Katie in London by James Mayhew

Katie in London by James Mayhew
Buy Katie in London by James Mayhew at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: A lovely introduction to some of the very famous sights in London, perfect for sharing with children during the Queen's Jubilee year!
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: May 2012
Publisher: Orchard
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1408323854
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Katie is visiting London with her little brother and her Grandma. When Grandma gets tired they stop a while in Trafalgar Square, and whilst Grandma rests on a bench Katie and her brother find themselves going on a magical adventure with one of the Trafalgar Square lions!

James Mayhew has a series of books about Katie that are usually introducing children to a particular artist. This one is introducing the city of London and I think it would work well for both children familiar with London as well as those who have never been. On their travels with the lion they visit St Paul's Cathedral, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and some of the sights along the South Bank like The Globe Theatre. There is, of course, a visit to Buckingham Palace, and the obligatory ice cream in the park! The range of sites around London provides a good overview of the city's famous landmarks.

The story itself isn't particularly thrilling, but we enjoyed it and have read it a few times since then since the real interest is in seeing all the different places they go to. The illustrations are well drawn. The Lion is wonderfully large and golden and has a fabulous flowing mane, and all of the sights are instantly recognisable and very detailed. My only criticism would be that London looks a lot cleaner in this story than how I remember it when I lived there!

There isn't anything about the new buildings and developments for the Olympics, but as 2012 is the Queen's Jubilee it works well for any little ones who are interested in the Queen and where she lives. My daughter enjoyed spotting the Queen waving from her window, and as we have visited London several times it was interesting to see some of the places we have been to in a story book.

I think this would be most suitable for those in the early years at school, although some sensible older toddlers might also enjoy it. It has some further information at the back of the book for those who want to know more about some of the places and, of course, if you're planning a trip to London to take part in any of the celebrations this would be a nice way to show a child what there is to see...as long as you have a ready excuse for why the Trafalgar Square Lion isn't waking up to fly you around the city any time soon!

Slightly older readers might enjoy Me, the Queen and Christopher by Giles Andreae and Tony Ross There are also lots of other adventures involving Katie. You might like to look at Katie and the Waterlily Pond by James Mayhew

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