Innocence Lost....

"...Sometimes these catalogues are stuffed with treasures, but sometimes they are a grave disappointment. One catalogue this year lists Totally Take That, an unofficial guide to the pop band, and a series of books featuring some plastic dolls called the "Lil' Bratz", who offer advice on how to be a pop princess, how to put on a fashion show, and how to create gorgeous hairstyles for the hottest event of the year, "a super cool charity bash!"

Also included are a series of books about Miss Spider and her Sunny Patch Friends, another called Violent Veg, and a handful of "tie-ins" to characters such as Scooby-Doo and Batman.

These books may sell well, of course, and they are perhaps no better or worse than many of the other children's titles to be published this year, but when you know that this is the Ladybird catalogue, you cannot help but wonder at how far the mighty have fallen..."