#365PictureBooks 56. Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas, illustrated by Amanda Francey

Carnavas, P., & Francey, A. (2014). Jonathan! Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921928611
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Jonathan loves dressing up and trying to scare his family.  But they don't find him at all scary or funny!  Disappointed that his scare tactics aren't working Jonathan goes outside and climbs a hill.  But it's not a hill ... it's a dinosaur!  What happens when Jonathan gets the dinosaur to help him scare his family?

A gorgeous simple rhyming story about something that most kids can relate to ... playing dress-up and trying to scare their families.  Each page has one short line of text, which leads into the next page with the animal noise that completes the rhyme.  There is also lots of repetition making this a great story for young children as they will quickly be able to pick up the rhyming aspect of it and the repetition of words.

The illustrations are bright and very realistic.  The facial expressions on Jonathan's face are just classic.  The illustrations are a mix of full colour, with a pale-washed background (like the walls or sky), and just the focus images on a white background.  The scenes really draw you in and make you feel like you are part of the image.

Lovely simple rhyming story to add to your collection.  Great for using with younger kids for imagination and word/sound association.

I got my copy of Jonathan! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.