“Beneath a bridge where the wild river flows lives a friendly creature with dangly blue toes
He’s jolly, friendly and never unhappy
He loves to make friends; he’s a really nice choppy!
He’s dumpy, lumpy and not a great height
He’ll be your best friend and love you with might
He travels around for mile after mile
With hope in his heart and a permanent smile
From cave to mountain he likes to explore
High up in the trees or down on the floor
He’s the nicest troll you ever will meet
So welcome to Walter’s world, you’re in for a treat!”
I was sent It’s Walter Under the Bridge by Dion Child to review and fell in love with it straight away as it is full of wonderfully expressive illustrations by Graeme Brown which really bring the story (and Walter) to life.
Every bridge has its very own troll living underneath it some are good and some are nasty. Walter is a lovely, friendly and sometimes a little bit vulnerable 240 year old troll who suddenly finds himself homeless after a brush with three nasty trolls.
It’s Walter under the Bridge follows the story of Walter’s adventures as he sets off to find another home and discovers new friends at Whitney Bridge which exists in real-life, spanning the River Wye at Whitney-on-Wye as the gateway to Hay-on-Wye the famous literary town.
Aimed at children aged 4 and over it is quite a long book so is more suited to Isaac rather than Eliza.
What I love about the book is that it includes some historical information about the Whitney Bridge, and Walter’s new friend Chester actually lives there in real life, meaning Walter and his new friends can actually be visited at Whitney Bridge. Isaac wants to visit them for himself.
I love stories that link to ‘real’ life as I think that it helps children to realise that their imaginations can create amazing stories and characters in the places they live – you don’t need to live in an iconic city or an idyllic countryside setting. The illustrations look stunning. Thank you so much for linking up with #kidsbookaweek