Tilly and Friends by Polly Dunbar

“Tilly and her friends all live together in a little yellow house…”

I don’t know about you but knowing I’m reading a book by Polly Dunbar, that preface already has me excited!

For those of you that haven’t yet met Tilly and her friends, I thought I’d take the time to introduce you to the brilliance that Polly Dunbar has created.

In ‘Hello Tilly’, Tilly is sitting quietly, reading her favourite story. Then one by one her five friends join her as they play, dance and eat together. I cannot wipe the smile off my face as I read this. It is a simple, joyous celebration of being with friends, where each one brings something different to the mix; the perfect way to meet the residents of the little yellow house.

“Doodle woke up feeling Bitey!” Oh no! As adults we can see where this will most likely end up… and you would be right. Sometimes when playing with friends it’s easy to get carried away and occasionally someone gets bitten. Then there’s usually some retaliation! Luckily Tilly and Pru are around to bandage everyone up and Pru kisses everyone better. It’s good to know that apologising to each other is part of the healing process too. 

I’ve been giggling like a child and I’m only two books down!

Tiptoe (possibly the cutest rabbit you’ve ever seen) isn’t sleepy. Any parent will probably know how it feels when a child just doesn’t want to go to sleep! When Tilly is singing a lovely lullaby, Tiptoe joins in on his drum. Tilly gets him settled again until he appears demanding a story a short while later. Then, just as Tilly gets herself ready for bed, she wonders aloud “Who’s going to tuck me in? Who’s going to kiss me goodnight?” Can you guess? I laughed so hard when I turned the page.

Hector is very happy sitting on Tilly’s lap. He doesn’t want to share Tilly with Tiptoe when he wants to play with her. So Tiptoe joins Hector on Tilly’s lap… and then so does everyone else! He is now the unhappiest he has ever been, and no, he doesn’t want the others to play with him, especially not Tumpty to sit in his lap! But then a kind gesture from Tilly clears the air and Hector is the happiest happiest he has ever been. He even lets Tiptoe paint his nose blue.

Are you beginning to see how amazingly brilliant these books are? Not only are they just too much fun, there’s a little message about friendship in each one.

Tumpty, the elephant, tries many different ways to hide. But in a little yellow house, it’s a little more difficult than he might think; closing his eyes just isn’t quite enough. And when his friends laugh and laugh at his efforts to hide, he wanders off with a “Humph.” His friends then look for him everywhere and think they upset him so much he ran away! Tiptoe looked for him in the biscuit tin with no success and so they all drown their sorrows in biscuits, wondering if Tumpty has gone forever. But, whose trunk is that reaching for the biscuit tin?

And finally, I think Pretty Pru is my favourite of the 6 books. Mainly for one particular image that had me literally rolling on the floor with laughter when I first saw it. But we’ll get to that soon.

When Pru won’t share her make-up, Tumpty takes it without permission to share with his other friends. Meanwhile, Pru asks Tilly to help her look for her lost handbag. So they ask Hector:

My goodness that page never fails to make me laugh! But by the time the handbag is found (on top of Tumpty’s head!) Pru is not laughing. It’s not nice to take people things without asking. But then Pru decides to share her lipstick and they all have great fun!

I wanted to keep this short, but when talking about six books in one review, I wanted you to know that they are all fantastic stories on their own, but make the most perfect set ever!

As the back of each of the books says: “Everyone wants to be Tilly’s Friend” and it’s true! I know I do, and you should too!

Got kids? Get these books! (For yourself, if not for them). Everyone should know the work of Polly Dunbar!