Look

Fiona Woodcock

GreenWillow Books, 2018

40pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780062644558

From the rooster’s first cock-a-doodle-doo to the owl’s hooting at the moon, this clever story takes the young reader on a trip to the zoo with a brother and sister, using only words that contain the diphthong oo.  With just one word on each page, two children have a lovely time visiting the zoo, seeing the animals and having a scoop of icecream (which has an untimely end!).

 While it predominantly uses the long sound as in bamboo, kangaroo and cockatoo,  there are occasional entries for the shorter sound as in look and book. In several cases the artwork forms the diphthong allowing the young reader to read the words so they can create the story for themselves.

Original and fun, but it could pose some confusion if it is introduced as part of a phonics program because it emphasises the diversity of sounds rather than their consistency.  Enjoy it for the story it tells, not the lessons it might offer.