Wendy Helps Out

This is a nice little book about Bob the Builder and his buddies. In this story -you might recognize the plot from television series-- Bob has a cold and is put out of commission. But that doesn't mean that the work can stop. Thus Wendy takes charge of the team and they work together to finish the road on time. "Can we do it?" Well, of course, they can! Plot aside, this book provides reading practice for the pre-reading set as it is one of those books that has icons that replace some of the words. The way that we have been using it is that dad or I reads the story, following the print with our finger, pausing at the icons for our son so that he can decipher the picture and join in the 'reading fun'. Our son is now four, but by doing this, even younger children can figure out that sentences are read from left to right, and top to bottom, from page to page. For a child of three or four years of age you might even find that they will begin to site read whole words. Four Stars. Wall to wall color: the whole page is filled with colorful pictures. Nice story about how Wendy takes over and the team works hard to complete a task while Bob is sick with a cold. Okay read-aloud. Children like the story and can learn many pre-reading skills. Don't be surprised if they memorize the text.

I picked this up through a school book club for my 4-year-old daughter. She is quite a good reader at this point, and enjoys reading this book. It is written with easy to read language, but not to the point of being uninteresting for the child. I am especially pleased that the featured character, Wendy, is female. This is sadly lacking in many children's books. Look for "Dizzy's Bird Watch" for an equally great book.

My son just got this book, and he loves it. It has small pictures included in the text that let him read along with the story. Something that makes books all that more magical and amazing to him. While the story is basic and short, for a two year old its just the right size. I do think the price is a little high for a paper back book of this size, but the enjoyment my son gets out of it are well worth the price.

This booklet stimulated my grandchild's[3 years old] interest in books and being a participant in the actual reading.The prospective buyer needs to know that this is a very abreviated, paperback booklet and for the price plus shipping should receive at least a second booklet.