Title: Gogo Series
Author: Kathy Hill
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1524683177
Pages: 66
Genre: Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Aaron Washington

Read Book Review

Kathy Hill wrote an incredible children’s book. The text in the book and the stories are everything a young reader would want to read. Q and his grandmother Gogo are what every grandmother and grandchild should be, as the two have a tight bond and enjoy spending time together. I enjoyed the conversations between Q and Gogo; Q is a lovable character, his innocence and curiosity make him adorable in every way. He is the kind of child you want to keep as his presence brings some form of radiation.

In the first story, ‘Gogo and the Upside Down Umbrella,’ Q and Gogo go out to the park. While out, the wind starts blowing and suddenly a huge puff of wind turns Gogo’s umbrella upside down and lifts the two off the ground high up into the air. You could feel Gogo and her grandson’s cries as they flew up. The author is amazing with her description as one can picture the verbal and physical reactions of the two. Through the text, a child can tell whether the characters are scared, hopeless, happy, or even thrilled when they encounter something while outside. The reader feels every action and activity the characters engage in. I liked the idea of having Mr. Raindrop in the story. He was friendly and even showed concern for the two.

In ‘Gogo and the Caterpillar Cake,’ we follow Gogo and Q as they make a sweet caterpillar cake. The two once again work together to bake a perfect cake, with Q following what Gogo does and getting what he is sent. The conversations Q and caterpillar were amusing and impressive. This story was beautifully narrated. We can see that Q not only admires his daddy, but he is also sensitive not to hurt the caterpillar’s feelings when they converse. In ‘Gogo and the Runway Mushroom’ Gogo and Q make supper while mummy and daddy are out. The two want to prepare vegetable stew but the mushroom that is to be used to make the stew takes off before the cooking begins. Running after the mushroom turns out to be a pleasant surprise as Gogo and Q are led to a forest of mushrooms. Soon a conversation ensues with Madam Shroom and Q gets to learn that mushrooms are different from other plants.

The book not only has excellent narration, but the lessons incorporated in the stories are immense too. Through characters like Mr. Raindrop, children are taught how to be kind and show concern to others. Gogo’s character shows how important the love of a granny is. Parents and grandparents are often seen as demigods by kids. In the stories, we see how Q values those older than him and listens to what they tell him. The strong bond exhibited by the characters proves that family trumps every relationship.

The illustrations in the book deserve to be noted. I liked how pure the drawings were. Every kid who gets hold of this book can relate to the illustrations. The characters are colorful and the drawings excellently display the activities they are doing.