About the Author:
Stella Blackstone has written many bestselling titles for Barefoot Books, including the popular Bear and Cleo series, An Island in the Sun (PB: 9781841481944), Secret Seahorse (PB: 9781841488769; BB: 9781905236145) and Who Are You, Baby Kangaroo? (BB: 9781905236145). Stella lives with her family in Somerset. Clare Beaton has been charming audiences for years with her handcrafted children's picture books. She has published many titles with Barefoot, including How Big is A Pig? (PB: 9781841480787; BB: 9781841489582), Mother Goose Remembers (HC with CD: 9781846860034), Secret Seahorse (HC: 9781841480787; PB: 9781841488769; BB: 9781905236145), and I Dreamt I Was a Dinosaur (HC: 9781841482378; BB: 9781846860157). Clare lives in London.
From School Library Journal:
reSchool-Grade 1-This companion to Beaton's How Big Is a Pig? (Barefoot, 2000) lacks the appeal of that book. Each two-line stanza contrasts aspects of the other creatures to the lion's roar ("Cheetahs are spotty, zebras are stripy, But how loud is a lion? Shhh! Listen!"). Using descriptors such as "Giraffes are gentle," "Hoopoes are happy," "Parrots are feathery," and "zorillas are greedy," the text is flat. The repetitive phrase, "But how loud is a lion? Shhh! Listen!" along with a partial glimpse of the beast on several spreads, leads readers to the surprise at the end: the lion roars, the animals scatter, and the big cat smiles. The book's strength is the exceptional felt-applique art on full spreads that captures the animals' characteristics. The fine craft-work of beads, embroidery, and applique, and the great endpapers with an assortment of slithering snakes are stunning. This title would make a beautiful flannel-board story and could be read aloud, but it might leave readers wishing for the delightful rhymes so successful in Pig.
JoAnn Jonas, Chula Vista Public Library, San Diego, CA
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