Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: porcupine

  • You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency

    You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency

    Big, bold and a riot of fun, the slight whacky crew are back in their third book in the Can’t Call An Elephant series, as they all blunder into and through an emergency, and somehow all end up going on a holiday.

    Well presented this simply worded story shows children why it is so important to know the right person to go to in an emergency, rather than go to the wrong person such as Llama as a life guard as her manners are just to awful, or Sloth as a traffic cop because he does so love to sleep.

    Now Porcupine is the very last person to rely on if you need rescuing in a flood rescue craft. Why; because her very strong prickles might puncture the boat. Oh boy, what a disaster.

    As children everywhere know Elephants are very large creatures, who love to trumpet and slosh around as the firemen unroll their hoses in an emergency. They have a great laugh but what about the emergency!

    The fun filled antics of the most unlikely rescue creatures to ever put on uniforms creates an excellent platform for teaching about emergencies, what not to do and then, by association, who to look for if things do go terribly wrong.

    As a large picture book format the wording is suitable for beginner readers, the illustrations bold and colourful with a heap of built in, laugh out loud moments to be discovered.

    You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency; find out why not!

     

  • I’ll Love You Always

    I’ll Love You Always

    Whether it is koalas, or mice, animal mothers expressing love for their babies is a popular theme. This is definitely a book to be read together, cuddled up and cosy. The matter of fact way that mother mouse answers implied questions from her child is reassuring and solid. The rhyming text used is delightful, using concepts of time as a guide. Parents, grandparents and siblings will enjoy the easy way the language wraps around the certainty of parental love. They will all want to share in the reading of this book.

    “How long will I love you?

    A second is too short.

    A second is no time for love of this sort”.

    So the story begins, and as the pages are turned, we dismiss hours, days and weeks, months, seasons and years, as being too short a time for this love to end. In fact, it is only at the end of the book, when it comes to tucking- in time, that we find out just how long mother mouse will love her baby. During these declarations, mother mouse and her child pursue many activities. They build a house of sticks, play by the river, and by the sea, and frolic among the flowers. They are accompanied by other animals, rabbits, birds and a porcupine.

    The illustrations support the text and the storyline well. The colours are soft and hazy. Each double page spread uses an illustration to enhance the rhyming text. From joyous romps in the meadows, to soft evening light provided by glow worms, we feel safe, happy, and very, very loved.