
This book is full of wonderfully vivid scenes, designed to take the reader on a flight of fancy. The scene where the giants are training their dragons is particularly special. Young readers will love all the clever illustrative additions, like 'scrape this up for a tasty snack' and the thumb prints on the edges and corners of the pages, really add to the 'authentic' feel of the story.
One of those books you can give to a young man (or lady!) and have them disappear on a rainy weekend to escape to another world entirely. The language is rich and imaginative, without being anything you wouldn't want your Smalling repeating, and the friendship between Muncle and Emily is very special indeed - without issuing spoilers, Emily saves his life. The relationship between Muncle and his family is also special - apparently a big change from the first book, where Muncle is upside downed by his 'little' brother quite often.
This is a rollicking read for ages 7+ and comes recommended, especially for reluctant readers.
Freya Lucas