Marvin and Marigold: the big sneeze by Mark Carthew

Ill. by Simon Prescott. New Frontier Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925059656
(Age: 4+) Sneezing. Hygiene. When Marigold builds her house next door to Marvin, she builds it with wool, felt and bricks, strong enough to withstand any weather. But she did not count on Marvin.
One day her house begins to crumble as the rumble of the noise next door intrudes upon her peace. Marvin is allergic to cheese and when he smells it his nose begins to twitch and he sneezes very loudly. So Marigold decides to find a way to cure his sneezes. A problem is to be solved.
Told in rhyming lines, the story is easy to read and children will love predicting the next line as the first is read. The mice are cutely drawn and children will love picking out the many details on each page.
The story will lead a class into discussions of sneezing and why it happens, of the etiquette surrounding sneezing and what to do about sneezing. A health lesson could be initiated using this book.
Fran Knight