The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers

THE INCREDIBLE BOOK EATING BOY

by Oliver Jeffers

Henry is a little boy who loves books. He doesn't read them, however; he eats them. He eats all kinds of books, but red ones are his favourite. The more books he eats, the cleverer he becomes. He wants to become the cleverest person in the world, so he eats three or four books at a time. Eventually, of course, Henry starts to feel ill. What's more, he has been eating books so quickly that the things he has been learning get mixed up.

All sorts of experts tell Henry that he must give up eating books. At first he feels sad, but then he picks up a half-eaten book and starts to read it. He enjoys it so much that he realises he could become the cleverest person in the world by reading book after book. So this is what he does, but every so often he can't resist nibbling the corner of a page.

Oliver Jeffers has created a totally original story in “The Incredible Book Eating Boy”. It is highly imaginative and full of humour that both adults and children will appreciate. The illustration on the title page of Henry with a pile of seven books cramming his wide-open jaw gives a taste of what is to come. Further on, Henry juggles with books and catches one in his mouth. He imagines taking part in a quiz show and being adorned with a huge gold medal for being the smartest person on Earth. It's the stuff of dreams.

The text of “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” looks as though it has come from an old typewriter, and occasionally hand-written words are inserted. While this sounds a little strange, it does in fact suit the eccentric style of the book. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, and sometimes the background is a little dark. Most pages have only a small amount of text, so young children who do not have a huge attention span will not get bored. The adult readers and slightly older children, however, will get quite a bit of amusement from the little extras that Jeffers has included. When Henry is eating so many books that information in his brain is getting confused, for example, Jeffers gives the example 2 + 6 = elephant.

Oliver Jeffers' illustrations for “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” are unusual to say the least. Backgrounds are predominantly beige or brown and look as though they have been painted on pages of old notebooks. Sometimes ruled lines and squares are visible. Most of the characters are illustrated in a much more colourful way than the backgrounds, so the overall effect is not too dismal. Apart from the colour, however, the drawings are quirky and amusing. Jeffers shows Henry with letters getting mixed up inside his brain, and then presents a picture of him with a bulging tummy crammed full of books. In two of the illustrations, enormous books with faces, arms and legs confront Henry; one of them chases him and threatens to eat him. The final mention that Henry still nibbles pages from time to time is brought home by the fact that the bottom corner of the last page actually has a piece missing from it.

While “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” may not be the ideal choice for young children who are obsessed with princesses or fairies, its originality and humour will appeal to many listeners and readers. As a read-aloud picture book, three and a half might be a suitable starting age. For independent reading, children up to at least eight years of age are likely to enjoy the story as it is not a childish one. Jeffers has come up with a book that young readers are sure to remember and want to read to their own children when they grow up. It is definitely worth borrowing a copy from the library, but the chances are most families will want a copy of their own to keep.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

by Oliver Jeffers

Paperback, 32 pages

Harper Collins Children's Books, 2009

ISBN 9780007182312

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs, by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto

Flinn, like so many other boys his age, loves dinosaurs and pirates. One day at school his teacher sends him to a walk-in cupboard to look for the pens he needs to colour a dinosaur picture. While inside, Flinn hears the sound of a man crying. He is amazed to find Captain Stubble, a pirate, shaking and shuddering on the floor under a curtain. The reason for Captain Stubble's despair is that his ship has been stolen. Flinn offers to help him get it back, and out of nowhere three of his friends appear, all clamouring to join in the adventure.

Suddenly the back of the cupboard falls away and they find themselves on board a pirate ship. Captain Stubble appoints Flinn as the new captain, as he would rather be the cook. Off they sail in search of the lost ship, the 'Acorn'. After a long voyage they spot it through their telescope but are horrified to see that it has been taken over by pirate dinosaurs, with a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex at the helm. They bravely attack, and soon all the dinosaurs except for T Rex jump overboard. Flinn challenges Tyrannosaurus to a duel, and miraculously keeps going until the dinosaur surrenders. Tyrannosaurus promises to be good from then on, and is so impressed by Flinn that he appoints him as the new captain of the dinosaur pirates.

Flinn, however, suddenly realises he should be back at school. They sail home while Stubble cooks shark's fin stew for everyone. Back on shore the children wave goodbye to Stubble and Tyrannosaurus Rex, then clamber back into the school cupboard. As they creep into the classroom, Miss Pie has just finished reading a story to the class. She wonders what Flinn and his pals have been up to, but they just smile at each other and say, “Nothing really at all.”

Giles Andreae has taken two popular groups of characters in the form of pirates and dinosaurs to create a fast-paced adventure that could hardly fail to be a success, especially among young boys. When I asked a group of four-year-olds which stories they would like to repeat in their drama sessions at the end of the school year, “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” was one of their three choices. (The other two were Julia Donaldson's “A Squash and a Squeeze” and “Courtney” by John Burningham.) It is easy to see the appeal. It is, however, hard to overlook the parallel with C.S. Lewis' “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” when Flinn and company fall through the back of the cupboard. Pre-school children of course are unlikely to be aware of this similarity. Even so, whilst there is excitement and a bravely fought duel, the story is neither original nor intriguing. The ending is also somewhat of an anticlimax.

Russell Ayot's illustrations for “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” are bold, humorous and highly colourful. Tyrannosaurus in his pirate rig-out has evil eyes and deadly sharp teeth, confronting puny Flinn who bravely wields his silver cutlass with a determined expression. At one point we see a fascinating cross-section of the 'Acorn' with almost toothless pirate prisoners tied up below deck, and Tyrannosaurus Rex grinning in anticipation as he watches Stubble (who has a great deal of stubble) stirring the stew. There's even a bemused little blue parrot. Smoke puffs out from the kitchen against a scarlet sky.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is definitely a read-aloud story rather than a book for a child learning to read. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light-coloured background but occasionally on red or blue. Some words and phrases appear in a larger font for emphasis, and one or two are in capitals in a font that looks like handwriting. Exclamation marks abound. A lot of young children are familiar with the names of various species of dinosaur that appear here, such as stegosaurus and triceratops, but that does not of course mean that they would find them easy to read. Phrases such as “All hands on deck!” or “Right, me hearties” lend authenticity to the pirate theme, but here again originality is sadly lacking.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is a particularly lively book that is more than likely to hold the attention of children, especially boys, aged from three up to six or perhaps seven. It is not the greatest, most imaginative story, but children of that age may not be so critical. One or two of the illustrations could be frightening for a very young child, but on the whole they are amusing and bring the story to life. This is a picture book that may not be the favourite for the adult reader, but could be very popular with a child that loves action with pirates or dinosaurs or both.


Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs
Giles Andreae (Author) and Russell Ayto (Illustrator)
Puffin, 2006
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780140569216
Price £6.99 (Amazon £4.99)

Courtney, by John Burningham

A boy and girl try to convince their parents to let them get a dog; they say it could guard the house and play with them. Mum and dad protest at first, saying that dogs need to be fed and walked, and they make a lot of mess. The children promise that they will take care of everything, and Mum gives in. The children set off for the Dogs' Home, pushing the baby in the buggy. Their parents stress that they must get a dog with a pedigree.

At the home the boy and girl don't see the right dog at first, so they ask if there is a dog that nobody wants. A man shows them Courtney, an old grey dog, and the children decide at once that they are taking him home. Their parents of course are not impressed by this mongrel; the children are sent off to bed and Courtney settles down to sleep in the kitchen. Next morning there is no sign of him, but he comes back later in the day, dragging a trunk behind him. He appears to be well travelled.

Courtney loses no time in donning a chef's hat and apron, cooking a meal for the family, changing into waiter's clothes and serving the food, playing the violin as they eat and then juggling to amuse the baby. As time goes on, he sometimes meets up with dogs in the park but spends most of his time doing household chores, watching television with the children or dancing with mum. Tragedy strikes one day when the house catches fire with the baby and Courtney inside; Courtney suddenly appears climbing down a ladder with the baby safely under one arm.

Life goes on, but one morning there is no sign of Courtney or his trunk. The parents remind the children that Courtney is a mongrel who cannot be relied on. The boy and girl, once again pushing the baby along, report Courtney as missing at the police station. Needless to say, the officer doesn't expect a dog who can cook and play the violin to be handed in, but he promises to let the children know.

The following summer the family set off to the seaside for a holiday. Every day the children go off in a boat that is tied to a rock by a long rope. On the last day, however, the rope breaks and the boat drifts out to sea. Mum cries for help, and suddenly there is a tug as the boat begins to be pulled back to the shore by something invisible. The family never find out exactly who or what saved the children, but in one illustration near the end of the book the outline of an old dog can be seen on a cliff top, looking down on the family as they hug each other.

In 'Courtney', John Burningham has created a delightful, imaginative story. It's obviously total fantasy, but the children I read it to found the idea of a dog dressing up and doing household chores or dancing extremely funny. Although Courtney is an old and not particularly attractive dog, there is something very lovable about him and you can understand why the children decided they wanted him as soon as they saw him. I have to admit that it was not on first reading that I noticed Courtney's presence on the cliff top in a picture near the end of the book, but when I asked the children how they thought the boy and girl had been saved, they were convinced that Courtney rescued them. Interestingly, Courtney is the only character in the story who is named.

John Burningham illustrates his picture books himself and he is one of my favourite illustrators. He uses a fair amount of colour with line drawings that are usually quite sketchy; the colours bring them to life but are never overdone. Facial features are minimal yet still convey expressions and feelings. Dad obviously hates the idea of his wife leaning against Courtney as he plays the violin, although on the previous page he was delighted at the prospect of dinner cooked by the dog.

Every page has a white background that makes for easy reading. Usually there are just one or two lines of text at the top or bottom of the page, sometimes slightly more. The font is large and clear. 'Courtney' is definitely a book for reading aloud, but it is such a charming story that a confident reader aged around seven might still find it an interesting story.

First published in 1994, 'Courtney' is not the most up-to-date picture book and I'm not aware of a television tie-in, but two groups of children that I have read it aloud to have genuinely loved it. They were aged three and a half to four years old, but I'm sure slightly older children would still appreciate it. It shows us that it's not always the most attractive creature that is the cleverest or most lovable one. It allows children to give full rein to their imaginations, and has an intriguing element of mystery at the end. I wholeheartedly recommend finding a place for Courtney in any home where there are young children.

Courtney
by John Burningham
Red Fox, 1996
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780099666813
Price £5.99 (£4.11)

Watch out! Big Bro's Coming, by Jez Alborough

A little white mouse comes running to a frog to ask for help because Big Bro's coming: “He's rough, he's tough, and he's big.” The mouse stretches his arms out as wide as he can to show just how big, then he runs away to hide. The worried frog conveys the same information to a parrot before hopping off to hide as well. The parrot tells the story to a chimpanzee and stretches out his wings to show just how big Big Bro is, but of course his wing span is far greater than the span of the mouse or the frog's arms. By now it seems as though Big Bro really must be a fair size and a creature capable of striking fear in the heart of any other animal. The parrot flies off to hide in his turn, and the chimpanzee rushes to tell an elephant about Big Bro. The chimp can stretch out his arms even wider than the parrot's wings, so the elephant decides that there is good reason for them both to hide.

The animals are all huddled together and the elephant thinks one of them should creep out and have a look around. They are, however, all terrified, but the little mouse bravely offers to go. He soon rushes back, shrieking that Big Bro is on his way and that they must hide. The animals all cover their eyes in trepidation as they hear footsteps. When they finally discover that Big Bro is in fact a mouse, albeit a largish one, they comment on how tiny he is. Not wishing to be made to look a fool, Big Bro takes a deep breath and shouts “BOO!” which really makes the animals jump. The story ends with Big Bro marching his little brother off home while the others remark that he really is rough and tough.

Jez Alborough's “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” is a simple but effective story that cleverly uses the idea of size and builds the tension up gradually for a young audience. This is a great book for talking about the various animals and how big they are, and how likely they are to be frightened of other creatures. There is plenty of humour and repetition to keep a young child's interest throughout the story.

The text is in a large, clear font that is superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light blue background so there is no difficulty in deciphering it. On average there are about ten lines per double page, occasionally more but sometimes less. A two-year-old child might be impatient to turn over, but a slightly older child will enjoy taking in the illustrations while listening. A child who is gaining confidence in reading would probably not have too much difficulty tackling “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming”. Rough, tough and chimpanzee may not be the easiest words to read, but there is enough repetition of sentences throughout the book to making reading the story not too challenging.

Alborough illustrates his own picture books, and this one is particularly colourful and appealing. There is always a bright blue sky and plenty of greenery; while the mouse, chimpanzee and elephant are rather neutral colours, the parrot is a beautiful yellow, orange and red plumed bird and the frog is rich green and yellow. The animals usually have wide-eyed, open-mouthed, flabbergasted facial expressions that bring each illustration to life.

“Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” has proved to be one of the most popular picture books that I have successfully used as the basis for a drama session with a group of four-year-old children. Almost all children love pretending to be animals, making the appropriate noises and hopping or flapping their arms like wings. It is an ideal length, and the children enjoy hiding and whispering while waiting for Big Bro to arrive. The story obviously captured their imagine, as they were still saying “Big Bro's coming” during an outdoor play session after the drama. I had suggested that before they go off to school in September we might repeat some of their favourite dramas, and they said that this would definitely be one of their choices.

It is hard to go wrong with Jez Alborough, and if you and your young family have not yet become familiar with his picture books, “Watch out! Big Bro's Coming” would be an ideal one to start with. It is likely to appeal to both boys and girls from the age of two up to five or six. It's great fun for reading aloud, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Watch out! Big Bro's Coming

Jez Alborough

Paperback, 32 pages

Walker Books, 2005

ISBN 0744598346

Price £5.99 (Amazon £5.39)

Oi! Get off our Train - John Burningham

A little boy dressed in his pyjamas is scolded by his mum as he is still playing with the train on the floor at the end of his bed. He is told to go to bed at once, and mum gives him his pyjama-case dog to cuddle. There's no goodnight kiss, however, just an order to “settle down and go to sleep”. The boy obeys.

The next two pages show a double-spread of the toy train chugging off, with smoke billowing out of the engine's chimney. Turn over again, and the boy is seated in the engine, wearing his pyjamas and a cap. The dog, also sporting a cap, is shovelling coal into the furnace. The train speeds along over great bridges, puffing out grey smoke, and the boy thinks they might have time for a picnic. Then he notices that it looks as though it's foggy ahead and says they could play ghosts if it is.

Suddenly, an elephant boards the train, but the boy and the dog say in no uncertain terms, “Oi! Get off our train.” The elephant, however, very politely begs to be allowed to stay on the train as someone wants to cut off his tusks, and soon there will be no elephants left. He stays on and sprays the dog with a huge jet of water when they stop for a swim. It looks like great fun.

After this several other animals try to board the train: a seal, a crane, a tiger and a polar bear. Each one is initially told “Oi! Get off our train.” But each animal has a reason to stay: too many fish are being caught, forests are being cut down, marshes are being drained. Lots of fun is had during the journey, flying kites, throwing snowballs, and messing about with umbrellas.

Suddenly the boy realises that they will have to head home so that he will be in time for school in the morning. We see him tucked up in bed and mum comes to tell him to get up straight away. It must have been a dream, or was it? Mum says there are animals all over the house: an elephant in the hall, a seal in the bath, and so on. She wonders if it has anything to do with the boy.

'Oi! Get off our Train' is a delightful story in which John Burningham cleverly brings in the message that these animals are all endangered species. It is an original way of combining an imaginative tale of a boy and a toy dog speeding off on an adventure with the idea that the animals need help because their numbers are dwindling. Burningham makes sure that there is plenty of play and fun throughout so that the story will have sufficient appeal for a young child.

This is an easy book to read aloud with the text in a clear, large font and just a few lines – sometimes only one – on each double page. Although the vocabulary used is straightforward, I wouldn't recommend it as a book for a very young child who is learning to read by phonics. It could, however, be popular with children up to the age of seven who are independent readers and might enjoy reading the story aloud to a younger sibling.

John Burningham illustrates his picture books himself, and the illustrations contribute enormously to 'Oi! Get off our Train'. They are watercolour/pastel sketches that use a great variety of colours to create different moods, from the sun-filled scene of kite-flying to the black and gold sky of the double page that shows the train steaming home again. The animals take on human qualities as they stand upright, either to tell the latest arrival to get off the train or to hold up umbrellas. At one point we see the dog taking a break from shovelling coal: he has removed his cap and is mopping his brow with spotted red handkerchief. Burningham is one of my favourite illustrators, but I know there are those who prefer the more up-to-date work of, for example, Lauren Child.

I have successfully used 'Oi! Get off our Train' in drama sessions with small groups of four-year-old children. I thought the title might be considered rude and I'm expected to be teaching these little ones how to be polite, so I suggested we say 'Hey! Please get off out train' as an alternative. The story does lend itself well to drama as most children enjoy pretending to be animals as well as chugging round the room making steam train noises. If there are too many children in the group there is no harm in having two elephants, two seals, and so on. To be honest I'm not quite sure how well they understood the idea that the animals were endangered species, but if you are reading the book aloud to just one or two children it might be easier to emphasise this and talk more about it.

'Oi! Get off our Train' may appeal slightly more to boys than girls, as the main character is a boy and boys are perhaps more likely to be interested in trains. It is, however, a delightful story, and the animals and sense of adventure should make it a book that any child will enjoy. For anyone interested in explaining the idea of endangered species to young children, this book is an ideal way of approaching the subject since it weaves the message into a story. I would highly recommend it.

Oi! Get Off our Train

by John Burningham

Paperback, 46 pages

Publisher: Red Fox, 1991

ISBN 009985340X

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.97)

Romp in the Swamp, by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds

Harry and his bucket of dinosaurs are not looking forward to going to play with a girl called Charlie. There's no way out, however, as Mum and Nan are taking Harry's big sister Sam to visit her new school. The dinosaurs are hiding because they are afraid that Charlie will manhandle them, but Harry assures them that he won't let her touch them. Into the bucket they go, and Harry gets into the family car. Poor Nan has to sit between Sam and Harry because they don't exactly get along well together.

When Harry is dropped off at Charlie's house, he hides the bucket of dinosaurs behind his back and looks rather glum. The two children go indoors and sit at opposite ends of the sofa with their toys. But Charlie soon gets up and starts filling a big basket with toys, cushions, boxes, string, and even plants. It looks so interesting that Harry and the dinosaurs go after her into the garden to see what she's up to. The dinosaurs realise straight away that Charlie is making a primeval swamp, and the garden hose is hissing away, just like an enormous snake.

Lots of fun ensues, during which Tyrannosaurus has to be rescued from the snake's deadly grip and the basket serves as a cage to capture the snake. The children and the dinosaurs end up having tea in the garden, and by the time he is picked up Harry has decided that he – and the dinosaurs, of course – would definitely like to come back and play with Charlie again.

