*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author, Old Street Publishing and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: When Cherry lost Terry one day,
Where was he? Could anyone say?
Asleep in a tree?
Or down by the sea?
He couldn’t be too far away.
The animals searched high and low,
Unsure what to do, where to go.
Would Terry appear?
The story is here…
Just read it – and then you will know!
When Cherry Lost Terry is a heart-warming and funny tale of friendship and adventure told in twenty-six limericks. There’s one for every letter of the alphabet, each featuring a different animal — from Ann the Antelope to Zack the Zebra. With wonderfully detailed and characterful illustrations by Clare Mallison, it’s perfect bedtime reading for the 3-to-6-year-old animal lover starting out on a lifetime of reading delight.
This is an adorable animal-based alphabet book that has everything – cute animal characters, a simple rhyming pattern, a bit of adventure and a bit of education!
The illustrations are lovely and really bring each animal and environment to life, and the children (6 and 9) loved searching for detail on each page. But even more than that, they loved trying to guess what each animal would be next based on the alphabetical order they are introduced in, and then trying to remember the name and type of each animal for each letter of the alphabet at the end e.g. Cherry the cat, Hank the hippo, Rose the rabbit. These sorts of games are always appreciated in our house and extend the interest of a book beyond simply reading it, so any book that has scope for that is a winner for us.
Here is what Minishine (9) and Babybows (6) had to say about it:
Minishine: The animals are sooooo cute! I love the cat best… or the bunny… or the unicorn…
Babybows: Unicorns aren’t real animals though. The best ones are the whale cos it’s HUGE, and the tiger, and the snake…
Me (diplomatically): I think you both look for different things in your favourite animals. I’m glad there’s something in there for both of you!
Minishine: Yes, and the drawings are really good because they look really real. Like real animals, not like cartoon animals. And I like that it all rhymes. It makes a story nice to read out loud when it rhymes properly.
Babybows: I felt a bit sorry for the cat because she was looking for her friend and couldn’t find him but then it was happy when they got to the ‘T’ so it was really good. I wish I could ride on the back of a real whale. But not with all those animals because there wouldn’t be room for me and I don’t want to fall off into the sea!
Minishine: I don’t think I would ride on the whale, but I would definitely help someone find their friend. Especially a really cute cat. I wish we had a cute cat like that—
[We have TWO cats, but they must not be ‘cute’ enough?!]
Minishine: — or maybe a koala?
Babybows: It was good remembering all the animals afterwards. I’m very good at remembering things!
Minishine: I like guessing what they would be as we read it. I got lots of them right, or nearly right.
Me: Again, it’s good that you both had something that you were good at then! I liked that you both liked it and didn’t mess about while I was reading, so we all had a good time!
This makes ideal bedtime reading or classroom reading, as it really works well read aloud and children – from toddlers upward – would respond well to the combination of alphabet, animals, pictures and poetic structure. I can definitely recommend it, as a parent, and was very impressed that a picture book held the attention of my 9 year old as easily as the 6 year old. And I was planning to gift it to a friend who has a toddler, but the small Shines flatly refused to let me, as they want to keep it for themselves!
Purchase Link: When Cherry Lost Terry on Amazon
About the author
Penny Phillips began making up poems when she was four, which was far too long ago. Having worked as an editor in publishing for over 30 years, she finally got round to writing a book herself. When Cherry Lost Terry
has been extensively tested on children but not on animals. Penny is now the Sub-editor of The Oldie and lives in London with her husband.
About the illustrator
Clare Mallison has only one photograph of herself in which she is not eating or drinking, and this is it. She has worked as a freelance illustrator for various publications, including The Times, Financial Times, New Statesman and New York Times. When Cherry Lost Terry is her first book.
For more info see claremallison.com or her Instagram @claremallison.
Don’t forget to stop by the other blogs on this tour (see the poster below for details) for more great content and reviews!
Bookshine And Readbows 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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