The Entertainer

The Entertainer

By Emma Dodd
Published by Templar Publishing

Ding dong! Ding dong! The children's entertainer is here to save the party! (we can only hope!). Children and adults alike will adore Emma Dodd’s latest book, The Entertainer. Emma has had over 40 books published and her latest will not disappoint; its a fun and very entertaining picture book!

Billy is having a party and his mum and dad have booked an entertainer for him and his friends. 

An entertainer arrives at the door dressed as a bear - and a very convincing one at that! The children are impressed; after whirling and spinning on a misplaced toy, which the children think is hilarious, making a lot of mess, before munching flowers, juggling fruit and then gulping them down, he soon stumbles upon the birthday spread… uh oh… Billy and his friends find him asleep and all the food eaten but thank goodness Billy’s mum has saved the cake. Once everyone has left and said their goodbyes, there’s soon a surprise at the door… and we can all guess who’s there.

This book is fun and will have little ones laughing at the entertainer’s antics. It reminds me slightly of  The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr, where a tiger ate everything in the house, very much like this naughty entertainer. 

I really enjoyed this book and even missed the hint on the title page about who the entertainer really is! (one to look out for when you're reading the book). The story flows really well and with the use of larger text for sounds and actions, it makes it fun and a joy to read over and over again. There’s even little boxes with words of advice found on a few corners of the spreads, i.e  its rude to burp when someone gives you food, never leave toys around on the floor, and never to juggle your food before eating them in one big gulp, a hazardous way to digest (all sound advice I think you'll agree!)!. Even the large and bold illustrations are fun. If you’ve not read Emma’s books before, this is definitely a great one to start with!

Look out for the upcoming interview with the fabulous, Emma Dodd, where she'll answer what inspired the book and her process for creating such a beauty! The Entertainer is available to buy from all good bookshops and online.