View source for Little Monster's Day Out with Dad by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart

{{infobox2
|title=Little Monster's Day Out with Dad
|author=Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart
|reviewer=Sam Tyler
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Little Monster is back and this time he is out with his Dad on a lift the flap adventure that is simple, but great fun for toddlers.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=16
|publisher=Egmont
|date=May 2017
|isbn=9781405276443
|website=http://nicksharratt.com/
|aznuk=1405276444
|aznus=1405276444
|cover=1405276444
}}

Before leaving the house it is always important that you check the traffic online.  What is the point in leaving now if you are going to be stuck in a traffic jam all the way?  Little Monster's Father could have done this, but is learning the hard way.  Thankfully, this is a world in which even the mundane can be fun and there are lots of friends to find; even when you are stuck in back to back traffic on the Monster M25.

When Little Monster's Dad suggests they go to the fair, Little Monster wants to go by train.  However, as it is not far they go in the car instead.  Unfortunately for this Monster family the traffic is bad, the car is unreliable and the pickup truck is not much better.  Will Little Monster ever get to the Fun Fair and if he arrives, what will there be to play on?

We were introduced to Little Monster and his pals only recently in Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart's other book in the series, [[Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart|Little Monster and the Spooky Party]].  In this story we were given a brief glimpse into Monster Mum and Monster Dad.  My own child loves the part where you lift the large ghost flap, only to find the parents.  Therefore, having more Monster Dad is making at least one child happy.

Like with their first outing ''Little Monster's Day Out with Dad'' is a fabulous lift the flap book for a toddler who is moving away from their very first board books into something that is slightly more complex.  The story is straight forward once more, but actually ends in a nice surprise as Little Monster may just get what he wants.

The main draw to this book is not the story, but Sharratt's illustrations and the flaps hidden within.  Each double spread image has two or three flaps to find, some small, others big.  Behind them you will often find one of Little Monster's spooky friends and it is nice to see that they are popping up.  As the book is aimed at heavy handed toddlers it is impressive to see how well-crafted the flaps themselves are.  It will take a lot of tugging to get these to fall off.

''Day out'' is a kind and simple affair that any child who enjoys interacting with a book will have fun with.  Sharratt's illustrations are as bright and colourful as ever, but once again the book is also very simple.  There is a relatively small window that your child will reach for this book, as although the flaps are fun, the story is a little shallow – even in children's books' terms.  In the meantime both toddler and adult will enjoy reading through the book and playing with the hidden flaps.

Other works by Nick Sharratt are certainly worth checking out [[Little Monster and the Spooky Party by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart|Little Monster and the Spooky Party]] and [[What's In The Witch's Kitchen? by Nick Sharratt|What's In The Witch's Kitchen?]].  You might also enjoy [[Monster, Be Good! by Natalie Marshall]].

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[[Category:Nick Sharratt]]
[[Category:Pippa Goodhart]]