Pairs in the Garden by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie
| Pairs in the Garden by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie | |
|
| |
| Category: Children's Non-Fiction | |
| |
Reviewer: Zoe Morris
 | |
| Summary: A fun memory game in the form of a lift-the-flap book, this has a creepy crawly theme | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 12 | Date: February 2017 |
| Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1847808837 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Pairs in the Garden is a fun book/game hybrid for little fingers into creepy crawlies. It's a lift-the-flap book with a difference, because not only do you get to see what's underneath, you then must see if you can find a matching pair on the same page. But beware! You cannot just use process of elimination because there are 7 flaps on each page, but only 3 pairs to find. One poor creature is all alone with no partner.
With the garden theme, the sorts of things we're matching here are bees, snails, grasshoppers and other critters. Because it's aimed at the little league, we're not over burdened with the names for different species, we just choose them based on appearance. In between the flaps there are full background illustrations with further tasks – can you spot 5 acorns, and so on.
I find lift-the-flap books quite popular because of their interactive nature, but there are some pitfalls to avoid. This one does well because it's very sturdy, so no matter how many times you do indeed lift the flaps, they're not going to rip easily and ruin the effect. One word of caution, however, is the springiness of the flaps. When the book arrives it's beautifully neat and they are sealed shut, but as soon as you open each flap you discover there is no chance of them closing fully again, and from then on they'll always be just a few degrees open even when they're 'shut'. Worth knowing if your child is a sneaky peeker.
There is limited text with this book, but what is there is in rhyme format which is always a winner, and it helps set the scene on each page. The illustrations are really lovely, but again a word of warning is around the pairs themselves, as some are quite similar to others, and you may think you've found a match only to see later that your shades of green weren't quite the same. This generally comes to light when you've found a third part of the 'pair' and quickly look more closely at the ones you thought matched.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review. It's fun and will be well played with in the weeks and months to come. All books are useful for language, but this one also tests memory and promotes dexterity, and for that reason it's a good all rounder. You could shelve it next to Pairs Underwater by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie.
Young garden lovers may also enjoy Flowerpot Farm: A First Gardening Activity Book by Lorraine Harrison
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy Pairs in the Garden by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie 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 Pairs in the Garden by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Lorna Scobie at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
