Book Review: Gecko, by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock

Available in bookshops nationwide.

As well as being the story of a gorgeous wee fella named Gecko, this book is complemented by all sorts of wonderful information about Geckos themselves, thereby covering two bases at once.

We join Gecko on his adventures as he lives the Gecko life, especially his desire and need for food. It isn’t all plain sailing as he encounters those for whom he would make a delicious meal.

We traverse Day and Night, rocks, leaves and various trees and surfaces that Gecko encounters, each accompanied by a fact that adds to our knowledge. Gecko has a rich, vibrant text, coupled with beautifully detailed illustrations. The colours used are mixed with a very creative hand, and the shadings are exquisite.

A delightful book that should find a home in both a child’s bedroom and a school/public library, it can be used in any reading environment and as a shared read it would work wonderfully.

Reviewed by Marion Dreadon

Gecko
by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock
Published by Walker Books
ISBN 9781925126556

Book Review: Flight of the Honey Bee, by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Brian Lovelock

Flight of the Honey Bee is a finalist in the non-fiction category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It is available in bookstores nationwide.

A beautifully told, deliciously rendered book about a day-in-the-life of a young bee is a finalist in the
New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Flight of the Honey Bee, by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock should be on your child’s book list.

Grand swashes of colour with lovely attention to detail fill the pages. Usually that’s enough in a children’s book to have me enamoured. But it’s the well-crafted story that impresses me the most. This is a creatively fact-filled affair that gives my kids a great impression of just what a bee’s life is like.

“She settles on a velvety petal and plunges her head into the flower. Here is the sunken treasure: a cup of sweet nectar. The tip of her tongue shaped liked a miniature spoon, sips the syrup ”

It really does thrill me to find a book that gives an accurate picture of what happens in the natural world and steers very clear of anthropomorphism. I do regularly get irked by animals exhibiting human emotion and behaviours.

My 3-year-old loves the book. Older children will too. And parents, I’m sure you’ll be learning a whole lot too about one animal our lives are so dependent upon.

Review by Anna Butterfield www.loveplantlife.com

Flight of the Honey Bee
by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Brian Lovelock
Published by Walker Books
ISBN 9781921529665