george ardette

'Misty Morning at Foggy's Farm'

This is a picture book aimed at a very young readership ( 0 - 5 years).

The children are introduced to the idea that it is autumn and most mornings can be very misty on Foggy's Farm.

Farmer Fogg has come to feed his animals, but they have all disappeared in the mist.

Gradually the blurred shapes of animals begin to appear one by one.

The story then becomes interactive. The reader invites the child to try to recognise the ambiguous shape of the animal coming through the mist. 

There is also always a clue in the description of the way the animal moves. The pig 'grunts' through the mist, the donkey 'clip clops', the cow 'plods',etc.

The reader asks the child questions, 'is it a goat?'....'is it a horse?', and some suggestions could become silly. Camel? Crocodile? encouraging responses and disbelief from the child.

Before we leave the page, the child is asked, 'shall we see who it is?', then some excitement before the page is turned to reveal a close up of the animal. Did the child guess correctly?

Once the identity of the animal is established, the child is asked 'how does a donkey say hello?' giving the child the opportunity to make plenty of noise !

So far, the story involves 5 animals ( pig, donkey, goose, cow, and goat) but more could easily be included if need be.

The story ends on a happy note as the mist clears to a bright sunny day where the animals are happy to have found each other again, as is Farmer Fogg.