Children’s board book based on the hit TV series
I love bookshopping for my toddler so much. She is a massive fan of the “Bluey” TV show and loves all the associated books, so when we saw this one a while ago it was impossible to say no. It’s actually taken me a really long time to post this because I haven’t been able to find either a motorised scooter or a garage sale close enough to my home to take an accompanying photograph. Then when I finally found one, because I didn’t want to be too creepy, I took a very quick photo only to find it was out of focus when I got home. Anyway, we’re all just going to have to cope with a bit of a substandard photo this review because I spent far too long speaking to the lady running the garage sale to return without it being awkward.
“Bluey: Granny Mobile” is a children’s board book based on the episode of the same name from the TV series “Bluey”. Sisters Bluey and Bingo are driving home with their cousin Muffin when they spot their neighbour Doreen having a garage sale. The kids decide to dress up as grannies and pretend Muffin is a grouchy granny selling the other two grannies her ‘granny mobile’. Things get interesting when a real grouchy granny turns up to buy it herself.
This is a really fun book adaptation of a great episode of Bluey. The dialogue is very engaging and there is a huge amount of opportunity to ham up the interactions with different voices. The back and forth between Muffin and Old Pug is the absolute highlight of the book and never loses its hilarity no matter how many times I’ve read through it. It is a great book for promoting speech and early literacy, and my toddler loves to recite the text, especially “Ooh! Aah! The kids spot a…GRANNY MOBILE!”
It’s also a really interesting character study. Muffin, who is frequently depicted as a bit spoilt and bossy compared to her sister and cousin, is shown in a slightly different light. Not only is she a little uncomfortable with being typecast as too ‘grouchy’, her strong will while negotiating is seen as a strength. It is truly lovely towards the end when Doreen describes Muffin as ‘one in a million’. This story is a great way to show that different personality types can all have their time to shine, but that you don’t have to always play to stereotypes either. There are a lot of subtle plot points in this book as well hinting at the loss of Doreen’s partner Len and needing alternative ways to raise money in retirement. I also really liked Doreen’s character development and the idea that older people can also learn from younger people.
A really fun, enjoyable book that is a firm favourite in our house.
