The Villes series of children’s books are written by TV celebrity, Martin Roberts (www.martinroberts.co.uk) to help encourage problem solving in 6-9 years olds.  The Villes are fantasy lands where something is wrong. In Tiredsville, for instance, everyone is perpetually tired. In Fullsville, they are continually feeling like they’ve over-eaten and in Coldsville they are always feeling…yes, you’ve guessed it, COLD!!

Herman, Martin’s rather eccentric and unconventional hero starts out each morning with a journey on The Magical Bus and finds himself in one of The Villes. Taking an outsider’s perspective on things, he soon uncovers the reason behind the problem and sets about putting it right – meeting some colourful characters and making some new friends along the way. Whilst the cause of the problem is often humorous or whimsical, he demonstrates that sometimes, ‘thinking outside the box’, helps to see beyond the current reality.

The Villes books aim to promote problem solving skills in children. Written in an early ‘chapter style’ yet with full colour illustrations on every page, they bridge the gap between pictured led story books and chapter books and are enjoyed by children and adults alike.