It’s Master Six’s birthday today (with fever-pitched excitement in this household!). Master Seven will turn into Master Eight in a few weeks time. It’s irrefutable; they’re growing up.

Notwithstanding their rapid ageing, as well as stiff competition from the likes of Captain Underpants and the Storey Treehouse series, both boys still love reading picture books. Although, it’s not guaranteed that every picture book will capture their imagination as might’ve been the case even a year ago.  With this in mind, we recently tested the waters with Mrs White and the Red Desert and On the Way to Nana’s House.

Master Six and Master Nearly-Eight give their considered opinions on these two books: their covers, storylines, illustrations, and as well as delivering an ultimate verdict on both books.

Mrs White and the Red Desert

by Josie Boyle, illustrated by Maggie Prewett

The Cover:

‘She looks like Miss Honey!’

Some New Words:

‘What does ‘higgledy piggledy’ mean?’

The Storyline:

‘Oh-no… Mrs White is going to die!’ 

‘No, Mrs White won’t be white anymore!’

Favourite Page:

‘The last page because Mrs White worked out why their homework was always so grubby’.

The Verdict:

‘I thought it was quite funny. I liked that Mrs White came for dinner and that she was white but then it turned out she got red dust on her’.

‘I liked that they were in the desert’. 

***

On the Way to Nana’s House

by Frances and Lindsay Haji-Ali, illustrated by David Hardy

The Cover:

‘Oooh, this is going to be cool!’

New word:

‘What is Kimberley?’

Favourite page:

‘This one… because it’s very weird’

The Verdict:

‘I like most about it that it’s a rhyming book’.

‘I like the drawings in both the books.  The people who drew the pictures are very good drawers’.

I received both these books from Magabala Books in exchange for an honest review – thanks again.