Any book which has illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark is worth a look for me, and this was another gem with beautifully uplifting, warm and charming pictures of a young boy and his grandmother spending the summer together.

The little boy lives with his Nana. It's just the two of them. His mum can't look after him and Nana's husband, his grandfather, has left. 

The boy feels different among his friends at school and people in the street because of his home life, but he loves spending time with his grandmother, particularly when they go away to the seaside, staying in a caravan. Here he plays with the other children and his adventures all come with a warning from his grandmother to stay away from the gas.

It's a fun, quirky story. His grandmother has her own worries and preoccupations, and her frustrations with the resident cats at the caravan park, but the close bond between her and the little boy is evident and charming. 

The story was inspired by the childhood of the author, Eoin McLaughlin. He had to spend time away from his mother and father when they went to college. His grandmother took care of him while they studied and when he lived with his parents again, they all joined his Nana in her caravan in Wexford, Ireland, for the summer.

There was an unusual voice to this story - it's full of the author's personal memories and nostalgia, not least when the little boy uses a phone box to speak to his mum, hearing the pips when the 20p was running out. 

It's a very lovely book to return to for new treats with each reading.