Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart
| Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: When you are invited to a spooky party what do you do? Open up as many flaps as you can of course! Join Little Monster as he hunts for the other guests in this mile Halloween tale for the very young. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 16 | Date: September 2016 |
| Publisher: Egmont | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781405277426 | |
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There are spooky things happening in the world of books for children that can only mean one thing; Halloween is around the corner. There are books for Christmas, Easter and the August Bank Holiday, so why not some for the scary holiday? After all, themes such as ghosts and skeletons are far easier to write about than traffic jams on the M6 and spending time with your in-laws. One little monster has been invited to the type of spooky party that may just entertain your own little monster.
Little Monster is enjoying a typical day in the house when a letter arrives, but this is no ordinary letter, it is actually an invitation to a party. This being Little Monster, the party is a spooky one with gruesome foods and harrowing games of hide and shriek. Worry not, as there are also loads of sweets and some normal hide and seek. Everyone is having fun, but who is that giant ghost?
Little Monster and the Spooky Party is a fun, typical lift the flap book for older babies, through to toddlers. At some point your baby will evolve from just staring blankly at a page to reaching forwards and stroking the pages. At this point you can start investing in something like Spooky Party as it is packed with loads of fun flaps for them to look behind. Yes, at this point they may not know exactly what is going on, but they will enjoy it nonetheless.
For a slightly older child the spooky party is vibrant and fun. The illustrations are very colourful and soften any fear that a child may have. Yes there are ghosts, skeletons, witches and even a Frankenstein's Monster, but when they are smiling as broadly as they are here, most children will see them as something to befriend, rather than fear. Many of the monsters are hidden behind the flaps and it is great fun to find them. Some of the flaps also have you hunting for items; do you want to snails or candy to eat?
It is surprising how often the sturdiness of a children's book is important when considering whether to buy it or not. This is especially the case with a lift the flap book; flimsy flaps flaunt fast failure. Therefore, it is important that the flaps are attached well and this is the case here. Indeed the flaps are stuck into the book after printing to assure that they are sturdier than just being cut into the pages.
The only real negative for Spooky Party is the sheer simplicity of the book. It is squarely aimed at the younger end of the market as the story is very light and there is not much to do other than lifting the flaps. There is no extra sense of play as seen in something like Sharratt's own What's In The Witch's Kitchen?, a flap book that also had plenty of silly surprises. However, for a two year old looking forward to Halloween this is a book that will entertain them up to and on the big day. With its sturdy flaps, it may also last for a few more years too.
As mentioned check out the fun double-sided flaps in What's In The Witch's Kitchen? by Nick Sharratt and more spooky fun for the very young in BOO! by Jonathan Litton and Fhiona Galloway. We can also recommend Little Monster's Day Out with Dad by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart. You might also enjoy Mortimer Keene: Ghosts on the Loose by Tim Healey and Chris Mould or The Tailypo: A Ghost Story by Joanna Galdone and Paul Galdone.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart 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 Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart at Amazon.com.
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