There are a fabulous new range of books out by the brilliant children's publishers Top That! called The Froobles. We were sent the titles Apps Apple and the Tooth Fairy and Orlando Orange and the Big Scary Bear to review.
The Froobles are characters based on fruit and vegetables that come to life through the power of children's imaginations. When the children in a playgroup create a scene for them, the characters enter into this magical and ever-changing world to explore it, having new adventures that only they know about.
There are twelve characters and books in the series:
- Apps Apple and the Tooth Fairy
- Billy Banana and the Magic Mystery
- Bobby Blackberry and the Treasure Island
- Charlie Chilli and the Safari Song
- Chloe Carrot and the Greedy Witch
- Cory Cucumber and the Farmyard Muddle
- Little Jack Potato and the Big Surprise
- Ozzy Onion and the Noisy Dinosaurs
- Penny Pineapple and the Chocolate Forest
- Sienna Strawberry and the Ice Palace Ballet
- Tessa Tomato and the Rainforest Rainbow
The books are small and fit perfectly into change-bags for instant distraction and story-telling. There is also a sheet of stickers at the back of each book with the main characters and locations from that story, so that little ones can recreate the story. The illustrations are really funky and modern, using hand-drawn pictures alongside photographs and computer imagery.
The text is simple enough for a Foundation Phase child to attempt reading it themselves, and alongside this the font is perfect: is uses the correct type of 'a' and 'g' that are encouraged for use with early readers.
Normally retailing at £2.99, The Froobles books are available at a special reduced price of £2.69 through the publishers Top That!
The Froobles world is wide-reaching and encompasses traditional and modern media. Not only are there the twelve books, but there is also a fabulous website (www.Froobles.com) with games for each character, from dressing Little Jack Potato, skateboarding with Cory Cucumber, to playing nought and crosses with Apps Apple.
In addition to the books and website, in November, there will be a range of interactive Froobles Apps (available from iTunes App Store) featuring the voices of Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen, Edith Bowman and Reggie Yates. I will definitely be downloading these as The Boy is very competent with a touch-screen but not so much on the computer; he'll be able to enjoy these on the iPod Touch.
