I found those words to be the most powerful in the entire book. They denote desperation, helplessness and a desire to survive. We Need Help Help Us Please by Fay Nelson AM is a children's book that advocates for the preservation of aquatic life. The story is narrated from the first person point-of-view by Rufus, a little Pomeranian dog. Rufus introduces us to his family of five. He has two brothers - Bunjee and Poly and a sister - Molly Dolly, who is a Chinchilla Persian Cat. They are all under the care of their human mum.
"We need help, help us please. Please ask the world to help us.
They are in the garden having breakfast, when their mum informs them that they have to travel to her home country. However, their mother is not excited about it. She appears rather sad and lonely as she delivers the news. Why is mum sad? What lay in store for Rufus and his siblings? Where is mum's home country located at?
What I really liked about this book is its passionate appeal against deliberate pollution of water bodies. The author did an impressive work in her choice of characters. She specifically allowed dogs and cats to peacefully coexist as a family and gave them a chance to carry out a noble task. The presence of illustrations in the book served to break from the monotony of narration. There is also a song that I found quite engaging and which brought liveliness to my reading experience.
However, there are a few inconsistencies that detracted from my enjoyment of the book. On page 21, we see Rufus laying down, having a nightmare (dreaming), then subsequently closing his eyes and falling asleep. Moreover, on page 30, the picture has four characters who almost resemble each other. This made it difficult for me to distinguish between male and female characters and also young and older characters. All the illustrations had rather small sizes that would affect a child's instant recognition of each character.
I did not find a single grammatical error in the book and I, therefore, believe that the book was edited professionally. I rate it three out of four stars. It falls short of a perfect score due to the inconsistencies that I have mentioned. Children between the ages of eight to ten years would enjoy this book. Younger children would need a teacher or an adult to guide them.
******
We Need Help Help Us Please
View: on Bookshelves
Thank you for a great review!
