Donald Doing’s House
of Verbs written
by Marianna Shek, illustrated by Cody McGrath and Anna Pan (Rock On Kitty)
PB
RRP $16.95
ISBN
9780994266613
Reviewed
by Liz Ledden
This
rollicking story introduces the eccentric looking Donald Doing, lover of verbs and
owner of a shop filled with solutions for people seeking action. As each
customer enters the shop and presents their problem to Donald, he gives them a
box. When opened, each box unleashes a new action and leaves the recipient
catapulting or spiralling out the door with a new lease on life.
Donald
Doing usually has the right solution, but when Nora Noisler arrives declaring
she needs a new voice, she is much harder to please. It’s not until the two of
them join forces and ponder her problem that a solution presents itself.
However, the reader is left a little hanging wondering where Nora Noisler got
to, as the focus returns to Donald and how the solution benefits him.
The
illustrations are a non-stop riot of colour and activity. Particularly fun is
the spread where Donald ‘climbed up a ladder and slid down a snake’,
referencing the beloved board game. The bonus of activities at the end offers a
combination of illustration instruction and encouragement for readers to think
of their own verbs in relation to some of Donald’s mysterious boxes.
The
narrative is quite busy at times, but this is a fun story and serves a
wonderful purpose of introducing young readers to verbs, and how they can
enhance a story.
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