Toucan can do lots of things!
Toucan dances!
Toucan sings!
Toucan bangs a frying pan!
Can YOU do what Toucan can?
Toucan can do lots of things and you the reader is invited to do what Toucan can. Then, Toucan is invited to do what you can, and he can do most, though not all you can. The energy accelerates as other characters join the fun. Some can do most things, and others introduce new things that both Toucan and you can try. The party gets wilder and wilder, more energetic and colourful as the pages turn. The final page brings the focus back to the reader. Toucan is supported in early spreads by bright and colourful finch-like birds. Later spreads include an ever-extending cast of animals and birds, in keeping with the building rhythms of the text. Animal colours burst beyond the confines of their outlines.
Juliette MacIver is channelling her inner Seuss in this fantastical story about Toucan and friends! The rhythms are so strong that even if dancing wasn’t mentioned it would be challenging to complete it and remain still. There are lots of repeated sounds, some almost tongue-twisters to engage young listeners. ‘Toucan Can’ is sure to set feet tapping, full as it is with fun and colour. Young readers will be able to identify a wide range of animals from all around the world. A picture book ideal for pre- and early- schoolers.
Toucan Can, Juliette MacIver ill Sarah Davis Gecko Press 2013 ISBN: 9781877467547
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller
www.clairesaxby.com