The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook

We love Alfie. This is our favorite collection. Sweet. Innocent. Perfect for preschoolers. My four-year-old never tires of hearing it.

This is a delightful book, with stories that could happen to any child... a mom and grandmum pretending to buy store items from the kids store; a dad and son preparing for a night in a tent in the pasture at grandmother's house (and the "scene" before they go out... with a tired grandmother, a casual dad leaning on the counter...SO real!); the walk with grandmother past the sheep -- and the escaped sheep that follows; and the trip to the beach with a search for a favorite rock that's been lost! A treasure that belongs in every child's library, and most adults (with or without children). Will delight adults, too, who take the time to study expressions and postures.

When my son was given this for his second birthday neither of us had any interest in it, and I put it away. Now some months later we are both hooked. We have been drawn into the world of Alfie, and love Shirley Hughes' stories. Alfie is the big brother my son doesn't have. To him the things that Alfie does: setting up a store in the garden, going to the sea; camping; and visiting granny are the 'adventures' he would like to have. The illustrations complement the story, and there are lots of thing to point out and look at. Alfie has become a firm favorite in this house.