The very hungry caterpillar's Australian friends by Eric Carle

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Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241401583.
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Lift-the-flap board book. Themes: Australian animals. A beautifully illustrated lift the flap book will delight young children, as they explore the seaside and landscape of Australia searching to see what lives behind the flap. With Eric Carle's signature bright colours and the very hungry caterpillar to be found, little children will have lots of fun searching for the crawling hermit crab and fishing pelican by the sea, a drifting seahorse, swimming turtle and dolphin at the coral reef and a snapping crocodile and platypus along the river. In the outback are lizards, kangaroos and snakes parrots, a jumping frog and the very hungry caterpillar in the rainforest.
The language will extend the vocabulary of the young child, with phrases like 'waves tumble, roll and fall' and the rhymes will encourage the guessing of what comes next in the narrative.
The book is very strong and well made, with solid flaps that should withstand much use from little fingers. This is a book that will make an ideal companion to The very hungry caterpillar, and children will have lots of incidental fun learning about Australian animals and where they live.
Pat Pledger

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