DoubleDippers!

The beautiful illustrations in this book are the standout for me. I was therefore surprised to learn that they had been created using Adobe Photoshop. I didn't realise it was possible to create such amazing illustrations using this software. They are soft in places, strong in other parts, humorous and portray the character and emotions of the animals perfectly. I particularly liked the instantly recognisable tui, flax, penguins and crabs.

Three stories of about 25 to 30 pages each make up this graphic book. The stories follow on from each other and the text itself is not very demanding of the reader. The storyline is rather basic, with just a little action, which is a great introduction for any reader who is new to the graphic book format as it allows them to concentrate on the endearing illustrations and the appealing layout of the pages. I was surprised that all the text is in capitals as children at this level are being taught about upper and lower case letters.

At the end of each story a page is dedicated to a thoughtfulness tip linked to the story, which is told in such a way that it's easy for young readers to understand.

I imagine both boys and girls will enjoy this book and the colourful, eye-catching cover will immediately grab their attention. There are additional books in this Big Little Blue series for readers to enjoy.