But Then... product reviews

Miss Seven and Mr Five were both delighted with this book. In fact, they could not leave it alone. It has all the elements that appeal to children in this age group: a fun (although a little far-fetched in places) story line, bold illustrations, accessible vocabulary that incorporates the occasional new word in a context that makes it easy to figure out, and an underlying message that encourages responsibility. Miss Seven, who is highly organised and would never fail to complete something she had undertaken, was horrified at the idea of someone being so late to return an overdue book. The children were busy thinking up their own reasons for this; Mr Five remembered he had lost his reading folder recently, and thought that might have been the problem!

However, as the story unfolded, it became clear what had really happened. The book had had its own set of adventures, passing from reader to reader as it travelled further and further away until it was finally returned to Grandad (and grandchild). Mr Five thought that some of the creatures had been extremely rude, as they tended to snatch the book away without asking. Miss Seven was more concerned about the book getting wet as that might have damaged the pages - paper and water do not usually mix well. This made her think that Grandad might be telling fibs to explain why the book was so late. There is even a picture of him winking at his grandchild as he begins his excuses, almost as if he is letting the reader in on the secret.

Mr Five thought it was intriguing that the lost book in the story had exactly the same cover as the book he was reading. He wondered if the illustration where Grandad is reading the story to the child and the penguin was open at a page that showed the book cover in miniature. Of course, the angle of the illustration makes it impossible to know, but it is an interesting idea.

The children had fun joining in with every "but then...". They are still young enough to enjoy repetition in a story and are quick to learn the text by heart, using repeated words and phrases as starters. After a couple of years at school, Miss Seven is reading fluently, but her brother is still a beginner - although he is fast catching up! Given the amount of handling the book is getting, it is good that they have the hardcover version as it will survive longer. We foresee that it will be a favourite for some time to come.