This Old Van Book Review

I was recently sent a lovely book from GMC Distribution. This Old Van (£9.99) is a brilliant take on the traditional rhyme - this old man.

When Grandma and Grandpa get a very special invitation, off they race in their trusty hippie van. The light hearted verses bounce right along with them, sung to the tune of "this old man".

But there are more than a few bumps in the road ahead. Can the old van keep zipping along with a click clack rattle rack? And will they make it on time.

Written by Kim Norman and illustrated by Carolyn Conahan, this wonderful hardback book immediately catches your eye with its quirky, hippy inspired front cover. You get the sense that it is going to be a fun read from the offset.

Now of course you can just read this book but I think part of the magic of this story is that the words can be sung.

With each turn of the page there is much to be discovered. Brightly coloured drawings which remind me of a rainbow have children's imaginations working overtime and lead the way to immense laughter.

From animals wearing hard hats to vehicles that appear to come alive. Each time you start to read 'This Old Van' different images manage to pop out.

As I tried to sing tunefully (not quite ready for my X Favtor audition) to my children we were pointing out the various colours on the pages and the numerous animals that managed to come along for the journey.

And of course there is another element to this book, counting. A brilliant and sneaky way to encourage your kids to count from one up to ten without them even realising that they're learning as they read.

I would say this is a lovely family book. It appeals to all ages and makes for ideal reading material when you want to have a good sing-a-long but perhaps best read during the day and not at bedtime as you'll be left with rather excitable children!

xxxx

Disclaimer : I was sent this book FOC for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.