Snip Snap, look who's back! by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland

Snip Snap, look who's back! by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland
Buy Snip Snap, look who's back! by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Madeline Wheatley
Summary: An alligator in the playground causes squeals, scares and surprises. Fortunately, three brave and thoughtful children work out why she’s there.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: May 2012
Publisher: Hodder
ISBN: 9781444902471
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Were the people scared? You bet they were!

So says Mara Bergman when the alligator from Snip Snap! What’s that? returns for further slightly scary fun. The original story is a sure fire hit as a read aloud and fans will definitely want to try this sequel.

Snip Snap, look who’s back! works well for those who like a good scare followed by a happy ending. There’s a great build up while the alligator plods steadily through the city into the children’s playground. Then a gentle wind down at the end of the day until everyone has gone all the way back home. Bergman’s rhyming text has a start stop quality that matches the alligator’s moves. Just as you get into the swing of the rhyme she throws in an aside that breaks the flow, but then, off you go again!

Nick Maland rings the changes in mood with atmospheric use of background colour in his lively illustrations. The harsh white and shocking pinks used as a backcloth for scary pages fade to soft lilacs and blues as the children’s worries fade. There is a rather old fashioned and homely side to Maland’s people and buildings. Even the skyscraper landscape on the title page overlooks a little cottage in the foreground with a tree lined road leading out of town. There’s also something of the wonderful Janet Ahlberg’s style of illustration in the tiny figures that ran all around when the alligator appeared. All of which makes for a cosier read than an alligator on the loose would suggest.

I’m going to be a bit of a pedant now. Sorry. Poring over the pictures is one of the most enjoyable parts of reading this type of tale. For the most part in Snip Snap, look who’s back! the pictures run riotously across each double page opening. So it’s a shame that the book is so tightly bound that some of the characters are slightly gobbled up into the spine!

So please, Hodder books, let the pictures breathe, and thank you for sending a copy of this enjoyable tale to the Bookbag.

For animal chaos with a difference try Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt.

Or for the ultimate picture book about wild things and how to cope with them try Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Snip Snap, look who's back! by Mara Bergman and Nick Maland at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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