Ticklish Tom by Susannah McFarlane

Ill. by Lachlan Creagh. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 978 1 74283 738 3.
Silly Sam by Susannah McFarlane
Ill. by Lachlan Creagh. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781 74283 737 6.
(Age: 4+) Picture book. Australian animals. Alphabet books. In the series Little Mates, these two books follow the same line as the 18 preceding books: all are child friendly, being small enough to fit in a child's hand, they are bright and colourful, use Australian animals which are readily recognised and are use alliteration endlessly, stressing the letter the book is dedicated to. All in all an easy book for parents and teachers alike to have at the ready to read and enjoy with their children.
Ticklish Tom is the story of the Tasmanian Devil, Tom, who has been ticklish since a toddler. His four friends, Toby, Tilly, Tahlia and Tim put up a teepee with a totem, but things come unstuck when the totem begins to fall, making the four friends join together to put things right. All good fun and readers will have a great time with all the 't' words.
Silly Sam is a sheep, and his four friends, Sadie, Sophie, Shaun and Sebastian, all try to help to make him less silly, but his singing is something to behold. until one of his friends tells him to be quiet. But a competition holds his attention and he goes along to sing in it, with his four friends as the backing singers. People love their silly songs and so he gets himself an audience. Again, readers will enjoy the silly story about Sam, and love looking for all the words that begin with 's'. This is not a spectacular series, but one which will find a niche in a classroom.
Fran Knight