THIS IS A BALL

This is a Ball, by Beck & Matt Stanton (ABC Books), ISBN: 978 0 7333 3435 1

Ready for some fun? Here are the instructions for the adults on the back of this book:

For the Grown-Ups:
You know how you're right all the time? All. The. Time.

Yes, well, it's time to give the kids a turn.

Which is why everything you read in this book is going to be wrong.

But that's okay, because the kids are going to correct you.

And they are going to love it!

.....and that is totally true, and you will love it too.
The first time I read this book I had to use my imagination. I read it silently, to myself, no children present. That is not what this book is designed for. I got it, but I knew that I had to read it to a younger member of the family as soon as possible. How wonderful my young niece was coming to visit with her parents that evening!

We sat, cosy on the couch, and we read the book, or we argued through the book, oh what delight. My niece is shy, quiet, reserved and not very vocal. Within moments her blood had begun to boil, she was shouting, glaring at me (while we laughed) and she became so engaged with the book that she became extremely extroverted. It was exciting, it was lovely, it was loud!

I can't say that this is a story book, it isn't a book that is to be quietly read alone, it is a tool, it is a wonderful piece of interactive equipment that doesn't require batteries and it is a page turner.

But does it lose it's advantage after it has been experienced once. No. I put it to the test.
Next, we gave it to my brother, who though very confused by the book, read it to his eager daughter. She took such delight in arguing with Dada! Aunty Christina was fun but Dada... well that was something else.

You might wonder why we would encourage young children to argue with adults, to disagree, stand against them. Well, what a boring generation we will raise if they do not learn that they can disagree. This book is more than an argument on paper (that sounds a bit Monty Python!). It is a book that engages, encourages and allows children to discover their own voice in a safe way. It is okay to not agree, but it can be done nicely and with discerning discussion. And at the end, well, according to the book, there is no end, and there begins another argument.

Put this one on your shelf, and if you want to blow off a bit of steam, read it aloud to a child.