And what better way to bring back Delightful Kids Books than to talk about a gorgeous children's book from Faber & Faber - The Goblin Princess: Smoky the Dragon Baby, which was published in July this year and is a wonderful story about Princess Matty and her new pet dragon, the terribly well behaved Smoky!
Intrigued? Check out the blurb here...
Everything is topsy-turvy in Goblin world and Matty, the Goblin Princess, just doesn't fit in! Her mum, the Goblin Queen, is always telling her to un-tidy her room and eat up her slug porridge (yee-uk!). Most of all goblins HATE nice things, including their enemies the sparkly Forest Fairies.
book 1:
Matty has a problem. Her new pet baby dragon, Smoky, is far too good and her parents, the Goblin King and Queen, are threatening to send him away! But Smoky is her best friend - can she find a way to make him naughty enough to keep? She just might need the Forest Fairies' help...
I enjoyed everything about this book - from the fantastic world of the goblins and fairies, the hilarious characters, to the heartwarming story and the beautifully elegant illustrations. The cover is of fantastic quality and so are the pages - which makes this the perfect book for your little ones to begin to read by themselves. There was just the right amount of text on every page and I really liked the fact that on some pages the text was submerged in between the pictures, which made every single page a delight to look at.
The Goblin Princess: Smoky the Dragon Baby is a funny story where the world is turned on its head - tidiness and good behaviour is abominable, and porridge is better hurled across the breakfast table than eaten politely with a bowl. As a kid I'm sure I would have loved the scenes where Princess Matty's parents are telling her to 'untidy' her room and telling her off for washing and brushing her hair! But aside from this, the book was a fantastic story about adventure and loyalty and never giving up - even when the end goal seems unachievable.
O' Connor creates brilliant, memorable characters with names such as Stinkwort, Plop and Mrs. Dollop, which makes The Goblin Princess: Smoky the Dragon Baby a hilarious story to read aloud and almost as enjoyable for the adults as it is for the kids!
Overall, I loved The Goblin Princess: Smoky the Dragon Baby and would highly recommend it to children aged 5 to 8, however younger children would definitely enjoy it if it was read out loud to them.
Buy The Goblin Princess: Smoky the Dragon Baby here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goblin-Princess-Smoky-Dragon-Baby/dp/0571316581
Check out Jenny O' Connor here: https://www.faber.co.uk/shop/children-s-books/age-7/filter-by-author/jenny-oconnor.html
Check back next week for another children's book to be featured!
Until next time :)
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