More of a Bedtime Story (Phonics Readers: Frog on a Log - Phil Roxbee Cox)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Phonics Readers: Frog on a Log - Phil Roxbee Cox
Date:	08/05/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny Story, Good Pictures

Disadvantages: Doesn't Help Reading

Frog on a Log is another book from the Usborne Phonics Readers collection. It costs £4.99 if you buy it individually, but it's much better value to get it as part of the box set. The Book People have this for sale at the moment for £9.99 and it includes 12 Usborne Phonics Readers including this one.

I thought this one was going to be a hit with the grandson, who is four, but unfortunately he found it really quite tricky. The font that they've used for the title (as you can see in the picture) is the same font they've used for the text throughout the book. Great for adults looking to read something a little jazzy, but a bit tricky for a small child trying to get to grips with the alphabet. I think the "l" on the front page indicates that this book is not getting of to a good start given that it should really be written "L". When young children are learning to read, they need standard letters written in standard formats. Curly As and Fs with Ls that look like Is isn't very helpful.

The actual story is very cute though, and the rhyming nature of the text helped to make it flow easily. There are lots of phonetic words included so that the grandson could have a go at sounding some of the words out. The pictures are bright and vibrant which helped him to guess what some of the words were too. Also, it's quite a funny story, with the frog on the log falling in the bog (quite a few times) so it made the grandson enjoy it.

This is one of my least favourite Usborne Phonics books and there's no way I'd pay £4.99 for it individually. It's a bit of fun as part of the set if you treat it more like an interactive bedtime story though, and keep small children's participation to a minimum so they don't get too confused and frustrated. You can use it as a bedtime story certainly, but I wouldn't recommend it as an early reading book.

Summary: A Cute Bedtime Story but not an Early Reader