Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
Advantages:
A very sweet children's story; beautiful illustrations and artwork
Disadvantages:
None
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Poppy Cat’s Dream is the sort of book that makes you wish you were three years old again. Then again, it could be that I just haven’t grown up yet! My son received this book as a Christmas present last year and it really has been a favourite of his (and mine) over the past few months. Not only is it a lovely story for getting your little bundle of joy off to sleep at night with its rhyming verses and vivid illustrations, it also brings to life Poppy Cat’s dreamtime adventures in the form of colourful pop-up pictures. I would normally refrain from spoiling a book review by giving away the plot, but given that Poppy Cat's Dream is written for very young children, I anticipate that it will be the mummies and daddies who will potentially be reading the review, so I hope no one minds if I cover the book in greater detail.
***The Story*** ============ Poppy Cat is a very cute little pussy cat who is the proud owner of a sweet little teddy bear called....’Bear’. Poppy Cat always likes Bear to sleep next to her in bed, but one night, Bear goes missing. Poppy Cat embarks on some exciting adventures through the night in search of Bear – OR DOES SHE?
As the title of the book suggests, the story is all about Poppy Cat’s dream, and in my opinion, is the perfect way to help get your little ones off to sleep at night.
***Page 1*** ========== “Sleep time Poppy Cat Snuggle down there But somebody is missing Oh where oh where is Bear?”
Page 1 is where we meet Poppy Cat for the first time. As she lies in bed waiting for her bedtime story, Poppy Cat realises that Bear is nowhere to be found. At the same time however, we can see that she is surrounded by all her toys including a small bus, a picture of a hot air balloon, a toy car, a submarine, a small boat and a toy cube with drawings of the moon and stars on it. All of these toys feature throughout the story.
***Page 2*** ========== “Oh dear Poppy Cat Bear is lost it seems But cuddle up all cosy tight You’ll find him in your dreams”
On page 2, we see Poppy Cat's mummy standing at the door, story book in hand, having told Poppy Cat to go to sleep and not to worry about Bear.
***Page 3*** =========== “All aboard Poppy Cat Wherever can Bear be Alma, Zuzu Mo and Owl Are coming along to see”
Page 3 is where Poppy Cat’s adventures really begin. The toy bus has come to life and Poppy Cat climbs aboard with her friends in search of her beloved Bear. By opening and closing the book slightly, the animals on the bus appear to be waving through the windows.
***Page 4*** ========== “Whoosh whoosh Poppy Cat Drifting up so high Floating in a big balloon Is Bear lost in the sky?”
On opening page 4, a brightly coloured hot air balloon comes out to meet you with Poppy Cat sitting inside the basket. As you can imagine, Bear is nowhere to be seen in the sky.
***Page 5*** ========== “Brum brum Poppy Cat Chugging up and down Zoom zoom beep beep Is Bear lost in the town?”
Yes, that toy car can really go. On opening page 5, the car drives out towards you via the pop-up, with Poppy Cat and all her friends inside.
***Page 6*** =========== “Splish splosh Poppy Cat Bubble bubble wheeee Deep down below the waves Is Bear under the sea?”
Poppy Cat has searched the sky, she has searched the town, and now she is searching below the sea in her own little submarine – or could it be her toy submarine from her bedroom? Amongst the fish and the octopus, the submarine bobs through the ocean in search of Bear, but again, Bear remains missing.
***Page 7*** =========== “Whizz whizz Poppy Cat Around the moon and stars The rocket ship zips up and down Is Bear up there on Mars?”
Remember that little toy cube with the pictures of the moon and stars? Well, Poppy Cat now has her own rocket ship in which she can fly through space in search of Bear. On opening the page, a rocket, complete with roaring red and yellow flames, takes off into space.
***Page 8*** ========== “Hush rush Poppy Cat The sea swishes round The pirate crew are sailing fast Ahoy can Bear be found?”
The toy boat is now very real and Poppy Cat sets sail across the ocean with her friends. The boat now has a little flag that you can wave from side to side.
***Page 9*** ========== “Fly fly Poppy Cat Faster through the night Swoop whoop loop the loop To look for Bear tonight”
Poppy Cat’s final adventure takes her on her very own aeroplane in search of Bear. Again, on opening the page, the plane flies out towards you.
***Page 10*** ============ “Sleepy time Poppy Cat Snuggle down there Underneath the bed oh! That’s where you went to Bear.”
So, after all those exciting adventures, Poppy Cat finally realises that Bear had fallen under the bed and was never lost at all!
***Price*** ========= Having checked with play.com, the book is currently on sale at £7.49 which is a fantastic bargain for what you get.
***My Opinion*** ============= This book is excellent for young children for two reasons:
Firstly, the story is very simple and, and being in rhyme format, is easy to read and quite short so as not to cause the child to lose interest.
Secondly, and I think this is a major factor in the popularity of this book, the pop ups and illustrations are second to none. Designed by former fashion designer Jo Lodge, the graphics are rich in colour and are very appealing to the eye, especially that of a young child.
I would add that this is quite a large, hardback book which can prove a little difficult to read if, as in my case, you are balancing it over a cot. However, I think this is only a very minor point as, in order for the reader and/or the child to take advantage of the excellent artwork and pop ups, the book really does benefit from being a little on the larger side. It really would not have the same effect if the book was small.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice present for a youngster, or even as a special treat for your own child.
Thanks for reading.
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