Footprint

Footprint is all about appreciating the beauty and wonder of nature. Children walk across the pages and look at the changing scenery and just stop to take it all in. The places that they go range from the snow-covered Arctic to a jungle, but in each place they stop and 'just breathe'.

The text is written in short rhyming couplets, but does not shy away from using more sophisticated vocabulary such as nurture, treacherous and ponder. This means it is a book that can be read at several levels and not just confined to the very youngest children. It would be an excellent book to use to encourage vocabulary acquisition as it all works perfectly in context.

For me the real highlight is the illustrations by Sally Soweol Han. I wanted to read it just based on the front cover and the inside does not disappoint. The illustrations are breath-taking, the children delightfully drawn and the scenery majestic. Beautiful colours fill each page, yet oddly, my favourite illustration was the fog-shrouded scene.

This is a book to be savoured and looked at in detail; young children will love the opportunity to pick out the details and find the exotic animals. This is a really lovely book and one to be read and re-read.

24 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+