Supermarket Gremlins by Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain and Chris Chatterton
| Supermarket Gremlins by Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain and Chris Chatterton | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: Ever wondered why there is so much mess in a supermarket? Blame the Gremlins that reside there. You can find out about all their antics here in this vibrant lift the flap book that is not for the faint of heart. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 18 | Date: February 2016 |
| Publisher: Egmont | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781405277136 | |
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Have you ever wandered down the aisle at your local Super Marché and found some frozen peas in the bread section, or a lonely carrot hanging out with the cereal. What can be the cause of all the mistakes, spills and wobbly wheels that plague every superstore known to man, women and child? Incompetent staff and lazy customers dumping stock? Nope, these problems are all caused by the sneaky Gremlins who lurk in every shop.
To the naked eye everything in Supermarket Gremlins seems perfectly normal. A boy and his mother are visiting a supermarket and see the usual mismanaged stock, spills on the floor and trolleys with a mind of their own, but lift the flaps and you are in for a surprise. Those mis-shelved items are the jolly Gremlins having fun, the wobbly wheels are spaghetti they have dumped on the floor and as for the strange puddle … Lift the flap if you dare.
Supermarket is a jolly book that has loads of interaction for a child with a mischievous sense of humour. Some lift the flap books have a paltry number to open, but this is not the case here as every double spread has a few things to find. What you discover may come as a bit of a shock, especially for the more fragile minded person as there are bottoms and bodily functions involved. For this reason the book is best read with a slightly older child that you know enjoys this type of thing. If you are not planning to encourage them, perhaps this is one to miss.
The book itself is a great idea; the Guillains have mashed a 1950s style government information broadcast with the anarchic silliness of the Gremlins' filmic brothers. It is very amusing to see how the authors suggest that everyday mishaps that occur in Tesco are actually caused by little monsters (and not your own this time).
The idea is one thing, but without some good execution it would not work. Illustrator Chatteron has captured perfectly the tone of the authors and filled each page with cheeky things to look at. The supermarket itself has a vibrancy and there is real fun to be had finding out what is going on underneath. Like with most flap based books, they are a little fragile if played with robustly, therefore perhaps buying, rather than borrowing a copy is best.
Supermarket Gremlins is cheeky fun that is full of colour and laughs, but is also a little on the puerile side at times. You really have to know your audience before subjecting them to it; young Timmy may love the burping Gremlins, his Granny may be less than impressed.
For more from Adam and Charlotte Guillain, have a look at Doughnuts for a Dragon. You might also enjoy Meltdown! by Jill Murphy.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Supermarket Gremlins by Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain and Chris Chatterton 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 Supermarket Gremlins by Adam Guillain, Charlotte Guillain and Chris Chatterton at Amazon.com.
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