Bidibidi product reviews

Ive never seen this book before but the cover caught my eye with a rainbow wording and a greyish picture of a sheep. It gave me the feeling it was about a sheep and my kid like animals so thought this would be really good for them.

I started reading it but it took us a couple of weeks as both children 5 and 4 wanted to listen to it, and sadly at that time my son was his can't sit still self for a while so we had to do it page by page pretty much. In the end we ended up starting again as my 5 year old wasnt remembering the book and what it was about, so lucky it was a night my son was happy to sit and listen to the whole thing in one go finally.

The pages werent very bright but more of a dull colour but I think that fitted into the story well, with where BidiBidi was going and what he was doing. He went on an adventure looking for a rainbow and what an adventure it was. You will have to read it to find out if he found the rainbow or not and what happened. It was very interesting about the descriptions you could picture yourself there and with BidiBidi.

I do also like that the first page started with a small rainbow and the last page ended with one, keeping the story very well together and my children both looked and noticed that which is awesome. So go on an adventure with Bidibidi. There is lots of opportunity to change your voice to make it lots of fun.

I have seen Gavin Bishop's Bidibidi book around for years so was surprised to see it in the February releases from Scholastic Books. It turns out it was originally written in 1982 but is being re-released now 32 years later. The only difference in the cover is that the title is now in rainbow colours which fits in well with the story.

Although this is a picture book it is very wordy (not in a negative way but it is long). The information for retailers about Bidibidi suggests that it is best for three years plus. I can tell you that my just four year old that loves books and animals found that it was too long for her and Miss 5.5 listened to it but I could tell she was relieved when it was finished. There were a few words I had to explain to the girls and the didn't understand the significance of the hotel being called Leg o' Mutton Arms which many older children would know. I think it is best suited for your six and seven year olds.

Personally I think it is a sweet story about a sheep that needs to find a purpose in life. On his travels he meets several New Zealand animals. My girls loved pointing out the ones they knew each time I turned to a new page. I really like how Gavin Bishop has written this story for Kiwi kids. Unlike so many authors that try to appeal to an international audience. Gavin Bishop is one of New Zealand's most popular and well-known authors and this book is truly a classic.

The illustrations are predominantly dull coloured drawings but I think this was done to make the colours of the birds and the rainbow stand out more. These colours also draw your attention to the whiteness of Bidibidi's eyes and the changing emotions they reflect.

Even though my girls didn't really get the most out of this book I will keep it on their bookshelf as I know is a couple of years they will really enjoy it. After all who doesn't love a story about animals and rainbows.