Tommy Tickletail: A Tall Tale by Dom Conlon and Carl Pugh

Tommy Tickletail: A Tall Tale by Dom Conlon and Carl Pugh
Buy Tommy Tickletail: A Tall Tale by Dom Conlon and Carl Pugh at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Sam and Sophie are on a mission to raid the fridge but they have to get past Tommy Tickletail. Ther's tension, there's drama and you'll laugh when you find out what Tommy is. Dom Conlon popped into Bookbag Towers to chat to us.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 30	Date: December 2013
Publisher: Inkology
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-#
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Sophie and Sam are on a midnight mission. It's a long time since supper and they're both hungry. Obviously a trip to see what's in the fridge (they've got high expectations) is essential but there are dangers to overcome. It's dark. They really shouldn't be raiding the fridge and - most frightening of all - there's Tommy Tickletail who has a body twelve feet long and sleeps under the kitchen table. They've got to get to the fridge without waking the monster - or who knows what the consequences will be?

They're done this before - you can tell. They know that the noise of their rumbling tummies is more than enough to wake Tommy Tickletail. Then there are the floorboards which creak - well, they don't so much creak as laugh loudly at the children as they creep by. Sophie and Sam are experts at avoiding these dangers, but there's one they hadn't foreseen and can't do anything about. There's dust in the air and it makes Sophie sneeze. But they've come too far to turn back, even though their noisy tummies and the laughing floorboards are conspiring against them. And then the worst happens - Tommy Tickletail doesn't just wake up. He's out to get them.

You can feel the tension mounting. Please remember to breathe - you won't help Sophie and Sam by not doing so, but I do agree that it's a real temptation. Dom Conlon has a real talent for pulling you into the story and making you root for the children. You know they shouldn't be raiding the fridge, but we all did things like that, didn't we? The illustrations by Carl Pugh add to the feeling of impending danger. They're in a subdued water colours, which really accentuates the terror on the children's faces.

It's a great story to read aloud and it's also suitable for the emerging reader with a vocabulary which is just the right side of challenging. You'll be able to judge for yourself whether or not this is a bedtime story for your child but even if you think that it's just a bit too exciting last thing at night it's still going to be a fun read.

And who, or what, is Tommy Tickletal? Well, I'm not going to tell you. All the clues are there as you read and you'll laugh when you find out. The reveal is only going to have the surprise value on the first read (and I'm not going to spoil that for you, am I?) but the book still has real re-readability. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

for more night time frolics from children we can recommend Max and the Won't Go To Bed Show by Mark Sperring and Sarah Warburton. For more from Dom Conlon have a look at I Am A Giant (Tiny the Giant)

Dom Conlon was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Tommy Tickletail: A Tall Tale by Dom Conlon and Carl Pugh at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Tommy Tickletail: A Tall Tale by Dom Conlon and Carl Pugh at Amazon.com.

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