Little Mouse's Big Book of Beasts by Emily Gravett
| Little Mouse's Big Book of Beasts by Emily Gravett | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Zoe Morris
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| Summary: A rather unusual guide to big beasts, this is a treat for kids big and small | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: March 2013 |
| Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books | |
| ISBN: 978-0230745384 | |
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You know right from the start that this is going to be a special book. The cover art is fantastic with a true 3D feel that truly pops, and when you open it, the animals jump out at you. Literally.
This is an animal book with a difference. First of all, the animals have clearly already had a go at it. The pages are chewed, corners ripped off, holes nibbled here and there. The animals have been, erm, ‘annotated’ with graffiti manes, snorkelling masks, cups of fizzy pop by our cheeky friend the white mouse. It’s so deliciously naughty because we all know we’re not supposed to draw and scribble in books and yet someone, or something, clearly has here.
As for the beasts of the title, these are awarded a full double sided spread each. From the predictable (sharks, lions, crocodiles) to the less scary (unless you’re a mouse) owls and jellyfish, each creature appears in a large and yes, somewhat beast-like, illustration accompanied by a few lines of text:
The owl by day
Is fast asleep,
Dreaming of his lunch,
By night, in flight,
He hunts for mice,
Then eats them with a CRUNCH!
Alongside this ‘proper’ text are some scrawled comments from Little Mouse himself. We learn he does not like loud lions, wasps worry him, and crabs give him the creeps.
This is such a great book for reading together, and takes a deceptively long time to get through because there’s so much to look at and discuss on each page. The whole thing has a sort of collage feel to it, but you can tell such great thought and attention has gone into making it perfect.
This is a fun read that is definitely a little bit different from your average book of beasties. It has a creative feel to it that is sure to inspire young artists, but is equally likely to entertain those not yet old enough to hold a pen.
Thanks go to the publishers for sending us this book
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett is another book you just need. Y'know?
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You can read more book reviews or buy Little Mouse's Big Book of Beasts by Emily Gravett 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 Little Mouse's Big Book of Beasts by Emily Gravett at Amazon.com.
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