Mr Badger and the Missing Ape is the second book in a new series by much-loved author-illustrator Leigh Hobbs (Mr Chicken Goes to Paris and the Old Tom books). And although we’re only two books into the Mr Badger series, I can confidently say I will be reading them all.

Mr Badger is a lovely main character; a badger (of course), and the Special Events Manager at the very fancy Hotel Grand Boubles in London. Mr Badger is calm, dedicated and professional, even when confronted with despicable little brats like Miss Silvia Smothers-Carruthers.

In Mr Badger and the Missing Ape, Mr Badger goes all PI when Algernon, the enormous stuffed ape that lives in a glass cabinet in the hotel lobby, goes missing overnight. You’ll never guess the secret behind Algernon’s disappearance! Leigh Hobbs plays it straight and sweet with Mr Badger, leaving the humour to shine through gently. His scrawly, loopy illustrations are a delight, and are often captioned in a wonderfully deadpan fashion.