"A funny and endearing tale of friendship and seasonal change."
Chack the blackbird and Apollo the swallow become friends as they are both learning to fly. When Apollo explains that he is preparing for a trip to Africa, Chack doesn't believe him. Chack tells Apollo that the blossom on his favourite tree will eventually turn into orange berries - Apollo doesn't believe him either. But, with the turning of the seasons, both birds learn to trust in each other.
Those that know the game of ‘broken telephone’, where a passed-on message is often misinterpreted over time will immediately find the humour in the story as the animals chosen to pass on messages from one side of the world to the other forget and make up alternatives. Julia Donaldson’s magical ability to tell an engaging story, rich with lyrical language is paired wonderfully with Thomas Docherty’s engaging and characterful illustrations. Children will also be able to subtly learn about seasonal change and life cycles of plants and animals through this endearing and funny tale of friendship.
A good companion to other animal friendship stories like the Frank and Bert series by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros and the I’m Sticking With You stories by Smriti Halls and Steve Small.
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We enjoyed reading this together, exploring lots of details in the beautiful illustrations.
This book doesn't rhyme, but the names of the characters (Chack the blackbird and Apollo the swallow) make for interesting language repetition. The 'Chinese whispers' of the message being sent makes for an amusing read as an adult and could engage older readers in making a prediction.... Read Full Review
