Cuckoo!

Fiona Roberton already has two fantastic picture books under her belt and with Cuckoo! she makes it a hat-trick. Cuckoo struggles to communicate with his brothers and sisters, where they ‘too-too-weet’, he can only ‘cuckoo’! Off he goes in search of some conversation but the dogs speak dog and the frogs speak frog and cuckoo is still at a loss. Following some sheep across town (children will love to spot them in each picture!) Cuckoo tries going to school to learn a language but pronunciation is so hard when your natural outburst is a resounding CUCKOO! When a little voice speaks the word he’s longing to hear, Cuckoo flies as fast as his wings can carry him and though the friend waiting to meet him is not what he expected, it is someone who understands him perfectly.

Beautiful artwork in a clean and eye-catching style gives this book serious page appeal. The story is delightful and Cuckoo’s plight is endearing and frustrating – any little ones struggling to be understood by the people around them will identify with our feathered friend. The ending is a sweet little nod to Roberton’s other, longer picture books Wanted: The Perfect Pet and The Perfect Present. Perfect is a word that crops up often in her work and Cuckoo! is a perfect pre-school picture book.