A good place by Lucy Cousins

Lucy Cousins, the author of the very popular Maisy books, (including Maisy goes to the bookshop and Maisy goes to preschool) brings to life a good place for insects to live. Four friends, Bee, Ladybird, Dragonfly and Beetle all want to find somewhere to live, but it is not so easy to do that. Bee wants flowers, Ladybird wants leaves, Beetle wants dead wood and Dragonfly wants a pond. Bee finds some flowers, but they are growing on a busy pavement that is too dangerous. A tiny pond turns out to be a dirty puddle on a noisy road while a piece of dead wood is in a smelly pile of rubbish. Beautiful green leaves look promising until someone comes and sprays them causing the insects to cough and splutter. Despondent, the four friends are about to give up when Butterfly comes to the rescue showing them a gorgeous garden where they could be safe.

Cousins’ illustrations are wonderful. The bright and colourful images stand out against a coloured background while the insects are outlined with black, and each has a distinct and cheerful face. Right from turning open the cover, the reader is introduced to a habitat that is not suitable for insects to flourish – the  grey and black pavement littered with a can and brown brick wall is obviously not a good place. As the insects explore more territory the young reader will be tempted to sing out the refrains, ‘Maybe this is a good place’ and then the disappointing ‘Oh no! this is not a good place.’ Children will eagerly talk about what is a good place for insects and could discuss whether they have a good place in their gardens or in a nearby park. They might also like to see if they can find insects in good places for them to live. Big bold print will also help the emerging reader while younger children will enjoy having the story read to them.

Another winner from this award-winning author is sure to be one that is treasured by young readers.

Themes: Insects, Habitats.

Pat Pledger