It is always such a treat to receive new titles from Catch a Star, they produce books which have been designed, written, illustrated and produced with meticulous care to appeal to toddlers and pre-school children. With immaculate timing, the gifted partnership of author Hilary Robinson and illustrator Mandy Stanley have created a new series featuring Tatty Mouse. She is the perfect character for our new age of austerity and up-cycling to increase sustainability.
When Tatty Mouse wants to participate in an activity, she doesn’t let a lack of equipment get in her way. Instead she turns to her instruction books, her tool kit, paints, glue, tape and discarded household objects and creates whatever she needs; whether it’s a musical instrument or a go-cart! Hilary Robinson’s sparse text tells the stories perfectly, with humour inserted through speech bubbles and added interactive interest in the form of “can you find” callouts which are cleverly designed in a recycling-style logo. Mandy Stanley’s artwork is absolutely stunning, the images pop off the page with the 3-D effects gloriously enhanced by the lift-the-flaps element of the books. Tatty Mouse is an adorable character, with her expressive face, dungarees and tool belt accessorised with what looks like a home-made necklace.
In both Tatty Mouse Rock Star and Tatty Mouse Super Racer, every page is packed with interest and vibrates with colour which will stimulate so many opportunities for conversation and vocabulary building when shared with young children. The pages and flaps are constructed from thick, high quality card that will bear up to repeated reading which is fortunate as I am sure that these books are going to be extremely popular with their target audience. It is so important to generate a love of books in children at the earliest opportunity and if you are the carer of a pre-school child, I absolutely recommend the Tatty Mouse books to begin their book adventures.
I am grateful to publishers Catch A Star for sending me review copies of these books in return for my honest opinion.
If you enjoy Tatty Mouse, I also recommend the Gregory Goose series by the same creative partnership: Gregory Goose is on the Loose in the Jungle, Gregory Goose is on the Loose on the Moon, Gregory Goose is on the Loose up the Mountain and Gregory Goose is on the Loose at the Fair.
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Thank you, Veronica, these sound lovely. Hilary Robinson writes in such a kind manner and I’m going to look out for these for our littlest family member.
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You have absolutely hit the nail on the head Anne, kindness absolutely captures Hilary’s writing style. I was lucky enough to have a long conversation with her and Mandy at an event hosted by New Frontier Publishing just before the pandemic hit and they were the most genuinely lovely people. I think their books really reflect their enjoyment in working together 😊
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