Lift-the-Flap and Colour: Ocean by Alice Bowsher
| Lift-the-Flap and Colour: Ocean by Alice Bowsher | |
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| Category: Children's Non-Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A good quality, educational colouring book for toddlers. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? No |
| Pages: 10 | Date: May 2017 |
| Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1847809292 | |
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When you think about it, it's quite startling that oceans cover most of our planet and they're home to nearly half of all species, apart from humans. We don't know a lot about the oceans either - less than 5% of the area has been explored, but it is an area of outstanding beauty. With Alice Bowsher's Lift-the-Flap and Colour: Ocean children as young as two have the opportunity to do a little exploration and to colour their own pictures. The flaps are a stroke of genius: when we look at the sea we see little more than the movement of the water, but how different it would be if you could see a little of what is going on underneath.
First of all - how suitable is it as a colouring book for the youngest artists? Well, as you'd expect from publishers Frances Lincoln, in conjunction with the Natural History Museum, it's good quality paper which is substantial enough not to bleed through to the reverse, no matter how enthusiastic your toddler might be. There are no very intricate shapes to colour: enthusiasm can take the place of precision and a satisfying result is entirely possible. Something I did like is that the book opens out almost completely flat, so no one's masterpiece is going to be ruined because the bit in the gutter couldn't be completed.
It's gently educational, but not boringly so. We learn about dolphins diving for their dinner and catching cod, sea creatures hiding in the coral reef or swaying seaweed and how fish swim in shoals to keep out of danger: it's the basics with nothing too complicated. There's a nice touch too in that the text is in rhyming couplets, which helps with memory. With a cover price of £5.99 it's a very reasonable way to amuse and teach your budding artist.
If you'd prefer something land-based, we've also seen Lift-the-Flap: Jungle, which has all the same attributes, but you needn't get wet. We’ve also seen (and got lost in) Forest and been amazed by African Animals. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending copies to the Bookbag.
Slightly older children will also enjoy Build a ... Butterfly by Kiki Ljung or Press Out and Colour: Birds by Zoe Ingram.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Lift-the-Flap and Colour: Ocean by Alice Bowsher 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 Lift-the-Flap and Colour: Ocean by Alice Bowsher at Amazon.com.
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