The Besties Show and Smell; Felice Arena, illustrated by Tom Jellett

It is supposed to be the best day in school for Ruby and Oliver, the two best friends. It is show and tell day and Ruby is going to play a song on her ukulele for the whole class. Zac is also going to be ‘showing and telling’ and Ruby and Oliver can’t wait to see what gross and hilarious talent he will be sharing. But disaster strikes when their teacher Ms. Perry is not in school and the dreaded supply teacher, Mr. Botham, cancels show and tell. Things go from bad to worse when an unfortunate doodle by Oliver is spotted by Mr. Botham and he separates the two best friends. This was not how Show and Tell day was meant to go. Can the two besties find a way to turn the fortunes of their day around?

A lively and entertaining story that perfectly captures kids being kids and the highs and lows of a school day. The short narrative includes messages on friendship, kindness and forgiveness.

It is loaded with extra content at the end of the story. Readers are treated to a step-by-step guide on how to perform Zac’s talent (and yes it is gross and hilarious). There is one of Ollie’s comic strips - where the duo get their revenge on Mr. Botham. Readers can learn how to play and sing Ruby’s ukulele song and what book wouldn’t be complete without a few jokes.

The read is heavily illustrated with black and white drawings which are a delight and really capture the ups and downs of the day at school. The chapters are short and the nicely sized and spaced out text makes this a really accessible read for emerging readers.

An enjoyable and perfectly pitched book for those readers that are taking their first reading steps into chapter books.

Recommended for 6+.