Review of Stevie Tenderheart Books - Billy Jack (The Great Escape)

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Stevie Tenderheart Books - Billy Jack (The Great Escape)" by Steve William Laible.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Billy Jack
The Great Escape
Steve William Laible.

This wonderful little children's book introduces us to the mischievous yet very loveable Billy Jack, a little boy who thinks of himself as a brave and resourceful cowboy. He is lying in bed, wondering why he is there while it is still daylight outside. He needs to think of a cunning plan to go and play with his friends. With the help of dirty clothes and a ball, a mock 'him' is made (even 'feet' just peeping out of the bottom sheet), and he's off, feet first through the window. What happens next is a hilarious and un-heroic tale of a rose bush, an unexpected sprinkler system and shadows, which all seem to conspire against him. Steve Laible has a knack for knowing what makes a child tick, with his overreaching hero yearnings and fears.

I like how the book teaches young readers words such as 'innovation' in little footnotes: the reader is treated as a little person rather than spoken down to as a child, and this is refreshing.

The cover is in greys, blacks and whites, not in the flashy, bright colours that children's books are often illustrated with. Also, there are no cartoon-type pictures in the book. Instead, there are photographs. The prose is separated into small, easily read paragraphs, nicely spaced apart, so a young reader could easily read this book, with the added feeling of accomplishment after longer words have been tackled and understood.

Billy Jack is a nice little chap who respects his parents and is full of superhero tendencies typical of his age and gender (sorry if that's politically offensive, but I have both a son and a daughter, and so have knowledge of this).

I will award this little book a 5 out of 5-star rating as it would be a fun book for any young child to read.

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Stevie Tenderheart Books - Billy Jack (The Great Escape)
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