Home > Categories > Books > Kids - Preschool > The Little Yellow Digger ABC review
The little yellow digger came to help us at our school
It burst a pipe, and water quickly made a muddy pool!
But there are also animals that come to school and play,
and animal's a lovely word beginning with an ...
This book is an all-new rhyming story based on the original series of The Little Yellow Digger books by Betty Gilderdale. Her son Peter Gilderdale has taken her stories as the inspiration for this new lift-the-flap alphabet book, and has used his father Alan's familiar illustrations to complement the text. Children will delight in discovering the calligraphy-style alphabet letters hidden beneath the flaps.
Additional artwork is by Fifi Colston.
Product reviews...
So my little ones god father has been going on about the little yellow digger for some time now that he wanted to buy it for my little man as it was his favourite book growing up and he wanted my boy to have the book. I had not heard about the little yellow digger or seen it but after he brought my son the book he really enjoyed it and so did i.
So then I got excited when I seen the ABC book of the little yellow digger and my partner was excited to after his best mate had been talking about the books so much. We sat down with my little guy and read him the book. He is still a little bit to small to understand it all but he loved looking at the amazing illustrations and the drawings are so good. I enjoyed reading it to him and the link to the alphabet is great.
It is one of those books you could read over and over again and as my little guy gets older I am sure we will end up reading it him daily. As a boy it has everything he is interested in and he will really enjoy it as he starts to learn more with his development. Great for teaching ABC and different animals etc. For the price it is great and would be a good gift for a kid for Christmas coming up or for birthdays.
My oldest boy who is 11 was sitting on the other couch while I read it to my son said it was a cool book and sounded great. He enjoyed the story line to it and said my little one will enjoy it once he is old enough.
The original The Little Yellow Digger was one of Miss Two's father's favourite books when he was a child, so he was stoked to be able to share this new version with his daughter. Some of the content reflected that of the original story so it was a nostalgic journey for him. I don't know which of them enjoyed it more - dad or two-year-old! He was fascinated to find that there were little flaps on each page that could be lifted to reveal a letter, and Miss Two quickly got the hang of lifting each one carefully so that it didn't tear.
Each page highlighted one or more different words which started with the featured letter. As each word was read to her, that letter was emphasized so that Miss Two could hear it clearly. She would then lift the flap and repeat the sound. She found it great fun to look at the visual link to the sound, and before long she was able to point at pictures and then make the correct alphabet sound. At this rate she will be reading long before she ever gets to school!
The graphics are a delight. Many of them are the originals as used in older versions of the Little Yellow Digger books. The beach scenes and the images of children in swimsuits wielding their buckets and spaces are very topical too, with summer about to start - what child does not like the beach? And it is also appropriate that the book ends with the child going to bed (for some zzz?) as it makes it the ideal bedtime story!
We did have one criticism, but it is an important one. The letters under the flaps are written in a font different from that used in the rest of the book. The main text is produced in Edmond Sans, which is a clear, easy-to-read font. The alphabet letters under the flaps, however, seem to be handwritten with a calligraphy pen. This is the same font as that used in the title and the endpapers of the book, but when it appears on an actual page which also includes the corresponding word, it can be challenging for a small child. Minor variations in letter formation can cause confusion when a child is just learning to differentiate between letters. The flap letters are attractive, but maybe not the best choice for a teaching tool.
Apart from that one reservation, all of us thoroughly enjoyed the book. Miss Two has promised to be very careful when moving the flaps as she does not want them to tear - she wants to be able to read the story to her little brother when he is a bit older. In the meantime, there is much enjoyment to be had; this book has fast taken its place as one of her bedtime favourites.
Random listing from 'Books'...
"While the people puzzled
how to shift a boat this big,
a little yellow digger came
and just began to dig..."
Inspired by the true story of a giant container ship wedged in a tight spot and blocking one of the busiest waterways in the world, this playful addition to the classic series sees the world's favourite Little Yellow Digger come to the rescue - again!
The story is written by Peter Gilderdale and ... more...
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