Join us for our stop on the tour celebrating its release
The third in the series that began with Finn's Garden Friends, Daisy and Jack's Perfect Pond is another glorious celebration of the magical worlds waiting for us outdoors. The story of two siblings who build a pond in their back yard, there are so many reasons to love this book, but here are our top five.
1. It shows readers how to make their own pond
Even though Daisy and Jack only have a small courtyard, they still bring so much wildlife to it when they create a pond. This story lists everything little readers might need to start their own pond project and demonstrates how simple it is too.
2. It's diverse and inclusive Daisy and Jack belong to a family with two fathers, and there are lots of main characters of different ethnicity too, which means more children can see themselves reflected in the story.
3. There's so much to learn There's a detailed description of the life cycle of the frog as well as tips for telling the difference between frogs and toads. We find out about other pond creatures too which has led to us looking up and discussing dragonflies and pond skaters, water beetles and water boatmen. This makes it a fantastic classroom resource as well as ideal for home learning.
4. There's a spotter's guide at the back
Rachel Lawston includes one of these in all of her books so that they can engage young people who might typically find books dull, intimidating, or both.
5. It's so beautiful
Every page is incredibly colourful and teeming with life. Combined with Rachel Lawston's gentle, child-friendly writing style, Beatriz Castro's artwork makes this a remarkably comforting and attractive book with a broad appeal.
Daisy and Jack's Perfect Pond is perfect for budding naturalists and parents hoping to encourage a love of wildlife and a love of books in their little ones. As both reading and connecting with nature have been proven to improve mental health, this story can make a difference to the lives of little readers, especially in the context of the other titles in the collection, Finn's Garden Friends and Mia Makes a Meadow.
We absolutely loved spotting Finn and Mia from the previous books who appear as Daisy and Jack's friends and make their fictional universe feel more real. We also enjoyed spotting the little frog hibernating underground as well as a hiding hedgehog and a visiting fox, and speculating as to whether they are the same ones from the other stories. It's so sweet how there are visual homages to the earlier books in each new one. We can't wait to see what comes next from this talented author and illustrator team.
We're sharing this book as part of a ten-day tour celebrating its release and you can find even more reviews and more reasons why you'll love it on the below Instagram pages:
Daisy and Jack's Perfect Pond was published on 7 April 2023 and is available everywhere books are sold. Thanks so much to the lovely people in Pikku for sharing this book with us - all opinions expressed are our own. See this book on the publisher's website Read our review of Mia Makes a Meadow Read our review of Finn's Garden Friends Read our interview with author Rachel Lawston
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