Ebb And Flo And The Greedy Gulls - Hardcover

Jane Simmons has lived in England, Australia, France, Uganda, Zambia, Malta, and Kuwait. A graduate of Anglia Poly University in Cambridge, England, she now lives on a wooden fishing boat in Cornwall, England, with two lovebirds, two dogs, and a chicken named Freda.

In addition to the Ebb and Flo books, she is the author and illustrator of the much loved Come Along, Daisy! and Daisy and the Egg.

PreSchool-Misunderstanding and forgiveness create a simple friendship story with a lesson. Flo and her mother go on a picnic at the beach with Ebb the dog and their friend Bird. Ebb falls asleep on the sand and awakens to witness seagulls feasting on the picnic spread. When Flo and her mother return from their walk, they blame the dog for eating their meal. Ebb, shamed and in disgrace, sadly climbs into the boat to sulk. During a sudden rain shower, the gulls return to the picnic basket and Flo realizes that she has wrongly accused Ebb. In the meantime, the little boat drifts out to sea, spins, and crashes against some rocks, and the shaken pup crawls to shore, seaweed and all. Flo apologizes and all ends happily. It is the deceptively simple artwork with its varying perspectives and soft, colorful illustrations, predominantly in the blues and greens of the sea, that makes the book sparkle. Minimal facial details and the tilt of Ebb's tail and ears convey his range of emotions. Short, somewhat choppy sentences with repetitive phrases make the book useful as a beginning reader. Though not quite as successful as Ebb and Flo and the New Friend (McElderry, 1999), this book is a serviceable tale of false accusation and redemption.
Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
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