Bonkers About Beetroot by Cath Jones and Chris Jevons (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)

5th October 2017, Maverick Arts Publishing, 32 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from Maverick 

Sunset Safari Park could be in danger of shutting down! Zebra and his friends try to think about how to save their home, but they might have to go a little bonkers!!!

Nayu's thoughts

I'm buying beetroot when I next get groceries!! 

I found this while looking for images of beetroot -this salad looks yummy - I'll be getting some feta cheese to go with my beetroot! Picture source.

I love beetroot which is why I wanted to read this book. Seeing so many beautiful vegetables on each page has me hungry for it-it's nice roasted but I love it simply boiled with a white sauce (also known as bechamel if you want specifics (I originally got the spelling very wrong)). 

Beetroot isn't just purple! Picture source

There are many varieties of beetroot-as you can see not all are purple, and I got the following fun fact from Guinesss World Records website:  

The longest beetroot measures 7.956 m (26 ft 1.22 in) and was grown by Joe Atherton (UK), as verified at the UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, in Malvern, UK, on 23 September 2016. Joe is a veteran of giant vegetables, also holding records for the Longest carrot and Longest radish.

I don't know how big this vegetable in Bonkers About Beetroot got because Zebra decides to munch on it (in his defence it's for a good reason). This book is awesome rather than bonkers, I'm talking to you Mr Grumpy Penguin! The front and back inside pages are clever with different headlines on the newspapers, and the dedications having their own newspaper headlines. 

I love how bad tempered and negative the penguin is-his name isn't Mr Penguin, I call him that myself. Whatever is suggested he disapproves of, but no one listens to him, thankfully. The story is fun, with a good plot twist at the end which saves the zoo. I like the bright colours and various shades of purple used on the star of the book. 

My only complaint is a visual one-in the early pages the font colour isn't the clearest against the background colour, which may be an issue for readers with visual issues. Otherwise it's a hilarious read that I'm looming forward to rereading! And eating beetroot. Hopefully readers will give it a try...although sadly it won't make them turn purple like it did for one creatures...

Find out more on Cath's website.

Suggested read

For another zoo themed book which is loved so much by children in one of my neighbours' primary school that it's now made more of tape than paper is Poo in the Zoo by Steve Smallman and Ada Grey (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)