Anh Do (text), Jules Faber (illus), Crazy Weird (WeirDo #6), Scholastic Australia, 1 April 2016, 160pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760159085
In this delightfully laugh-out-loud book by Anh Do, we are taken on a whirlwind ride of everyday adventures and school-kid worries. I must admit the dentist theme made me a bit hesitant for the first couple of pages but who knew it could be such fun? This story cleverly defuses the drama and embarrassment of one of life’s almost inevitable events – getting braces – in an endearing story about friendship.
I loved the minimalistic quirkiness of the drawings by Jules Faber which perfectly illustrate Anh Do’s zany and expertly crafted text. It’s a wriggle-and-giggle frolic of a book, full of awkward situations that will make readers and listeners laugh and cringe all at the same time.
Of course, the discovery of Crazy Weird, the sixth book in this highly successful series, has opened up a floodgate in our household where a strong sense of urgency now exists to locate the first five books. It’s a great book to read to children and a great book for children to read independently.
My grandsons loved every page and, even though it has been read out loud at bedtime (and after school) every day for the past few weeks, Mr Nine continues to laugh away to himself regardless of the number of times he has read it. The simple language and placement of the text on each page also make it very suitable for early readers. Mr Six-Year-Old was thrilled to recognise so many words on each page – and it is a nice change from many of the more ‘sensible’ reading options for this age group.
We now anxiously await the appearance of WeirDO #7 but I am confident that the WeirDO Books 1 to 6 will keep us amused in the meantime. We love Anh Do.
Reviewed by Jennifer Mors