Having a Ball with Wombat! (Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball - Vicki Churchill)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball - Vicki Churchill
Date:	28/04/08 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Endearing story with excellent illustrations

Disadvantages: It's not a work of literary genius!

If you have read some of my previous reviews you are probably aware I love looking at Children's Books. This is quite fortunate because part of my job (when I'm working in the Children's Library) is to check the returned picture books for various baby and toddler induced stains ~ a variety of scribble, drool and some things that it's best not to think too long about! Sometimes this is messy, but it also gives me a chance to keep up to date on what the little people are enjoying and what they may like to hear at our regular Storytime sessions.

Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball is written by Vicki Churchill and illustrated by Charles Fuge. They are a familiar partnership and have worked together on a few picture books, such as Doubling Fun With Annie Ant, Lonely Wasp, Butterfly Kiss and Halving Fun With Buster Bug. The illustrations and style are distinctive and it is pretty easy to spot a book they have worked on together! Their books are educational as well as fun and a joy to look at.


~~~THE PLOT.

Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball (henceforth to be known as "sometimes" because I'm getting "typer's cramp") is the story of a lovely little wombat. It tells the events during the wombat's day ~ we learn his favourite things and activities. We also find out that the thing he likes to do most is curl up into a ball to sleep and be quiet. He runs about, plays, is mischievous and downright loveable...and all this backed by wonderfully endearing illustrations.

~~~WHAT I THOUGHT.

You don't see a huge amount of stories about wombats (I can think of Wombat in the Wild, Wombat Goes Walkabout, One Wooly Wombat, Found You Little Wombat and The Wombat Who Talked to the Stars...ok, so there's more than I first remembered), so I thought this was a little bit different and worthy of more than just a cursory glance for those icky things to clean off! Sometimes is more of a bedtime story and isn't particularly challenging reading ~ but it is a picture book intended for the under fives, so it isn't meant to be.

Author Vicki Churchill's text flows well and is written in a rhythmic style that makes it easy to follow ~ the sing song effect of the rhymes make it especially good for bedtime reading because it is quite lulling. There are lines such as "Sometimes I like to run ever so fast, I sometimes come first, but I sometimes come last." It ends with the line "Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball. So no one can see me because I'm so small."

The line format is pretty much the same throughout and may seem a bit repetitive for an older reader, but they are reassuring in their simplicity and offer continuity and something for smaller children to recognize...you may even find that they remember the lines and repeat them back. This helps with learning speech and will also encourage the child to try and follow the words themselves. There are no long, complicated words and all the activities are things that your child will probably have experience of.

There are lots of really bright and eye-catching illustrations, from Charles Fuge, to keep the child's interest. Although bright in colour, the pictures have a softness to them that adds to the lullaby effect and the "safe" feeling the book provides. There's so much going on and lots of other characters to spot, so this is a book that can be read over and over without boredom setting in. Animals can be seen peering out from behind grass and in the background ~ they are good for children to look out for and they will probably not see them all on the first reading...they may even fall asleep before the end if they are very tired.

The animals are cute and there is so much detail and movement in the scenes ~ I especially like the Wombat's little pink tongue that he sticks out and the funny faces he pulls ~ Wombat has fun and this joy is pretty infectious. We looked through this book together in the library (three members of staff behind the desk) and we all smiled; we showed it to a couple of other staff members (who had small children and grandchildren) and they are now waiting to borrow it to read to their families.

It's also a good chance for a child to think about what they've been doing during the day ~ have they been running around, racing and playing? What other children have they met? Are they tired now and should be curling up, safe and warm to sleep? The book gives reassurance that bedtime is a nice time...there are no monsters under the bed and no nightmares for Wombat. Daytimes are fun times, but sleeping is nice too and gives you the chance to do lots of exciting things when the sun comes tomorrow!

Sometimes is a lovely story for babies and toddlers who are just learning to read along by themselves. It is also good for soft hearted adults (like me) who just like to look at cute pictures!

~~~BOOK DETAILS.

* Paperback 24 pages (August 2001)
* Publisher: Gullane Children's Books
* ISBN: 1862333963

Current price on Amazon is £4.99. It can be purchased at the moment, with Fix-it Duck (another favourite picture book of mine) for £9.98. Alternatively you could borrow a copy from your local library ~ as well as the paperback there is also a more hardwearing board book version:

* Board book 24 pages (1 August, 2003)
* Publisher: Sterling Publishing
* ISBN: 140270870X which costs £3.15 from Amazon

Summary: Lovely illustrations and a good book to read aloud.