Nov 2018 – Tan M Butler

This week I’m reviewing Spookyrumpus by Tony Mitton and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees.

Image result for spookyrumpus

My Rating: 8 out of 10
Son’s Rating: 8 out of 10

The rhyming story takes you on an adventure through the dark woods, past bubbling cauldrons and a castle yard, it is the perfect Halloween read for those who are keen on being excited by spooky characters.

I find Tony Mitton can do no wrong with his storytelling, he encapsulates the theme of spooky situations so easily, it’s one of those reads where, as a writer, I wish I had come up with it first. It’s a lighthearted story which incorporates numbers counting down to describe all the groups of characters. I have read this many times to my children and it was only re-reading it for this review that I found an extra little bonus with this story – two extra characters on each page. They link up nicely together and solidify the narration, direction and flow superbly.

Image result for spookyrumpus

Guy Parker-Rees partnering up with Tony has got to be one of the best partnerships I’ve come across in the hundreds of children’s book I’ve read. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, fun and exciting to look at. What I like in particular is how the text flows around the images and wraps around to suit each page, it makes it enjoyable to read plus I find, as a writer, it inspires and reminds me that text doesn’t necessarily have to be placed on over an image – it needs to be part of each page.

There’s a lot to look at on each page and in other books there is always the danger of overdoing it and being overstimulated to the point it confuses you as a reader but I find there’s a good level of detail on each page, everything you need to look is easy and simple – a fundamental for children’s picture books. The colour scheme matches well too, in this case, with Halloween – lots of greens, oranges and brown.

A part of me wants to say to read this in October, the optimal month for getting the best reaction from your child, but it’s such a fun story, you could read this all year round and be thrilled by it every time, anytime.

I have read other Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees books and have found similar themes throughout each of them but to me, that proves that he has a particular style and the audience are happy with what they read.

Comments from my son:

“I love the page with the big pie”

If you liked this read, try the next book by Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees “Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus“.

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As any reviewer will tell you, do your homework, and the results will pay off, so homework is what I did. If you feel I’ve missed something, please let me know. I’ve got notes upon notes of what to put in and leave out. Likewise, if it’s too long or too short do let me know. I’m refining this skill little by little every day.

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Next in my reviews is a sweet and happy book called Best Friends, written by Mara Bergman and illustrated by Nicola Slater.

Printed by Hodders Children’s Books, the story intertwines the adventures of three dogs and how their escapades bring three people together.

Image result for best friends mara bergman

My Rating: 9 out of 10
Son’s Rating: 9 out of 10

In my opinion, the book does a superb job at being a fun and enjoyable read. I particularly liked how each dog has its own tale (or tail!) and the illustrations perfectly match the tone and goals set by Mara so very well.

The thing I love about this book is how simple and easy the rhyming text is to read. The main focus is on the dogs and each character has a unique trait but, as any dog owner will tell you, the dogs also share the same goals – in this instance it’s playtime!

The humans are likeable too, even the background ones, Nicola really does a wonderful job at the simple but effective illustrations, a favourite part of the story is Dexter shaking all of the water off himself. I can’t find fault with the children in the story, as a huge cat fanatic myself, I found myself drawn to the loveable dogs.

Image result for mara bergman best friends

I’d say the age range for this book is those aimed at primary school, around 4 to 8-year-olds. I find it an original story, which could easily be adapted into a film or for an older audience. The strong theme of friendship is highlighted throughout the story, I like how each dog has a good relationship with the children, and how the children easily manage to form their own new friendships.

My eldest loved this book. When I first bought it, he wanted to re-read it several times over, his name is within the book too, which was an added bonus for him, I think.

Mara has done an excellent job of achieving her goals within the story, Nicola, with the illustrations too. If you aren’t a dog fan by the end of the book you need to re-read it!

This is another book where I think “Why didn’t I come up with that idea?” type of realisations. I like stories that have a lot of layers and plots and this ticked those boxes.

Comments from my son:

“I love the part where the dogs jump into the water”

“I love this book”

If you liked this read, try Snip Snap by Mara Bergman

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