Sillybilly

Sillybilly, the naughtiest boy with a heart of gold is a new book by authors Robin Whitcomb and Bryony Hill.

They are both prolific writers in their own right, but this is the first project they have worked on together.

The book is intended for children aged 7 to 9 years of age.

It's a good, fun read for children and is well illustrated by Bryony, who is also a highly talented illustrator, as well as being an author. Her most recent work was her biography of her late husband football ace and TV football pundit, Jimmy Hill.

But as well as being a fun read, the book has a serious purpose as it contains important lessons such as looking after other people and going above and beyond for those who you love.

It is set in the Northumberland fishing village of Craster. Billy is, probably, the naughtiest boy in the village and perhaps even the surrounding area.

But there's far more than that, to Billy. As well as being naughty, he also has a genuine heart of gold.

He knows that, despite the storm that is about to batter the coast and the village, his uncle and his crew of trawlermen will have to brave the storm in order to try to find, and land, a massive catch of fish.

So Billy, along with his faithful dog Jasper, stow away on the ship in order to help Billy's uncle and the crew.

At the height of the storm, the ship ends up aground on the rocks of the harbour, and the nets become tangled on the rocks.

Without any concern for his own safety, Billy plunges into the stormy sea in a bid to untangle the nets from the rocks.

Does Billy save the day? What happens to Jasper and the crew of the trawler?

To learn what happens, you'll have to read this wonderful book.

It is published by Matador at £9.99 and is a large format book, idea for a bedtime read with an adult.

It's available for purchase here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.