Sophie hits Six (by Dick King-Smith)

(Amazon UK link)

When my sons were small, in the early 1990s, I enjoyed reading them my own childhood favourite books. I also liked discovering some new children's authors. Of all the writers in the latter category, my absolute favourite was Dick King-Smith. We had kept several of his books, but had somehow managed to give away (or lose) one of my favourite series of his, the 'Sophie' books about a small but determined girl who wants to be a lady farmer.

So I was delighted to find four of them, at 50p each, in good condition, at the Book Den in Burgess Hill. On Monday, I picked up and read 'Sophie hits six'. In this book Sophie's cat Tom has to acquire a new name, as she gives birth to kittens. Sophie has to give them away... but in return for one of them, is given a different kind of animal.

I love the character of Sophie who is remarkably like one or two other small and determined girls I have known. I'd recommend this as a read-aloud for children of about four or above who have got used to books with short chapters; it doesn't have to be read after the two earlier books (Sophie's Snail and Sophie's Tom) since it's complete in itself, although it's probably best to read them all in order.

It's interesting enough, too, that it could be read by any child of four or older who is reading reasonably fluently; the language is fairly simple, the text bigger than that of an adult book, and there are some delightful line drawings scattered throughout. And yet the characters are so real that it can be enjoyed by people of any age.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, 12th April 2010