Being a mother of two, I struggle daily with the challenge of getting my daughter to read on her own while juggling my other duties. However, sometimes I will be lucky enough to find the rare treasure that is both entertaining and exciting, which makes reading not just a fun family past time but also an easy feat for my daughter to enjoy by herself. Big Whoop! By Maxine Lee (published by POW! / Power House Books) is one of those rare finds.
It is a hardcover, 9 x 10 inches, children’s fully illustrated book filled with 32 pages of fun. The book itself is of a very high quality with a sturdy binding, which makes it easy to handle without fear of breaking or bending it easily, which definitely is a blessing as it takes the worry out of reading time. In addition, each page is big and glossy, that adds to the quality and experience of the book.
The plot follows the antics of a squirrel and rabbit as they try to make their chronically bored friend Mr. Fox, whose response to everything in life is, “Big Whoop!” smile. With each turn of a page, their attempts become more and more silly and outrageous, ranging from a visit to the zoo to walking on the moon with cheese stilts. Each page draws the reader deeper into the story, making them read further in wonderment to find out if the twosome will ever achieve their goal in making Mr. Fox smile.
It is not only the storyline that draws the reader in but also the brightly coloured illustrations of Maxine Lee, which is similar to that of illustrator Oliver Jeffers, that fill each page that makes you stop and stare. This not only prolongs the enjoyment of the story, but also brings it alive, almost like magic making the reader feel every emotion. Another interesting thing I found about the layout of the book is that you read the story as if the little characters are speaking themselves. Little speech bubbles fill each page, with big, legible words printed in a way that compliments the bright illustrations.
The book itself is aimed at children aged 6 to 9 but I found that it suits the younger reader too. It is definitely suitable not only for that age range to read and handle alone, but you can also read it with your younger little ones. My daughter of 6 enjoyed each moment of reading it to me and pointing at the pictures as she laughed aloud at the characters’ weird antics while my son of 20 months were just as entertained when I read it to him. Although something to keep in mind when you prepare yourself to read it aloud is that it is not a reserved book, in other words you can ready yourself for reading in character and acting silly to compliment the story.
After reading the story with my little ones about a gazillion times over I had to find out more about this angel of a writer that achieved the impossible, creating a book that children cannot get enough of and after some research I found out this few brief facts. Maxine Lee is a writer / illustrator and mother residing in Liverpool, Merseyside with her partner and two boys. At first, she taught a range of creative subjects, but concentrates fully on her illustrating and writing now. She also published other books such as Pi-Rat and Sorry Dad!
I will definitely recommend this book to all parents; it is absolutely worth adding to the library of children’s books. Not only will it entertain you and your children, but Big Whoop! is bound to cause hearty laughter and create beautiful memories while inspiring and instilling the foundation to become a strong reader in your little one.
**Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate this post. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.