Baja Brody: Birthday Surprise is a children’s picture book by Christina Willis, and part of the Baja Brody Adventures series. The story is accompanied by the illustrations of Ralph Thomas, and together they tell the tale of a little boy named Baja Brody and his faithful friend Doodles, a toy puppy. Both Doodles and Baja’s orange buggy come to life in the boy’s imagination, where he races like a pro across wild exotic climates with unstoppable speed and skill. After his wild imaginative play, Baja comes back to his real life, only to remember he has a special party to plan for Doodles, and it’s a race against time to get things right.

Christina Willis writes engaging rhymes with interesting changes in rhythm to bring Baja’s adventures to life. It strikes me as the kind of a book a child would learn to recite at bedtime, even before they can read. Ralph Thomas’s illustrations are bright, bold and full of interesting details for children to explore, and they complement the verses on each page perfectly. The message of Baja Brody: Birthday Surprise is simple and effective, providing a light-hearted look at the power of imagination and the importance of friendship, whilst also sprinkling that tiny dash of magic where children often believe that their toys have a life of their own when they’re not looking. Overall, I would highly recommend Baja Brody: Birthday Surprise as a delightful and colourful read for young children to enjoy with their parents, or read alone when they’re first learning.

Baja Brody and the Birthday Surprise is written by Christina Willis and illustrated by Ralph Thomas, and tells the story of Baja’s busy day. He starts off racing his dune buggy and gets really carried away by the excitement and thrill of the race. His best friend, Doodles, sits beside him and together they career through the desert track, and before he knows it, it’s time for lunch and nap time. It’s only when Baja is trying to sleep that he realises he has forgotten Doodles’ birthday. Baja had planned a surprise but realises he has lost his keys. There follows a hunt high and low to find them and so get the surprise he has planned for Doodles. Eventually, Doodles saves the day.

This is a story that races along, let alone the dune buggy! It’s fast and wild and reflects exactly what the author is trying to convey – that in the crazy and busy world in which we live, it’s easy to forget the important things in life. To Baja, Doodles is his best friend, and he had been so busy with the racing and the excitement that he clean forgot about his best friend’s birthday and all he had planned. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed, but this story shows it’s important to remember others even when we are having so much fun. The story has a great pace and this is enhanced by it being told in rhyme, while the colourful illustrations really make this a must-read for all busy children everywhere.

Fantastic! This will definitely catch the attention and interest of our grand children.