You Choose was given to my younger sister as part of a reading scheme by the company Bookstart from her school, but I think when you buy it, it is around £3 right now. Although this book is said to be suitable for those aged 3 plus, I would say it would be good for anyone above that age as my sister still read it up to the age of 7.

The book is written by Pippa Goodhart who has written a variety of children's books, and not only does she write them for younger children but she also writes some for older children. Nick Sharatt is the illustrator of the book, and they are as colourful and brilliant as his other pieces of work. From a child's point of view, I can really see why they'd be interesting and they do bring the drawings to life from the way he depicts things. Both have a good knowledge of what a good children's book entails, which is probably why their book was chosen to be given to kids to inspire them to read.

The book is much larger than ordinary books, and is probably what draws kids to it in the first play. You Choose are written in giant letters across the front of the page, and all across the front and back covers is a huge amount of small illustrations showing the wide range of things included within this book. As there is not just one theme to the front cover of the book, this really highlights what is actually contained within the book as it matches the categories included inside. The book clearly shows it's reviews it has received that only speak greatly of it, and this is certainly true as what's included really is great.

Some may ask, what is the story behind You Choose, but in fact, there is none! You create the story yourself, by choosing for yourself the different things. There are 28 pages of colourful illustrations, each encouraging kids to make up a story for themselves using the items. Each page is covered with random little items that a child can use to pick and create their own stories, there is hardly any free space on the page as they are so covered with pictures. Not only that but there are two pages, at both the front and back which are designed to help kids to create their own stories by giving examples of things they can choose and how to create their own story.

All of the categories are shown on double page spreads covered with illustrations. Below are the categories that are included within the book and a selection of some of the items you can expect to find on the pages:

If You Could Go Anywhere, Where Would You Go?
Jungles, space, beaches, hotels, deserts and volcanoes - great for picking out a child's ideal holiday destination

Who Would You Like For Family and Friends?
Here you can pick a wide variety of people from pirates, 1920s mobsters, wolves, knights and Cleopatra. It's fun for a child to pick out the people they think would best represent the members of their family.

What Kind Of Home Would You Choose?
You can choose from a wide range of homes here, from spaceships, castles, windmills to teepees. This is great for introducing a bit of history to kids, as when my sister talked about teepees, we were able to look into places where they would have used them. So, this page can potentially be a great place to start their interest in different cultures and history.

And What Would You Put In It?
This is one of the pages with the most illustrations included on here, as there must be over a 100 items included on the pages. You can choose from such a wide amount of things from statues, furniture, fountains and pianos - this is definitely one of the most detailed and best categories within the book.

Would You Travel With Wings or Wheels? Or Perhaps Choose One Of These Other Things?
This page is great for introducing kids to the different methods of transport as perhaps every method you can think of is included on this from airplanes, boats, horses and camels. Modern techniques are mixed in with old time ways of getting around, so it makes for great conversations about history.

When You Got Hungry, What Would You Eat?
This includes a giant table full of loads of different foods, so if your kids are quite fussy, this page could be great at getting them to pick a meal they might want to try.

What Would You Wear? Choose Some Shoes..and Perhaps a Hat?
These pages have a wide selection of clothes and accessories, so you can choose from loads of different things to make the wildest outfit imaginable.

Why Not Get Yourself A Pet..Or Two..Or Three?
Here, the restrictions of everyday animals no longer apply, as you can choose a dragon or a unicorn as your pet! My sister is really into animals, so naturally she decided she would have all of the pets not just one, but hey this is You Choose, you can do whatever you want.

Is There A Job You'd Like To Do?
This was great for children to think about what job they'd like to have and shows that gender isn't important when picking jobs which was a nice change from the norm e.g. a woman was shown to be a plumber

What Would You Do For Fun?
Here, there is such a wide amount of things to do and it ranges from rollercoasters to painting. There is an activity that every child will enjoy, and might influence them to try something new.

And When You Felt Tired..Where Would You Choose For A Snooze?
A great way to end the book, by picking your perfect bed! You can choose from a princess styled double bed to even a kennel.

I would say it is great value for money when buying it, as my sister spent hours using this book to create a story. There is such a wide variety of things to do with this book such as picking an item and letting the child find the item you pointed out, encouraging them to make their own stories and having memory contests where you will look at the page for a minute and then write down all the items you can remember.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone up to the age of 8 as you get great value for money. It is relatively cheap for a book with so much to do, and the two great children's authors have made a great children's books that has only received positive reviews. It really encourages creativity and imagination, which is great from straying away from the norm of normal children's books.