Stop the Ball!
Susanne Strasser
Gecko Press

Duck kicks the ball at the goal but it misses and goes sailing over the bar. Duck gives chase as it bounces … BAMM right into and off the large tree, startling Owl out of his hole. Owl then joins the chase as the ball hurtles through the bushes WHOOOSH! dislodging a spider from its web. Spider joins the chasers and the ball, now on a downward trajectory, thumps onto a dog’s head. Somewhat stunned, Dog too pursues the ball: that’s four animals running after the ball as it splatters into a muddy patch surprising Rat before rolling under a bench.

Now ‘Duck runs. Owl runs. Spider runs. Dog runs. Rat runs.’ BOING BOING BOING down the steps goes the ball and splash it lands in the water. Therein we see a pair of crocodile eyes. The crocodile moves towards the ball … Errr… But that’s not the end of the ball, and not quite the end of the story.

This slightly larger than usual board book is great fun and will stand up to lots of re-readings with little ones who will delight in joining in the repeat patterned text with its surprise final twist.. There’s lots to enjoy in Susanne Strasser’s illustrations; they flow from one spread to the next, and sometimes include details not mentioned in the text.