Jake is bored and more than a little gloomy. As he sits at home staring out of the window into the cold grey street he longs for colour and excitement – but where can he find it? He twirls his globe and finds himself wondering what life is like on the other side of the world.
Feeling inspired, Jake heads out into the garden and starts to dig a hole with his bare hands. If he digs deep enough then surely he can tunnel right through the earth and pop up in the southern hemisphere.
As Jake digs something wonderful starts to happen. First a little girl appears with a spoon and asks if she can help, then a boy arrives with a toy digger. Soon the garden is full of children all working together to help Jake on his quest – but how far will they get?
We LOVE this story! The sense of anticipation builds really nicely and the text is very engaging. The first time we read it Ivy started out on my lap, but by the final pages she was bouncing on her knees next to me and asking me to read faster so she could find out the end!
As well as being great fun, the book has some really strong themes about teamwork, friendship and the importance of persisting when things seem tough. Jake starts the story feeling very low but as he pursues his dream he finds himself surrounded by positivity and excitement.
Visually the book is stunning. The illustrations are gorgeous and I particularly like the use of colour. The early pages are deliberately drab but as each new child arrives in the garden they bring a splash of colour in the form of their clothing. A pink jumper, some green dungarees, an orange hat, a yellow coat – they all come together to create a vivid and colourful depiction of the joys of childhood.
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Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.