The Fearsome Beastie by Giles Paley-Phillips

With Illustrations by Gabrielle Antonini
Good Old Gran!
review by The Mole

When you get a book suitable for 'shared reading' - that is where you sit by the child as you read and actions and sounds are made by one or both - they are frequently more about the pictures than the words. True classics of this genre are the ones where the words do most of the work and the pictures become the support act. I can name but a few that I would call true classics - and can still (8-10 years later) recite some of them. This book deserves to become one of those classics. Don't misunderstand though the pictures are beautiful and action provoking in their own way, but the poetry in this book is extremely 'catchy'. It has a rhythm that scans well throughout. The story line is not over simplified but is also not over complex and not only makes an excellent shared reader but the choice of font makes it ideal as well for an early reader book.

The subject matter is the beastie in the dark that children tend to get worked up at. I don't think I am giving too much away if I say that Gran saves the day... Don't they always? That's why we love them.

My only regret with this book is that at 13 my daughter doesn't want picture books at bedtime any more!

In coupling these poems with this illustrator then this book has really become a wonderful book.

Publisher - Maverick Books
Genre - Childrens 5+


Buy The Fearsome Beastie from Amazon