K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo weaves the alphabet together with a great rhyming text and bold, colourful pictures and Giles Andreae uses a wide range of characters and objects to introduce a new letter on each page. What I like about this book is that it is completely pictorial apart from the short rhyming text (which includes one or two words beginning with the letter) and the main letter at the top of each page. I like the fact that as there are very few written ‘clues’ the child is more active in finding pictures that begin with the same letter. This means that there is no reading involved, only discussion which helps to extend a child’s vocabulary and speaking and listening skills.
The rhyming text is very easy to read which makes it good for a beginner reader. It is also great to use for introducing adjectives (a wide range are used in the text) and alliteration. There are so many potential uses for teaching literacy skills with this book and Guy Parker-Rees’ wonderfully detailed illustrations could stimulate some really great artwork. I can imagine a class collaborating to write and design their own ABC wall frieze or class book using this story as an example, older children could maybe try writing their own ABC rhymes.
There is a picture dictionary at the end of the book which helps to identify some of the more unusual animals shown in the pictures. K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo is also a great book to help non native English speakers learn new vocabulary.
Age Range: 3 +
Author: Giles Andreae / Illustrator: Guy Parker-Rees
Can you recommend any fun ABC books?
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