Oh Dear, Look What I Got!

A child sets out to the shop in search of a carrot, but finds he has been sold a parrot. ‘Oh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No, I do not!’, he cries. Off he goes once more in search of a hat…and comes home with a cat! And so the story continues until an unexpected puppy causes chaos. When the doorbell rings, all the shopkeepers are at the door, bearing the items which has been originally requested, leading to an impromptu party!

‘Oh Dear, Look What I Got!’ is a delightful cumulative tale, full of fun and fabulous illustrations.

The bouncy rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud and children will enjoy predicting what comes next as well as joining in with the repeated refrain of ‘Oh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No, I do not!’ which comes after every mistaken purchase. The illustrations offer little clues - a bear’s clawed paw poking from one bundle, a forked tongue from another- adding to the fun of predicting what is about to appear. The story lends itself to creating additional trips to the shops, with children adding rhymes of their own before joining in with a chorus of ‘Oh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No, I do not!’!

The illustrations are wonderful! On each journey to the shops, the child (I chose to use ‘he’- no indication is given as to whether it is a boy or girl) is followed by all the previous creatures acquired and there are so many details to notice and enjoy. The story starts and continues on the end papers, offering children the opportunity to continue the tale with their own ideas about what happens next!

Simply delightful!

Oh Dear, Look What I Got!

Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Walker ISBN: 978-1529510898

Whisper on the Wind

As Ren sleeps, the whisper of her dream is carried by the wind and the waves across the sea to a sailor who is working far away. On catching it, the sailor turns for home to answer the whisper in the dream and is home in time for them to spend the day together.

Told in the cumulative tale style, the lyrical text follows the whisper of Ren’s dream on its journey across the ocean. This style of telling works perfectly for this story as it feels almost like the lapping of the waves against Ren’s lighthouse home taking her dream to the sailor who, although never identified, we suppose to be her mother. Ren’s gender is never specified and the illustration showing Ren asleep in bed has a picture on the wall of a woman holding a baby so the story could hold personal relevance to children in many different situations.

The illustrations are quite enchanting and full of wonder. Ren’s dream is depicted as a message in a bottle, encountering real and imagined creatures of the sea on its way. Watched over by the moon as it makes its journey, the bottle is helped on mermaids and whales, fish and dolphins until it reaches the sailor who finds joy in its contents, understanding its meaning and following its call to return home.

‘Whisper on the Wind’ shows the power of love to unite us with those we hold dear wherever they might be, making it a comforting bedtime story, particularly for those who are separated due to work.

Whisper on the Wind Claire Saxby, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft

Allen and Unwin ISBN: 978-1911679387