Amilcar Ferrero - Nahir Penelas
BARRY SMITH
TODDLER STORY BOOK, DK PUBLISHING
1999
Two Little rabbits and their mother are waiting impatiently for Grandma Rabbitty’s visit. They look through the window all the afternoon checking out whether grandma arrives or not. Sounds and colourful pictures will catch children’s attention throughout this short story written by Barry Smith.
The author is capable of creating suspense about grandma´s arrival. Pre-schoolers will be absorbed from beginning to end, waiting for the resolution, which will be funny and unexpected. After watching different means of transports coming and going without Grandma Rabbitty, she surprises us arriving in her motorbike. What a trendy granny!!
With simple drawings, Smith creates real life situations and sets the story in a familiar environment. He shows a mother doing the cleaning and taking care of her children, while they are playing with their toys. Onomatopoeias, written with different fonts, colours and sizes, appear several times depicting the noises of transports, toys and electrical appliances. This strategy invites children to imitate sounds and participate during the reading of the story. That’s why Grandma Rabbitty’s visit is a good story for parents to share time with their children.
Using short and simple sentences, the author creates an enjoyable story that can be read to children before saying good night. Kids will love this gripping colourful story that encourages them to participate.
Could you post the picture of the old lady on the motorbike? jajaja kidding. Good review. I think it is very clever to mention the onomatopoeias; they sound like a very special characteristic of this book. I also like the emphasis you made on the interaction this book allows. The only thing that sounds a bit tricky to me is the phrase "familiar environment" followed by the sentence explaining that the mother cleans and takes care of her children. I believe that the word "familiar" has different meaning depending on the reader. Maybe it is just me, but I would use another word or just avoid it. Again, good review :D
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletegreat review! I am eager to read this book to my niece! They will love the idea of a modern granny arriving to her grandchildren's house in a motorbike!
ReplyDelete