Bamboozled

David Legge

Scholastic Australia, 1994

0868964877

Scholastic Australia, 2003

9781865045658

Every week, she goes to visit her grandfather, and every week everything is the same…until this week.  Even though they did all the same things, things were very odd.   They played cards, went through the photo albums, did the housework, but all the time there was something not quite right. All day, as they worked in the garden, fed the cat, and had afternoon tea, there was something amiss that niggled and niggled.  What could it be?

This was the first book that went into Stephannie’s Book Box because it is a favourite that she has enjoyed for ages, as each new reading entranced her.  For the story is not in the words, but in the pictures. In fact, the text on its own without the pictures is very plain, although it immediately engages the reader as they try to tell the little girl just what it is that is bothering her.  It would seem that Grandad has become quite eccentric and his house has the most amazing things in it now, starting with the quirky letterbox and the brickwork on the fence and continuing inside.  In fact it’s hard to find anything that’s normal!! And the ending is just delicious and says everything about love being blind!

This is a book for sparking curiosity and asking “what-if” and “why-not” and “what-about”.  There is something new to discover every time it is shared, helping develop that visual acuity that helps a beginner reader start to distinguish individual words and letters in the most engaging way.  It also sparks the imagination because it helps us to think of new ways to use familiar things or do familiar tasks.  Why not have the flower vase double up as a fishbowl?

Even though this is 10 years old now, Booko has it as still available from a number of outlets, so it’s worth tracking down as an essential addition to any library.