Danny Best Watch This

Danny Best Watch This by Jen Storer illustrated by Mitch Vane (ABC Books) PB

ISBN 978-0-7333-3336-1 RRP $17.99

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Number four in the Danny Best series is Watch This, a book which promises a musical bum, rampaging dinosaurs and freaked-out ninjas in outer space. Packed full of Mitch Vane’s entertaining illustrations, the book also includes quotes and quizzes to break up the four stories. Every turn of the page provides something different to read or look at and there’s definitely no danger of the reader becoming bored!

Following on from the first three Danny Best books: Full On, Never Wrong and Me First, Watch This introduces the first story Master Builder, with pictures of the cast and a ‘secret’ code. The story of Danny and his friend Fabrizio includes unique descriptions of milkshake flavours and building of cubby houses and faking of fossils, just to name a few things. The second story Secret Ninja Spaceman is about a sleep over and a whole lot of imagination. The third story Bum-Free Four includes a story within a story about the promised musical bum. And the fourth story Sumo Wrestling Legend involves strapping pillows to the body. There are so many funny and weird things to mention that I’ve just picked out a few.

This book will appeal to primary school readers − boys and girls. It has humour, imagination and lots to go back and notice on the second or third time through. Danny is a likeable character and his friends add to all the fun. Illustrations and text go so well together, it is hard to imagine it wasn’t all done by one person. And my favourite section I have to mention was right at the end: Five Reasons Why Dinosaurs Became Extinct (By Professor D Best), with number 5 being ‘They moved to Adelaide’! I’m sure readers of the first four books will also welcome the next new addition to the Danny Best world, The Face on All the Billboards.