My Auntie Susan. (Tadpoles). Sheila May Bird. Illustrated by Daniel Postgate. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2008. 24 pp., pbk. & hc., $7.95 (pbk.), $18.36 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-3889-3 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-3858-9 (RLB). Kindergarten-grade 2 / Ages 5-7. Review by John Dryden. *** /4

excerpt:

Sometimes she gets in a bit of a muddle,
That’s when she needs a bit of a cuddle.

My Auntie Susan is a sweet short book about a young girl's time spent with her eccentric aunt. The story explains that Auntie Susan is a bit odd in that she wears a top hat when she rides her bike and a scarf even when it is not cold. The little girl obviously loves her spending time with her auntie. No matter what they are doing, the little girl does not see her as someone who is old and weird. Instead, she finds her as someone who is fun and lovable.

 This short book is written in rhyming couplets, and, by so doing, author Sheila May Bird emphasizes the fun that the little girl has with her aunt.

  Illustrator Daniel Postgate has created images that fit very well with the text. His art work shows the pair having fun everywhere they are together.

  The books in the “Tadpoles” series "are structured to provide support for early readers. The stories also may be used by adults for sharing with young children. At the book’s conclusion, the publisher provides general suggestions that adults could use to make reading fun for their children.

Recommended.

John Dryden teaches in BC’s Cowichan Valley.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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