The sun is up and so is the main character in Come on Everybody, Time to Play. A small girl is revelling in the weekend and not having to get ready for school. She wanders through the house but it seems that everyone is hiding from her. It doesn’t seem to occur to her that everyone is still asleep! Openings alternate between her searching, then finding the other occupants of the house. When she has found all but two, it’s time for a group assault on the final two sleeping bods! Bob Graham’s gentle yet strong character sketches speak loud as the little girl searches her house for company. Backgrounds are minimal allowing the characters to shine. Text is large and round and like hand printing.
Come on Everybody, Time to Play is written in gentle rhyme. The reader (listener) can hear the sound of the words and predict what is to be found under each flap. Of course nothing – no one – is where they should be! The fish is in the cat’s water bowl and socks are all over the place. Come on Everybody, Time to Play is a largish, hardcover, sturdy-paged lift-the-flap book, designed for multiple re-readings. Recommended for pre-schoolers.
Come on Everybody, Time to Play! Nigel Gray Ill Bob Graham
Walker Books 2009
ISBN: 9781921150500
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com
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