{"id":6441,"date":"2013-04-22T17:08:31","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T15:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/responsive.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents\/?p=6441"},"modified":"2022-06-22T09:53:37","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T07:53:37","slug":"book-review-oh-what-a-tangle-by-anita-pouroulis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/lifestyle\/book-reviews\/book-review-oh-what-a-tangle-by-anita-pouroulis\/","title":{"rendered":"Book review: Oh, What a Tangle! by Anita Pouroulis"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve said this before: book reviewers get jaded. We\u2019re lucky enough to receive new books often; to regularly get to open cardboard boxes filled with the smell of freshly published paper. So there\u2019s usually very little to make us squeal with delight \u2013 until we get into the book itself, that is.<\/p>\n

Hoo-boy. The universe was just waiting to see what I would do when it sent me all four of Anita Pouroulis\u2019s debut titles, packaged in a gorgeous re-usable purple satchel. I squealed. No jokes.<\/p>\n

But, let\u2019s get to the details, shall we?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it about?<\/h2>\n

I selected Oh, What a Tangle! <\/i>that very night, for my littlie\u2019s bedtime story. Moms, if your kid has curly hair or hates having his\/her hair brushed, buy this book. Because little Kiki\u2019s \u2018crowning glory\u2019, horribly neglected in favour of activities that are more fun, soon turns into an actual birds\u2019 nest.<\/p>\n

How does it look?<\/h2>\n

The illustrations are spectacular; the work, I\u2019m told, of student illustrator Monika Filipina Trzpil, who is completing the Master of Arts (MA, Children’s Book Illustration) programme at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.<\/p>\n

How does it read?<\/h2>\n

The words are equally lovely. It all rhymes and the general flow is melodic. I may be alone in this, but a bedtime story that rhymes (even when it\u2019s a long-ish one) is easier and more pleasant to read.<\/p>\n

Aside<\/i>: For me, as a writer, the cadence of the writing and rhyme does feel a little erratic in parts (my husband, also a writer, has moaned that it doesn\u2019t scan perfectly) \u2013 but my kidlet and I still love the book, and its unusual vocab, so who cares?<\/p>\n

What else?<\/h2>\n

And then, there are the apps! Oh, What a Tangle!<\/i> is available in the iBookstore, the App Store and for Google Play. I\u2019ve not downloaded it yet, but other moms\u2019 reviews are effusive. Having apps to complement the bedtime experience is great, especially since my toddler (who is 2) likes to see her favourite characters everywhere.<\/p>\n

Just one more thing<\/h4>\n

Anita Pouroulis is an ex-South African living in Spain. The pluses for us, as SA readers, are that her stories use the more UK\/SA \u2018mum\u2019 and other lingo and that her apps (apparently) feature British-accented narration. What a lovely change!<\/p>\n

This article was originally written for Jozikids by Tiffany Markman in 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note: If you enjoyed this article, and would like to stay updated with more, you can:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n