Charlie Cook's Favourite Book

Name: Charlie Cook's Favourite Book
Author: Julia Donaldson
ISBN: 9780545153645

by Julia Donaldson

Ages 3–6 Reading age 5 Picture book Set in everyday life funnyrhyming

Charlie reads a book about a knight, who reads a book about a pirate, who reads a book about Goldilocks, and round it goes.

A story about children and animals, funny and rhyming in tone. We would put it with children of 3–6, and at a reading age of about 5 for reading alone.

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Our take on this book

Charlie Cook is reading a book about a pirate, who is reading a book about Goldilocks, who is reading a book about a knight, who is reading about a frog — and on it spins, a story nested inside a story inside a story, until it loops cleverly back to the beginning. Julia Donaldson turns the simple idea that everyone has a favourite book into a joyful rhyming chain, and Axel Scheffler fills each spread with the characters of a different genre, so the whole thing becomes a celebration of reading itself. There is nothing to worry a young child; the fun is entirely in the ingenious structure and the bounce of the verse. For a three- to six-year-old it is a lovely read-aloud that rewards repeat visits, because there is always another little story tucked in the pictures — and, quietly, it is a book about loving books, which is a fine thing to plant early.