Little Red Plane

Review also includes:

Big Red Fire Engine, ****, 978-1844584130

Big Blue Engine, ****, 978-1844584154

Big Yellow Taxi, ****, 978-1844584147

Information books for children, however good, do not always survive beyond a first printing and so this revised small format edition of a well liked series is welcome. These little books help put the fun and energy into early experience of texts and pictures. Interactive, hands on and with sensibly robust lift-up flaps and pull tabs, they are evidence of the continuing appeal of the print book in a world of electronic texts. I particularly like Little Red Plane which demonstrates so well how a plane lands, and provides tabs to move the controls and a splendid take off check list with moveable ticks. Each book tells a lively story and shows print in different sizes and styles according to purpose. Big Red Fire Engine features a Breakdown Service sign in giant capitals and we have instructions to ‘pull down’, ‘push’ and ‘pick up the phone’ in lower case in Big Blue Engine. Big Yellow Taxi includes a lot of direct speech in bold print and with appropriate and often dramatic punctuation.

The books are meant to be shared with the adult reading the story and pointing to instructions while the child operates the flaps and tabs. They will be exciting to have at home and could be used to inform and enliven role play in the nursery class (not for children under 36 months because of small parts).