Pete the Sheep - reviewed by Ben

Pete the Sheep by Jackie French

Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Reviewed by Ben (age 7)

The book is about a Shearer who has a sheep-sheep instead of a sheep dog. The Shearer was shearing sheep but the other shearers didn't like how he had a sheep-sheep. So he left and made a sheep salon. The sheep liked going there and soon the other shearers had no sheep left to shear. All the sheep dogs wanted new haircuts and went to the salon too. The other shearers then came to work at the salon and everyone was happy.

I like the book. I like the pictures because they are colourful drawings.

Mum's comments

I love this book which is a good thing because I have been asked to read it to one of my other boys every night for 3 months straight. I love the Australian humour in the book and the Aussie slang, not many books use words like 'strewth' or 'jumping jumbucks', which is a shame really. This is a great book to read at bedtime to finish the day with a smile.

Christmas Wombat - Reviewed by Ben

Christmas Wombat by Jackie French 

Illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Reviewed by Ben (aged 7)

The wombat was trying to get all the carrots. The wombat hopped on the back of Santa's sleigh every time he went somewhere and challenged the animals for the carrots. The carrots had been left for the reindeer but the wombat ate them. The wombat got back home and fell asleep and Santa brought him more carrots. I like the book. It was easy to read.

Mum's comments

Another lovely Australian book from author (Jackie French) and illustrator (Bruce Whatley) of the Diary of a Wombat book that has been very popular in this household. My boys had a chuckle reading about the Christmas Wombat who goes around eating the carrots left out for the reindeer. I love books that feature Australian animals and this cheeky but adorable wombat is very easy to fall in love with. The writing is easy for early readers to attempt by themselves.  It is a hard cover book with lovely simple and bright drawings. 

Perfect for ages 3-6

I Love Christmas - Reviewed by Ben

I Love Christmas by Anna Walker

Reviewed by Ben (age 7)

This book is about Ollie and what Ollie likes about Christmas. I like this book because it is easy to read. I like the same things about Christmas. This is a good book to read at Christmas time. At the end Ollie sits on the bed waiting for Santa, but he falls asleep and then Santa comes.

Mum's comments

This is a very short but sweet book about the joys of Christmas. These things include decorating the tree, doing crafts, helping to make the cake, and looking at the twinkly Christmas lights. These are such lovely delights that having nothing to do with buying up big at the shops or getting a haul of toys for Christmas day.  Most of the pages only have a few words on them so it is good for early readers but I think the book is more aimed for Kindy aged children. On most pages there is a little Christmas reindeer to find.

What the Ladybird Heard - reviewed by Ben

What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Lydia Monks 

Reviewed by Ben (aged 7)

There are animals living on a farm. Two bad men come to try steal the prize winning cow. The Ladybird hears their plan and comes to warn the animals. The animals then make a plan to stop the bad men. They pretend to be different animals to trick the bad men. The men then walk into the pond. The police then catch them.

I like this book. 

Mum's comments

This is a fun little picture book for young children and early readers.  The book presents many farm animals and their individual noises which is great for little children. There is also a glittery ladybird to find on every page. The front cover and the ladybird on every page are made with raised glitter. The colourful pictures and textured parts of the pages are great stimulation for little autistic children.

For the early reader, they will love that each line in the book ends with rhyming words. We play a game to listen for the words that rhyme together. 

The book is a British publication so there are a few words that my boys were unfamiliar with such as a panda car (police car). 

This is a hardcover book which is always my favourite for picture books.

Perfect for ages 3-6

Santa's Aussie Holiday - Reviewed by Tom

Santa's Aussie Holiday by Maria Farrer & Anna Walker

Reviewed by Tom aged 9

This story is about Santa taking a holiday in Australia. He travels to lots of different places in Australia such as Tasmania, Sydney and Uluru. On his travels he went diving, surfing, learns about dingo rules and lots of other tourist activities. At the end of his holidays, Santa went back to the North Pole so he could get ready for December 24th.

The story was interesting and unique. I liked how the story rhymed and this made the story stand out more. The pictures looked unique and funny.

I think this is a good story to read before Christmas. I liked this book and would read it again. 

I rate it 8/10.

Mum's comments

This is a great silly book to read in the lead up to Christmas. It is a hard cover book so it will last for many Christmas seasons. I love the Australian flavour within the book. We enjoyed looking at the Australian map on the back to see where Santa had been.

Stuck! - Reviewed by Ben

Stuck! by Charlotte Calder & Mark Jackson

Reviewed by Ben aged 7

A Kite gets stuck in the tree. The children throw things up to knock down the kite but everything gets stuck. The cat jumps into the tree to try catch a bird and then it knocks everything down. But then the cat gets stuck in the tree. The cat has to be rescued. 

I like the pictures. It is a good bedtime story. I could read all the words except the names. Mum had to help me with those. 

Mums comments:

I agree with Ben that this is a lovely bedtime story book. The sentences are short simple sentences for early readers to manage on their own. The font is large which also helps little people to read. It is also a hard cover book which is easy for chubby little fingers to hold. 

This book is suitable for early readers and for younger children who like to have a story read to them.