Ben and the Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick
By Sally Sutton Illustrated by Gary Venn
Walker Books, 2013
Ben likes bugs. He likes all kinds of bug,
but his favourite one is his pet bug, Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick, with whom he
happily shares his popcorn. Ben’s family aren’t really fans of Ben’s bug. They
think it’s ugly, weird and disgusting. But, oh no! Guess what? Ben’s favourite
bug goes missing. Mum gets a shock when she finds one; his sister screams when
one flies across the room; his dad spies a bug in the shed. It isn’t until
Grandpa comes to visit that Ben has an idea on how to find his special bug.
Will Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick come back? And how will they know it is Ben’s
Icky-Ooky-Sticky-Smick?
I thought this was a great book. Full
of fun and the frivolity of made up words to engage the imagination. The
illustrations were delightful. And this book was a perfectly blended mix of
language and illustrations.
