Who is Hiding under the shade?
Our love of them will never fade.
Lovely to ride,
Carry children with pride.
Who is hiding under the shade?
... First Sentence Verse
Who is hiding in the sea?
Paddling round and feeling free.
Best game of all,
Is fetch the ball.
Who is hiding in the sea?
... Memorable Moment, Page not numbered
A huge fan of author, Rachel Coverdale, and illustrator, Shelly Oyston, whose illustrations you feel you can actually reach out and touch {as proved by the eighteen month old brother of one of my little bookworms who, having reached out to touch the illustration of the dog whose footprints could be found at the seaside, cooed 'Ooh! Nice doggie!'; you would think that by now the impact the books had on me would have worn off a little but I find myself just as much in awe as I ever was.
Written it rhyme, something young children delight in; a fun way to learn and develop reading skills, the bright, life-like illustrations a sure way to gain the attention of even the most reluctant of readers/pre-readers.
That the author straight away welcomes the adult and youngster with a brief 'Dear Grown-up' and 'Dear Child' note; inviting the grown-up to insert a picture/drawing of their child/insert a piece of shiny paper to act as a mirror a lovely touch that straight away has the grown-up on board, their child feeling that they are to be involved.
Likewise from the finding of a colourful kite which is to be found in every picture, to tongue twisters, to collecting shells, to matching the footprint to the animal, to circling the picture of the animals in the book the next time they are seen at the seaside, there are lots of fun and engaging activities to be found at the back of the book all of which reinforce learning in a fun way.
