Billie’s Special Stories by Sally Rippin – Book Review
Fun, relatable stories for young readers aged approx. 6 to 8 years
by Sharon Harrington
My little 6 year old has started learning to read this year at school and was keen to read her own chapter novel. A friend put us onto the Billie B Brown books which are specifically aimed at early readers.
The books in the Billie B Brown series are written with beginner readers in mind, approximately 6-8 year’s old, with simple sentence structures and accessible vocabulary. The author actually starting writing the series to assist her own child in transitioning from school readers to chapter books.
Positive role model for young primary schoolers
Billie B Brown is a smart, adventurous young girl who is a positive role model for young primary schoolers. She is a considerate friend to her bestie, Jack, who lives next door, and a kind big sister to baby brother, Noah.
In Billie’s Special Stories Billie learns how to manage disappointment, consider other’s feelings, and make the best of any situation.
Billie’s stories are all ones that children can relate to: the excitement of planning a birthday party, the cheekiness of searching for hidden Christmas presents and the disappointment of being stuck at home unwell on a long awaited holiday.
Billie’s Special Stories (three stories in one novel)
Billie’s Special Stories is made up of three Billie B Brown books in one novel:
- The Birthday Mix Up
- The Perfect Present
- The Spotty Holiday
The Birthday Mix-Up
This book really resonates with children, as it’s all about Billie’s birthday party. What child doesn’t love a birthday party! Billie has to decide which friends to invite, create invitations, consider the feelings of those children not invited and plan party games. But what happens when there is a mix up and nobody shows up!
The Perfect Present
In this story, Billie is excited because tomorrow is Christmas Day! Billie bakes gingerbread biscuits, empathises with her friend, Jack, when he is sad about not receiving the gift he would like, and learns how to deal with the disappointment of not receiving the gift she hoped for. There is also a fun twist at the end.
The Spotty Holiday
The Spotty Holiday in particular is one to read if we become locked down again due to Covid, as it deals with how to turn the disappointment of a cancelled holiday due to illness into an indoor adventure.
Billie has planned a whole list of things to do when visiting grandma, but on the first day of her holiday she develops chicken-pox. At first she is disheartened, but then finds a way to turn grandma’s house into a zoo, a shoe shop, the movies, a playground and even Waterworld.
What we like about Billie B Brown
- Designed especially for younger readers approx. 6-8 years
- Positive role model for young children
- Stories that children can enjoy and recognise from their own lives
- Themes of friendship, handling disappointment & making the best of any situation
We can recommend these books as a perfect place to start for children who are ready to try reading more than their school readers. The Billie B Brown books are well-regarded world over and have sold over five million copies. The Billie Mysteries are also available for older children seeking a longer, more complex storyline.
The Billie B Brown books are available in all good bookshops.
For more information please visit the author Sally Rippin’s website.
Image Source: Hardie Grant Publishing
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