Ghostly Goings On (I Want My Light On! - Tony Ross)

Member Name: belfin

Product:	I Want My Light On! - Tony Ross
Date:	06/08/08 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely addition to the series

Disadvantages: none

***Background***

This is one of the latest in a long line of Little Princess books that Tony Ross has written. As well as an extensive list of books, this lovable but stubborn character also appears on television where Jane Horrocks and Julian Clary provide the voices.

This one has only been out on the shelves a few months but already it is becoming a very popular addition to the series.

***The Story***

The story starts at bedtime in the palace.

"The Little Princess loved a story at bedtime.
But she didn't like the dark.
'I WANT MY LIGHT ON!' she said"

When the King asks her why, she replies that there are ghosts in the dark and they probably live under the bed. Her dad reassures her that there is nothing under her bed. She's still not convinced that there are no ghosts though and the Admiral and the Doctor try to put her mind at ease too.

The Maid then tells her that if there are ghosts around they must be really small because she has never seen one and this makes the Princess relax a bit. The Princess cuddles down in bed thinking that ghosts are probably scared of the dark too.

Suddenly she sees a ghost and both are very scared of each other. They both hide under the bed with their toys until the little ghost runs back upstairs to find his mum.

The story ends with the ghost and his mother having a chat.

"'Don't be silly,' said his mum. 'There are NO such things as little girls!'
'I WANT MY LIGHT ON ANYWAY!' said the little ghost. 'Just in case.'"

***The Illustrations***

Tony Ross, who seems to have a knack for getting the expressions on the characters' faces just right, draws the pictures in all of the books in the series. The drawings are all shown in boxes with the text underneath and with the white border of the page, they really stand out.

***My Thoughts***

I think parents will agree that their child has been afraid of something at night at some stage. My son has never really been that bothered about monsters but was at that stage where every little sound had to be explained, especially when the nights and mornings were darker.

Books like this one are great for making children see that even though there is something there, it is probably more scared of them than they are of it. This funny scenario is brought to life in a series of amusing illustrations and shows that even ghosts can be scared too. Most kids love to speculate about monsters and ghosts so this is an ideal way of getting them to see that there is nothing at all to be scared of. I'm sure most parents out there have made up little excuses about unexplained noises or shadows at one time or another and this can be made into a game to help eliminate any fears a young child might have.

My son really is a big fan of these books and was delighted when his big sister brought this book home from the library where she works at weekends. The cover is very clever with only some eyes and the princess's crown showing up on a black background. He really loved the thought that you would have to be careful when you were walking around so you didn't step on the small ghosts and this made him chuckle when we read it together.

The simple text makes it easy for young readers to follow and to sound out some words for themselves. My son is in the process of learning to read at school so books such as this one are invaluable, as any book that makes a child laugh is going to be one that they want to learn to read by themselves.

You would think that this series would be starting to get old now but this new book shows that it is only getting better as time goes on.

***Other Titles In This Series***

I Want My Potty
I Want A Cat
I Want A Present
I Want My Tooth
I Want My Dummy
I Want To Be
I Want My Dinner
I Want A Sister
I Want To Go Home
I Don't Want To Go To Bed
I Don't Want To Go To Hospital
Wash Your Hands
I Want My Mum
I Want A Friend
Pets Board Book
Weather Board Book
Shapes Board Book
Bedtime Board Book


***Other Info***

This book is available in hardback for the publishing price of £10.99 but is available from Tesco for the cheaper price of £7.14. It is also available in paperback for the publishing price of £5.99 but is available at Amazon for only £4.19.

Hardback ISBN No. 1842706640
Paperback ISBN No. 1842707345

Summary: What's that noise in the dark?