Alan Gilliland

This is indeed going to be a marmite book (as I noticed from the reviews already on Amazon). I was very excited to open this, thinking I was going to be reading something incredibly magical, already having in mind who I could pass the book on to after me. Instead, I felt a bit confused by it. Who is it aimed at? I couldn't tell if it was for children or adults to be honest. It is naturally reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and whilst you can see how children love that story I feel this is a bit more complicated than that. I liked the book but didn't find it an easy read. The illustrations are wonderful though and they do add to the story (they helepd me understand the signpost with the missing post a bit better for example) and they let you see the characters in a little more detail - which is necessary because the prose doesn't always let you do that.

Even though I like the book overall I've given it three stars, simply because I felt it didn't flow and it wasn't the exciting read I'd been expecting. The chapters just didn't seem to link well and the rhymes became quite irritating in places. I'd love to try something else by this author as a comparison but I have a feeling I won't. I tried to read it out loud to aid my understanding, much to bemused looks from my husband but even then the word order sometimes didn't sound right. On paper this book is a terrific idea, in principle it just doesn't quite work. I'd recommend trying it from the library first before buying it and then buying it as a keeper.

Overall, the illustrations are 4 stars and the way the story flows brings it down to 3 stars.… (plus d'informations)