My Adventure Island product reviews

When I started to read this book I thought it was awful because it was encouraging children not to follow rules, but as I got into it I realised that wasn't the author's intention. It is not unlike any child's wish to be a grown up so they don't have to do what they are told. This book has a very simple message if you lived by yourself you would be able to do what you wanted but it wouldn't me fun because you would have no one to share it with.

The words are simple enough for my 2 year old to understand and there is some lovely rhyme in it too. The illustrations often have lots of things in the background which the children (and I) only notice after repeated readings. I read this book to children ranging in age from 2 to six years and they all enjoyed it but it didn't have a wow factor.

This book was good for prompting a discussion.After reading it the first time to the children we talked about it and they all thought that is would be more fun to be with your friends and your family. They also agreed that is we need rules to make things safe and fair.

Well this book unfortunately missed the mark a little with me. It begins "Here on my island I do what I like." The story goes on to describe all the things "I" can do on "my island" ending "I'm glad that my island's so close to the land" with a picture of the little boy running down the stairs to cuddle his mum.

I am guessing that the story is supposed to be about the little boy having this amazing imagination so he can have all his adventures even when he is just at home all day but the illustrations just didn't quite work with the story in portraying that for me. I think if the illustrations had been different I would have liked this book a lot more than I do. As it is I just don't enjoy reading it.

Miss Four enjoyed this and at the last page was able to say "he's just pretending isn't he mum?" so she understood the premise of the story. So I suppose I really liked the story and I like the illustrations which are colourful and well done but because they don't gel with the story for me I don't rate this book highly.