Aalfred and Aalbert is the story of two aardvark neighbours who seem destined to be together – if only they could actually meet.
There is much to love about this new picture book from Morag Hood, which is a simple story made special by its original characters, beautiful colour and perfectly-judged humour.
Aalfred loves stars, broccoli and picnics, and sleeps in the daytime, while Aalbert loves flowers, sunshine and cheese, and sleeps at night. The only thing that connects the two aardvarks and their separate worlds is a little blue bird, who fortunately, has a plan.
There are lots of lovely visual touches in the book, from the subtle blush of an aardvark presenting a bouquet of broccoli, to signs showing different wrong spellings of the word (well, it is a pretty tricky one). The fact much of the story is told through thought bubbles, means the reader feel a particular connection with the star-crossed duo.
While the vast majority of animal picture books still feature bears and bunnies, we loved the fact that this story introduced us to a more unusual animal. Our wee reviewers (aged 4 and 6) hadn’t heard of aardvarks before, but Aalfred and Aalbert had us googling for pictures and wondering where we could go to see one.
Morag Hood’s previous book, I am Bat, was one of three shortlisted for the 2019 Picture Book Prize, and given to every Primary 1 pupil in Scotland, meaning that many families will already be familiar with her distinctive artwork and endearing characters. If your child enjoyed that story, this one is bound to be a hit as well.
Aalfred and Aalbert, by Morag Hood (Two Hoots)
Roaring Reads 