Shoo! - Susie Bower

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Author: Susie Bower

Illustrator: Francesca Gambatesa
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Rating: 4.5 stars.

Don’t ‘Shoo’ away from this amazing book!

Mrs. Golightly hates animals. So when a zoo moves in next door, she finds her house invaded by a different creature each day of the week, and all she can do is to shoo it away. When it gets too much to take, Mrs. Golightly doesn’t go lightly (dad joke, sorry!) but barges ahead, shoos all the creatures away and barricades every possible entrance to her home. However, just as she begins to enjoy her solitude, she realises that she is lonely. What will she do next?

I simply loved this whimsical story! It was silly and yet so much fun. Mrs. Golightly’s reactions to the animals are as amusing as whatever the animals are doing in her home. Kids will surely enjoy the animal antics as well as the hilarious text.

The book has a lot of educational value too. The content comes in simple prose for most of the text, with a few rhyming words for the animals’ actions (alligator on the radiator, llamas in pyjamas,…) The animals are quite varied as well. There are also plenty of onomatopoeic words in the narrative as well as in the illustrations, all of which would make this a wonderful book to read aloud with full gusto.

The illustrations are the scrumptious icing on this yummy cake. They are so adorable! Even when Mrs. Golightly is grumpy, her expressions are to die for! The colour palette is perfect for the story, with the subtle pastel hues working like a charm.

This would be perfect for homes as well as schools. Maybe not for libraries because kids might laugh too hard and break the cardinal rule of silence. 😉 Just kidding!!! Yes to libraries too! It has all the ingredients that make it a perfect readaloud story. Suitable for all little ones aged 2+.

I recently read this author’s “The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom” and was blown away by it. Now with this second triumph, you bet she is going to be on my ‘Must-Read Children’s Author’ list.

My thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Shoo!” This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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