Pickles' Purrfect Plan by Carolyn Young Children's Book Review (sent by Matador)

Pickles' Purrfect Plan is a rhyming book for younger children and we've been sent a copy to review by Matador Books. Written by Carolyn Young and illustrated by Jo Blakeley, it tells the story of Wizard, Witch and Pickles the cat, who live together in a cottage in the woods.

I wouldn't usually cover books for children younger than my own, but I'm impressed with Pickles' Purrfect Plan. The story is sweet, the illustrations are excellent and the rhyming format works very well.

Pickles, Witch and Wizard live a humble life in their cottage in the woods. One day a storm comes and the cottage is damaged. They search the house, but don't have the money to pay for repairs.

Pickles has a plan to help them and once they go to bed, he springs into action - with more than a little help...

Jo Blakeley's illustrations are really sweet and friendly, and full of life. They work very well with the tone of the story and are very attractive. As a bonus there is even a little spider to find on every page.

Page layout isn't too scary for new readers, but it is especially suitable for reading together, and I can see children joining in enthusiastically with familiar repeated lines "said the witch in her long, pointy hat".

The font in Pickles Purrfect Plan suits the story very well, but personally I've never been keen on fancy fonts for potential early reader books, as it makes it a little harder to read when you are a learner.

A fairly formulaic, but equally fun little story which would have been read a lot here when my boys were younger, and will go on our 'Grandchildren' bookshelf to be read in the future.

Pickles' Purrfect Plan is written by Carolyn Young, illustrated by Jo Blakeley and published by Matador Books. Paperback with 28 colour pages full of illustration and ideal for children aged around 3-8. Available now priced £6.99 rrp from bookshops instore and online, including Amazon, where it is discounted at the time of typing.  

Amazon affiliate* link:

We were sent our copy of Pickles' Purrfect Plan for review. Amazon links are affiliate*, which means I earn a few pence as a thank you if you order through my link, but you never pay a penny more. It helps keep the Children's books reviews coming...