Katie Morag and the Grand Concert; Katie Morag Delivers the Mail; Katie Morag and the Two Grandmothers; Katie Morag and the New Pier; Katie Morag and the Wedding; Oh No, Peedie Peebles!

Look at the Katie Morag picture books and you will hear the slap, slap, slap of welly on bare calves and imagine damp socks becoming increasingly scrumpled around hot little heels, as our heroine dashes off to create yet more well-meaning mayhem. Memories of Hebridean holidays undoubtedly add to the enjoyment of these stories, recently reissued, but those who have not had that pleasure will still relate to the situations portrayed in these classic tales of inter-generational family life.

In the latest addition to the series, Katie Morag and the Grand Concert, our heroine - never backwards at coming forwards - practises her very own version of 'You Cannae Shove Your Granny off a Bus' for her performance. This song would have caused a diplomatic incident (KM aficionados will remember the raised hackles which characterise the relationship between Grannies Island and Mainland) had Katie Morag not been distracted by her friend, in the front row of the audience, wearing an identical dress.

Distraught, she runs off stage, to discover a fellow grown-up performer in distress because he has lost his voice. Needless to say, all ends happily with a rousing performance from the hastily formed, multi-talented group, met with ecstatic applause from the audience.

As in all Hedderwick's books, the illustrative detail is exquistite - witty and absorbing - enriching the plot with - little domestic episodes, occasionally leaving visual questions unanswered. She understands that it is the little things that count yet her stories fearlessly take on full-blown emotions without watering them down. Feelings are important and Hedderwick takes care to make that point.

Newly available in paperback, Oh No, Peedie Peebles! introduces another stubborn but loveable Hedderwick character. Peedie (the Orcadian word for little) is utterly determined to be part of his family's home decoration strategy, despite his parent's considerable efforts. One toddler, a paintbrush, a trolley and a few undetected thefts cause complete havoc, havoc which will appeal to most 2 to 4 year-olds but which will send shivers of memory down the backs of their parents. A wonderfully anarchic introduction to colours.