This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina

From TheBookbag
Revision as of 10:32, 18 September 2020 by Sue (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search


This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina

194812453X.jpg
Buy This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: For Sharing
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Jill Murphy
Reviewed by Jill Murphy
Summary: Another in Justine Avery's Living Book series. Its mission is to make you laugh. And it succeeds!
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 36 Date: March 2020
Publisher: Suteki Creative
ISBN: 978-1948124539  

Share on: Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram



This Living Book is on a mission. What's the mission? To make you laugh! I can't think of many better missions than that, can you? Let's see how it does...

.... well, it opens up with a terrible joke. A groany joke, an eye-roll joke. The joke isn't very funny but it is funny to see how enthusiastic and how generously this book wants to make you laugh - Oh, I'm terrible at jokes. Some books are so good at them. I always wanted to help someone laugh. Its initial joke having fallen somewhat flat, Living Book wonders if it can borrow one from its reader - Then lots of them would see it. And maybe one of them would laugh. And then, I would be the happiest book alive!

And just in case no reader jokes are forthcoming, Living Book tries out some funny drawings - a pig in a bubble bath with a happy grin on its face, a sheep using hair straighteners to tame its super-curly fleece. Your smile will get a bit bigger and a bit bigger again, and I promise you'll laugh in the end! The best joke, like all the best jokes, is saved until last and I'm not going to spoil it for you. You'll just have to find it for yourself. Suffice to say, Living Book is very happy about it. Because you laughed. You definitely did.

This Book Wants to Make You Laugh is another in Justine Avery's Living Book series. You can read about the first one here. The idea is that anthropomorphising a book will encourage children to see reading as a two-way process. The more you put in, the more you get out - books want you to read them. Books don't belong on shelves: they belong in the hands of readers. It's an important message.

As ever, with Avery's books, the text is clear, accessible, bright and optimistic. It invites children in and gently expands vocabulary in an easy, relaxed way. There are plenty of jokes and an air of joint discovery. Daria Yudina's illustrations are expressive and full of open emotions - in this book, my favourite was the poor sheep, who looked more like a lampshade than a fleece after its efforts at coiffure. Its crestfallen expression is a sight to behold, as is its pure joy when the rain comes and returns it to its natural, shaggy self.

I liked this welcoming little story immensely. It's packed full of gentle fun and provides all sorts of opportunities for discussion between parent and child - especially ones that might lead to laughter. What more could you want?

Other books for sharing that want to make you laugh include The Bunny That Couldn't Be Found by Angela Mitchell and Fix-It Duck by Jez Alborough. And don't forget other books in Justine's Living Book series - for example, This Book Is Alive!.

Please share on: Facebook Facebook, Follow us on Twitter Twitter and Follow us on Instagram Instagram

Buy This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
Buy This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy This Book Wants to Make You Laugh (Living Book) by Justine Avery and Daria Yudina at Amazon.com.  

Comments

Like to comment on this review?

Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.