The Think-Ups!

It’s pouring with rain and stuck indoors two small girls, Anna and Kiki, soon tire of their usual inside activities. Suddenly Kiki has an idea: ‘We could play the Think-Ups!’ she says. ‘All you have to do is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!’ Anna isn’t sure about this but Kiki demonstrates conjuring forth lots of lively bunnies. Then in turn the girls call into being a large moose, a tangle of octopuses and hungry koalas that sink their teeth into anything and everything. Eventually things spiral out of control with the mad menagerie taking over the entire house and the girls about to come to blows.

Luckily Kiki is as adept at getting out of trouble as she is getting into it so she comes up with what Anna deems her ‘best Think-Up yet.’ Then with order duly restored and the rain over, the girls sally forth into the garden. ‘Great idea,’ says Anna; but is it? …

Lively language together with pastel-coloured scenes of the domestic chaos, and the ebullient energy and rapidly changing moods so typical of preschoolers, make for a super read aloud that is made even more fun by the use of half pages and a huge amount of detail to pore over. Hurrah for the power of children’s imagination, creativity and quick thinking.