This jewel of a picture book begins with Mrs Armitage out on her bicycle with Breakspear the dog running alongside. When a hedgehog walks across the road, Tring Tring goes the bell, and Mrs Armitage becomes aware of the need for 'a really loud horn'.
Mrs Armitage purchases three horns of varying tones (all very loud) and off they go, beep-beeping and honk-honking and Paheehahurh-ing all around town, until the chain comes off, hands need to be washed, they both get hungry, Breakspear gets tired, it begins to rain, and some cheerful music is needed. Mrs Armitage has a solution for each, but gets just a wee bit carried away...
This is one of my favourite picture books from when i was a kid. Quentin Blake (of the fabulous Roald Dahl illustrations) has created a wonderfully funny picture book for the two and up crowd, with a storyline that builds up to a Paheehahurh to end all Paheehahurhs.
Blake is one of my favourite illustrators, he was the inspiration for my Year 12 art folio, and the way he gets movement and expression onto the page with a few well placed scrawls is genius. But it is not just the lovely curly scrappy pictures that make this. The whole book is a playful work of art. Love love love it.
