In a nutshell: charming story of boy who can talk and joke with the animals | Lucky Vince – not only is his dad a zoo keeper but Vince has inherited the family trait and can talk to the animals. They can talk to him too of course, and sing, and what an eccentric but lovable bunch they are. In this adventure Vince recruits their help to track down stolen jewellery – the reward is a massive Swiss Roll, so wouldn’t you? Sophie Thompson’s narrative style is charming – she frequently breaks off to address the reader direct, and as though we are just the kind of people she really likes. She has a lovely turn of phrase – ‘There was a rittle-rittle-rootle and a frithy-frith-fatootle in the hedge’ - while the animals’ songs, interspersed throughout the story, are enormous fun. Illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown make this as good to look at as it’s fun to read aloud.
Readers will also enjoy Harriet Whitehorn’s Violet stories, and The Bolds by Julian Clary and David Roberts. ~ Andrea Reece
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