Archive | April 2, 2017

Digby and the Yodelayhee…Who!

Digby and the Yodelayhee...Who!

Digby and the Yodelayhee…Who!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digby and the Yodelayhee…Who!

Renee Price

Anil Tortop

Create It Kids, 2017

24pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9780992345754

High in a very tall tree Digby Fixit hears an unusual and very noisy noise.  Being a lover of music he scrambles down the tree to discover who is making it. Perhaps it is one of his very-bestest friends.  Is it Stanley strumming his guitar? Or Sophie tooting her kazoo? Perhaps it is Freda on the piano or Theo thumping his drum.  Maybe it is Wilfred on his double bass or Tarquin tapping the sticks.  No.  None of these and the noise was still noisy.  So using his trust noise-o-meter he followed its lead and found…

Written in rhyming verse to echo the passing of time and the rhythm of the music, author Renee Price has used her early childhood teaching and music educator experience to bring an engaging tale to young readers, introducing them to a variety of common instruments and their sounds along the way. Full of energy, fun and colour, readers are taken on a journey that will have them showing you their knowledge of the movements and sounds associated with the various instruments and then wanting to join in the jam session at the end- which they can do because there is a recording of the song that can be downloaded via the QR code provided.  They will also recognise that final sound that brings the music to an end – but not the fun.

Illustrator Anil Tortop has also hit the mark with her illustrations – each set on a background of a bold, solid colour and capturing such a wide range of action and emotion in clever, unfussy strokes that even include an intrigued cat. And, as with many characters, Digby now has his own website so the fun can continue.

An original storyline that teaches children a little about musical instruments (a change from Peter and the Wolf),  a little about the passage of time and a lot about curiosity, friendship and fun will be a welcome addition to home and library collections.