Who’s
In The Grass may
appear as a normal lift the flap story book but within it holds
something magical. It holds the gift from one child to another.
Author
Alyssa Jane
Mulholland is an 8
year old girl who, along with the assistance of her mother Kerry
Mulholland, has created a storybook world of magical animals and peek
a boo surprises. This is a light amusing book that will delight
children from birth upwards. The familiar animals and the lyrical
words create a world that, when shared to a young child, introduces
concepts, words, sounds and animals within their environment. When
presented to an older child who is familiar with the nonsense words
and world within you are sure to hear giggles of glee. Who’s
In The Grass lends itself
to a great first reader with the pictures prompting the words.
This
is a beautifully presented book. The silver reflective backing of the
cover works well adding to the charisma within and allowing the child
to see a reflection of themselves within the grass. I scratched my
head for some time as to why this book was titled Who’s
In The Grass. I even
shared it with other adults who also could not see where the title
was associated with the book. Within we find out who’s behind the
tree, who’s in the flowers, who’s hiding in the leaves, who’s
hiding over there in the bucket of water, who’s hiding in the tree,
who’s in the bush, who’s under my bed and who’s all snuggled up
in bed but no mention of grass can be found. It dawned on me whilst
writing this review and critiquing and analyzing it that the Who’s
In The Grass refers to
the child’s reflection
on the front cover. This concept seems to have initially been lost. I
feel it would have been nice to end the book on this note with the
reflection of the child on the last page, carrying the title through
to the storyline.
I
love the illustrations of this book. They are clear and large with
just the right amount of detail to provoke discussion and labeling in
the younger child. A bumble bee can be found on each page with the
toys on page 17 being found on the bed on page 19, along with the
tail of the cat from earlier in the story. One thing I found
interesting is that there is no mention of who illustrated this book
on the cover. I was so sold on the illustrations that I wanted to
know who did them. I even went online to see if I could find a
mention of the illustrator but all leads led to dead ends. After a
lot of thought and reading of all the fine print within the cover I
discovered mention of the illustrator being Glen Singleton. For some
reason I felt cheated that the illustrator had not been given a bold
mention and felt as though the book had been, to a degree, left in an
unfinished state. As a reader it is always nice to know who drew the
pictures, especially in a book like this where the illustrations play
a major role.
Overall
this is a great book that will hopefully inspire other creative
children to believe in themselves,
write from the heart and share with others. My 6 year old daughter
and myself enjoyed sharing this book. My adult quirks do not matter
to a child. It is the sharing, nonsense within and overall journey of
words and pictures that matter most to a child. This book is presents
professionally
making it a beautiful gift for a child.
Find out where to purchase a copy at www.whosinthegrass.com.au
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