English / New Zealand
The Grizzled Grist does not exist!
MacIver, Juliette
(text)
Davis, Sarah
(illus.)
Wellington: Gecko Press, 2022. – [36] p.
ISBN 978-1-776574-15-5
School trip | Survival | Danger | Observation | Monster | Rescue | Picture book
Reading age: 4+
White Ravens issue: 2023
In this companion book to the award-winning »That’s Not a Hippopotamus« (Gecko Press, 2016), Class 2B is on another exciting school trip. This time, they’re off to the wilderness – so that their teacher, Ms. Whiskersniff, enquires about their survival skills. As usual, the noisy and overconfident bunch are quick to announce their craziest talents, along the lines of »I know how to trap a fox! / I can handle snakes and crocs.« Yet when a scary monster lurks in the bushes, and the kids and their flustered and weary teacher are in danger, quiet Liam is ready to save the day – once more. Renowned author Juliette MacIver is a whizz at delivering a flawless and exhilarating rhymed text, which meets its match in Sarah Davis’s vibrant illustrations brimming with comical details. The witty pictures also provide plenty of visual clues and funny asides. All through the book, they reveal that Liam’s talent of hiding and observing the environment carefully is a heroic skill indeed. An entertaining read that begs to be acted out on stage. [CS]