Mum has just got a new job as a firelighter in some unheated volcanoes nearby. It doesn't matter to Dad, who's at work all day anyway. And it doesn't matter to Puffing Bill, who just blows smoke rings and backfires all day. But it does matter to Crossfire - a lot. Who will sing his puff-a-bye at bedtime? When their new au-pair, Smokescreen, arrives and doesn't do anything like Mummy used to do, Crossfire is quizzical and upset. Gradually, though, as the rapport grows between the dragon au pair and Crossfire, he realizes that being with Smokescreen instead of Mum is lots of fun in a different way.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2004 by Vintage Publishing .

Anita Harper is a psychotherapist and has written a number of children's books. Mary McQuillan has illustrated a number of picture books. This is her first for Piccadilly. Charlotte Hudson has many year's experience as a primary school teacher in England and Africa. She is the author of the acclaimed Who Will Sing My Puff-a-Bye?, In a Little While, and Monkey Words. Now she is a full-time writer and mum.