Follow Me, Flo!

This bright, vibrant picture book by Jarvis tells the story of Flo who is not like most other little ducks. Unlike her siblings she does not follow the rules and gets up to all kinds of mischief. On a journey to visit Flo’s aunt Daddy Duck tried to instil upon Flo the importance of following him carefully but Flo is easily distracted and the prospect of visiting a fun fair is too great to resist. To keep her on the right track Daddy Duck teaches her a song but Flo decides to change the words and go off on her own adventure. Unbeknownst to Flo a fox has been following her and she realises she is in great danger. Thankfully Daddy Duck’s song helps her find the way and her escapade teaches her a valuable lesson.

A big appeal for young readers is the interactive nature of the book. Readers are aware of the danger getting closer long before Flo and children will delight in watching the illustrations of the fox grow larger with each turn of the page enhancing the nervous excitement of the chase. Indeed there are lots of additional creatures for children to notice and track throughout the book who’s facial expression seem to indicate they too are more aware of the danger than Flo. The ‘Follow Me’ song being central to the story also increases the interaction, encouraging children to join in and making this a great story read aloud.