The Ugly Five

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However, much like the marabou storks, vultures have a crucial role to play in nature. They’re respected members of Africa’s ‘ clean-up crew’ for their ability to keep our wildlife reserves tidy. So it is with a heavy heart that I have to report that The Ugly Five was something of a disappointment. For a school librarian, this is as close to sacrilege as you can get. The book is intriguing because it teaches children about the importance of being kind to each other and working well together as a team, and not to be worried about what others think about you.

Their faces are pointy with strange-looking snouts, and their tusks aren’t exactly pretty. Then there’s their leathery skin which is peppered with exactly the wrong amount of coarse hair. The Ugly Five’’ is a lovely book that combines some hidden education with an uplifting story. The narrative is a simple one; you meet a particular creature and observe their features and then they meet another similarly ugly pal. This goes on until the titular five are together. If this had been the entire plot, the story would have been too dry for most young people as there is almost an educational quality as you learn about the animals. However, this is not all the story. The surprise ending of the book is what makes it and leaves you feeling all warm inside as everyone is pretty to someone. The reader would need to have experience of empathy and support so they could put themselves in that situation and see what it may be like to feel that you are not beautiful or wanted. The story teaches about friendships and the importance of family. It allows children to explore ‘beauty’ and how there is more than what meets the eye. However, when exploring the narrative of this story teachers may need to be wary of the past experiences that the children may have had before digging deeper into the teachings the story could hold. Edward listened carefully and wisely pronounced: “It’s good that they don’t care what they look like, but I prefer The Gruffalo.” I see Julia’s point. These animals aren’t on my list to see either. Still, I’m glad they have a book about them and a little bit of love thrown their way. The rhymes are great and this is a beautiful book.There are three species of hyena in the Hyaenidae family. Namely, the striped hyena, brown hyena, and spotted hyena. The lesser-known aardwolf is an additional member in the same family. This time the story is about some animals in the Savannah who are, shall we say? Less than attractive. They’re an unusual looking bird, bald-headed with wisps of hair, perhaps worthy of their addition to the ugly five. They have a wingspan of 2.6 meters and a height of 1.5 meters. Interesting maribou stork fact: they have hollow leg and feet bones, an adaptation to help them fly Still, it pains me to say it, but I thought it was ever so slightly dull. I just don’t think it is destined to be a classic.

Curiously, warthogs are omnivorous, meaning they can eat both vegetation and meat. Their diet consists mostly of grass, bulbs, and roots, but they will occasionally scavenge for meat scraps. Who would have thought? An Unsightly Summary of The Ugly 5 A new book by Julia Donaldson is always a thrilling event for a primary-school librarian. Her books - the best-known of which is The Gruffalo - are guaranteed crowd pleasers, easy and fun to read aloud. They are often used by our key stage 1 teachers as the basis for a term’s project work. She is also one of those rare picture-book authors whose name the children recognise, and they are genuinely excited when she publishes a new book.Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler go together like bread and butter. They really are a very well-matched duo and their work is loved the world over for good reason. The hyena family includes four species: the Striped, the Brown and the Spotted hyena, and the Aardwolf. Would this be a good book to read aloud to the class or would it be good for Shared or guided reading? Fortunately for them, they got a friendlier portrayal in The Lion King. Most people think of them as the loveable, slightly daft ‘Pumbaa’.Which, in Swahili, actually means ‘to be absentminded, careless, foolish, ignorant, lazy, stupid, and negligent’.