Saturday, October 17, 2020

Review: A Cauldron of Bats by Michael Buxton

 

A CAULDRON OF BATS
by Michael Buxton
Hardie Grant Egmont
Board Book/ Novelty Book
12 pages
ages 3 to 7






Introduce the idea of collective nouns to young children with this fun lift-the-flap book.

Open the flap to reveal a funny scene that illustrates weird and wonderful collective nouns for animals that fly!







MY TIDBITS

With flip-flapping fun, listeners learn some funny ways to described groups of certain animals in the English language...and adults might just learn something new, too.

English can be an odd language, even for those of us who speak it from birth on. This cute book takes some little known words, which are the true way to describe groups of certain animals...words even us adults don't realize are used in that context. While this is a language lesson, the illustrations keep it far away from feeling preachy or boring. 

It's fun to try to guess why the animals are dressed and acting they way they are (in the illustrations). And while older readers/listeners will recognize the pattern right away, it's still entertaining to flip the flap and find out what's going on. For example, flies in business suits and crowded around a table is silly, and yet, that's exactly what a swam of flies is called—a business. It's intriguing and fun for all ages.

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