Dave by Sue Hendra

Dave by Sue Hendra
Buy Dave by Sue Hendra at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
Summary: Dave the cat is a great big ol' greedy guts who gets stuck in the cat flap. No-one can get him free, until a bug decides to feed him beans. A simple story brilliantly told, with a hilarious conclusion.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: July 2009
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
ISBN: 978-0340970362
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Dave the cat is a great big ol' greedy guts. He loves his dinners. He loves gorging on food. One unfortunate day, after eating a bit too much, he gets stuck in his cat flap. All the animals hatch a number of plans to help Dave, but none of them work. Then, a bug decides to feed Dave lots and lots and lots of beans...

Any book with a farting cat is immediately alright by me. Even though Dave presses all my childish buttons, it isn't immature nor does it rely on crudeness. It's a great book in its own right. It's a simple tale of gentle woe, with a great cast of characters trying to help out, and then a quirky and funny solution. It's got all the hallmarks of great storytelling and to squeeze all that into a short picture book is a wonderful achievement.

Liz Pichon's illustrations sit perfectly alongside the text. The supporting cast of mice, bugs, bees, butterflies and hedgehogs are dotted all over the pages, going about their business and peeping out from leaves. A simple story it may be, but there's lots happening on every page that rewards the inevitable re-readings. Her illustrations are bright, vibrant and energetic - scared Dave, giggling Dave, greedy Dave and tummy-rumbling Dave are all great fun.

Dave is a simple story, brilliantly done. It'll make for a fine addition to any young book fan's website. It'd make a particularly good present from a cool, fun uncle or aunt. Parents may well pretend to roll their eyes if their children join in with the farting noises, but they love it really! Highly recommended.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

There are plenty of great choices for further reading from our Top Ten Books For Children Who Think That Farts Are Funny. Derek the Sheep by Gary Northfield features another charmingly British daftie, just like Dave. Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin and Joe Berger has a brilliantly-paced sense of humour with a similarly dramatic release.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Dave by Sue Hendra at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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