Who will win the Magnificent Race of the Animals? Frog on roller-skates or zebra on a scooter? Find a morning moon, six ways to look at a leaf, beautiful bubbles and amazing shapeshifters. Have a feast of words, make a den and then guess the names of the night animals…

Kate Wakeling’s wonderful talent for revealing the excitement that hides in everyday things, combined with her soaring imagination and special way with words, make this a poetry book that fizzes with ideas and inspiration for young children.

As the illustrator, Viv says:

To me, this is a book of autistic joy – it speaks to all the senses, and brings out the wonder in everyday objects and patterns in ways that I brightly recall from my own childhood. Having seen Kate read the poems to children, I know that they are incredibly easy to connect to – there’s something for everyone, be it the adventure of being a soap bubble, the contemplation of a leaf in every possible way, or the wild transformation of one’s body into a mountain, a tiny seed, a banana.

I used ink, watercolour and paper collage to give the book a visual sense of texture to match the richness and energy of the words.

Out Now!

Published by Otter-Barry books