Alfie's lost sharkie by Anna Walker

Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781742839929
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Bedtime. At bedtime, Alfie looks through his toy box, throwing out all of his toys, searching for Sharkie. He cannot find his one and only toy which must go to bed with him. So he searches the house, he looks through the garden even climbing up into the tree, but with no luck. When bath time comes around, he is still searching, and when the toy is not there he continues searching the house, under the bed, in the toy box, under the bookcase, offering the oddest of suggestions to Mum about where Sharkie could be.
Long suffering Mum reminds him to clean his teeth and get one toy to take to bed. Children will love the following page showing Alfie not with one toy but all of his toys, and once in bed he finds Sharkie. All is well, and Mum bids him goodnight, but there is one more twist to the tale.
A laugh out loud story, children and adults alike will recognise the child making excuses about going to bed, and being focussed on one last thing to do before getting into bed. Parents will recognise Mum offering calm, quiet suggestions in the background, all the while reminding him of where he needs to be. The illustrations are just wonderful, with collage and ink being used in their preparation to great effect. I love the wallpaper, a different type for each room, and kids will love looking at the detail presented on each page. This is a great read aloud, and I can imagine different children taking Mum's and Alfie's parts to present as a small play as their conversation is presented in different fonts.
Fran Knight