Tag Greg McLeod

Move Mountain / Ebb and Flo and the Sea Monster

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Move Mountain
Corrinne Averiss and Greg McLeod
Oxford Children’s Books

Although the hills around Mountain receive the sun’s rays each morning, because the sun always rises behind him, his face stays in the shade. So much does he long to feel sun’s beaming warmth that he tells Bird he wishes he were able to turn around. Bird flies off to seek help from Bear and the two of them push with all their might but Mountain remains firmly as he was.

Other ideas are tried including the use of music for conjuring up an image of the sun and although Mountain loves this, it only serves to make him want more than ever to see the sun rise.

However Bird has one last idea tucked beneath her feathers. Can this one possibly be a success?
Perhaps it’s not possible to move a mountain in the physical sense but nonetheless this particular Mountain is more than happy with what he sees at dawn next day.
This beautiful tale celebrates friendship, kindness, thinking outside the box and ingenuity. Truly the sun’s warm glow shines forth in Corrinne’s words and Greg McLeod’s gently humorous illustrations.

Ebb and Flo and the Sea Monster
Jane Simmons
Graffeg

As Flo sits with Granny sharing a local paper and focussing on a picture of Morgawr the mythical sea monster, Ebb’s ball bounces away and so begins this wonderful moonlit adventure as they search for the ball which goes overboard on their way home across the bay, and perhaps for a sighting of Morgawr too. But they find themselves marooned and have to camp put on the beach.

As Mum, Flo and Ebb gather around the fire, listen to nature’s sounds and stare out at the star-filled sky, they wonder about the enormous monster that might or might not be lying in wait for them somewhere out at sea. Later with Flo tucked up under a blanket, Mum has to leave the tent to collect more firewood. There in the shadows are Flo, Ebb, that bouncy ball – again – and the possibility of a scary monster lurking close at hand.

This latest of Jane Simmons’ modern classic rereleases, with its softly spoken words and beautifully hued, hazy illustrations will surely delight a new generation of young children as much as it did those who encountered Ebb and Flo over twenty years ago.

Crocodile Tears

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Crocodile Tears
Roger McGough and Greg McLeod
Otter-Barry Books

‘The crocodile said to the chimpanzee, “Chimpanzee, I want to be free. The jungle jangle’s not for me.” Said crocodile goes on to utter a similar sentiment to other jungle residents – mosquito,

parakeet, alligator, hippo, a piranha fish, as well as mum, faithfully promising to write to her.

Then with rucksack on back, the crocodile glides off downstream heading seawards. Once there a clever disguise is donned and breathing deeply, the creature dives beneath the waves, jetting towards a banana boat. This little croc seems to have everything worked out.

Safely aboard, our traveller spends much of the voyage sleeping and the rest consuming healthy fare. Then, having docked, it’s more stowing away, now on wheeled transport, destination the big city.

First job in this strange new environment is to honour that promise to mum. The start of a series of Dear Mother letters is penned, telling of London’s dreary strangeness.

These epistles continue over time as croc. sees the sights of the city by day …

and by night. Then comes the snow and enough is enough for our roving reptile: the jungle calls once more and so …

This is an absolutely brilliant read aloud tale (make sure you read it carefully to yourself first though). Roger McGough’s narrative verse is bursting with wit as are those affecting letters crocodile writes home. The inherent humour is wonderfully reflected in animator Greg McLeod’s delectably quirky scenes of the intrepid traveller undertaking the journey of a lifetime. The crocodile’s eye views of our capital city are absolutely priceless.

Assuredly it’s a case of ‘east, west, home’s best’. I can’t wait to share this with young humans.