Nobody can accuse that highly successful children's author, Ms Madonna Ritchie, of making her fans wait ages for the appearance of her second book after the phenomenal success of her first publication.
In only a matter of weeks after her debut as a children's author, Madonna has brought out her second volume, Mr Peabody's Apples.
It is certainly a case of strike again while the iron is hot. Madonna's The English Roses turned out to be a blockbuster debut, making her the fastest selling new children's writer of all time. Can Madonna do it again?
Mr Peabody's Apples is a more conventional story than The English Roses. The book, written for readers aged six and up, is an attractive production with stunning artwork by Loren Long. Where Roses was set in London and told the tale of a modern group of teenage girls, the new book is set in smalltown America and is all about boys and sport.
Mr Peabody's Apples takes place in the 1940s in the small town of Happville, somewhere in the US. Mr Peabody is the town's elementary school teacher. He is a well-loved and respected figure, but suddenly his life is turned upside down when the townspeople gang up against him because of a terrible mistake.
Every Saturday, Mr Peabody gives up his free time to coach the Little League baseball team. But one day after baseball practice, Tommy Tittlebottom sees Mr Peabody do a very strange thing. Mr Peabody is walking home and, as he passes the greengrocer's shop, he picks up an apple from the stand outside and happily walks on. Tommy is dumfounded. Mr Peabody did not pay for the apple.
Tommy tells his friends and the following Saturday they all spy on Mr Peabody as he walks home after practice. And sure enough, as the teacher walks past the fruit shop he picks up an apple and walks on. The boys are stunned. They tell their friends and their parents what they have seen. Soon everyone in Happville knows that Mr Peabody is a thief. The next Saturday, Mr Peabody is alone on the baseball pitch. Nobody wants to have anything to do with him.