'Romp in the Swamp' is one of a series of books about Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs that are hugely popular with young children, partly because they tie in with a television series too. Author Ian Whybrow's books usually deal with situations that children might find very daunting, such as the first day at school or a visit to the dentist, and show that they can turn out to be enjoyable rather than something to worry about. 'Romp in the Swamp' is obviously no exception, as a young child could feel very nervous about going to a strange house to play with another child he doesn't know while the rest of his family have gone somewhere without him. The story is full of fun and might help to reassure a child that going to visit another family should be an occasion to look forward to. It's also a story that shows young children having a great time with imaginative play.

The text is in a large, clear font and there are rarely more than four lines per page, superimposed on a light-coloured area of the illustrations. There are of course names of dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus and Scelidosaurus, but I often find that young children are pretty good at learning these, partly because they just love dinosaurs. Other than these names, the vocabulary used is straightforward, but this is essentially a picture book for reading aloud. Because it involves dinosaurs and is so entertaining, it might still appeal to a confident young reader of perhaps six years old to read independently or share with a younger sibling.

Adrian Reynolds' illustrations for 'Romp in the Swamp' are bold and colourful, mainly using primary colours with plenty of green. They fill the pages and more often than not are double spreads. The dinosaurs always have suitable facial expressions, often open-mouthed, and always enthusiastic when things are exciting and fun. The garden hose 'snake' is a red and yellow striped one that stands out perfectly against the grass and leaves, as well as the blue plastic basket used to capture him.

It is hard to go wrong with picture books about dinosaurs with most young children, and I have always found that Harry and the bucketful of dinosaurs have a tremendous appeal. I have used 'Romp in the Swamp' as the basis for a drama session with four-year-olds, and they love pretending to be dinosaurs, especially when they can 'Raaaah!' This is a book I would definitely recommend, perhaps for children as young as two. It's great fun to read aloud.

If I were You, by Richard Hamilton and Babette Cole

Dad is tucking Daisy up in bed – well actually, he's in bed too and yawning. He says to her, 'If I were you, I'd snuggle down and go to sleep.' Daisy, who looks wide awake, takes this literally and they begin to talk about what would happen if Dad were Daisy and Daisy were Dad.

Daisy would read Dad a bedtime story, and Dad would wake up first in the morning and go and bounce on Daisy's bed. Daisy would dress Dad in a pink tutu and give him porridge for breakfast while she had chocolate fromage frais. Dad would have a lazy time watching television and playing while Daisy did the housework. This sounds good to Dad, but he's not sure about being taken for a walk in a pushchair wearing that pink tutu – what on earth would the neighbours think?

Dad and Daisy would go to the park, but Daisy realises she wouldn't be strong enough to give Dad a piggyback. Dad could have a great time having tea with his friends and playing games, after which Daisy would have to give him a bath. The whole story comes full circle when Daisy says she would tuck Dad up in bed and give him a big kiss. Dad thinks that a day without household chores would be fantastic, but Daisy of course realises that she is better off being herself. After all this thinking, Daisy finally drifts off to sleep and Dad can creep off and relax.

Richard Hamilton has created a fascinating tale based on the reversal of roles in 'If I were you.' It is an ideal opportunity for plenty of humour, especially when they consider the idea of Dad wearing a ballet tutu. There is no mention of Mum in the story except when Daisy suggests Dad could have tea with his friends. Mum is there with Baby, so it seems that in this family Dad gets to do all the chores and look after Daisy most of the time. Dad and Daisy do seem to have a loving and friendly relationship. Hamilton uses rhyming couplets in each situation that the pair imagine; this is an ideal way to develop a young child's feel for rhyme and love of language.

Babette Cole's illustrations make a huge contribution to this picture book. She knows exactly how to portray the humour in each situation, showing Dad with a few spiky hairs on his legs and a six-o'clock shadow when he wears the pink tutu. There are a couple of pages showing Daisy and Dad at the zoo, running along with monkeys in one of them. Here Dad, still in the tutu, clasps a bunch of colourful balloons while Daisy holds an ice cream out to him. When they are playing musical chairs after tea, we see Daisy's blue kangaroo and a pig joining in. Further down the page Dad (in his tutu, of course) gets down on all fours, Daisy balances on his back and they chase after the three bears. Dad has fun spitting out a jet of water while he's having his bath, but doesn't seem to appreciate Daisy shampooing his hair. One of the bears joins him in the bath whereas the cat dashes off at the sight of all the bubbles.

The text is set in quite a large font, and there aren't usually more than two or three lines per page. It isn't always in straight lines, however; sometimes it curves up and down, or individual words appear to jump around when Dad is bouncing on Daisy's bed. Single words are sometimes set in a larger font for emphasis. The text is always printed on a light-coloured background, so there will not be any problems deciphering it. This is definitely a read-aloud book rather than one for a child learning to read. I can imagine that a child of about seven who is a confident reader might enjoy reading it to a younger brother and sister, especially since there is so much humour throughout the book.

I have read this aloud to a group to children aged three and a half to four, who were about the right age to follow the idea of role reversal and appreciate the humour. I'm not sure that two-year-olds would quite understand the concept of the book, but they might still get some fun out of the illustrations.

Richard Hamilton has come up with an original idea for a picture book here, and I cannot think of anyone who would have provided more appropriate illustrations than Babette Cole. This is a book that can be enjoyed by the adult reading aloud as well as the child being read too. I am sure that it will appeal to many families, and I certainly recommend it.

If I Were You

Richard Hamilton (author)

Babette Cole (illustrator)

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 9780747587576

But excuse me that is my book - Lauren Child

Charlie and Lola are off to the library, and Lola announces that she must borrow her favourite book, 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies'. When Charlie comments that Dad took it out for her last time and the time before that, Lola explains that it's the best book because 'the bugs are quite buggy and the butterflies are really beautiful and the beetles are... very silly'.

Once they are at the library, big brother Charlie does his utmost to keep Lola quiet and suggests she look for her special book amongst all the books beginning with B. Lola is quite distraught when she can't find it, and she won't accept Charlie's explanation that someone must have borrowed it. She considers it to be her book. Charlie tries to persuade her to have a look at a few other books, but Lola protests that the one about the Romans has too many big words and the pop-up book with cherry blossom rain just isn't funny. Charlie realises that he will have to find an animal book that will make her laugh, and he shows her 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees'.

Just then, Lola is shocked to see a girl walking off with 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies'. She finds it hard to accept that anyone else can take it out. She has no choice but to give 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees' a go, and thankfully she finds it to be wonderful. In fact, she says it has the best pictures ever and thinks the chimps are very funny. Charlie must have breathed a big sigh of relief.

