Columbia Camel loves everything about his desert home – except for one thing:
All the sand that is carried by each desert breeze –
It tickles my nostrils and fills me with SNEEZE!
Atishoo, atishoo, atishoo! And then,
atishoo, I sneeze and atishoo again!’
Columbia can’t stop sneezing and, when he seeks help for his problem, it seems nothing will cure it – until he meets a stranger who needs his help, and, in return, offers a solution for Columbia’s. With his sneezing fixed, there is nothing Columbia does not like about the desert.
This is a wonderful rhyming picture book, with a humorous plot and rhythmical text which is especially fun when read aloud. Adults and children alike will love the silliness of both the problem and the solution, and the repeated refrain of ‘atishoo’ will encourage youngsters to join in. The illustrations are also humorous, with the sandy desert colours splashed with highlights in blues, purples and greens.
Loads of fun.
Columbia Sneezes, by Janeen Brian and Gabe Cunnett
Omnibus, 2008