"A riot of nonsense and adventure, may well become a classic in the great English nonsense tradition" * Observer *

"Joyously surreal, set in landscapes full of toffee, deferential choirs of badgers, heavenly water-slides and velvet chairs . . . Their pachydermous protagonist governs a benevolent plutocracy- but the books' great joy is the frequent sly and subtle lampooning of his capitalist pomp" * Guardian *

"The books are very funny, installing a large cast of unlikely characters . . . in a world of mildly squiffy logic . . . And the illustrations are among Quentin Blake's best work, scrawls and splotches that finally and unarguably distil character. But most important, this is political satire of a high order - Animal Farm for pre-teens, but wittier and more relevant to our own world" * Independent *

"Few books are laugh-out-loud funny; fewer still are the children's books that have you stifling titters on the train . . . Uncle is a brilliantly sustained exercise in nonsense, played with the straightest of faces" * Financial Times *

"You ask any class "Who's heard of Alice in Wonderland" and up goes a forest of hands. Uncle is on the same level and should be more widely read and enjoyed" * The Junior Bookshelf *