I have recently been lucky enough to be sent a copy of the children’s book ‘Ping and Pong – Splash’, written by Amy Trevaskus and illustrated by Alison Heath.
‘Splash’ is the first book in a series of ten about Ping and Pong who are brother and sister. Being very small, they have lived in the clock in Lucy’s hallway for as long as they can remember. When Lucy found them they were so happy, she looked like she had so much fun with her family and friends. In this book they clamber into Lucy’s pocket and go to play in the park with her, and then SPLASH in puddles!
“The remaining books will see Lucy and her best friends Ping and Pong learning through fun on their adventures. They will be discovering how to grow vegetables in the garden, learn about different animals at the zoo, and help Lucy’s mum and dad cook in the kitchen. Ping and Pong will also learn about recycling when they go to school in Lucy’s pocket.”
This is a delightful book; the story is innocent and reminiscent of stories from the 1950s when life was simple and children played in the gardens. Remember those days? Where children actually engaged in imaginative play with their toys rather than turning on their iPods or annoying their neighbours by kicking footballs in the street. I was very fond of Enid Blyton’s books (especially the faeries and Folk of the Faraway Tree), and this Ping and Pong book, to me, is of the same ilk.
The illustrations are beautiful; stunning pen and watercolour drawings.
On the left-hand page there is an illustration of the story on the right-hand page. On the page with the text, there is also a small accompanying illustration.
I have read an abridged version of this story in stage to The Boy (19 months old). Admittedly the book is not aimed at under 2 year olds, but he did enjoy it. He loved looking at the illustrations and we talked about the things that Ping and Pong were doing, obviously I was drawing from the story that Amy has written. I have also read it to my 5 year old nephew and 7 year old niece, both of them enjoyed it immensely. My nephew went outside and started splashing in the puddles straightaway, whilst my niece and I then had a little guess at what Ping and Pong would be getting up to next.
As a primary school teacher, I could see me using this series of books in the infant classroom. It would be an excellent starting point for a topic on the weather, or the world around us.
I think Amy Trevaskus has come up with a winning series here and I hope to her books in book shops, better still being read to children, very soon. In the meantime, Ping and Pong are available here.
As a class teacher, art lessons consist of me pointing to the art cupboard and the different paper types on the shelf and allowing the children to select for themselves. The Boy is two so I'd provided him with a selection of paint colours, paper colours and types for him to choose from, but I was still controlling the materials. As he gets older, he'll have more choice.
And then, because Monet didn't have it but we both know he'd have used it if he could have, we sprinkled on glitter to make the water sparkle!
