 |
Tickle, Tickle - Helen Oxenbury
by dooyooLooby
My copy of 'Tickle, Tickle' by Helen Oxenbury is a large board book (approx 20cmx20cm) suitable for babies and toddlers. I got this book in a Bookstart bag (given out by health visitors/your local library) when my son was a baby (he's 5 now). Both he and his younger sister have enjoyed this lovely little board book with it's simple but ... adorable illustrations of babies having a playful day.
It has simple, short rhyming sentences that naturally sound bouncy (e.g. 'Squelch, squelch in the mud' 'splish-splash scrub-a-dub'). The text lends itself very well to performing actions along with the words which my two both love to do, and the ticklish ending is delightful, especially at bedtime! My little girl loves this book so much that she says 'again, again' to the point that i need to distract her with another story/activity (or even... sleep!).
This book's charm lies in it's simplicity - it's not overly complex visually, and my 1 year old can follow the story and know's what is happening next. She can also relate the events in the book to her day-to-day activites. As such, i think that books like this one lay the foundations for a child to appreciate the reading of a book and to become fully involved in the story. I think that this element can be lacking in some 'showier' baby books - that may focus on many shiny bells and whistles (such as you may find in a lift-the-flap or touchy-feely type book).
'Tickle, Tickle' lasts well - both of my children liked having it read to them from a very young age (6 months old), and my eldest probably grew out of enjoying it by approx. 3 years old. This book is a great addition to my children's library and i'd highly recommend it.
Read the complete review |
 |
Where's Wally? - Martin Handford
by karalouk
I loved 'Where's Wally?' books when I was a kid - infact I remember regularly sitting in bed searching for Wally when I was supposed to be sleeping! So when my daughter picked up a couple of 'Where's Wally?' books in a shop a year or two ago, I didn't hesitate in buying them.
'Where's Wally?' was created in the mid eighties by ... British illustrator Martin Handford. It is also published in the US and Canada as 'Where's Waldo?'. Wally is a man that does a lot of travelling and wears a stripey red and white jumper with matching bobble hat and glasses. There are a number of different Wally books available and they all come in different sizes and format (there is even a 'Where's Wally?' app!). In each book the aim is to find Wally and his friends hidden in each picture (it began with just Wally but other characters have since been added).
The first and original 'Where's Wally?' book (which was originally published in 1987 and updated and re-released in 1997) has a blue cover which is covered in illustrated people and a gold ring around Wally who is hidden amongst them, along with the book title which simply reads 'Where's Wally?' on a postcard. In the corner it states 'Book 1' to avoid confusion (there are 6 books in this particular series). It is a paperback - the pages are quite thin but the cover is pretty durable and can be wiped clean.
The first page has a space to write who the book belongs to and also has a list of characters who you have to find that appear in each picture. Characters include Wally, Wenda (who looks similar to Wally but wears a skirt and has long hair), Wizard Whitebeard (a wizard with a long beard and stripey stick), Woof (Wally's white dog who wears a stripey jumper) and Odlaw (who looks like Wally but wears yellow and black stripes, instead of red and white stripes). There is also a list of 'lost' objects which can be found in each picture. Objects include Wally's key, Woof's bone, Wenda's camera, Wizard Whitebeard's scroll and Odlaw's binoculars. There are also 25 'Wally watchers' that feature in different pictures throughout the book - Wally watchers all look different but wear the same red and white stripey tops and bobble hats.
There are 12 different scenes in total and each scene covers 2 whole pages. The book is very large so the pictures are extra challenging (but don't strain your eyes like the smaller versions do). Scenes include at the beach, ski slopes, camp site, railway station, airport, sports stadium, museum, at sea, department store, fairground and safari park. On each page is a postcard written from Wally to the reader. He makes references to different scenarios in each scene which gives you something else to spot (E.g. 'Greetings Wally followers! Wow, the beach was great today! I saw this girl stick an ice cream in her brothers face and there was a sand castle with a real knight in armour inside! Fantastic! Wally'). There is also a checklist in the back of the book for each scene which requires you to find even more different scenarios (E.g. A dog on a roof, a flying saucer, three clowns, a unicorn, a collapsed tent') - there are about 250 different scenarios to find throughout the book. There is also one extra character that appears in each scene - we are yet to work out who it is!
There is certainly a lot more than Wally to find and much more than I remember as a child. This is a great book for capturing children's concentrations and keeping them quiet for a long time! This book has come in extremely handy for me during long car journeys, waiting rooms and when I need some peace!
Each scene has hundreds of people in and most of them have red and white stripey 'red herrings' to make things harder. I find the easier character to find is usually Odlaw (probably because he wears different colours and stands out more) and the hardest character to find is Woof as the only part of him that you can see is his tail! The lost objects are also really tricky to find. The illustrations are great and include lots of funny scenarios which my daughter particularly likes! My daughter is now 5 years old and she is very good at this book - she can spot all of the main characters and can usually find all of the Wally watchers, although she does struggle with the lost objects. I am the wrong side of 20 and still love this book, I can't lie! We enjoy going through the book together but she also likes to do alone. In my opinion it's an entertaining book for the whole family and is one that would be enjoyed by all ages and either sexes.
The RRP of 'Where's Wally?' is 6.99 (but you can usually pick it up cheaper) and it's available from most book stores and book schemes. It is great value for money as there is so much to find and by the time you get to the end of the book you will have forgotten where everything is and can go through it again and again!
Read the complete review |
 |
Handa's Surprise - Eileen Browne
by RainbowDestiny
A few months ago, when I was told that as part of my teaching interview I needed to read a short story to a group of pre-school children in an engaging and exciting way. I immediately knew that Handa's Surprise was the story that I was going to read to the children, with its vibrant and beautiful illustrations and many learning ... opportunities, I thought that the children would love this story, and they did!
The Plot: This is the story of a girl named Handa, who on the way to visit her friend Akeyo, picks a variety of fruits and puts them in her basket, in which she carries on her head. However, what she does not realize is that a variety of animals are taking the fruits one by one from her basket as she progresses on her journey until eventually she has no fruits in her basket, until a goat runs into a tree and knocks into a tree full of tangerines, which then fall into her basket. Handa then greets Akeyo and hands her to the basket, which to her surprise is full of tangerines!
I found this book very educational as many children have never heard of the fruits and animals that mentioned within this book, for example a passion fruit, a guava, an avocado, and an antelope. It can also be used to help children with counting, for example prior to reading the story to the pre-school children, I placed all of the fruit in a basket allowing the children to take away the correct fruit at the same time as the animal takes the fruit away from Handa's basket. I then asked the children how many fruits are now left in the basket, therefore encouraging them to count. I felt that the children were very engaged in the story and it prompted much discussion surrounding the fruit and the animals and also into the reason why Handa was carrying a basket on her head.
Read the complete review |