This may not be the best or most popular of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books, but it is the perfect one to introduce a young child to the idea that when you bring a book home from the library it doesn't actually belong to you. It is also ideal for perhaps persuading your son and daughter to be open minded and try different books or toys, particularly when one they are obsessed with is lost or broken. They might discover something even better when they try something new.

Lauren Child illustrates all her stories herself in her distinctive style. She uses vibrant colours throughout, and the page where Lola talks about her favourite book is dotted with patterned butterflies and a row of wide-eyed bugs marching along. When she finally looks at 'Cheetahs and Chimpanzees', Child uses photo-montage to show her standing in a jungle setting with the book while a friendly grinning monkey watches her from each side.

The text is usually superimposed on the illustrations, and on one or two pages in appears in mauve or pale blue on a black background. Sometimes lines of text curve around the pictures, and the font can vary in size to emphasize particular words or phrases. In some instances, the individual letters of a word jiggle playfully up and down. Lauren Child has Lola speaking at times in an amusing, ungrammatical way that might be typical of a young child, for example when she says that 'Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies' is a 'very great and extremely very interesting' book.

While 'But excuse me that is my book' is an ideal book to read aloud, the creative use of the text does not make it an easy one for a child that is just learning to read. An older sibling, however, who is a confident reader, would probably enjoy reading this to a brother or sister. Many of them are likely to identify with Charlie and not find the book too childish.

I often read picture books aloud to groups of children aged three and four, and if I give them a choice I almost always find that a Charlie and Lola book is asked for. This one is unlikely to appeal to two-year-olds, but might still be approved of by children of five or six. Although it may not be the best in the series, I don't think you can go wrong borrowing a Charlie and Lola story from the library and then deciding if it is worth buying. If I have grandchildren one day, I hope I will be able to enjoy reading 'But excuse me that is my book' aloud to them.

But excuse me that is my book

Lauren Child

Paperback, 32 pages

Puffin 2006

ISBN 0141500530

Price £5.99 (Amazon £3.99)

The Rattletrap Car - Phyllis Root and Jill Barton

During the National Year of Reading, I thought I should look for some different books to read aloud at the nursery where I work. I found just the book to inspire me at my local library: Rattletrap Car, by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jill Barton.

Why did it take me so long to discover this wonderful book? What if I never had? My experience of the English language would have been so much the poorer. How have I been working with young children for so long and not known of the existence of razzleberry dazzleberry snazzleberry fizz? Thankfully now I do, and I also understand to what uses chocolate marshmallow fudge delight can be put.

The story of Rattletrap Car revolves around Junie, Jakie, baby and Dad. Mum is not mentioned at all, but they seem to muddle through without her. The story starts as Dad is tending to the chickens on their farm. A pig looks on, and Junie, Jakie and the baby, sitting on the ground and feeling the heat, decide that it would be a good idea to go to the lake. Dad, however, surveys their rattletrap car and is concerned that 'it doesn't go fast and it doesn't go far'. The children aren't taking no for an answer, however, although Junie and Jakie are polite enough to say 'Please, please, please!' Baby just cries out 'Go!'

Dad knows he must give it a try, so he packs the aforementioned fizz and fudge delight. Junie brings her enormous beach-ball, and Jakie a surf-board that's about twice as long as he is tall. Baby naturally has a 'three-speed, wind-up, paddle-wheel boat'.

As their journey begins, we are treated to a feast of onomatopoeia: 'Clinkety clankety bing bang pop!' Then disaster number one strikes as a tyre goes flat. Junie is not fazed; she replaces the flat tyre with her beach ball, sticking it in place with chocolate marshmallow fudge delight. It's the obvious thing to do.

Off they go again, 'clinkety clankety', but every so often another part of the car falls off. No problem: they improvise and replace it with one of the other things they have brought along. Each time they get going again, we are treated to another burst of onomatopoeia, be it 'wappity bappity', 'fizzelly sizzelly', 'flippita fluppita', or a combination thereof.

If you want to know whether or not the car survived the journey all the way to the lake and home again, I'm sorry, but you will just have to read the book for yourself.

This is an amazing book to read aloud to young children. The lettering is in red in a large font, but I wouldn't recommend it for emergent readers as they might get a complex struggling with words such as 'bappity', 'rattletrap' or 'bumpety'. It will be as much a delight for most adults as for children, so it is a book to be enjoyed together, savouring the wonderful sounds that Phyllis Root has conjured up here. This is magical language.

Jill Barton's colourful illustrations fill every page and make this book a visual treasure as much as a linguistic one. A little flock of sheep comes along to gaze dumbfounded at one of the problems the family is having, and rabbits look on under a moonlit sky at the end of the story.

This is one book that Dads who take the children out on their own for the day can have a great laugh over. Not being a driver or a mechanic myself, I cannot vouch for the solutions the family finds for their broken car, but I think I can safely say don't try this on your way to the lake when your car breaks down...

For the joy of the language and the drawings, as well as the idea of using your imagination and improvising when things go wrong, this is a book that will provide entertainment again and again. It also demonstrates how family members can work together to overcome obstacles and not give up the minute a problem arises. Although aimed at young children, I think anyone who can read English and has a love of language and books should read this one.

Rattletrap Car

by Phyllis Root

illustrated by Jill Barton

Walker Books, 2002

Paperback, 40 pages

ISBN 0744589320

Mister Magnolia - Quentin Blake

Animals often seem to be the main focus of children's poetry, but Mister Magnolia by Quentin Blake is the story of a poor man who had only one boot:

'He has green parakeets

who pick holes in his suit -

And some very fat owls

who are learning to hoot -

But Mr Magnolia

has only one boot.'

Mister Magnolia may sound like a sorry character, but lacking a boot doesn't seem to stop him having fun. He dances while his two sisters play the flute, takes children for a ride on his scooter, and juggles with fruit at the market stall.

This is a light-hearted piece of narrative poetry that has a happy ending as a little girl presents Mister Magnolia with a parcel that contains another boot. It doesn't match the one he already has, but never mind, it's a boot, and Mister Magnolia is deliriously happy. It might seem like a strange story, but Quentin Blake is of course the genius behind the illustrations to Roald Dahl's books, and he has provided wonderful coloured drawings to his own story here. We are introduced to Mister Magnolia's purple dinosaur, and we see our hero splashing down a water chute and saluting to a parade of mice. There is plenty here to capture the imagination of young children.

There are never more than five lines of text per page, in fact often just one or two. The text is in a clear font that is always on a white background, so there are no problems in deciphering the words. This makes Mister Magnolia a book that could be suitable for young independent readers as well as one for reading aloud. There are one or two challenging words such as 'parakeets' and 'magnificent', but the use of rhyme often helps a reader along, as do illustrations.

