Do's and Don'ts
Todd Parr
Walker Books
ages: 0-3
buy:
Amazon
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Amazon UK
used from Bookfinder
What sparks a one and half year olds' imagination is hard to reckon. A piece of dirt tends to be much more exciting than a Barbie doll. A wooden spoon can entertain a small mind longer than the Teletubbies on TV. So when Todd Parr, from San Francisco, sits down to write for little ones, how does he know they will like it? It is equally hard to tell.
I do not think that Do's and Don'ts is a marvellous book but my nearly two year old does. I have read it twenty times in a row. The older ones think it is pretty funny, as well.
The pictures are simple, primary colour jobs, in thick black outlines. Each page either says "Do" or "Don't" on the top. Some are funny such as "Do brush your teeth after every meal. Don't brush with peanut butter." On the other hand "Change your socks every day. Don't make anyone smell them," is inappropriate for children who do not have smelly feet.
Parr is writing for non-readers but nonetheless, he could reserve capital letters for their proper place. His pictures are amusing. They add humour to his do's and don'ts especially, for example in, "Do wear clean underwear. Don't wear it in your hair."
Although this book looks like it has been thrown together swiftly and is not the most elevated read, the children find it very funny. And laughter counts for a lot.
