Review of NICO
Posted: 14 Jul 2024, 06:43
[Following is a volunteer review of "NICO" by Marlene Rattigan.]
Title: Nico
Author: Marlene Rattigan
What a delightful little children's book this is. A lot has been crammed into its nineteen pages, with our cockatoo hero having a rather scary adventure. Nico is a much-loved sulphur-crested cockatoo who lives with a small family in Australia. They are entertaining birds, and Nico is no exception. He dances, sings, whistles, and talks, and little Kim dotes on him. When Kim goes to school, he patiently waits (I don't like the idea of birds in cages, especially with the 'free' birds outside the window, but, there again, maybe they let him out most of the time. I don't know). The summer holiday arrived, and Kim and her mother were out for most of the day, most days, and he became morose. Kim suggests he come with them to her mum's flower shop. What follows is a potential disaster, but luckily, the ending is happy and productive, with any child reading this story feeling happy and relieved.
There is an interesting section at the end with some intriguing facts about sulphur-crested cockatoos. The oldest one in the world, Cocky Bennett, lived until he was 120! Little facts like this will remain in a developing mind.
The illustrations are excellent. They are depicted in strong, bold colours, with backdrops having enough detail to interest a child and not confuse them. The characters look different and have lovely expressions, which is excellent in this modern time of AI-generated pictorial 'sameness'.
There is nothing that I dislike in this well-edited book. Hopefully, children will learn from Kim's caring personality, and the kindness shown by the inspector will be remembered. To care for your pets is also an important message here. The prose is easy to read and corresponds nicely with the illustrations. The book would make a wonderful gift for any child to read or be read to. I will award five out of five stars.
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NICO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Title: Nico
Author: Marlene Rattigan
What a delightful little children's book this is. A lot has been crammed into its nineteen pages, with our cockatoo hero having a rather scary adventure. Nico is a much-loved sulphur-crested cockatoo who lives with a small family in Australia. They are entertaining birds, and Nico is no exception. He dances, sings, whistles, and talks, and little Kim dotes on him. When Kim goes to school, he patiently waits (I don't like the idea of birds in cages, especially with the 'free' birds outside the window, but, there again, maybe they let him out most of the time. I don't know). The summer holiday arrived, and Kim and her mother were out for most of the day, most days, and he became morose. Kim suggests he come with them to her mum's flower shop. What follows is a potential disaster, but luckily, the ending is happy and productive, with any child reading this story feeling happy and relieved.
There is an interesting section at the end with some intriguing facts about sulphur-crested cockatoos. The oldest one in the world, Cocky Bennett, lived until he was 120! Little facts like this will remain in a developing mind.
The illustrations are excellent. They are depicted in strong, bold colours, with backdrops having enough detail to interest a child and not confuse them. The characters look different and have lovely expressions, which is excellent in this modern time of AI-generated pictorial 'sameness'.
There is nothing that I dislike in this well-edited book. Hopefully, children will learn from Kim's caring personality, and the kindness shown by the inspector will be remembered. To care for your pets is also an important message here. The prose is easy to read and corresponds nicely with the illustrations. The book would make a wonderful gift for any child to read or be read to. I will award five out of five stars.
******
NICO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon