What the Animals Saw – Children’s Book Review
Thank you to the BCT’s former Newsletter Lead Editor’ Elizabeth de Gaetano, for this review.
Children’s literature is replete with representations of animals. We find them in children’s novels, non-fiction accounts, poetry, fairy tales and nursery rhymes. More often not children find animals intriguing and exciting.
Louise Greig wrote this picture book.
It invites young readers to view the world through the eyes of animals. Doing so offers them a truly delightful experience. There is no linear story that is read from cover to cover. Instead, the material encourages the child to talk about what they think each animal sees. Each double-page spread features a different being. By using simple text, the author encourages the child to think about what that animal might see, think or feel.
Nicola O’Byrne’s illustrations are stunning.
Their vivid colours capture a moment in time. My daughter and I particularly enjoyed the page about the bats. We are particularly fond of this mammal despite the bad reputation they unwittingly earned in recent times.
Excellent for bedtime.
The end of the book dedicates itself to some simple facts about the featured animals. Lower primary school-going children, like my daughter, might already know some of the details. Still, that didn’t stop her from leafing through the pages, looking for information in each scene and letting her imagination fill in the gaps.
This book is also excellent for quiet bedtime reading.
Editor’s note: This piece first appeared in the Parenting Newsletter in 2020. We have edited it for this blog. You can buy this book at Bider and Tanner.
