Saturday 17 September 2016

Billy Button Telegram Boy by Sally Nicholls and Sheena Dempsey (Children's, 5 years +, 10/10E, Dyslexia friendly, short 'n' sweet review)

All the illustrations are like this - in colour!
July 2016, Little Gems, 96 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Summary from Barrington Stoke
Billy Button has always dreamed of being a telegram boy. He loves their smart uniforms and shiny bicycles, but he’s too young for the job. So when the regular telegram boy breaks his arm and Mr and Mrs Button are in urgent need of a new boy, Billy jumps at the chance to don the Royal Mail badge and ride his very own bicycle. But will Billy be able to keep all the village residents happy with his deliveries? He might have to work some magic to make grumpy Mr Grundle smile…

Nayu's thoughts
Telegrams were extremely important before emails existed as Billy discovers! What I enjoyed the most was finding out how telegrams worked, the process they went through at the post office, the fact that boys like Billy were able to bring news to people that a normal letter couldn't do in a timely fashion. I enjoyed learning about the disadvantages of telegrams too- I'm grateful technology has advanced since then, but this provides a perfect peek into the past.

Billy has to do the right thing, but he does bend the rules a little. I wasn't mad because his heart was in the right place, and it ended up being a happy ending. There are memorable characters within the community which have me hoping hard that I'll get to read more of his adventures which are filled with charming illustrations.

Find out more on Sarah's website and Sheena's website.

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