4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Published in 2017, Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! is a colorful, children genre book. Written and illustrated by Len Foley, this book would leave any child between the ages of three to seven wanting to read the story over and over again. Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! is the story of Sigfried’s mission to discover why his book stinks. In a fun and adventurers way, he investigates different events that could have caused the terrible smell.
I love color and that is why I find children books interesting. Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! employs color in humorous, child-like way. I would say even for a child who has not yet learnt how to read, the color and art work in this book will quickly draw them in. For a book belonging to the children’s genre, the language used isn’t complex. This makes it easy for a child to read it by themselves without difficulty.
The use of color in any children’s book always creates the right environment for a child to learn about color. In this book, the writer uses socks of different color to illustrate this point. In addition to that, the art-work used was the kind that would normally capture the attention of children. In my opinion, I found the writer’s choice of color and art-work complemented each other all while telling the story in fun way.
Other than color and art-work, there are lessons to be drawn from the story. In the last part of the story, for example, Sigfried is seen taking upon himself the responsibility to wash his smelly socks to get rid of the terrible smell. This goes a long way to teach children on cleanliness or hygiene. It also encourages them to be responsible and organized.
I noticed on page four that the writer dedicates the book to Becky and Sofia, whose never-ending pile of socks inspired this story. I found this gave the story sort of a personal touch since Becky and Sofia could be the writer’s children. Because the targeted audience is children, it helps if the writer's inspiration is drawn from his/her experience in dealing with children in the area they are writing on. It would seem to me that Len had that experience and that is why he is able to script this story in way that is enjoyable to a child.
I enjoyed reading this book. I would consider reading it to a room full of kids just to gauge if they can learn any lessons from the story. The book was only 27 pages long which is quite okay for a children’s book (In the selection list however, the book is indicated to be 2 pages long. I think that should be rectified to reflect the correct information). For reasons that I have discussed above, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It would be a suitable birthday gift for a child between the ages of three to seven.
******
Sigfried’s Smelly Socks!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!