Sunday 7 March 2021

Super Cute − The Sleepover Surprise

Super Cute − The Sleepover Surprise
by Pip Bird (Harper Collins) ISBN: 978 0 7555 0126 7 PB $12.99 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

The Sleepover Surprise is one of two books so far in the new Super Cute series for five-eight-year-olds. Its shiny metallic-green front cover with rainbow, butterflies and stars prepares the reader for a bright and bubbly tale. With the tagline ‘Causing Chaos in a World of Cute,’ the story is about Sammy the Sloth’s special sleepover with his group of friends. Accompanying the text are engaging illustrations of the characters and a map at the beginning describes the unique place in which they live. 

Sammy the Sloth’s diverse friends include Louis the labradoodle, Pip the pineapple, Skye the skateboard, and Luna the lunacorn, just to name a few examples of alliteration for early readers. It’s a world of complete make-believe right from the start, with bubble gum flowers that pop at dawn and smell like strawberries and glasshoppers with shiny wings. The group of friends dress up in their onesies and meet for the sleepover at the ‘Museum of Most Important Items’. Drama is created when Clive the chihuahua turns up to the party and not with the best intentions.

 Despite the magical kind of world they live in, Sammy and his friends need to deal with familiar sleepover issues like being scared to sleep in the dark and how to get along with people different from oneself. When Sammy reflects on his day he says, ‘I’ll admit, there were a couple of prickly moments and lots of surprises.’ But between them, they manage it all to a happy ending for everyone.

 

Pip Bird is the author of the seven-book Naughtiest Unicorn series, also for the same age group. Later this year another two books in the Super Cute series are due to be released.  Included at the end of The Sleepover Surprise, is the first chapter of the other book in the series, Best Friends Forever.

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