Differences can be so small you barely notice you are different, or they can be world-changingly enormous. Being a boy who is prone to suddenly changing shape –and colour – and catching flies with your tongue – is pretty enormous.

At first glance, Chris Tennent’s Horace Burp stories are good, every day fun but I went from liking them to really loving them when I noticed that the little band of friends and allies who were drawn to Horace were all, in their various ways, a bit different. A small difference – a weird name perhaps, or a ‘minor’ disability – can be a fearful thing when you’re a child but if you’re lucky, you’ll find some friends who don’t want or need everyone to be exactly the same. Then, life can be transformed.

To me, that’s what makes Horace Burp books not just fun, but really quite precious. That’s also why I’m very proud that we produced them in a way that as many different people as possible can enjoy them. They are an accessible, page-turning read, in a dyslexia-friendly format, with off-white paper that’s gentle on sensitive eyes, Rob Overend’s dependably interpretative illustrations really help the story along, and last but most definitely not least, they are very funny. A genuine, satisfying read.

A third book is on the way. We’ll give you a shout when it appears. In the meantime, make sure the kids you know have had a chance to read the first two!