Rachel´s Random Resources: Animalympics by Josie Dom illustrated by Sarah Lou

 

While humans were busy watching and competing in the Tokyo Olympics, animals had their own gathering - Animalympics. For days and weeks, they got together, put up their fancy costumes and showed off their skills. They even had some extra competitions, like the birds of paradise dancing in the front of an over-the-moon audience. What a lovely lot, they are. And because they had a lot of fun, they decided that they better get together again in two years. It´s much better than to follow the humans´ patterns. By the way, with no humans around, they had much much more fun, in the same way children do, when their parents are not around. For those who haven´t win yet, there is a special day at the end when they compete again. Everyone is winning, anyway, while competing and having a lot of fun playing together are the most important activities. 

                                                Author Josie Dom, source: provided as part of the blog tour

Animalympics by Josie Dom illustrated by Sarah Lou is the place where all those activities are taking place. Written in verse, with a touch of fun, it has beautiful illustrations that are a double win, especially for the short-attention span of a 6 yo (as usual, in those cases, my son is the judge of my children books assignment, and he was more than delighted and very focused and interested to follow the story, step-by-step). 

The book is a good read for preschool and first grade children, with English as mother tongue or just preparing for their English classes as a second language. The vocabulary is rich, particularly when it comes to the animals taking part to the Animalympics. On the learning side, it makes competition - mostly, everything that has to do with school is all about it - fun and pleasant, especially when big humans are not around.

The illustrations - all those blues...- are not only inspiring, but make the story even more surprising and helps children to project all those detailed activities the words are talking about.

A recommended read for both children, educators and parents looking to introduce their children to the Olympics´ spirit, but in a very different, alternative way.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual my own (or my son´s, to be fair)