Fart monster and me : The new school by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton

ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733338939
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Tim Miller and Matt Stanton have produced a series ("Fart Monster and Me") that will entice and engage young readers; especially boys; through their toilet humour, hilarious and simple illustrations and easy to follow storyline. The chapters are short enough to keep reluctant readers on task, but they utilise lots of the frequently used words they will know with a few challenges mixed in for good measure. This combination enabled my son to really enjoy actually reading this book, not having it read to him. This particular episode deals with transition to a new school and the prospects of being embarrassed on your first day. Will the kids believe that the stink was not caused by Ben but by his Fart Monster?
The toilet humour is a real winner for kids from ages 5 and up (and some adults!), with loud farts, green gas clouds, and even the silent but deadly fart getting a mention. Mr 8 couldn't help but smile and enjoyed the book as you can see in his review.
I really enjoyed the illustrations too, as although they are simple line outlines, they have personality and add a lot to the story. The text is very clear, without changes to font size and style, and with appropriate line spacing to assist young readers. This is extremely helpful for children of all reading levels and abilities.
This book gets 5 out of 5 for its humour, ability to draw in reluctant readers and fantastic collaborative writing by these two well-known authors. A must-read for all fart loving children out there.
Lauren Fountain