The Diggers by Margaret Wise Brown – book review

When I opened our delivery of the next book buddy book from Parragon Books, I thought N would love it.  Diggers, what child wouldn’t?  Especially when he used to love Dig Dig Digging.  But he turned his nose up and asked for other books that bedtime instead.

A few nights later, I pulled The Diggers out again and he allowed me to read it to him.  The book’s written by Margaret Wise Brown, author of several other picture books, and illustrated by Antoine Corbineau.

The book’s a standard size picture book, with the illustrations reaching right across the page, enabling the book to feel like the different type of diggers really are chomping their way through the soil to dig out holes.  The words flows across and in sympathy with the illustrations, so mixing it up when you’re reading it.  If you read in semi darkness I’d advise having a little light because some of the words are on a darker background and less visible.

In the end N quite enjoyed the story.  It starts with different animals digging their way underground, the dog for a bone, worms towards home etc.  Then we see vehicular diggers digging to build train tracks, and hitting a mountain before managing to dig through.  For children it’s a great way to introduce the idea of different types of diggers.  For adults concerned about HS2 railway, it might be a little close to home with diggers cutting up the countryside.

The story’s in rhyme format, so easy for children to pick up and remember.  We also had a chat afterwards, where I asked N about what had happened in the story.  I’m usually bad and just read the story, but I need to get into the practice of encouraging N to talk round a book to help things sink in and get him more interested.

All in all, a book that N liked, so it’ll stay on our book shelves.

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Disclosure: We were sent the book for the purpose of review, all words and opinions are our own. Contains affiliate link