The Close Shave
By: W. Awdry
Illustrated By: Richard Courtney
Publication: May 27, 2008 by Random House Books for Young Readers
32 pages
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Level-1 Readers, Step-1 Readers, My First Reader
Source: Personal Library
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Description--THOMAS’ FRIEND DUCK likes to be Really Useful and Right on Time. One day, some Troublesome Trucks start pushing and they will not stop, and a station is just ahead! Duck works himself into a lather trying to brake in time, but ends up crashing into the station’s barber shop.
The Close Shave is an obvious choice for early readers who are fans of Thomas the Train. The hardest word in the book is "troublesome" which is only used once. Readers get to see how three troublemakers cause problems for Thomas, an engine named Duck, and a barber shop. So there's a little moral to the story which I always appreciate. The Troublesome Trucks are mean and cause problems. Duck is a hero and saves the day by thinking of others.
My seven-year-old isn't a Thomas fan exactly, but he did enjoy this book and read it willingly without any fuss. He did stumble on the word "troublesome" as I mentioned above. I do wish it had been used more than once to build up mastery and recognition. The main repetitive words were names, and so there weren't any repetitive phrases. Sometimes I appreciate repetitive phrases so that the child really begins to recognize and memorize those words. Other times, it's really nice from an adult reader perspective not to have the same phrases sprinkled throughout the book.
The Close Shave gets 4.5 Stars for being a good early reader, but also having a moral to the short story. Have you read The Close Shave? What did you think? Let me know!
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