Ben and the icky-ooky-sticky-smick by Sally Sutton

Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 9781921529009.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. What happens when you lose your favourite pet? What if you are the only one who knows what it looks like? This is the problem facing Ben. Ben has lost his icky-ooky-sticky-smick.
Ben and the icky-ooky-sticky-smick is a lovely picture book to share and read to children. The nonsense words (used to name bugs) make it a funny story but the knowledge of these nonsensical words is also a great help for younger children learning to read.
Ben searches his whole house, looking for his lost pet. Along the way, different family members discover unusual bugs and Ben's insect knowledge is amazing. An especially nice factor in this book is the relationship Ben shares with his grandpa. It is his grandpa who, in the end, helps him find his pet.
I would recommend this book to all parents (and teachers) to read with their children and independent readers aged 7 to 10 will enjoy reading it to themselves.
The illustrator, Gary Venn, has used a paper collage feel to create simple and colourful images, making this book a great model for any art lesson. It would also be a good model for older children to create their own nonsensical words and write in a similar style to the author.
Kylie Kempster