Friendly Fred

Susannah McFarlane (author)

Lachlan Creagh (illustrator)

Scholastic Press, Australia: 2011

ISBN: 9781741698305

Genre: picture book

Issues: friendship, gifted

extension vocabulary

'Fred is one of the friendliest Fairy Penguins you will find,' and enjoys all sorts of activities with his friends – fishing, fencing, throwing Frisbees, playing the fiddle and picking flowers. So when he can't find Freya, Felix, Fergus and Flora, Fred gets in a flap!

Susannah McFarlane has had great fun with this Little Mates series of alphabet books. Small in size – 14cm x 14cm – they have all the detail and impact of a larger picture book and much more extensive vocabulary than most. Gifted youngsters will delight in playing with the new words and McFarlane has provided a great model for teachers to use when exploring letter families. Lachlan Creagh's slightly charicatured illustrations are packed with personality yet have a figurative accuracy that allows readers to recognize the many Australian animals featured.

Great fun for both adults and children!