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Jump to navigationJump to searchGet Ahead Fred by Daisy Dawes (view source)
Revision as of 20:15, 28 June 2010
, 20:15, 28 June 2010no edit summary
''Get Ahead Fred'' has a lot of nice touches. I particularly enjoyed seeing through Fred's hat collection - it felt like a headwear version of Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch. Even if the young audience aren't immediately familiar with all the different types of hat, they won't feel left out. It's a fun little fashion show! Most of the writing is crisp, with decent rhymes - a couple feel a little forced, but there's nothing outrageous. On a few occasions I had to backtrack to get the rhythm right. Once you get it, it's not a problem in repeated readings, but it does catch you out a little more than you'd want.
Daisy Dawes is a model maker, who's worked on {{amazonurl|title=Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone|isbn=B00288A1MY}}, {{amazonurl|title=Rex the Runt|isbn=B000068QOF}} and perennial favourite {{amazonurl|title=Pingu|isbn=B000YDAJFO}}. Impressive! In a change from most picture books, the illustrations are models which have been photographed. These models are packed with character, have a familiar style that will immediately click with children, and set the mood wonderfully. The style is mostly seen with the sort of TV tie-in book that we tend to shy away from, but it works really well 's super with an original story. The quality bodes really well for future books from Daisy Dawes.
Although I enjoyed Fred's hat collection, I wasn't blown away by the whole story. The plot ticks along pleasantly most of the time, but Fred's comeuppance feels a bit sudden. Sudden and quirky can work well in cautionary tales - [[Super Dooper Jezebel by Tony Ross]] does it particularly well - but Fred's crime is just to wear an ill-fitting hat, so the ending feels unsatisfying. Fred's tale is bookended by an aside about some cats. It's a little garnish on the top, and cats are always cute, but it's not entirely necessary, and reading a bit more about Fred would have been my preference.
