Hodder Children’s Books ISBN 9781444942125 £12.99
Written in the recognisable style of his previous ‘Oi…’ books (Frog, Goat, Cat, etc), here we meet Humpty Dumpty, surrounded on his wall by his nursery rhyme friends. (I wonder how many of them today’s children will know?) He plans to be a boiled egg in the future, but his friends encourage him to ‘Think big’, and consider options such as musician, hairdresser, detective, train driver or scientist. Finally, he is persuaded, and decides he will work hard to become an astronaut. ‘Good for you’ says Jack be nimble, and gives Humpty a big pat on the back. Oops… You can guess what happens next, and the last we see of him, Humpty is being taken away in an ambulance, thinking maybe he will be an omelette after all.
So, whilst providing an opportunity for children to consider their own desires, perhaps beyond what they might first think of, we have then a curious and unexpected ending which will no doubt leave a few puzzled faces and lead to some interesting discussions.
Pam Dowson