A delightful short story that is sure to captivate young readers.
On a class field trip to the zoo, Merren and her fellow classmates are given a challenging task from their teacher. They are asked to, “Photograph an animal that sounds just like your name!” Many of the students are having difficulties photographing the appropriate animals when the class suddenly realized that Merren has gone missing. The children and teacher begin searching the grounds of the zoo until finally one of the students finds Merren, who has a surprise announcement that she is excited to share with the class.
One of the many charming aspects of this rhyming picture book is the students’ names, which cleverly match corresponding animals, such as Amanda looking for a Panda, or Peter and Anita seeking to photograph a cheetah. The illustrations are perfect, providing a colorful and attractive depiction of the kids and animals populating the imaginative story. Toddlers will especially enjoy spotting Merren in the backgrounds of the illustrated pages while her concerned classmates look for her. The text is fun to read aloud, and creates a delightful short story that is sure to captivate young readers. Tony Dow is a skilled children’s book author, and Merren the Heron is a story with a terrific cadence that I can imagine children wanting to read, or have read to them, again and again!
