Swapsies

A lesson all children must learn - the importance of sharing. This simple story is perfect for young children as they become possessive of their toys and need to learn how to share. Swapsies tells a story of Fang, a young wolf who loves his favourite toy - his sock. But as his friends arrive, they bring with them their own favourite toys - a train and a ball. Fang thinks their toys look better than his own sock, so he asks to swap. The other creatures model good behaviour as they allow Fang to swapsies and this is a great talking point with your children. As all the creatures swap their toys, Fang soon comes to realise that he misses his own favourite toy and asks to swap back. The story ends with Fang cuddling his sock and exclaiming he will never swap again, that is until he sees another toy that looks even better... The narrative uses simple sentences throughout which allows young children to follow the story with ease, 'Sock is yellow. Sock is stripey. Sock is squeezy'. I found this story good to read to my youngest child (two years old) as she followed the story line with ease. However, due to its use of simple language and sentence structures, it was also brilliant to read with my eldest (four years old) as he began to decode and read some of the words - working at the stage of phonics incorporating digraphs such as ng, ph, sh ; long vowel sounds ai, ow, oo, ee, ue etc . The language is often repetitive as each creature's toy is described using the same pattern, 'Train is red. Train is shiny. Train is honky.' Again this literacy technique makes this story accessible for young readers so would perfectly suit an early year's setting. The illustrations are brightly coloured which allows children to focus on the narrative and follow the pictures with ease. The creatures are illustrated with big eyes and expressions to easily follow their emotions and each page is sparely laid out. We have come to love Fang. As a mother of 2 toddlers, I found this story excellent at reminding my children it is good to share and try out each other's toys - as long as we ask first. Picture book / Ages 2+ / Reviewed by Joanna Hewish, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 3+