Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes

Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes
Buy Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Rachael Spencer
Summary: Daisy Dobbs is a young girl leaving home to become a scullery maid. It is a scary, lonely place sometimes, and Daisy is not very good at the housework. But one day something happens which means Daisy is going to have to save the day, will she manage it?
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: September 2014
Publisher: Walker Books
ISBN: 9781406348996
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I don’t know anybody that didn’t grow up with some Shirley Hughes books in their lives, and for me it was always My Naughty Little Sister. I was very excited to receive this copy of her latest book, Daisy Saves the Day. It’s about a young girl, Daisy Dobbs, who is sent off to be scullery maid for a couple of sisters, the Misses Simms, far away from her home. It is difficult being away from her brothers and her Mum, and Daisy is not terribly good at housework. One day though, Daisy is put in a position where she has to save the day or else everything might be lost forever. Will she manage it?

This book is nostalgic in all the right ways, with illustrations which feel very of the period and are of Shirley Hughes’s usual high, intricate standard. It is very much like stepping back in time, taking us through a tale of the time, but with language which is exactly of the right pitch for a more confident younger reader to understand and read themselves.

It is a good style, with a very well balanced mix between text and images, making it the perfect book for readers who are transitioning in a more grown up read. I also think it is a very nice illustration of the time in which it is set. I could easily see this being used within school classes, being read or studied at primary school.

This story has a solid plot with compelling characters which carry you along with them and has a good ending, with a nice underlying nod to the importance of reading, storytelling and education. This is a book written by someone who has obviously been telling stories for and to children for a long time, and who knows how to capture an audience.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and can see it becoming a classic in school rooms and libraries up and down the country. Don’t mistake it for a picture book for younger children, as it covers some sadder themes and aspects more difficult for small children to grasp completely. However, if put in the hands of the right reader I would have thought it will be cherished for many years to come, and rightly so.

If you would like some more nostalgia, you could try this abridged version of Peter Pan and Wendy by J M Barrie which Shirley Hughes also illustrated

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You can read more book reviews or buy Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes 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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