Puzzle Island by Paul Adshead

Story of protecting a lost species, hidden puzzles in the artwork. Ambrose Fogarty is doing research on Puzzle Island. He stumbles upon two animals, a male and a female, of a species that is thought to have been extinct for hundreds of years. He wishes to return the animals to their original habitat. However, he travels on and off the island in a hot air balloon and can only take one of the animals with him. He writes us a letter asking for help to relocate the female animal. He is concerned that someone may exploit the animal and has therefore hidden it somewhere on Puzzle Island, leaving clues which only an animal lover can follow. He has done eleven beautiful paintings of different locations around the island. In them are hidden the word and picture clues which will lead us to the identity and location of the animal. He has left a map and his diary to guide us as well. Don't forget your hiking boots.
Themes:  Animals, extinction, wildlife conservation, geography (landforms), art styles, deductive reasoning, alphabet (upper case), letter recognition and writing, word-play, spelling, observation.

Opportunities:

- From ages four and up, you will find a better incentive for children to learn the alphabet, to recognize and write letters, to develop spelling skills, to use the dictionary and the encyclopedia and to discover the fun which can be cleverly concealed inside the covers of a book.
- Over 70 species of animals are illustrated (44 of them disguised as innocent looking leaves or branches or ... ) Ambrose Fogarty's diary gives us fascinating insights into the animals' habitats and characteristics, and the format of the mystery puzzle makes children feel involved in helping the creatures with which we share our world.
- The text is rich with information and descriptive imagery. Words such as conversation, specimen, perilous, charred, lava, sulphur, dormant, chaos, devoid, quicksilver, onyx, iridescent, moulted, autumnal, decipher, soporific, stalactites, prodigiously, docile, fossilised (to list only a few) are sprinkled generously throughout the diary in meaningful context. In the tradition of Rudyard Kipling and A.A. Milne, Paul Adshead writes with great respect for a child's ability to appreciate and enjoy the intricacies of the English language.
- Puzzle Island is an invitation to communication and interaction with others. It is as much a social tool as it is an intellectual challenge. It brings together people of many different ages and interests and promises opportunities for discover for all!!

*Key Learning Areas:

Literacy - Intermediate Reading
Literacy - Advanced Reading
Spelling & Word Building
Observation & Visual Perception
Memory & Concentration

Ages 5-10

*Dimensions: 24 pages 289 x 289mm
*This title is also available in "Hard Cover, Italian hard cover"