At The Animal Ball by Ella Bailey
The animals are having a ball. Join them as they 'dance and roar', 'flutter a fan' then 'tap your toes on the floor'. This is flip flap fun in the parlour game tradition of 'heads, bodies, tails'. On Midsummer's Eve a veritable menagerie of very cute animals in what appear to be a range of national costumes, are assembling to bounce, shimmy, swagger and stroll. You can mix the animals up by flipping the flaps but watch out! Moving the pages out of sequence also mixes up the dance moves. Join in and keep up!
| At The Animal Ball by Ella Bailey | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Lorraine McDonald
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| Summary: Flip flap fun with a menagerie of animals who are having a ball. Join in the dancing in this interactive book drawing on the parlour game classic 'heads, bodies, tails'. Beautifully produced. Engaging activity for the infant school child. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 26 | Date: April 2015 |
| Publisher: Ivy Press | |
| ISBN: 978-1782402305 | |
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Mummy loves this book. From the seventeen sweetly painted animals to the soft corners of the cover. The pages that Chinchilla, Gazelle and Hare dance on are glossy and thick, and Badger's twirl will not be impeded by clunky binding, for the spine is sturdy and the flaps move smoothly. The ball goers are illustrated, bodies intact, cavorting on the front inner leaf. I can look at those pictures for a very long time.
Daddy loves this book. He didn't surrender it until every animal was perused and every flap was flipped. The artwork is lovely. The layout is thoughtful, right down to the pretty borders around the text, different for each animal and a helpful indicator that an animal has their body parts intact. The grown-ups didn't try it, but the concept of joining in with the moves encourages interaction. It is always good to see a book that goes beyond a simple narrative.
Little boy? Pearls before toddlers is the expression that springs to mind. Ignore him. I'd recommend this for the three to seven age range. Small children but big enough to 'get' the idea and whimsy of muddled up bodies. Whilst not wanting to play to any tired stereotypes, I suspect the costumes and slightly cutesy style may appeal more to girls than to boys. I will store this one safely for a year or two and test that theory out.
For more flip-flap animal fun likely to appeal to slightly older children, try Remarkable Animals by Tony Meeuwissen. Ella Bailey also illustrated I Don't Know What to Call My Cat by Simon Philip. We think you might also like The Belly Book by Fran Manushkin and Dan Yaccarino.
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You can read more book reviews or buy At The Animal Ball by Ella Bailey at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy At The Animal Ball by Ella Bailey at Amazon.com.
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