Tag Archives: Russ Hughes

Dec18

The Day the Aunts Disappeared by Russell Hughes and KayeC Jones

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gregs-thumbnail-2The Day the Aunts Disappeared by Russell Hughes and KayeC Jones, picture e-book, published in 2016.

Greg the Anteater doesn’t like being bitten by the ants he wants to eat, but he is so very hungry. He decides to find some food in town, but gets a bit muddled between ants and aunts.

So this story had me giggling from the start. Poor Greg, covered in bug bites! The whole premise of the story is pretty silly, but it’s funny. Though ‘ant’ and ‘aunt’ sound similar, they have very different meanings; using the wrong word for the context really can have some unexpected consequences.

The illustrations are bright and simple alongside clear, bold type. This is good for early independent readers. I really like the pictures. My favourite page is when Greg slurps his first aunt up!

I would have preferred if Greg had been introduced to some foods that weren’t “fast food” or “junk” when he was giving up eating aunts. He gets very fat from his new diet!

The Day the Aunts Disappeared is suitable for pre-schoolers and lower primary school children.

 

*I received this book from the author as a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.

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Jul23

The Wandering Troll by Russ Hughes and KayeC Jones

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wanderingtrollcoverThe Wandering Troll by Russ Hughes and KayeC Jones, picture e-book, 35 pages, published in 2016.

A troll leaves his under-bridge home because it has become too noisy. He searches for a new home in the forest, snow and desert. Will he ever find a peaceful place to stop for good?

This rhyming tale of a troll trying to find a spot to settle down is a lovely book for sharing with younger children. The inclusion of onomatopoeic ‘noise’ words, such as swoosh, thwack and click were fun additions to the reading aloud experience. His journey was repetitive, allowing for children to easily predict what might happen next.

The story was enjoyable, and we did giggle at the plight of the poor troll. He seemed so very happy in the snow (that’s probably my favourite page), but he needed somewhere much quieter. It was good for him to find a cosy home, and the ending made me feel happy.

While I liked the meandering text placement, it does make it slightly harder for newer readers to follow. The letters and words varied in size, spacing, colour, and direction. There was even the occasional misplaced upper case letter. It was all very whimsical, though it did suit the style of the illustrations and the story well.

The illustrations are gorgeous in The Wandering Troll. It appears as if each part of the picture is sewn to the page like appliqué pieces. Even the text is done in this style, with stitching through the centre of each letter. The troll is quite simple, yet his button eyes and stitched mouth are surprisingly expressive throughout the book. I like his angry face when he hears too much noise.

The Wandering Troll is suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, and lower primary school students.

 

*I received this book in digital form from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.