1 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
REVIEW OF SIGFRIED’S SMELLY SOCKS! BY LEN FOLEY
The story is a really short novel about a kid wondering what makes his socks and books smell so bad. It’s about all the disgusting things that had been done to his socks, all the disgusting misfortunes that had befallen his books. The phrase the author rightly quoted in the beginning, “something stinks about this book” covers everything about the entire story. It’s all about how bad his book and socks reeks, though he did promise to wash his awfully smelling socks in the end.
When I first saw the children’s book, I thought it would be comical at the least, something that could actually draw and hold a child’s attention. The book is short enough to hold a kid’s attention to the end, if it can draw it first. To me, I’ll rightly say I saw no point in writing the novel; what was a kid to gain in the end, is it good enough for a bedtime story, or is it more of a ‘read-at-school’ type? Most children’s books are creative if not comical, to help build a child’s imaginative stance or at least increase their grammatical sense. This book, while it is no doubt that it can help in a child’s grammar (as any nursery book would), won’t be of much use to a child.
Parents would rarely like it too in my opinion, and that’s chiefly because there is no moral, social or otherwise embedded in the story. At the end of the story Sigfried agreed to wash his smelly socks…in the toilet! I didn’t know if that was supposed to be a joke because it certainly didn’t have me laughing (neither did the kid I forced to listen while I read respond positively). I started searching vigorously on the information the book was trying to pass on or imbibe in children, there was none. There was zero element of creativity, information or morals the book could pass on to children and I think it would make the story a big turn-off to parents.
The graphics in the book was colorful and vibrant, and illustrated the story the author was telling. And I would say the age range that the book was designed for would be 1-3 years of age. As much as it pains me to criticize someone’s work, this book is much like a fictional and comical mistake.
I would rate the book ‘1 out of 4’ stars. There just isn’t much that would draw a child’s imagination or make a parent want to read it to his/her child, whatever time of day it happens to be. Children’s books should aspire to leave the children with positive creative and imaginative sense while endearing to improve their grammar, social skills and more. I don’t think a book based entirely on smelly things does that for the little ones.
******
Sigfried’s Smelly Socks!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Nmesoma's review? Post a comment saying so!
