View source for Minikid (Little Gems) by Michael Morpurgo

{{infobox1
|title=Minikid (Little Gems)
|author=Michael Morpurgo
|reviewer=Ruth Ng
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781781123522
|pages=96
|publisher=Barrington Stoke Ltd
|date=April 2014
|website=http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/
|summary=An unusual story that left me feeling rather perplexed.  It's a beautifully designed book though.
|cover=1781123527
|aznuk=1781123527
|aznus=1781123527
}}
There seem to be more and more books being published, now, that are marketing themselves as being dyslexia friendly.  This Michael Morpurgo story is from Little Gems and it follows the guidelines that make it easier to read for children with dyslexia.  The paper is a high quality cream paper, so no shadows coming through from the other side to distract readers, there's a special font, and there are pictures throughout the story.  It's a lovely size that fits nicely into small hands, with an appealing cover.  So far, so good!

I loved the book's design.  It was when I came to the story itself that I wasn't quite so sure.  Minikid is a young boy who comes to stay on his cousins' farm.  His parents need time to work on their marriage, so Chris and Lisa find themselves lumbered with this whirlwind of trouble.  I suppose this was my first issue.  Although he's declared to be trouble, by Chris, I didn't see much evidence of him being a holy terror!  He's loud and a bit silly, and he knows nothing about life on a farm, but he didn't seem so dreadful to me!

Poor Minikid actually gets stung by a nest of wasps at the start of the book, with little sympathy from his cousin Chris who actually encouraged the ridiculous attempts to burn the wasps out, even though he knew it was dangerous and they shouldn't be doing it!  Later on, Chris and Lisa adopt a baby calf whose mother has died.  They all help to bottle feed it and, of course, become very attached to the calf.  You know what's coming, don't you?  Yes, the calf is a boy, no use on this particular farm, and he gets sent to market to be slaughtered.  Minikid takes great delight in telling Lisa what's going to happen to poor Bambi!  But still, he doesn't come across as inherently evil.

I think this is the point at which I felt I had some issues with the story, because just after Bambi leaves, Minikid also leaves, seemingly the same monstrous little boy he was when he arrived, and with no one having learned anything particularly useful about themselves!  I like the reality of farm life, and that children are being shown that it isn't all romantic hay wagon rides and animal fun and games.  However, I felt that poor Minikid's story didn't really go anywhere.  What happened with his parents?  Were they going to stay together?  Was he really a terrible person, or was he just a lonely boy, frightened by the changes going on in his life?  I felt that I was left with a lot of unanswered questions, which was surprising as this is such a short little book!

I think my best recommendation would be to find a copy in your local library, or go and take a peek in the bookshop first.  Have a look to see what you think about the lickety-spit ending, and if it's no problem for you (or more importantly your children) then go ahead and buy a copy.  It's such a lovely looking book, and I do keep picking it up, hoping for a better ending!

For another dyslexia friendly story you should definitely take a look at [[Blamehounds (Little Gems) by Ross Collins]]

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