An interesting concept for a story, Sally’s sensational sense of smell cleverly knits together an unusual talent with a story about friendship, tact and putting our abilities to good use.
The illustrations clearly portray the narrative as the story unfolds and I was quite pleased to see that it is a debut illustrator who has been tasked with the job. I also think the pictures, bright and colourful and cartoony in nature, will appeal to and resonate with a younger audience. The alliterative title is eye-catching, especially for younger children, and I did wonder if the prose itself may have followed a similar theme although it sadly didn’t.
Sally herself is a quirky character; she’s clearly young and immature with lessons to learn about kindness and being considerate towards others. In a plausible way, the writer clearly demonstrates how she is able to overcome her social barriers and make valuable character reforms! Although Sally displays that typical childhood innocence of speaking her mind regardless of consequences, I would have still liked to see a slightly nicer side to Sally earlier on; I felt for that the first half of the novel, she simply complained about everything! I understand that pungent odours are usually stronger than the sweeter ones, but I’m sure that sally must have encountered at least one or two pleasant smells on her travels! However, I do accept that small children would probably find the smelly references quite amusing so it seems logical to play on this. The only other thing I was perturbed by I was as to why Sally had such a strong sense of smell in the first place – if I were a young, inquisitive child, I would personally have wanted this question answered.
The writer clearly wants to challenge children, and help them learn, and presents them with ample opportunities for both. Interesting facts about the durian fruit, and explanations about our sense of smell are hidden within the pages, as well as a range of vocabulary words to extend and expand a child’s word knowledge. Enjoying this book with an adult is probably the best way for younger readers to get the most from this aspect of the writing as little ones would probably need support with word meaning and pronunciation.
Overall, The Book Dragon found that this was quite a unique story that teaches children that it’s ok to be different but to make the most of those differences and celebrate them. For a debut book, it’s innovative and educational to boot, making it a strong choice for young readers. With this in mind, I award the book 4 stars.