The King’s Runaway Crown

It’s the morning of the King’s coronation and everyone is getting ready. Suddenly, Colin the dog snatches the crown and races off with it. The butler shakes off his nerves and gives chase, shouting, ‘Catch, Colin, save the crown!’ Colin dashes past the palace guards, the coach driver and the pigeons – and they all join the chase, distracted from their worry as to whether they’ll do a good job at the coronation. ‘Catch Colin, save the crown!’ they all shout. It takes a little girl to point out that everyone gets nervous sometimes, and Colin simply wanted to help the King.

This super-fun picture book has energetic, friendly illustrations full of detail, and Colin the dog is particularly cute. The way the chase builds, with more and more people joining in, is fun to watch and to try to predict as the pages are turned, while the refrain ‘Catch Colin, save the crown!’ is impossible not to resist shouting every time. The King is recognisable as King Charles III, and the city as London, but the message that everyone can get nervous is universal.