I love books about books and the experience of reading so when I saw Are You Sitting Comfortably? by Leigh Hodgkinson I fell in love. This wonderful picture book is all about the search to find the perfect place to read.
The story starts like this, ‘The thing is…when I want to read what I really really need is a place to sit…just for a bit.’ The boy in the story tries to describe the perfect place to read, somewhere that’s not ‘buzz-buzzy,’ or ‘slippy, slimy,’ but also somewhere that is not too hot or too cold. He realises that it doesn’t really matter where you sit, but that a book is best when you share.
Kids and adults alike understand the struggle to find the perfect place to sit and read. In winter I want somewhere warm and in summer I often want somewhere cool. Leigh perfectly captures this struggle, both in the text and the illustrations. I love the way that the font changes to match the things that the character is describing. When the boy is talking about a place being too itchy and fuzzy the text looks fuzzy. I also love the way that the chairs change size, shape and pattern to match what the character is describing. The ‘buzz-buzzy’ chair has flowers all over it and ‘stinky grimy’ chair has a pattern of wafting stink lines.
Are You Sitting Comfortably? is the perfect picture book to curl up with and share with your little book worms.
