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The Cat on the Mat is Flat
Andy Griffiths
Pan MacMillan Australia, $14.95
DR SEUSS perfected the code when it comes to children's books but funny Australian author Andy Griffiths has found his own formula for silly characters and rhyming lines. In his latest book, The Cat On the Mat Is Flat, children's writer Griffiths has again teamed with illustrator Terry Denton in a series of funny short tales with characters such as Bill and Phil on a very big hill and the frog on a log in a bog. For youngsters just learning to read, this is pretty manageable stuff with only a few words on each page, accompanied by one or more of Denton's detailed black and white sketches. For young readers honing their blends skills, each of the nine mini-tales has a different set of sounds to practise or hear. The first chapter is about the cat, the mat, the rat and the baseball bat while the second is about Ed and Ted and Ted's dog Fred. There's a chapter titled Pinky Ponky the shonky, wonky, bonky donkey and another one about duck in a truck in the muck. For older readers, there's tongue- twisting tales such as unlucky Lou, a kind kangaroo,...