Quite a pleasantly written story in verse, telling of two brothers whose mother is waylaid by a pushbike crash and has to rest up for weeks. Dad has to look after her, so they have to look after themselves, the dad and the house – but can they? Especially when they decide to invent a cookie stall to add to the household coffers...

Book Six in a series I'd never heard of, this aims to be a financially-minded book, but it is about the astute mind and the benefits of cooperative care and work, as the whole neighbourhood actually chips in and helps the lads out. That makes the characters a lot richer than the bulk of us, but it's a pleasant moral to see played out here. Creatively, this is reasonable – the visuals are on the cheap, quick and slightly cartoonish side, and the text is actually in lines that are probably too long to give all the joy a narrative in rhymed couplets would be expected to deliver. But there's nothing terribly wrong, and I'd be open on this slender evidence to recommending the rest of the franchise. Three and a half stars for this one, as the idea of the whole town being a kind of income insurance replacement is probably too left wing for even the most ardent Kamala voter.

"Mum, let's read that book again where the boys' mother crashes into a tree!" I'm not sure this was the author's intention but my daughter finds it hilarious that kids take over control of the house while their poor mother is bedridden. Anyway, this is a cute story about responsibility and the power of community. A great tool to discuss the importance of being kind and helpful, and looking out for others.