Five More Minutes

‘Time is a funny thing. Dad talks about it a lot. But I think I know more about it time than he does.’

So begins this unusual picture book narrated by a thoughtful little fox who then sets about proving the veracity of the statement that applies to most adults, Dad in particular. Frequently on his lips are such comments as ‘five more minutes’ when the little foxes are bouncing on his bed, trying to get him up in the mornings, but “we have no time!” when he’s trying desperately to get his offspring ready for nursery.

Little Fox’s interpretation of Dad’s ‘no time’ translates into time for puddle jumping, making new friends, juggling, bird watching and more. Never mind if they miss the bus.

Not only is Dad wrong about time, he has no idea about how it actually works, getting confused, stressing that an hour is a long time when in reality it’s a very short period. Other times though he states that time goes very fast when it goes very, very slowly indeed. Flexibility is what’s required and that’s what Fox is eager to make Dad understand.

There is however one part of the day that despite his superior knowledge and understanding about time, little Fox is more than happy for them all to pool their knowledge on and that is a shared storytime (and sometimes sleeping time too.)

With its superbly expressive illustrations, parents, carers and teachers of young children especially, will relate to this adorable tale of how adults and children experience the same thing in completely contrasting ways.