The Fearsome, Frightening, Ferocious BOX – Frances Watts and David Legge ★★★★

Reviewed by Carmela Pollio.  Meet Carmela

Open the box, if you dare,

But danger lies within: beware!

Frances Watts and David Legge have cleverly partnered to create fearsome, frightening, and ferocious images using poetic words and marvellous pictures in this intriguing story of brave animals.

When reading “The Fearsome, Frightening, Ferocious Box” to my three children we were drawn into discovering the mystery of the box. My children were attentive and curious throughout the read and enjoyed the challenge of spotting hidden creatures.  

It was a pleasure for me to read using the wonderful, descriptive words which captured the ferocious creatures so well. The clues, to the identity of the hidden creature in the box, create a gripping eagerness to discover the box’s contents. All three children were surprised by the box’s revelation and I was most amused.

My four-year-old said some of the pictures were too scary and didn’t like it. The nine-year-old thought the pictures were great and enjoyed the book. She said, “It was interesting because every time you turn the page you wonder what is next until the very end.”  The book did not appeal to my eleven-year-old as he found it too repetitive and slow. He thought the pictures were good though.

Due to the repetition and marvellous use of rhythmical and flowing words I would enthusiastically recommend for an emergent reader. This book is well suited for six to eight year olds.

Thank you to Harper Collins Australia for our review copies.

Available in hardback and ebook

Visit the The Fearsome, Frightening, Ferocious Box information page 

About the author and illustrator

Visit the author’s Website: http://www.franceswatts.com./

Frances Watts was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and moved to Sydney when she was three. She worked as a bookseller and editor for nearly ten years before she began her writing career. Her first picture book, KISSES FOR DADDY (illustrated by David Legge), was an Honour Book 2006 CBCA Awards and has sold thousands of copies around the world. Her next two picture books with David Legge, PARSLEY RABBIT’S BOOK ABOUT BOOKS and CAPTAIN CRABLAW'S CREW, both won accolades in the CBCA Awards. In 2012, her picture book with illustrator Judy Watson, GOODNIGHT, MICE!, won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Children's Fiction. She is also the author of the EXTRAORDINARY ERNIE series for younger readers, and THE GERANDER TRILOGY, which follows the adventures of four plucky mice.

David Legge is the illustrator of many innovative picture books, including the award-winning BAMBOOZLED, BABY BOOMSTICKS, KISSES FOR DADDY, PARSLEY RABBIT’S BOOK ABOUT BOOKS and CAPTAIN CRABCLAW’S CREW. David lives in Sydney's west.