Clarrie's pig day out by Jen Storer

Ill. by Sue DeGennaro. ABC Books, 2016. ISBN 9780733334443
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Words. Dogs. Farm life. Humour. When Clarrie goes out to get some chickens for his hen coop, he tries to take his dog, Bert with him. But he mixes up his words, and instead of calling to his dog, calls instead to his dag. In putting on his hat, he puts on a cat which cost him a lot of funny. Of course, a huge hint about the exchange of letters is on the title on the cover, Clarrie's pig day out, so children will be forewarned about what may lie inside. And they will not be disappointed. All through this very funny book, we see Clarrie making elemental mistakes with his words, usually changing just one letter for another with funny results. Children will laugh out loud at the mistakes he makes, noticing the error almost immediately then calling out what the real word will be in the blink of an eye. Each word that needs a change is highlighted as if it is on a small piece of paper stuck to the page, while the rest of the sentences are in a thin pale font. For children reading the book, they will immediately see the problem words.
The humorous illustrations by DeGennaro will have the readers scanning the pages eagerly to look at the range of things shown. Clarrie's kitchen is full of interest and each page draws the eyes to something different illustrated there. I love the stylised trees and plants, the price tag on Clarrie's new gum boots and the flag atop the hen house. What an enjoyable book for young and old.
Fran Knight