The illustrations appear in colour on every page of the book, making it bright and appealing. Although the colours are vivid, they are certainly not lurid as in some contemporary picture books. Blake's use of watercolour gives them a delightful quality.

This is a book that will not take long to read to a child who has a short attention span. The drawings, however, are worth stopping to take a closer look at. In Mister Magnolia's pond, a frog and a newt are dancing together on a lily pad while a toad looks on; a mouse is tickling Mister Magnolia's bare foot with an ear of wheat as a snail creeps away. For any adult looking to make it a more educational experience, there are opportunities for counting or identifying different types of fruit.

Mister Magnolia is definitely worth borrowing from the library before you decide whether you want to buy a copy. As well as the full size book, there is a Mini Treasure version (also published by Red Fox) that measures 5.5 in. x 4 in. At £1.50, it will hardly break the bank. The book is likely to appeal to children aged from three up to perhaps six.

If only we were all so easily pleased as Mister Magnolia, with two odd boots...

Mister Magnolia

by Quentin Blake

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox; New Edition 1999

ISBN 0099400421

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose - Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

It might seem a strange idea, a band of animals ranging from a gazelle to a moth getting together to have a meal of macaroni and carrots followed by chocolate mousse, but in the realm of children's books anything is possible. Julia Donaldson has in fact created a wonderful book bursting with rhyme, adjectives and the idea of differing personalities in Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose. The title is actually based on a line from one of the pages and the alliteration probably makes it the most obvious one to have been chosen.

On each page we meet a different animal, and there is one line of text at the top where the animal makes a comment on the meal they are having, such as 'Carrots – yuck!' says fussy Duck, or 'I'll lick the bowl,' says furry Mole. Most of the animals are described by an adjective: Rabbit is angry (because Goose has grabbed the mousse), whereas Moth is happy (because he can eat the cloth when all the food is gone). After the meal, helpful Pup suggests washing up, but lazy Sheep thinks it would be much nicer to have a sleep. On the final double page we see all sixteen animals snoozing on the sofa under a patchwork quilt.

The idea of all the animals being together is suggested in the illustrations, where on the extreme left-hand side we see part of the animal from the previous page, and on the extreme right-hand side is a little bit of the next animal that is coming up. Nick Sharratt's illustrations are bold and attractive for young children (although I was looking at this book alongside 'Doing the Animal Bop' and didn't find the colour scheme worked quite as well, but perhaps I'm just a fussy duck). I do, however, appreciate the expressions that he has given to the animals according to their different moods and feelings.

For me this is a super book in terms of language, especially the rhyming patterns. The adjectives too contribute a good deal, and it would be interesting to ask a young child why the white Swan is sad or why the Cow is busy. For a slightly older child, you could play a memory game after reading the book, asking which animal was shy or which was fussy, or even how the Moth was described. Because it is so concise and contains so many rhymes, children around the age of four are quite likely to memorize parts of the text or perhaps the whole book. For very young children, it is an excellent way of helping them to learn what various animals look like and it could be interesting as a tie-in with a visit to a zoo. Slightly older children might have fun trying to remember all sixteen animals after the book has been closed.

This is a very short picture book based around a clever idea and presented in an excellent way in terms of both language and illustrations. It could be read aloud to children aged from two upwards. For young independent readers, there are a few tricky words, but the illustrations will of course be a great help in enabling them to work out the names of the animals. I definitely recommend this for children aged between two and five, possibly six, and the Amazon price of £3.49 is excellent value.

Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose

by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

Macmillan Children's Books, 2006

Paperback, 24 pages

ISBN 140502190X

Price £5.99 (£3.59 on Amazon)

Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road - Quentin Blake

I first became acquainted with Quentin Blake through his quirky illustrations for Roald Dahl's novels and books of verse when my children were growing up. Dahl's stories are often hilarious in themselves, but Blake always seemed to capture the essence of Dahl's characters in his drawings and add even more to the humour.

Quentin Blake has more recently illustrated stories he has written himself that are wonderful to read and enjoy. Most of them centre on a particular, sometimes eccentric, character. 'Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road', for example, is a bespectacled, grey-haired lady whom we first meet in striped pyjamas and a brown dressing-gown, sitting opposite her smiley dog at the breakfast table. Who would imagine that she later teams up with a Hell's-Angel-style group of motorcyclists who dress her up in a leather jacket and studded collar? This is the fantastical reality of Quentin Blake's world.

Mrs Armitage's outing begins when her Uncle Cosmo hands his old crock of a car to her as he now has a new motorcycle. She is not impressed with it but nevertheless sits Breakspear, her dog, in the back and sets off. Various mishaps occur that involve parts of the car falling off, but Mrs Armitage is not fazed; she throws them on the scrapheap each time and continues her journey, eventually arriving in the countryside. Things reach the point where the car has lost all its doors, as well as the bonnet and various smaller parts.

By coincidence she then encounters Uncle Cosmo and his friends coming the other way on their motorbikes. They are so impressed by Mrs Armitage's strange-looking 'machine' that they invite her to go with them to the Crazy Duck Cafe for billiards and banana fizz. This, then, is how Mrs Armitage becomes Queen of the Road.

The illustrations obviously count for a great deal in any book by Quentin Blake. We see poor Mrs Armitage with a succession of glum faces as she disposes of various car parts on the scrap heap, but the builders watching her throw the roof away seem pretty amused. She looks so much happier when she meets Uncle Cosmo and his gang, a motley crew of bearded, booted or in one case big-busted bikers. Breakspear looks delighted as he sits behind Mrs Armitage and they speed off down the country road, followed by the rest of the gang, all beaming amongst clouds of exhaust fumes.

There is a lot of fun with onomatopoiea in this book, with Blake inventing words such as beoing and kerrunch when the car comes to grief. There are generally about three or four lines of text per page in a large font on a white background, so reading is made easy. I have heard of this book appealing to children as young as three and as old as nine, by which age of course they should be able to read it themselves.

'Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road' is a wonderful read-aloud book, but may not appeal to children much younger than four-years-old. There are apparently at least two other books in Blake's series about Mrs Armitage, 'Mrs Armitage on Wheels' and 'Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave'. I shall definitely be looking out for these. Quentin Blake's books are a lot of fun to read, not least because his drawings add so much to the humour of the story.

