Words and Pictures ISBN 9781784937799 Hardback £12.99
Once upon a Jungle is an eye catching, beautifully illustrated introduction to the eco system and food chain of the jungle. Set against a black background the cover and each page feature jewel bright, colour illustrations of jungle creatures and plants. Whilst some leap from each page there are plenty more creatures lurking waiting to be discovered by eager eyes. As if to mirror the life cycles in nature that the book portrays the story, too, starts and finishes with the same sentence… ’once upon a time there lived a jungle.’ Although a non-fiction text its illustrations and repetitive rhythmic text reads like a simple story or poem. The story explains the food chain of the jungle with the ants becoming food for the mantis, until at the top of the food chain the panther becomes old and although not said explicitly the panther dies becoming food for beetles and enrichment for the soil. The text is short, each double page spread featuring only once sentence. A first reading without any additional adult questioning or explanation would allow children’s thoughts to form independently. A second reading would be necessary with KS1 pupils to delve into the interesting vocabulary and terminology such as pounced, snacked, preyed and to ensure understanding of the meaning of the text and illustrations. The final two pages are both opening double pages one featuring an array of jungle creatures purely there for spotting and identifying and the other providing a detailed factual explanation of a food chain simply explaining producers, consumers and decomposers. Whilst the text will appeal to KS1 pupils the themes and facts would make it a great stimulus for KS 2 pupils.
Jane Macleod