Hey- maybe we can grow our OWN rain forest with this summer deluge!
For the first time this year a mini-flock of about 5 green parakeets have taken up residence in next door's plum tree. They are obviously the first comers in what's going to become a mass move-in of poison dart frogs, sloths, monkeys and even toucans! Eddie will be delighted. Bill will also enjoy swinging on the vines and I will be released from any further worries about weeding or slug attack; enjoying the bounty of tropical fruit trees rather than the occasional handful of wizened and mildewed blackcurrants.
Whilst we wait for the canopy to grow (about 6 weeks or so I'm guessing?) we can continue to enjoy 'In the forest' by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud; the team also responsible for the wordlessly charming 'Popville'.
Pretty, pretty prettiness with an ecological conscience; the book opens with a beautiful representation of a flourishing rain forest complete with parrots, toucans, a hiding sloth and various other little brown animals and figures. As you turn the pages of the book however, the influence of digger wielding, deforesting man starts to eat away at the pop-up vista until all that is left is one solitary tree to which the hopeful sloth still clings.
Hope, seeds and rain spring eternal thankfully. At the end of the book you get to pull a little tab and make new shoots appear and in the final spread a magnificent forest has grown once more. It's a simple conceit and a well worn message but so refreshingly presented it's irresistible. There's a 'Where's Wally' element in addition to the pop up glories in spotting all the hiding tiny creatures. I like to be able to play while I'm being educated and so, unsurprisingly enough, do my children.
When did pop-up books get so cool? I am linking this post to Child Led Chaos's Friday Pick blog hop whose own post this Friday 13th is funnily enough about Jan Pienkowski's 'Haunted House'; about the only pop-up book I do remember from childhood. I never had my own copy and always felt slightly cross about having to play with other people's already broken ones. Ah, it's so nice to be a grown up and get to play with a whole new generation of clever paper engineering first.
'In the Forest' by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud, story by Sophie Strady, pub.Tate isbn 978-1-84976-071-3
That looks beautiful. Unfortunately my 2 year old is at the stage where he would love ripping a pop up book to bits but I'll definitely get that when they are a bit older - my 4 year old would love it!
ReplyDeleteAh yes...sometimes pop-up books are just too good to share with your children.
DeleteWhat a beautiful book. Makes me realise we don't actually have many pop-ups in our collection, something to be rectified toot sweet.
ReplyDeleteOH this one looks like so much fun! My kids are finally at the age where they have stopped eating pop-up books.
ReplyDeleteI have had enough of rain for the year so maybe this would give me a reason to like it again.
Glad it's not just us with the rain...
ReplyDeleteBe warned Helen- Pop-Up's SO good now-they're addictive.