Monday 26 September 2011

Irritating Ethel


Irritating Ethel is a pink annoying monster and just the sort of toy that appeals to young boys. Initially I thought the fact that she is pink would put them off however the novelty of a toy that farts and burps was just their sort of toy! There are blue swirls on the areas that are interactive and she even starts snoring if you haven't touched her for a while, which is probably the most irritating of all the noises she makes. Fortunately there is an off switch on Ethel if you get too tired of her! If you squeeze her foot she giggles and vibrates which had my 5 year old son in stitches! You can also poke her eye and she will scream. My sons both loved pressing her hand as she then repeats back what you say to her. Irritating Ethel was also a big hit with adults, everyone thought she was a great toy although at £19.99 it's not a cheap toy.

Monday 5 September 2011

The Adventure Island Series - Helen Moss





The Adventure Series follows the adventures of Scott, Jack, Emily and Drift the dog. The books are published by Orion and are £4.99
I was quite excited when we received The Mystery of the Hidden Gold and The Mystery of the Missing Masterpiece by Helen Moss to review as they are marketed as being written in the style of Enid Blyton. The cover illustrations are in the same style of Enid Blyton books, presumably to catch parent's attention in the shop and encourage them to buy them.
As a child I loved Enid Blyton books and have recently been reading them to my children who love them too. As an adult re reading Enid Blyton you see that the books are stereotypical of the time they were written, when more well off families had cooks and gardeners and girls helped their Mums with the chores. These books are basically a modern Famous Five book where the main characters use mobiles and ginger beer has been replaced with coke! There is plenty of action and the books kept both my son's interest (aged 5 and 10), so much so that we have bought the first two books in the series and they can't wait until the last two books are out in September.