BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations
Book Title: Beatrix the Bold and the Curse of the Wobblers (available here)
Author: Simon Mockler
Illustrator: Cherie Zamazing
Publisher: Piccadilly Press
Publication Date: April 2019
Most Suitable For: Years 4-6
Reviewed by: Hilary Nicholl (londinium_life), Trainee Teacher – Year 4
Beatrix the Bold and the Curse of the Wobblers is an amusingly told adventure story with a satisfying pace. Hidden under the seemingly simple adventure story surface are some clever ideas for children to consider and it would suit children in school years 3 – 6.
Beatrix is the queen but does not know it. She is protected from this information, and her wider world, by living in a big palace. Wilfred the Wise is thought to do magic but many of his supposed tricks and spells have quite different explanations. The set up of the story might lead children to explore interesting questions such as ‘What does it mean to be the queen?’, ‘Is it right to hide such key information from someone? ‘ and ‘Do we ever persuade ourselves to believe something despite the evidence?’.
The plot centres around the fact that everyone in the whole kingdom is scared of the ‘Wobblers’, yet no one has ever actually seen one. This fact is used by Beatrix to her advantage and again this might lead children to wonder how often we are lead by our fears to believe things and how we could guard against this. Despite pervading fears about the Wobblers and what else might be found beyond the woods outside the palace, Beatrix realises that she needs to be bold in order to find the answers she seeks once and for all.
This is a book that children would enjoy reading to themselves. The pages are well laid out with ample white space and the illustrations are attractive. The chapters are of a satisfying length. It is also a book that a teacher or parent could choose to read aloud as it provides so many interesting discussion opportunities.
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You can order Beatrix the Bold and the Curse of the Wobblers online or from your local bookshop or library.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending us a review copy of this book and to Review Panel member Hilary for reviewing it.
