Simon likes spaghetti. In fact, he likes it so much that that's the only thing he wants to eat. Simon is also blessed with having no concerns about stating his demands, very clearly, nor any qualms about criticising any other food that might be placed in front of him. He is, as you can tell, a typical toddler!
| I Want Spaghetti! by Stephanie Blake | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: A wonderful depiction of one of the joys of living with a toddler! | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: September 2015 |
| Publisher: Gecko Press | |
| ISBN: 9781927271919 | |
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We became fans of Simon thanks to the story Stupid Baby in which Simon is upset by the arrival of his baby brother, spoiling all his fun. So my three year old and I were excited to sit down and read more about Simon. This time he is displaying more toddler tendencies with strict food demands and a marvellously loud tantrum. I am not entirely sure it's the best book to read at bedtime, since it involves a lot of shouting, but so far it hasn't led to too much overexcitement!
We see Simon going through his day, refusing his breakfast because it's not spaghetti, then opting out of lunch as, once again, it's not spaghetti, until finally, at dinnertime, he declares his soup to be disgusting and his mother (finally!) sends him to his room. My little boy has his moments, but I love how he gets more and more worried as we read this part of the book, jiggling nervously as Simon gets ruder and ruder to his parents! It gets worse, of course, because once in his room Simon is still angry about the lack of spaghetti in his life. He begins to say I want spaghetti over and over, getting louder and louder (and this is the bit where you get to shout really loudly!) Somehow, his parents remain calm downstairs and Simon overhears them talking about pudding, which is chocolate cake. Forgetting all about spaghetti for a moment, Simon decides he wants chocolate cake too, and he is more than happy to agree to his mother's compromise of eating his soup first, and then having a slice.
This isn't the end, however, because the next day at lunchtime, Simon's dad calls Simon to the table to have his spaghetti...those of you familiar with three year olds will probably have guessed that Simon replies I want...sausages! It's a perfect ending to a great book! The illustrations are bright and funny, full of cheekiness and energy. They are nice and large, so this is a good story to read aloud to a group of toddlers at story time as everyone will be able to see and understand what's happening. If you're worried that the story may be a bad influence, it may reassure you to know that my little boy reassures me at the end of every read that what Simon should have said was 'Please, may I have some spaghetti, please?'!
Further reading suggestion: If you haven't already, have a look at Stupid Baby or you might also enjoy I Didn't Do It! (Little Princess) by Tony Ross.
I Want Spaghetti! by Stephanie Blake is in the Top Ten Picture Book 2015.
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You can read more book reviews or buy I Want Spaghetti! by Stephanie Blake at Amazon.com.
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