Mrs Armitage Queen of the Road

by Quentin Blake

Paperback, 32 pages

Red Fox, 2004

ISBN 0099434245

Price £5.99 (Amazon £4.49)

The Magic Finger - Roald Dahl

If I had to pick one single writer whose books a child should read, it would have to be Roald Dahl. I spent many fun-filled hours reading his books aloud to my children when they were very young, and they read them again for themselves as soon as they were able to. The perfect one to begin with, as it is not overly long, is 'The Magic Finger'. The heroine is a girl who can zap people with her finger with drastic results.

We are never actually told what the girl's name is, but that doesn't seem to matter. She discovers early on the special power that she has in one of her index fingers which comes into force when she gets particularly angry. She uses it at school one day, when her teacher, Mrs Winter, asks her to spell 'cat' and she spells it 'k-a-t'. Her teacher may have regretted calling her stupid and asking her to go and stand in the corner, as she grows whiskers and a tail after the girl turns the Magic Finger on her. The girl vows that she will never use her Magic Finger again after this episode, as Mrs Winter is never quite the same after her transformation.

It proves too difficult, however, for her to stand by her decision. Worse than Mrs Winter's is the fate of the Gregg family, who live in the farm adjoining that of the girl's family. There are two boys, Philip who is eight (the same age as the girl), and William who is eleven. The girl often goes to play with them, but she strongly disapproves of the fact that they go hunting with their father. At various times they are caught shooting deer and ducks by the girl. She is so incensed that she puts the Magic Finger on them, and this affects the whole family, even though Mrs Gregg was not out hunting. The ducks that Mr Gregg and his sons were aiming at turn round and fly towards them; they continue to circle around in a menacing way.

The following morning, the Greggs awake and find to their horror that they have dwindled in size and grown wings. William and Philip are delighted that they can fly, but they don't fancy the idea of eating worms of course. The Greggs have to spend the stormy night in a nest that they build themselves, as the ducks, who are now enormous, take over their house. The girl feels guilty when she realizes what has happened, as William and Philip are after all her friends. Only when the ducks threaten to shoot the Greggs do they have the chance to return to their normal human selves by promising never to shoot birds or deer again.

The Greggs are in fact transformed after this horrifying experience; they even change their name to Egg. Mr Egg destroys his guns, and William and Philip are seen feeding birds of all kinds. I will leave you to guess whether or not the girl ever uses her Magic Finger again.

This story is a wonderful blend of fantasy and the idea that people who are cruel might actually get their just desserts and change their ways. The thought of a little girl having power over those in authority or bigger and stronger than herself is a delightful one. Quentin Blake captures the essence of Dahl's characters in his line drawings and caricatures; children are always depicted with beaming smiles, other than when the girl tries to phone William and Philip and feels guilty when she is answered by a quack!

A child who enjoys 'The Magic Finger' will almost certainly delight in another of Dahl's novels, 'Matilda', once again centring on a girl with magic powers. These stories will keep children absorbed for hours on end. The font is quite small, but there are so many illustrations that reading the text will not seem like a chore to a young child who is an independent reader. 'The Magic Finger', not being too long a story, could also be suitable for reading aloud but perhaps not all at one sitting. I would definitely recommend this novel as an introduction to Roald Dahl, or as an extra one to read if you have already discovered his most famous stories through books or films.

The Magic Finger (Young Puffin Developing Reader)

by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake

Puffin Books, 2001

Paperback, 67 pages

ISBN 0141311290

Price £3.99 (discounted at Amazon)

Harry and the Dinosaurs say 'Raahh!'

Taking a young child to the dentist for the first time could prove to be a frightening experience for them, having to encounter complete strangers and deal with the prospect of pain, but Ian Whybrow comes to the rescue with his story 'Harry and the Dinosaurs say “Raahh!”'

Little Harry with the big fringe takes his bucket of dinosaurs everywhere with him in Whybrow's series of picture books. At the start of 'Harry and the Dinosaurs say “Raahh!”' Harry is busily cleaning his teeth in preparation for his first visit to the dentist. He is a little afraid because elder sister Sam has shown him her filling. His dinosaurs are hiding but they all jump in the bucket when he calls them, except for Tyrannosaurus who has so many teeth he is worried that the dentist might have to drill them. Harry reassures him by telling him that he will press the magic button on the bucket to make Tyrannosaurus grow big, and off they go on the back of mum's bike.

When Harry goes into Mr Drake the dentist's room, he isn't convinced about the promised ride in the chair that goes up and down. Mr Drake lets him put Tyrannosaurus in the chair, and while his back is turned Harry presses the magic button to make Tyrannosaurus bigger. As the dentist turns round again, Tyrannosaurus lets out a tremendous roar that scares Mr Drake into hiding behind the door and asking for Harry's help. Harry quickly presses the button again to reduce Tyrannosaurus to his bucket size.

Harry now feels much more confident about sitting in the dentist's chair, and Mr Drake assures him that there is no need to use the drill; he will just have a look at Harry's teeth and give him a mouthwash to rinse with. Of course the dinosaurs have to rinse as well, and one of them disrespectfully spits the mouthwash right in Mr Drake's face to Harry's great amusement.

On the way home Mum lets Harry choose a book from the library, and the dinosaurs are delighted that he chooses one about sharks because there are plenty of sharp teeth involved.

This story is much more fun than the usual kind of book about going to the dentist. It would probably encourage a child to feel more confident about going if they took a favourite toy along. The episode where Mr Drake is frightened of the Tyrannosaurus shows that adults, even dentists, are vulnerable too and get scared sometimes just like children. Rinsing with the mouthwash is shown to be great fun, and drills are unlikely to be needed for very young children. The double-page spread at the beginning and end of the book showing dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes wielding toothbrushes and squeezing toothpaste is a great way of showing children that brushing teeth is just like a game.

Adrian Reynolds's illustrations for the book are big, bold and colourful. Expert young children can have fun identifying the different types of dinosaur, or just enjoy the unexpected incidents in Mr Drake's room.

The text is in a large, clear font and only in a few instances are there more than three lines to a page, superimposed on the pictures. This is obviously intended to be a picture book to read aloud to very young children, but young readers who are gaining confidence might enjoy having a bash at it too. They might need help reading the names of the dinosaurs, or of course they might just surprise you!

There are a few parents who feel that mention of the dentist's drill in the story is too frightening for the very young, but the fact that Harry does not need it helps to reassure them that they are unlikely to either. Children are probably going to hear and see the drill at the dentist's, and it is better to have discussed it beforehand rather than having to come up with a last-minute explanation.

