'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday 6 April 2020

Review: Bluey: Easter Fun and Bob Bilby

Bluey: Easter Fun is a craft book full Easter activities which include an Easter basket to cut-out and assemble for your Easter eggs. It opens with an invitation to colour Bluey in.  

How to Use the Book gives instructions on all the fun activities there are to do, make and include others in.

There is a holiday craft kit list with all the essential tools, beginning with an adult to help. 

An Easter Treasure Hunt is involved. A page of brilliant ideas to make and take part in, masks to cut out and glue together, eggs to colour, a maze to find the missing Chattermax and eggy friends’ faces to fill in, is only the half of it!

There’s a join the dots Bingo, a cupcake recipe, decorations to cut out and make your Easter hat original, and jokes from Bandit. Funny hand faces, two camping activities that include the characters and to encourage inventiveness, create-your -own Bluey scene. 

For outdoors, there’s how to put together an Easter garden with a hanging basket included.

It closes with a game of hide and seek. The eggs are hidden and they must be found. Where can they be hiding?

Filled with hours of activity and creativity, this book is chock-a-block of fun and occupation. It feeds the imagination and takes kids away from their screens.
  

In Bluey: Bob Bilby, Bob introduces himself and confesses, like most bilbies, he doesn’t talk much. But he’s a good narrator!

Bob is going home from school with Bingo Heeler for the weekend. He has already cultivated a friendship with Bluey, so looks forward to new experiences. 

To build friendship, Bob shares his book of photos of his other friends; their interests and favourite likes. There’s Jasper and Aussie football, with Mrs Terrier in Scotland, and Bob wearing his yellow karate belt while with Maxie.

They play games and take more photos with Bingo’s tablet. It has games and cartoons that they get stuck into. A visit to the shops has the three friends watching large screens. Even Mum watches hockey and Bob thinks he’d like to try hockey.

Bingo’s Mum puts the photos she has been taking in Bob’s book.  But most of them are just of Bob watching cartoons. Bingo is unhappy. But Bluey has a good idea.

Mum puts away the tablets and gets out the bikes. This is more like it! Bluey clicks away as Bingo and Bob do exciting stuff! There’s the playground; the slide, the springed horse, roundabout and fireworks. Photos of memorable times for Bob Bilby to keep and share with his friends at Kindy are collected.

Who will take Bob home next?

Our lovable characters are role models for children. They restore the exciting world of activity, surprise and joy by getting them away from their tablets. Bluey and Bingo show that friendships are not created in front of a screen but in sharing happy times and fun together outdoors. Gorgeous images, full of happiness and laughter, friendship and togetherness, fill the pages and are accompanied by strong messages.

Title: Bluey: Easter Fun and Bluey: Bob Bilby
Author: Based on the ABC Kids TV Show
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $9.99, $14.99
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Format: Paperback and Board Book
ISBN: 9781760896898 (Easter Fun), 9781760896638 (Bob Bilby)
For ages: 3+
Type: Craft Book and Board Book