4 out of 4 stars
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Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! is a children’s book which is both written and illustrated by Len Foley. Len takes the reader on a journey to investigate why Sigfried’s book has a grossly offensive smell. In this story, Sigfried is disturbed why his book has such a foul smell. He pictures all the offensive smells he can think of. This is all done in an attempt to solve the ‘mystery’ of his foul-smelling book. Dog’s pee, rotten pizza and smelly diapers are some of the smelly items highlighted in this book. Though the book is ‘full’ of grossly offensive smells, the story has a hilarious ending.
I liked Len’s illustrations a lot because they were both big and vibrant –a brilliant way to ‘stamp’ a vivid memory upon the reader. I also enjoyed Len’s idea of writing the story in rhyme; kids would definitely enjoy this. The rhyming words are easy to find, since they are written in bold text.
The book is short and cute. The PDF version that I read had 26 pages. The author’s concept of finding everyday items that stink and turning them into a mystery-solving mission for kids makes a great read. The idea of engaging the sense of smell through visual illustrations is really an amazing and unique way to capture the reader’s interest. The concept is both hilarious and educative.
The language used in the book is simple –young readers can read on their own without the help of adults. There are a few big words though, like ‘klaut’, scattered in the book – a clever way to expose children to new words. Though the book is generally hilarious, some readers might be put off by the description of grossly offensive smells. The moral of the story is, clean up after your mess.
Though the book is meant for children, I also recommend it to anyone who wants to be a kid at heart. Those who tolerate disgusting and grossly offensive smells will definitely enjoy this book. I am also of the opinion that it is a great book for parents who want to teach their children about the sense of smell.
Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! is a cute book with eye-catching illustrations. The editing is splendid -I could not find any grammatical or typing errors. The story is captivating, hilarious and educative; which makes a good read. Due to the reasons I have highlighted above, I therefore award Sigfried’s Smelly Socks! a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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Sigfried’s Smelly Socks!
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