Harry and the Dinosaurs say 'Raahh!'

by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds

Board book, 24 pages

Puffin Books, 2005

ISBN 141381299

Price £4.99

The Kiss that Missed

Looking through a list of David Melling's books on Amazon, it is striking that they all have five-star ratings. I'm surprised that I have never come across any of them before, but having read 'The Kiss that Missed' I will certainly be on the lookout for the others. Melling is both author and illustrator of this delightful picture book. He began his career as an illustrator and then progressed to writing his own stories that were inspired by his drawings.

The story centres around a goodnight kiss that is blown by a busy king (on his way to have a bath) to his young son. The kiss unfortunately misses the little prince and bounces out of the open window. The king orders his loyal knight to go in search of the kiss, so the knight mounts his trusty horse and they gallop off to the wild wood. This is a pretty scary place when it is dark, and our knight does not seem to be the bravest of young men. Luckily, the royal kiss comes floating by and calms all the wild creatures down. They settle down to sleep, so the knight and his horse decide to have a seat on what they think is an old tree trunk. They soon discover that they have in fact sat on a dragon who rises up and decides that the knight and the horse would make a good breakfast. Just in time, the kiss floats by again and makes the dragon sneeze. The knight and dragon seize their chance to escape, but the dragon of course is now utterly calm. He picks them up, kisses them goodnight and takes them back to the castle. The story ends peacefully and happily.

One unusual aspect of this picture book is that the text sometimes appears on a white background independent of any pictures, and sometimes it is superimposed on a whole-page illustration. I particularly like the fact that some phrases appear in a larger font than others, and one phrase is in bold type. One or two words, such as 'sneezed!' are in a completely different font. It seems to me that, because Melling is primarily an illustrator, he puts more emphasis on the visual aspect of the text than other writers do. I find this very effective.

The illustrations took Melling six months to complete, and that is not hard to believe. From the skinny, dragon-like creature on the first page of text that gives the impression of an illuminated manuscript to the final double-page spread of a happy family scene with the enormous dragon curling around, this is a feast for your eyes. The passage of the kiss is shown by a curling gold thread, and the wild creatures can be either scary or amusing. We see a close-up of the dragon's face with the knight and the horse reflected in the pupils of his eyes, as well as panoramas of the wild wood at night where snowflakes fill the air and the twigs on the branches of the trees resemble fingers reaching out to grab passers-by.

This is of course an ideal bedtime story, as it ends on such a tranquil note and shows the prince tucked up in bed. There is a wise message for parents here, about not being in too much of a hurry but finding time to spend with their children. I would say that three to six would be a suitable age range for this story. Confident five- to seven-year-olds would probably enjoy having a go at reading it for themselves, although I don't feel that it was written with this intention. A fair amount of descriptive language is used, and phrases such as 'galloped off it hot pursuit' are not the easiest for emergent readers to tackle.

For such a beautiful and enjoyable book, I don't think anyone will feel that £4.02 is a lot to ask. If you haven't read any of Melling's books aloud to your children before, I think you and they are missing out. I certainly am going to keep an eye out for his other story books, and I would recommend them to all parents of young children.

The Kiss that Missed

by David Melling

Barron's Educational Series

Paperback, 32 pages

ISBN 0764136240

I'm really ever so not well (Charlie and Lola)

Poor little Lola is tucked up in bed with a cold, but big brother Charlie brings her a tray of her favourite pink milk and some biscuits. Today, however, Lola says the milk tastes green and the biscuits are 'too prickly to swallow'. Charlie tries to cheer her up with flowers, but they simply make Lola sneeze. She can't join in a song with Charlie because her throat hurts, but she begs her brother to sing for her. Charlie is in a quandary because he has promised to play football with his friend Marv. He doesn't want to break his promise, but Lola tugs at his heartstrings so he tries 'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.' Lola, however, doesn't clap because, as she says, 'I'm really ever so not well.'

Charlie takes Lola to the bathroom to see her cold germs in the mirror. She reckons there must be 54 billion, or even a trillion of them. Charlie gets a phone call from Marv and tells Lola that Mum will come and play with her as he is off to the football game. Once again, Lola pleads with Charlie to stay with her and do a jigsaw puzzle. The phone rings again – Marv is getting impatient.

There follows an imaginative episode where Charlie and Lola are cloud hopping to try to catch a butterfly that is missing from Lola's mobile. Marv, however, arrives at the door and puts an end to this. Charlie lets out a great big sneeze, and the next day he is in bed with a cold. Lola of course brings him pink milk and biscuits and revels in the idea that she will be there every minute for Charlie until he gets better. Poor Charlie is horrified, and the story ends as he shouts for Mum.

It took me a while to appreciate the originality of Lauren Child's illustrations; at first I felt they did not compare with the likes of those of Quentin Blake and John Burningham, but I have grown to love the pointy chins, tiny but expressive mouths and huge eyes. I have, however, always admired the bold and unusual colour combinations in Child's Charlie and Lola stories. The juxtaposition of orange with pink, lime green or bright blue may sound too garish, but Lauren Child knows how to make it work, even with a red floral quilt thrown into the mix. There is also a stunning double page spread of multi-coloured, alien-resembling germs on a black background: oranges, purples, greens, blues and pinks all vie for our attention. Almost as striking is the glass of pink milk with an exaggerated curly straw, again on a black background, with two little birds perching on it as Lola watches the milk rising up toward her lips.

The font used for the text of 'I'm really ever so not well' is quite large but not always the same size, even within one word. It is always superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light background, but when the background is black the font is white. At times the text curls and swirls expressively around the page as though it is part of the illustration: it follows the curves of the drinking straw, or the flight of a bee. The only disadvantage here is that it might be a little confusing for a young independent reader. 'I'm really ever so not well' is probably more suited to reading aloud by an adult, but I can imagine a slightly older sibling who is a confident reader enjoying reading this to a brother or sister of three or four years of age. The vocabulary would prove challenging to a child that is just beginning to learn to read.

I have found that Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books are always successful as read-aloud stories with a group of three- to four-year-olds. Most of the children will be familiar with the characters from the television series as well, but the delightful way that Lola speaks, the humour and situations presented all make the books great fun. 'I'm really ever so not well' is a story that every child can identify with, and older readers will chuckle at poor Charlie's predicament, confronted by a little sister who dotes on him and is in her element when she has the chance to look after him. This would be an ideal book to borrow from the library when a child is ill in bed, but you are likely to feel that it is worth buying a copy. I would definitely recommend it.

I'm really every so not well (Charlie and Lola)

Paperback

Puffin Books, 2008

ISBN 9780141500812

Price £5.99