Toucans and shameless hat showing off

Boringly the lurgy continues to bother me in fits and starts; so between that and the half term holiday forgive the fact the the Little Wooden Horse may trundle rather slowly this week.

In brief then. Eddie has long been a boy who enjoys a good toucan. His favourite book on this subject has been a small and undistinguished looking 'early reader' non- fiction text; 'Toucans and Other Birds' by Julie Guidone.  It's part of an 'animals that live in the rain forest' US series published by Weekly Reader Publishing. It was an inexpensive impulse buy from Amazon.

Sometimes you buy books for your children which lift your heart and make you sing and salivate for joy in the beauty of them.

This is not such a book. A small amount of dry but informative text faces a page with a good colour photo of a toucan, macaw or harpy eagle. That's about it.
Eddie LOVES it however and has been sleeping with it for the last three years. I'm sure it would make his top ten of recommendations so it's time it had a place in the pantheon of honour here. I guess those of us who aren't such toucan enthusiasts just Don't Understand.

I've had cause to be grateful to this little book this weekend however. We had had a half term holiday task set us to construct a carnival hat for Eddie. Reception are representing Brazil in the school Olympic parade next week. There was only one obvious contender for inspiration for Eddie. He and I had a detailed conversation about exactly which toucan we would render. I rather favoured the middle one above but he was quite clear that it was to be the last one (and who am I to argue with Mr Toucan Himself). Materials purchased we set to work and are both very pleased with the result.

We are available for Ascot.

'Toucans and Other Birds' Julie Guidone, pub. Weekly Reader Publishing isbn 978-1-4339-0110-2