The Queen's Orang-Utan by David Walliams and Tony Ross
| The Queen's Orang-Utan by David Walliams and Tony Ross | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: Sold in aid of Comic Relief and brilliant value even considering that £3 from the sale of every book is going to charity. It's extremely funny and ever-so-slightly anarchic. Highly recommended - and not just for the kids. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? No - BUY IT! |
| Pages: 32 | Date: February 2015 |
| Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books | |
| ISBN: 978-0008135133 | |
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The Queen felt trapped in the palace with all those stuffed animals which she has been given on foreign tours. There are mountains of them and every night she would dream of escaping. When her birthday drew near the family dutifully asked her what she would like as a present. The Prince was thinking of a gold, diamond encrusted stairlift whilst the Duke was considering a great big bottle of brandy. The Royal Baby had some decorated thimbles in mind, but the Queen became just a little snappish as she explained that what she really wanted was One's own orang-utan. And she didn't mean a stuffed one, either.
Usually when you buy a book for charity you grit your teeth, hand over the money and wish that a few trees had been able to live for a little longer. Not this time. The Queen's Orang-Utan is on sale at £4.99 for the paperback and £14.99 for the hardback with £3.00 (at least!) of the proceeds from each book going to Comic Relief. We've got a big-name author in David Walliams and an artistic genius (I know he must be because it says so on the cover) in Tony Ross.
The story is brilliant. It's easy to imagine that beneath the Queen's dutiful exterior there lurks a rebellious heart which longs to escape and do something utterly silly. It's also easy to recognise the royal family and one hopes that they have a sense of humour too. Somehow they are captured - with affection - but captured they are. Once you've tittered your way through the book a few times you can amuse yourself by playing 'spot Prince Harry', guess whose face the Duke pushes into the soup or imagining a better use for the crown than the one the Royal Baby has thought up. (Nice one, young man.) It's not just the royal family who are parodied, either: a certain prime minister has, if not egg on his face, then certainly rather a lot of tea.
It's mayhem, glorious fun and all in aid of a good cause. Bookbag was sent a review copy by the publishers (thank you very much) but we'll be making a donation to Comic relief to cover the cost - and we'll add to this for every book which is sold through Bookbag.
We're not even going to suggest that there are other books which you might enjoy. We think you should buy this one.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Queen's Orang-Utan by David Walliams and Tony Ross at Amazon.com.
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