The Little Yellow Digger and the Helicopter product reviews

Whenever Mr Five gets his hands on a Little Yellow Digger book, he tends to disappear into his room with it before the rest of the family have had a chance to get a proper look. The addition of a helicopter this time round made it even more attractive; he was entranced by the novel idea of a helicopter lifting a digger!

Once the book had been retrieved and he had settled down to read it (with help), it was clear that this was yet another book that he would continue to enjoy for some time. Although the story was new, the characters were familiar (apart from the helicopter), and the rhyming structure, as usual, made it really easy to follow. The vocabulary is accessible to preschoolers and those who have recently started school, with the occasional new word added in context so that the young reader is challenged without realising it. Mr Five loved to join in with the words that he already recognised, delighting in demonstrating how well his reading skills are developing.

Miss Seven was drawn in to listen to the story too. There has been a great deal of news coverage recently about floods and other natural disasters, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad, so the subject matter was topical. Children do worry about these things so it is helpful to find reading matter pitched at their level which show how dangerous situations can be dealt with by experts. Knowing that there are people (and machines!) out there that can come to the rescue is reassuring. This is especially important when family members or close friends may be at risk due to where they live.

Something that really impressed both children was the way community members banded together to help one another. This is the foundation of civilisation, but children may not be aware of that so it is useful for them to learn about it in a fun way. At their age (five and seven) they have outgrown the younger child's world view which revolves around themselves and are beginning to understand their place in society. This is a time when children become aware of environmental and societal issues, developing a strong sense of justice and equity.

The illustrations, as usual, are delightful. We loved the pictures of the animals: the smaller dog wet and miserable while the larger dog looks quizzically at the duck diving under the floodwaters. After the panic is over and the townspeople are celebrating by sharing a banquet at the town hall, the dogs are allowed to join in. It is not clear whether or not the birds got something tasty too, but hopefully they did.