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Spot's First Christmas - Eric Hill
by xd-o-n-z-x
Awww! Everyone loves Spot don't they? For those of you who don't know, Spot is a little fictional character; a dog in fact. He was created in the 1980's by children's author Eric Hill; he is still as popular with children today as he was when he was first born. There are many 'Spot' stories; today I will be reviewing one of ... them.
Spot's First Christmas is a 'Christmassy' children's book and features the famous dog Spot. The book is currently available for sale from Amazon for as little as 1p which I think is excellent value for money.
~ * The Plot * ~
It's Christmas Eve and Spot is very excited. He helps his mum and dad prepare for Christmas; decorating the Christmas tree etc.
~ * What's It Like? * ~
My little cousins (aged 3-5) absolutely loved this book! It really gets them excited for Christmas. They enjoy all of the Spot books however I think that this is definitely their favourite. The normal Spot books are a bit like playing a game as not only is there a great little story, but there is also a 'flap' which children have to lift up in order to see what or who is underneath the flap; it is a great guessing game. I think that this is my cousins' favourite Spot book, as not only is it fun (as are the rest of the Spot books), but this one has the added excitement of Christmas, which children just love.
I think that this book is very educational; it teaches young children about what to expect on Christmas Eve; decorating the tree, Santa, Carol singers etc, especially as they are too young to know what is going on.
The book is laid out in a very easy to understand way. The majority of the text consists of one simple line per page; each line of text is accompanied by a picture.
There are some lovely illustrations in this book; Each line of text is supported by a well-illustrated image; explaining to children (who can't read) exactly what is going on in the story. The pictures are so simple and colourful yet they explain the story so well. When I first read this book to my cousins, they 'got it' instantly and didn't ask no questions which tells me that the book is easy to understand.
The book is of good quality; the book has had lots of use (especially the flaps - yet they have stuck on quite well which is good).
I would definitely recommend this book this Christmas. It is a lovely little Christmassy book, yet even more special when read on Christmas Eve!
Thanks for reading!
December 2011
Xdonzx / xd-o-n-z-x
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Spot's First Christmas - Eric Hill
by bush1
My daughter really enjoys books and she really likes those with flaps that she can lift up. This book was given to her for her first Christmas when she was 6 months old.
---About the book:
Spot's First Christmas is part of the range of Spot books written by Eric Hill. They are about a puppy called Spot (a yellow dog ... with a big brown spot) and the adventures he has with his friends and his family. He has a mum called Sally and a dad called Sam. This board book is a small square book with a red front cover (very Christmassy) and a picture of Spot carrying two presents. The title is written at the top of the book in white writing, as is the author who's name is at the bottom of the cover. There is also a yellow star informing me it is a lift-the-flap book.
The book itself tells the story of Christmas Eve at Spot's house and all the things they have to do to prepare for Christmas. They go out to collect holly and a Christmas tree which they later decorate; they wrap the presents; listen to Carol singers; and Spot tries to find his present under the tree. Later Spotgoes to bed and Sally watches someone special go past the window... The end of the book is about Christmas morning and shows Spot unwrapping his presents.
Every page in the book except the first and the last, has a flap that can be lifted to show something extra in the picture. You can life the flap to see under the tree, behind the curtains and inside Spot's presents. Each page is very simple with a white background and then simple picrtures with bold colours to make it appeal more to children. There are no extra pages in the book except for the story so all the Publishing information is written in small black writing in the first picture of the book.
---Our experiences:
When my daughter got this book, she was just starting to enjoy books and it was nice to get her something she could keep and read again and again. She loves lifting the flaps and for her second Christmas when she was 18 months, she was able to enjoy it a lot more. She can turn the pages easily on her own as they are nice thick board ones and there is no problem with her tearing them. That said, the lift up flaps are very easy to tear and on several of her other books, she has torn them, but this one has survived so far. She gets very excited when she lifts the flaps and sees what's underneath and so some of the flaps are slightly bent, but this does not detract from her enjoyment of the book.
The text in the book is very large and stands out well as it is black against the white background. It is easy to read and would be suitable for those learning to read as the words are relatively simple. There are also not too many words on a page so it makes a nice short story so my daughter doesn't get bored of it. The Christmas theme of the book helps children to learn some of the Christmas traditions which is a nice way of doing it.
---And finally:
The Spot books are perfect for young children and I will happily buy several of them for my daughter. She likes the characters in them and there are lots of items that she can spot in the book as well as Spot himself! This book cost £4.99 which is a reasonable price for these books and I would pay We probably only read it around Christmas time as it is not one that can be read daily as it is seasonal but I would still recommend it for a Christmas treat.
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Bill and Pete to the Rescue - Tomie de Paola
by broxi3781
Ages 3-8
Tomie De Paola is back up to speed in this, the third and final book in the Bill and Pete series. It combines De Paola's unique and highly talented illustrations with a brilliant adventure story. In this story, Bill's cousin, Little Jane Allison Crocodile, has been abducted by the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother. (The ... author does seem to have an affinity for long names). Bill and Pete bravely set out to rescue Little Jane Allison, embarking on their biggest adventure yet.
Little Jane Allison is on her way to the Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother's Exotic animal farm in the U.S.A. Bill and Pete stowaway on the same ship. In America Bill meets other cousins, the alligators of the bayou, and Pete makes new friend as well. Eventually they rescue not only Little Jane Allison and the other animals, but Bill's father as well. It turns out he hasnt been made into a suitcase after all but has been imprisoned all these years in the exotic animal farm. With some help from Pete's new friend they make it home at last for a very joyous family reunion.
I really enjoyed reading this to my son, and this book has been as popular as the first Bill and Pete book. The illustrations are striking and vividly bring the story to life, without being too overpowering. Again De Paola has used soft and warm tones to balance the pictures and create a very enjoyable book. My son really liked this book and I would certainly reccomend it.
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