Child’s Play ISBN 9781786281289 £5.99
A quirky tale of the friendship between woodland animals, Bear, Fox, Chipmunk and Marmot. Having shared a fun filled summer together the friends think it would be great to live together all the time so they build themselves a home ‘tall enough, wide enough and snug enough’ for them all. Once cosy in their new home Bear, Marmot and Chipmunk promptly go to sleep and begin their winter hibernation. Unfortunately, Fox is unaware of their instinct to hibernate and tries to wake them up daily, prepares food for them and generally longs for his friends to wake up. Fox gets lonelier and sadder with no one to play with and no one to talk to. As the weeks pass, each creature receives a parcel in the post but there is nothing for fox. All comes good in the end as fox can’t resist peeking in the parcels each one goes off dinging and ringing and donging. Each parcel contains an alarm clock to rouse the animals from their winter slumbers. The animals awaken ready to reaffirm their friendship and begin another spring and summer of fun. The resolution to the story is subtly told in the illustrations as we see an advertisement for housemate wanted outside the animals’ house and fox interviewing a range of woodland creatures on their hibernation habits. The bright colourful illustrations capture the character and expressions in the animals’ faces and add an extra dimension. As well as being enjoyed in its own right, the book could lead to discussion on friendship, hibernation and the different types of animals native to different countries. Age range: 3-7.
Jane Macleod, Primary Teacher, Fairfield Primary, Penarth