Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide.(Ages 2 to 5)
By : Mara Bergman & Nick Maland
Publisher : Hodder Children`s Publishing
(Sept.,2010)
This is the third book in a stand-alone series of four lovely rhyming bed time tales about a little boy`s late night journeys.
``Oliver who travelled far and wide`` is about his quest for his lost teddy. As Oliver Donnington Rimington turns around and awakes from sleep, he realizes that all his toy friends, the Owl, Fox and Bat are there, but not Ted.
This is a powerful creation of a little boy`s dream; mingled together with children`s wonders and awe of this world, the author has weaved a story full of imagination and detail that would satisfy their thirst.
Oliver must find his lost teddy. So, he takes off in his toy train with his toy friends. Off they go all around the wide world. They travel far and wide passing through jungles and deserts, over snow capped mountains and seas. An obvious fantasy, but the book also introduces rain-forests, deserts and mountain environments to children.
The author, being a prize-winning poet, leaves her poetic signature in each spread. And the fabulous images of the award winning illustrator Nick Maland with much details and colour seems to have iced the cake.
A wonderful lyrical magical adventure to be read in bed.
All four books are of the same standard in terms of text and illustrations and each story describes a different imaginary journey of Oliver, from his rocket adventure to Mars(Oliver Who Would Not Sleep),his mighty sails among sea pirates and monsters( Oliver Who Was Small but Mighty) and his imaginary airplane travels(Oliver and the Noisy Baby). This is such a remarkable cache of a little boy`s wonder world !
