Indigo Wilde and the Creatures at Jellybean Crescent
Pippa Curnick is a magician with words and pictures and her latest book is sure to spark the imagination of young readers. From the first page the reader is immediately drawn into the exciting, hazardous, and unexpected world behind the door of 47 Jellybean Crescent. Unbelievable creatures, an incredible brother and sister and of course a nosy neighbour are all the ingredients needed in this recipe for fun-filled chaos!
The stylistic features of this book, both in text and illustration, make a keen-eyed observer of the reader. From the newspaper-style layouts and advertisements to the amazingly detailed pictures, it is certainly a book to revisit over and over. It is so important that every child is seen and can see themselves reflected in books, and both adoption and deafness are represented here with care and respect. The creatures of the title are an intricately detailed and melodious muddle of animals and mythical beasts – some we know and some we most definitely do not. Their sheer variety helps to build up the anticipation of discovering what each new creature is and what animal or beast could possibly enjoy chocolate so much.
Indigo Wilde and the Creatures at Jellybean Crescent is a fantastic, fun-filled story for confident readers and would also make an excellent chapter-a-night read aloud for younger children. It’s a great story for the classroom too, when exploring creating new characters and thinking outside the box. Thoroughly enjoyable.
