As I told you in a recent blogpost (here), the nation's favourite postie Postman Pat is celebrating his 30th birthday this year, but he's not the only one - Random House Children's Books are also celebrating 30 years of Shirley Hughes' Alfie.
Alfie's first adventure, Alfie Gets In First, was published by The Bodley Head in 1981. Alfie was an instant success; children and parents alike fell in love with the charming humour and drama of his everyday life. The Alfie books have gone on to sell over 2 million copies in the UK alone.
The 1st September saw the release of All About Alfie, a lovely hardback book filled with two brand new adventures (which we received to review), and also a slipcase featuring 4 favourite mini Alfie hardback stories: Alfie and the Birthday Surprise, Alfie Wins a Prize, Alfie and the Big Boys and All About Alfie.
All About Alfie is a lovely book to read to pre-schoolers because they will easily relate to the everyday settings that Alfie finds himself in, but it's also a book that will appeal to learner readers who will love to read the relatively long stories along with you. They are simple to understand and the realistic illustrations are full of details which help young readers to imagine themselves in the story, but the language isn't dumbed down, using quite complex words such as "provisions" and "fusty smell", for example.
The two stories deal with everyday, realistic events - a visit to a great-grandmother for her 90th birthday and a nightime encounter with an owl - which make a change from the often fantastical kids' stories of talking animals and magical fairy lands.
Shirley Hughes has been called ‘a national treasure’ by Philip Pullman. Her talents have been recognised not just by her peers, in national media and by winning the Kate Greenaway Medal twice, but also by families who cherish their dog-eared and much loved copies of her books. If you've never read an Alfie book before, now is the perfect time to discover his lovely stories. Happy birthday Alfie !
star rating : 4.5/5
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Bodley Head (1 Sep 2011)
Language English
ISBN-10: 037033194X
ISBN-13: 978-0370331942
Product Dimensions: 25.2 x 25.2 x 1 cm
RRP : £10.99 (but only £6.15 on amazon)
for more information and Alfie activities and downloads : http://www.alfiebooks.co.uk/
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I have never heard of these books before but they sound great for the kids
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