View source for Beatrice and Vanessa by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

{{infobox2
|title=Beatrice and Vanessa
|author=John Yeoman and Quentin Blake
|reviewer=Ruth Ng
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=8138881
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Andersen Press
|date=July 2011
|isbn=978-1849392693
|website=http://www.andersenpressusa.com/johnyeoman.htm
|video=vlQQpG2-1vU
|aznuk=1849392692
|aznus=1849392692
|cover=1849392692 
}}

Beatrice (the sheep) and Vanessa (the goat) live together on a farm, staying in the same field, looking out at the same view, and talking together about the same things day after day.  One day they find they've run out of things to say, so they decide to take a holiday together.

For their trip they don't have any luggage of their own, so they sneak into the farmhouse and take with them whatever they can find which just so happens to be a bunch of balloons, an old bag and a wolf's head that is hanging on the wall.  It turns out, of course, that these are not such ridiculous things to pack since all three items help to save them from being eaten by ferocious wolves and a bear they meet along the way!

Vanessa is rather more confident than her friend Beatrice.  It is her suggestion that they go on holiday, and her ideas that save them when they're trapped by the wolves.  I rather liked the way their different characters are portrayed, with Beatrice being more timid but trusting her friend at all times.  The ending works well too, with Beatrice and Vanessa safely back in their field on the farm, but now they have plenty of new things to talk about after their adventurous holiday.

Quentin Blake's illustrations are, as you'd expect, perfect for the story.  Vanessa looks like a scraggy old nanny goat and Beatrice too has a rather 'aged' look to her.  I like their cheerfulness as they set out on holiday.  The large bunch of balloons they take with them help to lift the colours of the pictures, and I love the expression on the wolf's mounted head!

We weren't sure that this would end up being on the favourite bedtime story pile, so I'd recommend you try before you buy, to see how it goes down with your own little ones.  I rather liked the story, but although it was fun to read it hasn't been one we've come back to read again and again.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: You might like to take a look at other books that John Yeoman and Quentin Blake have created together.  [[:Category:John Yeoman and Quentin Blake|John Yeoman and Quentin Blake]]

{{amazontext|amazon=1849392692}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1849392692}}

{{commenthead}}
[[Category:John Yeoman]]
[[Category:Quentin Blake]]