Dougal's Deep - sea Diary - Simon Bartram

I don't know if anyone remembers my review of Simon Bartram's wonderful picture book Man on the Moon: A Day in the Life of Bob. If you don't please read make sure you read that book soon. If you do then you may be interested to know that Simon Bartram has written and illustrated a new book ~ he's also kept it in the family and decided to tell us about Bob's cousin Dougal. When I found out about Dougal's Deep-sea Diary I just HAD to read it!

~~~THE PLOT.

Dougal (Bob's cousin) has a typical 9 to 5 office job and travels to and from work on the train with lots of men in suits. Dougal is a little bit of an individual and, although he also has the suit, he has a big ginger beard, a bright colourful tie and a badge that portrays his exciting hobby. Dougal loves deep-sea diving and we join him as he is travelling home from work before he jets off on a diving holiday.

Dougal keeps a diary about his lovely holiday looking at ship wreaks, searching for mermaids and hoping to find the lost city of Atlantis beneath the waves. Like his cousin Bob though Dougal has a habit of missing what is obvious and not seeing what is going on behind him.

~~~WHAT TANGE THINKS.

Like Man on the Moon Dougal's story is illustrated in a bright comic book style, that is attractive colourful and fun to look at. The text is written in the form of a diary ~ we learn what Dougal is up to throughout the day. There is a mix between the exciting and the mundane; at one moment he is looking at treasure and shipwrecks, the next he is having forty winks. The diary style works well and means we also know what Dougal is thinking and dreaming of, as well as finding out the little details of his holiday.

There are no difficult to understand words and it is all laid out clearly on each page. It is easy to follow and perfect for a bedtime story or for a slightly older child to read to themselves (although they will probably want you to share the adventure too). The end has a slight twist and makes you smile ~ but I will leave you to read that for yourself.

The pictures are full of vibrancy and the whole book has a slightly surreal quality that makes it highly entertaining. There is so much going on throughout ~ children will be able to see something new on each reading and will enjoy counting the fish, looking for the hidden mermaids and shouting out to Dougal the things that he is missing behind his back. It is a funny story and visually very appealing. The pictures are slightly out of proportion and are big, bold and rather brash.

This is a wonderful book for younger children. I would say that really little ones will love the bright pictures, but that the text will be appreciated more by children of around six years and up. At thirty two pages it is long enough to warrant reading, yet not overly long and will keep a child's interest. The combination between the everyday life and the excitement of the deep sea dive will help the reader identify with the book ~ the little things are almost as important as the big adventures…a bit life our lives perhaps!

Dougal's Deep-sea Diary brings the weird world under the sea to us in an easy to understand way. The bright cartoony pictures work well with the simple, funny text. Dougal is a lovely central character that is bright and full of life. His enjoyment for life is infectious, as is this book! I think it is a great way of getting children interested in the sea ~ there are plenty of sea creatures to spot, dolphin shows to watch and there is even the chance to create discussion about undersea legends (like the lost city of Atlantis).

Recommended for children and adults who like a good giggle. As a follow up to Man on the Moon this is great and continues the Bob family saga in style!

~~~PRODUCT DETAILS

• 32 pages (July 1, 2004)
• Templar Publishing
ISBN 1 84011 508 4 (hardback) £9.99
ISBN 1 84011 509 2 (softback) £5.99