Doodles by Daley Pearson and Francis Stanton

Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760295448
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Doodles. Based on the ABC television show Doodles, the Doodles activity book is a humorous book, filled with special drawings that should appeal to children who like to draw and doodle. What makes it unique and is wonderfully motivating, is that the person doing the drawings can send them directly to the series itself (www.doodles.com.au) and the drawing could be made into its own movie.
The book starts out with instructions on how to use it and is then divided into sections: Monsters, Aliens and space, Robots and technology, Magic and fantasy, Dinosaurs, Superheroes, and Make your own movie. This wide range of topics will have appeal to a wide audience, and the instructions 'Remember, there are no good or bad drawings with Doodles', are a further incentive to have a go. As well as the opportunity to draw lots of different things there are a variety of other activities like 'Find a word' and crosswords for the older child. A trailer is available on the publisher's website.
The emphasis of the book is on fun and laughter and it is sure to be popular with the target audience. This would be a great book to give as a gift and would keep kids occupied for many hours during holidays.
Pat Pledger