Peepo Paw Prints by Smriti Prasadam and Melanie Mitchell
| Peepo Paw Prints by Smriti Prasadam and Melanie Mitchell | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: An interactive board book which will introduce children to the different paw prints of a range of animals. It's rhyming, alliterative and tremendous fun. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 14 | Date: August 2008 |
| Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | |
| ISBN: 978-0747595359 | |
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Who's been hopping round and round?
Squelch squelch!
Well, there are some clues as to who has been hopping round. We've got two green paw prints – touch them and you'll find that they're textured. On the opposite page there's a lily pond and if you lift the lily up you can see that lurking beneath it is a friendly frog. There's a lot to talk about too. The young reader is encouraged to put their own hands on the paw prints to see if they match – and of course they don't. Melanie Mitchell's beautiful illustrations bring to life the frog's habitat and the creatures which share it – the dragon flies hovering over the water and the fish in the pond. It's all very easy on the eye and each reading will reveal something new.
From the friendly frog we move to an enormous elephant. There's inventive use of alliteration and a predictable text which will help with early reading skills. It won't be long before everyone knows that after Who's been hopping round and round? we have Who's been stomping on the ground? The text is a real pleasure to read aloud.
Even for those not yet at that stage there's tremendous fun to be had from this book. The flaps are big and sturdy – perfect for little hands to lift. The knobbly paw prints invite exploration – it's just about impossible not to touch them! A good range of animals are covered from the frog and elephant already mentioned to the lion, a bear, a pig (perky, of course) and a horse. The paw prints are simple but detailed enough to invite discussion about why animals have different prints.
On the final page there's a delightful surprise because this time the 'paw' prints do match and the flap lifts to reveal a mirror (securely anchored into the back of the book – it would take concerted effort by an adult to move it) which will reflect the grinning child.
With most children's books it's almost impossibly to avoid the thought that the idea has been done before, but I can't remember ever having seen a book for children about paw prints. It's a surprisingly simple idea and well executed.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
For another book with a mirror, which brings the child into the story, we can recommend The Beginner's Guide to Bears by Gillian Shields and Sebastien Braun. If your child is interested in the sounds made by animals you might like to read our review of ROAR! by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Peepo Paw Prints by Smriti Prasadam and Melanie Mitchell at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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