Daisy Hirst, I Do Not Like Books Anymore! Walker Books Australia, May 2018, 40pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781406369137
Natalie and Alphonse love books and stories, but when Natalie gets her first book to learn to read, she is very disappointed. The letters and words do not look right, and there is no story, being about a cat that can sit. She prefers to make up her own stories with her brother Alphonse, creating a wonderful tale and drawing the pictures and Dad writing the words, words Natalie could read.
As Natalie and Alphonse make their own story, the visual text changes from predominantly unframed pages to panels and speech bubbles. The colourful illustrations on the white background are perfect for a young audience. The verbal text is well worked and Natalie’s frustrations are shown clearly through the dialogue.
Many youngsters will relate to this book. I have heard of many children who, after their first day of school, have gone home disappointed they had not learnt to read. There is so much involved in the process of learning to read, and this is expressed beautifully through this book. Not only will this book help youngsters understand they need to be patient and persevere, but it also highlights the importance of stories and reading to young ones from a young age.
This book will be added to my pile of favourites about reading and books, and should be in the collection of all public, pre-school and school libraries.
Reviewed by Liz Derouet
