Just Write For Kids – Books On Tour – Blog Tour: Reece Give Me Some Peace! By Sonia Bestulic and Illustrated by Nancy Bevington

Title: Reece Give Me Some Peace!

Author: Sonia Bestulic

Illustrator: Nancy Bevington

Published: August 2018

Publisher: Big Sky Publishing

Pages: 32

Genres:  Children –  0 to 8 years

RRP: $14.99

Rating: 4 stars

A fun-loving book about the wonderful world of music and of noisy play!

Reece is a very cheeky, curious young boy who loves making NOISE. Today he’s making music. There are lots of interesting clangs, bangs and thumps coming from his room as his playing gets more and more vigorous. His mother’s requests for him to be quieter only seem to make him louder and louder. As his exuberance for his playing grows, so does his mothers exasperation!

Will she ever get any peace?

The simple rhythmic text combined with delightful illustrations remind us of the power of learning through play and exploration. Kids will love making the lively sounds, and parents and carers will relate to the challenge of being able to enjoy some quiet; especially when there are instruments at play!

My review:

Roll up, roll up, you are invited to Reece’s music filled performance!  Reece’s bedroom has been turned into a musical stage, as he explores the different noises and sounds various instruments make. But all Reece’s mother wants is some peace! As instrument after instrument is explored and played by Reece, his mother grows more desperate in her need for peace! Reece Give Me Some Peace, is a magical mystery tour of musical instruments and one young boy’s passion for making noise!

Reece Give Me Some Peace is a children’s picture book suitable for the 0-8 years of age group, that gently introduces young children to the wonderful world of music and the role of noisy play time. This book uses the appealing character, a loveable rogue of sorts, Reece, to demonstrate how special it is to provide opportunities for children to engage in free musical play. In Reece’s case, the more instruments he can get his hands, on the better. As the book progresses, we become a welcome part of Reece’s exploration of his musical instruments. Reece’s enthusiasm for sound is infectious and as each new instrument introduced to this energetic child, it produces a different beat, clang, crash, thump or zing. We begin to wonder if Reece’s mother will  ever achieve the sense of peace she longs for, or will Reece keep playing?

Reece Give Me Some Peace is the first picture book for the eight years and under age group that I have encountered that provides a fantastic early link to the musical world, which is very pleasing. This is the perfect medium for introducing children to the vocabulary around musical instruments. There is a good sense of anticipation in this text, as we question and wonder what new instrument will appear next. The author of Reece Give Me Some Peace, Sonia Bestulic, works hard to incorporate as many common musical instruments as she can within this text. With this in mind, I believe Reece Give Me Some Peace would make the ideal teaching tool and side accompaniment for early musical experiences.

As an early childhood educator, I am always on the lookout for new ways to teach concepts of rhyme and rhythm. Reece Give Me Some Peace is a good example of a book that subtly tunes children in to the infectious combination of alliteration, language play, rhyme and rhythm, all within the one text.

Reece Give Me Some Peace is a book that can be easily transferred to a range of contexts and settings. It would make the perfect read aloud text for schools, childcares or library story time sessions. I was also able to read this book one on one with my own son, Mr 6, which also indicates that Reece Give Me Some Peace is a great bedtime storybook choice. For older readers, Reece Give Me Some Peace can easily be read independently.

What made Reece Give Me Some Peace appealing to me as a parent, was the placement of the characters in this appealing text. Reece is genuinely funny, mischievous and full of life. He also typifies a boy of the five years and under age group. While Reece’s poor mother did draw my sympathies, it is humourous to see her patience diminish as the book progresses! I also loved the placement of the family cat, who suffers through Reece’s musical odyssey with his mother! The cat was a very cute addition to the book.

The illustrations of Nancy Bevington work to support the text contained in Reece Give Me Some Peace. Bevington ensures she stays in line with Bestulic’s prose and what surmounts is a wonderful expression of words, which is combined perfectly with book’s  illustrations. Bevington’s illustrations are colourful, eye-catching and lively, which is everything we want in a picture book for the birth to eight years age group. I also appreciated the variation in text. The mixed presentation of size, style and bold typeface featured in Reece Give Me Some Peace all assist in enhancing the reading experience for the audience.

Reece Give Me Some Peace taps into every child’s natural propensity to explore music and sound. This is a spirited picture book that employs the expertise of author and speech specialist Sonia Bestulic, to engage children at the all important auditory level in connecting with sound. Reece Give Me Some Peace presents a great gala of music, sound and curiosity.

Reece Give Me Some Peace by Sonia Bestulic and illustrated by Nancy Bevington was published in August 2018 by Big Sky Publishing. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

To learn more about Just Write For Kids – Books on Tour visit here.

To learn more about the author of  Reece Give Me Some Peace! Sonia Bestulic visit here.

To learn more about the illustrator of  Reece Give Me Some Peace!  Nancy Bevington visit here.

* I wish to thank Big Sky Publishing/Just Write For Kids – Books On Tour for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

Reece Give Me Some Peace, is book #111 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge

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