Welcome to the Wonderful World of the WotWots

By Martin Baynton (HarperCollins)

 

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It's hard not to be suspicious about marketing merchandise aimed at toddlers including the book of the television show, even if reading does seem so much more wholesome as a pastime than watching the box.

We ended up with Welcome to the Wonderful World of the WotWots, the first in a series based on the childrens television programme made by Weta Workshop, because our 2-year-old was the supposed target audience and already a fan.

And from the start she was terribly excited to flick through the pages filled with the central brother and sister characters, the explorers Spotty Wot and Dotty Wot, and the show's supporting cast – the animals of Wellington and Auckland zoos.

But, so far, that has been about as far as the attraction goes. The book explains the roles and personalities of the WotWots, it has little stories that define their personalities and the words of songs from the television series.

The problem is that it almost tries too hard to educate and set the scene for future publications instead of just telling a story.

I'm hoping that as this toddler gets older her attention span will get longer and we might actually read and enjoy this colourful and informative book more.

- © Fairfax NZ News