I am thrilled to be on the blog tour of Swop The Satsuma-Sized Secret by Lucy Noguera.
Suitable for children aged 7-9 years and explores the themes of friendship, adventure, family, deaf sibling, sign language and acceptance.
SYNOPSIS:
What would you do if you found the world’s smallest dog?
When Ernie and his family leave the countryside to move to the city. Ernie feels like he’ll never settle into their new home.
Yet on his very first night, a surprising new friend introduces himself – Swop is a very tiny dog. A dog that just happens to be the size of a satsuma.
Ernie vows to keep Swop a secret, but Swop has other ideas and he’s determined to make Ernie’s first day at his new school a memorable one!
MY THOUGHTS:
This gorgeous chapter book is perfect for children aged 7 to 9. It has beautiful illustrations by Laura Ireland which help ignite the story visually and break up the amount of text on the page, perfect for reluctant readers.
Ernie has just moved house with his mum and older sister Ivy. With his toys still in boxes, Ernie starts to unpack and discovers a tiny dog in his memory box. But with a 'no pets allowed' rule in their rented house what is Ernie to do with this satsuma-sized dog? With a dog so small, Ernie comes to the conclusion that he can easily hide it away from his family and so the adventure begins; Ernie and his new best friend Swop.
Noguera has produced two endearing characters: Swop and Ernie. The story is full of fun, adventure and laugh out loud moments which I know children will enjoy, especially the toilet issues that Ernie has to face and Swop's mischievous nature. Noguera explores themes of losing a parent, starting a new school, and bullying with sensitivity, which could encourage lots of discussions, both at home and at school. I love the added addition of Ernie's guide to signing the alphabet, at the back of the book, along with a message for the readers to decipher.
What an amazing start to the series and I cannot wait to see what Noguera has in store for Ernie and Swop's next adventure. Many thanks to Love Book Tours for inviting me to join the blog tour and to Lucy Noguera for sending me a copy of Swop, gorgeously wrapped, complete with a Swop bookmark.
AUTHOR:
An ex-primary school teacher and Teacher of the Deaf. I now run a small educational company, specialising in arranging book projects and theatre events for schools and families. I live with my husband, our three children and our three dogs in Ealing, London. Yet the one in charge is our little ex-street dog, even though he has no eyes and three legs. He also happens to be called Swop!