How to Get Home (Deborah Frenkel, illus Karen Blair, Affirm)

How to Get Home is a charming collaboration between author Deborah Frenkel (The Truck Cat) and illustrator Karen Blair (When I’m BIG, Train Party) that revels in the everyday words surrounding us. On a meandering walk home from school, 2 young children and their grandfather observe signs, labels and notices using environmental language. Children aged 2 to 7 will love spotting details, such as bold street signs, the children’s area at the library, and the flavours of ice cream at the shop. A special bird quietly links each scene, appearing on each page and guiding readers on an emotional journey as it also makes its way home. Blair’s illustrations beautifully weave these moments into the gentle, rhyming story. Clever design ensures a seamless reading experience between the illustrated words and printed text. This delightful book invites emerging readers to recognise visual cues and learn to supply the next word as they read. How to Get Home is a guaranteed hit for educational settings, as it combines directional language with teaching early literacy and visual comprehension skills and sharing safety messages. It’s perfect for fans of Tom Jellett’s The Train at the End of My Street and Bob Graham’s work.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Annie Waters sells books, writes about books and podcasts about books. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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