View source for Odd Socks by Michelle Robinson and Rebecca Ashdown

{{infobox2
|title=Odd Socks
|author=Michelle Robinson and Rebecca Ashdown
|reviewer= Zoe Morris
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= When the worst happens, it takes a strong couple to survive. A strong couple of socks, that is.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher= Andersen Press
|date=January 2016
|isbn= 978-1783443376
|website= http://michellerobinson.co.uk/
|aznuk=1783443375
|aznus=1783443375
|cover=1783443375
}}

Socks, eh? They never used to trouble me and would return from the washing machine in pairs, just as they had entered. I never fully understood the whole Land-of-missing-socks thing. Suki and Sosh are Mr and Mrs Sock, a matching pair who live happily together in the sock drawer. They too have never visited the Land-of-missing-socks. See? It's not just me. But something even worse is about to happen to tear this couple apart. Something quite horrible: Suki has a hole.

This is the cutest story about having a soulmate (sole mate?) and doing whatever you can to stay together. When Suki disappears, Sosh sets out on a mission to reunite them, and because this is a children's book his wish is granted, albeit in an unpredictable, and highly amusing way. 

I love tales told in rhyme but I didn't think this was the ''best'' verse I'd ever read. Narrating it out loud the first time through was tricky as sometimes you end up with 3 or 4 lines which you need to read together to get to the rhyme for the one line before. It wasn't obvious or intuitive, but all the rhymes were there and I imagine it would get easier with time. The vocabulary is fairly easy, with a good mix of basic and colloquial as in ''Chuck such a super sock? They wouldn't dare''.

The illustrations are scraggly, crayon style and really help tell the story. You might think it might be hard to work with a book where the star characters are footwear, but the result here is a drawer full of socks you want to fall in love with. I obviously had to crinkle up my nose at the sight of socks and sandals being worn in tandem, but otherwise, Suki and Sosh have some good adventures across the pages. I also liked the tactile nature of the front cover – always an added bonus.

I'd like to thank the publishers for supplying this book. It's very novel and I enjoyed the story, plus I think with a few goes I could get the rhyme down pat.

If you were hoping this book might be a more practical look at hosiery, or need some tips in that direction, we can recommend [[Pants, Vest, Getting Dressed! (All By Myself) by Debbie Foy]].  You might also enjoy [[Bocchi and Pocchi and the Bird by Noriko Matsubara]].  Older readers might appreciate [[The Lost Sock by Gillian Johnson]].

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[[Category:Michelle Robinson]]
[[Category:Rebecca Ashdown]]