Down the Back of the Chair

I don't know about you, but when I read whimsical books written in rhyme to Charlotte, it's almost impossible NOT to adopt a sort of 'sing-song' voice.

Case in point: Down the Back of the Chair by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar. It bounces along, telling the tale of woe of a poor family scraping their last few pennies together to fix Daddy's broken down old car. Does the answer lie down the back of the chair? Will fortune and glory be but a shuffle, a squeeze and a delve away?

Well I'm not going to spoil it for you but this is a happy book full of surreal and crazy antics with superb illustrations that give children plenty to look at and find.

Charlotte's best bit - Finding a birthday cake down the back of the chair (ew!)

Daddy's favourite bit - Identifying with the daddy in the story, tearing out his (nearly non-existent) hair at all the bills arriving at once.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.