"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
A really lovely book, showing about migration and friendships.
My little one really enjoyed this book. He loved how bright and colourful the book is and all the animals.... Read Full Review
This is a sweet story with bright and cheery pictures young readers will love.
Apollo the Swallow and Chack the Blackbird meet as they first learn to fly, they tell each other about their lives to a chorus of "I don't believe you!". But when Chack's berries do actually turn orange, Apollo has actually set off for Afirica. Chack tries to send an important message but it gets a little lost among the different animals along the way.
This is a sweet story with bright and cheery pictures young readers will love.... Read Full Review
A delightfully funny story about friendship and seasonal change from the multi-award-winning Julia Donaldson.
Chack the blackbird and Apollo the swallow are friends.
But when Apollo tells Chack that he will soon be flying to Africa - Chack doesn't believe him.
And when Chack tells Apollo that the blossom on his favourite tree will one day turn into orange berries - Apollo doesn't believe him either!
But as the seasons change, Chack and Apollo are both in for a big surprise …
Join Chack and Apollo on a round-the-world adventure in this delightfully funny story about friendship and change.
From the author of the multi-million-selling The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, Follow the Swallow is the perfect book for EVERY season!
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Follow the Swallow and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
Follow the Swallow features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Animal Stories, The Natural World, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), First Concepts, Picture storybooks, Early years: time and seasons, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Birds, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Friends and friendships, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s picture books, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Relationships (non-family / groups)
Follow the Swallow is available in Paperback
Follow the Swallow was written by Julia Donaldson and published by Farshore an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Follow the Swallow has 32 pages
£7.19
