I WANT IT NOW!!! (I Want My Present! - Tony Ross)

Member Name: belfin

Product:	I Want My Present! - Tony Ross
Date:	22/02/06 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flaps with surprises with a good simple story

Disadvantages: Younger children may tear the flaps

My son will be four in April and loves books. He has a large variety at home as I bought my older girls lots of books when they were small as well as having a collection from my childhood which my mum was good enough to keep. Sometimes though, he wants something different and that's when we pay a visit to the local library which has a fantastic selection of story books, lift the flap books and board books for children from the age of 6 months right up to teenagers. Best of all - it's free and he can borrow them for a month at a time.

***Background***

I Want My Present was written by Tony Ross in 2005 and it is part of the Little Princess set of books. There are many books in this series but the first was I Want My Potty in 1986, which went on to win a Dutch Silver Pencil Award.

Tony Ross was born in London in 1938 and is not only famous for being a famous children's author, he is a well renowned illustrator too and trained at the Liverpool School of Art. He has had books printed by Anderson Press since 1976 and is one of their true success stories.

As well as the Little Princess series, Tony Ross has written a number of other successful series of books too including Dr Xargle and Towser. Towser has also been made into a television series and his adventures were narrated by Roy Kinnear.

***The Story***

How many times have you heard your little one shout "I WANT" whenever they see something they like or when they have lost their favourite toy? Of course most parents then correct them and tell them that's not the way to ask for something.

In this lift the flap book, the spoiled Little Princess demands her present and she "Wants It NOW!!!" The Queen tries to find it under the first flap but it's not there. The King looks in the safe but it's not there either. Various members of the palace staff try to help her find the elusive present throughout the palace and it's grounds until the maid finally finds it.

We then find out that the spoiled little girl isn't so nasty after all and really has a heart of gold, which matches the shiny crown that she has made for the helpful maid so she can feel like a princess too.

***The Flaps***

Under the first flap we find the palace cat that decides to look for a present of his own along the way. From then on we are treated to flaps to lift on each double page. On the left we have the cat's story and on the right people open cupboards, pots and look in trees to try to find Princess's present.

***The Illustrations***

Drawn by Tony Ross too the drawings are simple and colourful. The expressions on Little Princess are sure to remind you of your own child at some point whether she is scowling, surprised or happy. The drawings of the cat getting into trouble and looking the worse for wear by the end of the story are funny and are sure to make your child giggle as he finally gets his revenge on the mouse.

***My Thoughts***

My son loves this kind of book as the simple text is easy for him to remember and without him realising it, this is a great first step to him being able to read for himself as he points to the words as he memorizes them. Flaps and touch and feel books are his favourites at the moment so this one is ideal for him.

I love to see my son enthralled with a book, as I am very much a book lover too. This book is lovely as we see the somewhat grumpy princess turn into a thoughtful little darling as the story unfolds. At the start I must admit I was wondering where this was going to go.

My favourite part of the book though has to be the comical cat and mouse tale and even though it is quite funny to see the poor pussy cat get his tail crushed and a tin of beans dropped on his head, revenge is sweet as he finally catches the mouse and puts it in a present to give to the maid too. Unfortunately we can only imagine her face as she opens is, as this is not illustrated. My son gave me great amusement as I asked him what the maid might do with this gift and the suggestions ranged from screaming to giving it a cuddle. The faces he pulled told a story in themselves.

***Other Titles In This Series***

I Want My Potty
I Want A Cat
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

Pets Board Book
Weather Board Book
Shapes Board Book
Bedtime Board Book

Wash Your Hands (Out March 2006)
I Want My Mum (Out March 2006)
I Want A Friend (Out Jan 2007)

***Other Info***

You can get this book from most good bookstores and the cover price for this hardback edition is £6.99 although as with most books you can get it much cheaper from Amazon.co.uk. They have a discount on many of there books and if you are ordering over £15 postage is usually free. Their price for this one is £5.59.

ISBN No. 1-84270-481-8

Summary: A lovely story showing that first appearances are not what they seem