Tick-Tock

This book is really in a class of its own as far as kids books go, and I would go so far to rate it as an undiscovered classic. It is a really well-written, well-illustrated, funny book with a great subtext going on. Firstly, the story is about Skip Squirrel and her friend Brainy who bounce on chairs, break a cuckoo clock and have to get it fixed. A simple story and well told. There is a good amount of repetition which the kids love (tick tock tickerty tockerty Clunk) for instance. Nice sounds, and expected. It is beautifully illustrated so the kids really enjoy looking at the pages - they are full of detail - from the inside of the treehouse where skip lives to the various businesses where they take the clock to get fixed. There is a bit of maths going on, some stuff you can do with time telling, lovely stuff about how to recognise what is a good place to take something (would you take a clock to a bike repair shop?) and finally I realised after a few reads that ALL the characters in this story are female. It is not obvious in the initial readings of it - but suddenly I realised that everyone was being referred to as Her or She. It is done subtely without fanfare, but it is a really nice touch for someone like me with two little girls. We have had some great books to read but this has been a perennial favourite for a few years now especially now with my two year old. Others they enjoy at the moment are Imogene's Antlers, We're going on a Bear Hunt and He Bear She Bear (by the Berenstains) - just thought that might be useful for other parents with under 5 year girls looking for stuff their daughters might enjoy.

This is a book that I don't mind reading over and over (I have a 22-month old, so believe me, this is important!). From fun text ("Boing! Boing! They bounced up and down. Whoosh! Swoosh! They flew through the air-- Crash! --into the cuckoo clock.) to wonderfully detailed and humorous illustrations, this book is a winner.