Is it true that tortoises like nothing better than to fire up the barbecue in the yard, in summer? Is it true that cats enjoy singing in the shower? Do squirrels use paragliders to float from one tree to another? Do woodpeckers peck at trees to the beat of the music in their phones? And do deer play basketball?

These and other teasing questions are tackled in the newest two books in the popular Annimaloskopju series, lovely board books published by Merlin Publishers.

Following the success of the first two books in the series last year - and after that L-Annimali tas-Savana won the coveted National Book Prize for best children's translated book in its age category - Merlin Publishers have just extended the series with two new titles.

Non-fiction for the very young is very much sought after, but very hard to find in Maltese. L-Annimali tad-Dar and L-Annimali tal-Foresta blend cheeky illustrations with amazing real-life photography. Maltese translation is by Rachel Portelli.

Each featured animal comes with a fun story and lift-the-flap facts to put things right. No, tortoises don't do barbecues and when they get peckish they turn to leaves and vegetation as they are in fact vegetarians. And no, cats don't sing in the shower, they'd much rather keep clean by licking themselves, thank you very much. And although squirrels do not use paragliders, they'll definitely manage to make the leap from one tree to another because their body is built to be extremely agile.

L-Annimali tad-Dar and L-Annimali tal-Foresta have no fixed target age. They are ideal both for reading to children when these are still very young, and eventually for reading by children themselves when they are slightly older. They will make children laugh out loud and are perfect to nurture a love of reading at an early age.

Both books are printed in sturdy padded hardback with rounded corners, making them safe for playing. The books come with a European CE safety standard, with the attention to detail that readers and parents have come to expect from Merlin titles.

 

'L-Annimali tad-Dar' and 'L-Annimali tal-Foresta' are available for sale from all bookshops or directly online from www.merlinpublishers.com