Who Ate Steve?

This is a wonderful book to read aloud with a child, a group or class, and then for a child to explore alone. There is a terrific atmosphere created between the hilarious text and the illustrations, and a free audio reading by scanning the QR code. The opening explains that the characters in the book are going to find out about SIZE, with the help of two creatures, Marcel, (a sort of crow,) and Steve, (a worm). Right, we get it. Marcel is BIG, and Steve is… but Steve has vanished. Oh no! After a severe telling off, Marcel is persuaded to cough Steve up. Also his HAT. There’s another attempt by Marcel, and another, to gobble up Steve… one illustration shows Steve stretched to impossible length, his tail in Marcel’s beak… until Marcel is given a final warning. ‘You are letting EVERYBODY down. This is not the sort of behaviour we expect in our book.’ Then what a denouement… readers will love it. The illustrations are remarkable, giving much character to both the crow and worm, such that readers will be empathising with one… or the other? And then comes the twist in the tale! There is the most effective use of capitals letters throughout, and surely young readers will be chanting parts of the text, for days, with enthusiasm. What drama. One not to miss.