Frank and Bert - Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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AUTHOR: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 5 Stars!

Remember reading a book in your childhood with a big grin on your face throughout? Ever had an experience where the grin starts off as a smile and goes on increasing in size until you are actually laughing out loud by the last page? Here’s a book that will do exactly that, and much more!

These two are best friends and love playing hide and seek. Or maybe I should say, Bert loves to hide and Frank loves to seek. Unfortunately Bert isn’t very good at hiding and Frank inevitably finds him. When Bert finally laments about how he might have a better chance if Frank counted till a hundred instead of till ten, Frank, being a good sport, agrees. Does Bert manage to find the perfect hiding spot?

There are children’s books with morals, and there are books that are for entertainment. This book falls in both the categories. The idea of friendship vs. competitiveness is nicely brought out in the story. Frank’s counting till a hundred adds a nice mathematical advantage to the story. Frank and Bert are simply adorable characters and I would love to read more books centred on them.

The language in the story is very easy for an early reader. The style in which the story is written also makes it suitable for read-alouds as well as for joint reading and independent reading.

I liked the illustrations too. They are drawn in a sort of rough, scribbly kind of way that makes the characters more endearing. The entire book feels very cute because of this mode of sketching. I am sure the colours will pop out even more in the physical copy.

Kids are going to love this little book and I bet they will giggle with joy at the end. A wholesome and fun entertainer, this one. Heartily recommended.

My thanks to Nosy Crow and NetGalley for the ARC of “Frank and Bert”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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