Busy
Izzy and Talkative Tess by Roxanne Kiely, illustrated by Jeesoo
Kim (Busy Ink Publishing) PB ISBN 9780994551016
Reviewed by Dianne Bates
Children across the globe enjoy songs, music and
games, as well as rhythm and rhyme, which is why the CEO of the World Literacy
Foundation says he highly recommends the books in the Busy Izzy series for
children.
The illustrated book suitable for readers 5 to 8 years
starts with the words, ‘Do you have a friend who talks a lot?/Natters and
chatters and doesn’t stop?’ Busy Izzy, the book’s protagonist, has such a
friend who not only talks fast, but also last, sounding like one of those
people who we say can talk under water. Tess is present while Izzy and her
friends are working in the garden, but she ruins the activity with a series of
accidents and her constant chatter.
Happily, Izzy patiently explains to Tess about taking
her turn when in company and Tessa accepts she’s hogged the limelight: she
apologises, and Izzy and her friends are better able to enjoy their friend. The
group write stories which they share and then sing a song about friendship.
The Izzy series is aimed at creating and developing
friendships among children. On the back page of this book is a list of
ingredients for friendship, which includes patience, kindness, understanding,
fun, listening and more. Without doubt, Busy
Izzy and Talkative Tess manages to cover all the bases of friendship. The
story is told in rhyming verse which would suit reading aloud, and the story
could easily be adapted to theatre with young readers acting out the parts of
Izzy, Tess, and their group of friends.
Not only is there a book, but there’s also a CD with well-known
Australian actor Bec Hewett featured as the voice of talkative Tess. All songs have been
written by the author and Stephen Kiely.
A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of Busy
Izzy books is donated to the World Literacy Foundation. You can find more about
the books and related materials on busyizzy.com and on Facebook, YouTube and
the Busy Izzy app.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Buzz Words Books would love to hear what you think.