A Thorough Disappointment (Phonics Readers: Big Pig on a Dig - Phil Roxbee Cox)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Phonics Readers: Big Pig on a Dig - Phil Roxbee Cox
Date:	17/05/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice Pictures

Disadvantages: Confusing and Difficult

Big Pig on a Dig is another book from the Usborne Phonics Readers series for 3-5yr olds. It retails at £4.99 individually but you can get it as part of a box set for a discounted price usually if you prefer. I got the box set including twelve titles from the Usborne Phonics Readers series for £9.99 from the Book People. I'm reviewing all of the titles that we own so please see my other reviews if you're thinking about buying any of the titles from this series.

Big Pig on a Dig is probably one of the worst Usborne Phonics Readers I've come across to date. I'm really surprised by all the five star ratings other reviewers have given it to be honest.

My grandson found this an extremely confusing book. The story didn't really make sense for starters. Pig found a map and went on a dig, and as an adult it was obvious that this was some sort of treasure map. But a child who isn't familiar with lots of pirate stories wouldn't have known this because they weren't told. Pig was following clues that were not really explained by the accompanying text. I think it's really important that early reader books are kept simple and easy to follow if a child stands a chance of managing to concentrate on reading the text. Taking time out to try to understand the text fully should come at the next stage I think.

A few really silly things happen in this book. Like pig putting on a wig out of nowhere and then standing on a twig. Yes, it rhymes, that's great, but what's that got to do with a treasure hunt?

The grandson got really upset with this book. Very little of it made sense to him and the text jumped around the page a lot which made it hard for him to follow (one minute the text is at the top of the page, the next it's in the middle and at the bottom too etc).

The only saving grace is that this book has really nice pictures in it. I think that this is probably a bit of fun if you're an adult reading it to a two year old child. It might even be useful for expanding a young child's vocabulary before they learn to read anything. But this is definetely not one to use as an early reader book for a three to five year old in my opinion. The grandson clearly agrees.

Summary: Not Recommended