Trashy Tales: Duck for Cover!

Duck for Cover is the first in what I hope will be a series of 'Trashy Tales'. Benny, the Ibis, or bin chicken as 'some people' call him, and a few of his friends are the main characters and we follow them (along with the cutest little duckling) as they look for some breakfast. The friends run into difficulty when the 'SeaGurls', a group of food stealing Seagulls take their chip breakfast, and action and hilarity ensues! I was starting to wonder if Benny and his friends would ever get some breakfast.

Duck for cover is what I think of as a hybrid book, not quite a graphic novel, nor a traditional novel format either, a blend of the two. Monochromatic (black, white and blue) illustrations feature on every page throughout the book, they are full of action, emotion and character and add significantly to the narrative. They are also pretty hilarious, with my favourite the Seagurls depicted as 'jazzersize' dancers complete with leg warmers and headbands!

It is a fast-paced story, and combined with the whimsical illustrations offers the emerging reader a chance to build into the more sustained reading format of novels. It has it all, action, humour and endearing characters. I am looking forward to more Trashy Tales!