Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett
| Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: Nibbles has escaped and he is gnawing his way through classic Fairy Tales; try and stop him by chasing him through your library in this wonderfully designed children's book. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 20 | Date: April 2016 |
| Publisher: Little Tiger Press | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781848691933 | |
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If you are a bibliophile you have a fear that haunts your very dreams. What happens if your collection gets damp, or a mouse decides to take up residence? These things pale in comparison if you happen to find yourself with a Nibbles. This is a little guy that likes to nibble absolutely anything, but his favourite snack is books! Watch out as before you know it he will be gnawing his way into completely different stories.
At the start of Nibbles: The Book Monster everything is fine as our little fuzzy friend is safely behind bars, but didn't you forget one thing? He love to nibble and he will do anything to escape! It is up to you the reader to track him down in a vast book collection and Nibbles has managed to crunch his way into other stories including Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood. Catch him before he ruins these classic Fairy Tales.
Nibbles is a joy of a book, intelligent, amusing, surprising, colourful and fun. It not only works as a story, but on a meta level as Nibbles finds himself disrupting other classic stories that your child will know. As a book for sharing it is perfect for several age ranges; the very young will be transfixed by the glorious colours and vibrant illustrations. Slightly older babies will enjoy the interactive elements in the book as there are flaps that need to be opened and holes that you can peer through. The book even works well up to 5/6 years as the idea of jumping into other stories needs some thinking about to appreciate it fully. Finally, you, the parent will love the book just for its sheer ingenuity.
Stories about characters jumping books have been done before, but Yarlett has designed the entire book to enhance the experience. The sturdy hardback version of Nibbles is a thing of wonderment, lovely to hold and solid; it will need to be as the book is going to be well read. Inside the intelligent ideas continue; opening up plainly, it introduces us to Nibbles and his cage, but soon has a fun Where's Wally section. Once the story has Nibbles eating into Fairy Tales the book becomes even more sensational; the design is a book within a book! Like The Jolly Postman by Janet Ahlberg and Allan Ahlberg, Yarlett has created a rather magical experience of feeling like you are looking at something within something.
The combination of cute characters, colourful illustrations, intelligent interactivity and excellent execution means that Nibbles: The Book Monster is a strong contender for best book in this house. If all children's books were are well thought out as this one, adults would probably stop reading their own books.
Sammy Recommendation
Other books have attempted subverting what we think a story should be like. For older children try Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett and Matthew Myers, but beware andCircle, Square, Moose by Kelly L Bingham and Paul O Zelinsky is a great story about a silly Moose getting in the way of an educational tale.
Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett is in the Top Ten Children's Picture Books 2016.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett 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 Nibbles: The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett at Amazon.com.
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