When a Zeeder Met a Xyder

Two lonely creatures, a tall hairy Xyderzee on top of a mountain, and a short bald Zeederzoo on the seashore, go in search of a companion just like themselves. When they first meet, the tall Xyder sees only their differences. It takes several hikes from mountaintop to seashore and the promptings and coaxing of a goat and a trout before, looking into each other’s eyes atop the mountain, there is a sudden moment of enlightenment: what matters isn’t on the outside, it’s that special spark within that transcends superficial differences.

Joel Stewart’s whimsical creatures look like distant cousins of the Clangers and inhabit a fantastical watercolour world of stripy trunked trees and spire-like peaks.

Doyle’s text is not easy to read aloud with tongue twisting passages and off-beat rhymes and metres but it’s worth the effort for it’s a rewarding story that offers rich opportunities for discussion and the development of emotional intelligence.