Tree Fu Tom Magic Sapstone Belt and Holopax

Sponsored Post

If you are the parent of a child under 8 you will probably have come across Tree Fu Tom on Cbeebies. This is what the BBC has to say about the programme:

 the amazing adventures of a young boy called Tom who, with the power of ‘movement magic’ called ‘Tree Fu’, can transform into a tiny but mighty magical super hero and travel to a wondrous enchanted kingdom called Treetopolis that exists in a tree in his back garden.

Children are encouraged to join in with Tom's magical moves to help save Tom and his friends from disaster. What I hadn't realised until I read the for grown ups section was that the spells and moves are designed to help children with dyspraxia and similar conditions. It is fun watching my son join in to make the magic work.

To go with the show there are now a range of toys and dressing up outfits. We were sent the Magic Soapstone Belt and Holopax set to review. I popped in a couple of AAA batteries and my son was soon running around doing the moves:

The belt only lights up when the child moves around so encourages them to be active. With hopefully sunnier days ahead this is a great toy both outdoors and inside. 

A fun toy for any Tree Fu Tom fan and you can buy from Toys R Us or The Entertainer. Priced around £14.99 its not highly priced for a TV tie in.

Book reviews: Tiny Twisted Tales by Calvin Innes

Pale Henry by Calvin Innes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was sent these Tiny Twisted Tales to review with my 9 year old. Her initial reaction was that they were boy books based on their covers. However once she actually opened them and read them she loved them!

This story is about a boy too scared to go outside so he hides away in the loft. Because of this he is "haggard and thin, and as white as a sheet". The story is written in rhyme and it looks like it has been written on an old fashioned typewriter so it's uneven and has quirky type on the second o in words.

The illustrations are simple black and white cartoons which set off the words nicely. If you've seen Calvin's work before then you'll recognise his style with big eyes and exaggerated features.

The story shows how staying inside makes you unhealthy but by facing his fears and going outside Henry becomes fitter and healthier. However he does still want to stay in sometimes and that's OK too.

Twisted Tales are aimed at reluctant readers which doesn't apply to my daughter. There is enough text on each page to tell the story without being off-putting. I quite enjoyed reading it myself!

Jenny by Calvin Innes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can see why my 9 year old daughter enjoyed reading this scary Twisted Tale, she can relate to the heroine Jenny: "She doesn't wear dresses, or have long flowing curls". Instead she is an 8 year old werewolf hunter!

With its short snappy rhymes and quirky illustrations this is a quick read for an accomplished reader or an undaunting book for more reluctant ones. It's the longest in the Twisted Tales series but the 79 pages don't include that many words.

A slightly scary but not really frightening book it's great for tween readers who want an exciting read but not one that will give them nightmares. The werewolf looks pretty menacing in the illustrations but he gets his comeuppance at the hands of the heroine.

Lots of children imagine that they can hunt and defeat evil creatures and Jenny makes a good heroine. My daughter enjoyed reading the story out loud to her 6 year old brother. He seemed to be an avid listener so must have enjoyed it too.

The trademark ink spots and typeface are once again in this book alongside the monochrome illustrations. I'm sure this will be on our bookshelf for some time to come.

Stuart The Bug Eating Man by Calvin Innes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is not for the squeamish so it's perfect for primary aged children! Listening to my daughter reading to my son had my stomach churning as Stuart chomps his way through a range of insects. Reading it myself and seeing the illustrations made it worse!

Much to the disgust of his wife Harriet the eponymous Stuart just can't resist eating bugs and drinking slug juice... Each little verse in the story is accompanied by an appropriate cartoon with plenty of creepy crawlies.

Stuart turns his unusual habit into a job by coming a pest controller! The book shows how to make something gross into a money making venture. I just hope my children don't try to follow suit...

I am sure this will appeal to most young readers or even some older ones. Think I will leave the bugs to the children though..

View all my reviews

#SilentSunday

\

Butlins, Skegness

Butlins, a set on Flickr.

Didn't we have a lovely time at Butlins, Skegness. Such a photogenic place to be on holiday.

Sat Nav v Kid Nav

Like many people who drive around without another adult in the car I heavily rely on my Sat Nav to get us to new places. So you can imagine my horror when I realised the night before our holiday that I had removed it from the car and put it somewhere safe! There wasn't enough time to find it before we were leaving so I had to resort to plan B and Kid Nav 9.4:

Requirements

• list of directions from Google Maps
• road atlas

Special Features

• directions include that way or this way with vague hand motions
• needs upgrade to Kid Nav 10.0 or greater to bypass the I don't know feature
• may close relevant map page at inappropriate moments forcing a temporary need to be stationary until relevant page re-opened

Bugs

• occasionally responses of I feel sick or I've had enough
• Kid Nav easily distracted by little brother 6.3 in back seat
• easily distracted by virtually anything else going on around them
• occasional tantrums
• requires regular wee/meal stops 

So why don't you give your Kid Nav a go and see if you can make it to your destination of choice...