Emma Dodd
(Orchard Books)
I love all bugs … big and small bugs.
Join a little bug lover as he takes us around his garden and introduces us to a whole array of creepy-crawlies and other creatures. Whether they are “jumpy leapy”, “spiky spiny”, “whiny buzzy” or “flouncy frilly”, he loves them all. But there is a brilliant twist at the end which will have little readers in fits of giggles!
This lovely colourful picture book will be a sure-winner with wannabe entomologists but will also enchant any audience with its rhyming text (which makes it a real pleasure to read aloud) as well as its bold and simple illustrations.
Emma Dodd is a very talented illustrator, who won the Booktrust Early Years Award Best Book for Babies in 2010 for her collaboration with Giles Andreae I Love My Mummy, and I think she is one of the most toddler-friendly illustrators around.
Her books are pitched perfectly at the intended audience, strengthened by her ability not only to draw but also to write very simple rhyming text, and always include a touch of humour. The subject of bugs is one that will mesmerize many of a young child, especially as toddlers are so curious about their surroundings. It might help make bugs less scary for more fearsome little people, and will also be very useful in primary schools for projects on insects!
Emma Dodd is an illustrator well worth investigating (look out for I Don’t Want a Posh Dog and I Don’t Want a Cool Cat too)!
Just found you via Natasha Worswick’s blog and am really enjoying your posts. Love the look of this book in particular- now just need it to warm and dry up so we can get on our tummies in the garden and look for the wee beasties!