There's nothing like a vibrant and eye-catching front cover to make you want to get your hands on a picture book and our eager paws have been itching to read this new release by Frances Stickley and Eamonn O'Neill ever since we laid eyes on it. We weren't disppointed! The colours and characterisation, which leap out to grab you on the cover, continues throughout this hilarious comic caper.

Mouse is having a good day! There's not a cat in sight and he's going to live his best life - skydiving, hunting for treasure and performing some circus skills. But there's one thing Mouse has forgotten to do...look behind him.

This story is a modern Tom and Gerry and perfect for anyone who loves cat and mouse capers. Little readers will love staying one step ahead of the characters and, as with the popular Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins, it's a classic example of the illustrations telling a contrasting story to the text. The colour scheme is gorgeous, the scenarios are hilarious-capturing a child's imaginative play beautifully-and it's impossible not to read it without a grin spreading across your face.

As always, Frances Stickley's rhyme is spot-on. The light-hearted, bouncy text brings a freshness and energy to the story and the repetitive refrain of 'Not a Cat In Sight' is instantly catchy. This is an author/illustrator match made in heaven and five minutes of pure joy.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a review copy. Not a Cat in Sight is available to buy now.

Not a Cat in Sight is the perfect read aloud book. This book will have children screaming as you read the pages. It's certainly one that will have you shouting - look behind you. Mouse is having a brilliant day with not a cat in sight. However, as the reader, we can see the cat at ever moment following mouse. Will mouse realise that cat is on his tail or will it be too late?

We're big fans of Frances Stickley. She has a wonderful rhythm to the way she writes that skips you along through her stories. Eamonn O'Neill pairs beautiful with the text with his playful style of illustration. The purple and blue palette with other pops of colour really jumps off the page at you.

This is a really delightful picture book, ideal for the under 5’s.
It has captivating illustrations to engage young readers, while the repeating and rhyming vocabulary will encourage them to join in the fun

Pleasant enough bit of silliness, designed to be joined in with due to its recurring refrain. Our heroic mouse wants to enjoy his day to the full, trying the tightrope (the washing line above the back garden), skydiving, being a pirate riding a whale (the goldfish in said garden) etc, all oblivious to the fact he sees no cat – because the moggy is stalking him, to the best of its abilities, all the time. It's a pantomimic episode, then, rather than a brilliant story, with the myopic mickey leading the audience through a host of "he's behind you!!" scenarios, and a bit of slapstick luck adding to the charm the poetry brings to the telling. Would a youngster turn to this time and time again for the same simple story? Perhaps not, but the simple interactive elements mean the right youth group leader could get much mileage from its purchase, so four stars is about right.