Book Reviews: Pick of the best picture books

Amy Gets Eaten | Adam Kay and Henry Parker | Puffin | Paperback £7.99

At first sight I thought, not another picturebook with poo on the front cover – there’s been a definite trend. But this is a good one. From the bestselling author and illustrator of Kay’s Anatomy – the fastest-selling children’s general non-fiction hardback of the decade – comesthe story of Amy, a small piece of sweetcorn who gets eaten by Noah, a medium-sized boy.

What follows is a funny, anatomically accurate adventure through the human digestive system that’s pitched just right for three- to six-year-olds. As the story progresses, children discover lots of information here about the passage of food and the conditions inside the digestive track. And you get to meet some great characters along the way, such as a rather tearful onion, a body-building lime and a wise old wrinkly raisin that can be followed through the story. Amy herself is a great character, forever cheerful and overcoming any fears by reminding herself – and her friends – that everything is an adventure; even when she finds herself all alone in the large intestine.