Flit the Fantail and the Flying Flop product reviews

This book is so beautiful. First thing I noticed was the bright colours that drew you to the front cover. The details of Flit the Fantail are amazing and such great fine little details. All the way through this book I took my time to look at every picture and looking at how well the colours are correct to these birds in real life. This is a great lesson for any age child, to never give up.

This is another great book I have had the pleasure of reviewing and that Miss 10 took out of my hands to read before I got the chance too. She very proudly told this to everyone. All 4 of my children love reading and this book come alive in so many different ways when all 4 children read this. Children are 14 years old through to 8 years old so the drama in their voices was amazing. Such an easy book to read with hardly any big words.

I am excited to read that this is the first in a new series from this author, really looking forward to finding more and adding these to our library. For this price of $17.99, it is going to be yet another great New Zealand inspired book for my nephew who lives overseas. This aunty is going to be Aunty of the Year!

Author Kat Merewether is a truly great New Zealand author and illustrator, the original Kuwi the Kiwi was such a hit in our household and we fell in love with the character of Kuwi and the beautiful illustrations the books presented. When I spotted this new character Flit I instantly knew I had to get my hands on a copy of this book and I was lucky enough to be selected to receive a review copy. My 6 year old son who has been the biggest Kuwi fan was so excited when the book arrived, he adores birds and immediately noted that Flit was a fantail.

We straight away had to read the book so quickly snuggled up together and began to read. We spent awhile reading because you can't help but admire the artwork as you turn each new page. Illustrated in a similar nature to Kuwi Flit is definitely a cute and cheeky looking baby fantail who you instantly fall in love with. I would be more than happy for Flit to return in future books by Kat as we thoroughly enjoyed this book and have declared it one of our most treasured books on the bookshelf as decided by Master 6!

With Flit left alone in the nest by his parents as they leave to find food he begins to get bored and fidgety spotting a midgee he slips from his nest to the forest floor below, we then meet a range of other bird characters who try to help their friend Flit get back up to his nest. Each new bird we meet tries and fails and it isnt until they realise with the help of the wise Ruru (owl) that if they work together they can do a better job. A very cute message and a simple heartwarming story. However Flit the fantail and the flying flop is so much more than that with it's natural way of showcasing some of New Zealands most beautiful native birds.

Looking at the illustrations we also see some of New Zealands native plants in the forest so I feel this is a great book for a kiwi kid to appreciate the natural beauty of our country. As the author did with the Kuwi books the artworks really complemented the story and brought it to life with bright yet simple illustrations that bring the characters to life. We loved Flit and the way the story ended we are crossing our fingers for another adventure beyond the nest.

My kids adore fantails, Fantail spotting is one of their favourite things come spring and summer as we get several flitting through our front and back yards.

Opening it up we are immediately greeted with some lovely pictures of Flit in various stages of flitting, flying and flopping. The story follows Flit as he gets bored and falls out of the tree and then has various friends trying to help him get back up into his next in a few different ways and how Flit them, ungracefully lands back on the forest floor. The storyline itself is nice and sweet, yes, it's nothing new but it is still a lovely story and reminds kids about helping each other out and that sometimes teamwork can accomplish more than working alone can.

All three of my kids, ages ten, nine and seven, happily sat and listened as I read through the book. My nine year old interrupted the reading several times, wondering how the heck Flit could get back into his nest or crying 'oh no!' when the latest attempt didn't work at getting him back home. All three of my kids agreed that their favourite part of the book was the very last page, which drew hearty laughs from them all and my nine year old wondered what Flit might get up to next. This book was easily a hit with them and though it wasn't for me, that's quite alright because any book that has them eager to read is a good one.

I am a huge fan of Kuwi the Kiwi books and the amazing writer and illustrator Kat Merewether, and upon seeing Flit the Fantail up for review I immediately put my name forward and hoped I would be lucky enough to get the newest edition!! I adore Kat's writing and illustrations so much that whenever I purchase the books, I buy extras as presents - so far two kindys/preschools have her books gifted from us.

Being published by Scholastic, you know quality of the publishing and production of the book - these stand up to the test of time with kids (and they are not always gentle, right!) The front cover features a gorgeous little Piwakawaka called Flit, who is desperate, like most children to grow up and do big bird things! The pictures draw you in from the get-go and my children immediately recognised the drawings and asked if it was from "The Kuwi Lady" - which is amazing - meaning Kat's work stands out to children and has a particular style.

The books itself is beautifully New Zealand, from the native birds, trees and plants and the gentle insertion of Te Reo into the book makes it achievable even for non Maori speakers - and shows that all the little bits we add into our daily life will then stick in our memory. Each page has beautifully designed and coloured illustrations with just the right amount of text. My nine year old loved that onomatopoeia was in the book - and took pride pointing out what she has been learning as part of her reading and writing. For Miss nearly seven, who is an avid reader, she loved the new words and the very Kiwi things in the book - Ruru, Kowhai and even talking about kai! My just five year old is currently determined to learn to read this book on his own, and the set up of the book totally lends itself to each of their levels.

Without giving too much of the story of Flit away - it is a lovely story about a fantail that wants grow up, but finds himself unable to get back to where he belongs, which is where all the other animals come into the story - using team work, determination and good old fashioned kindness - traits and qualities that we always need more of.

I could honestly talk about this book for a long time - but my honest response to it is - I would be very surprised if there are many children out there that did not warm to and enjoy this story. Beautiful drawings, great storyline and a subtle lead in to potentially another book (PLEASE KAT!!) Loved every bit of it and thankyou so much Scholastic, KIWIreviews and Kat Merewether for letting us add this to our "never ever get rid of this book'' shelf!!!

Seeing Flit the Fantail up for review had me very excitedly putting my name forward and keeping my fingers firmly crossed! Kuwi the Kiwi is a much loved little critter in our household and I was so excited to see if this new book written by the same wonderful author Kat was as good as all her others. Being an early childhood teacher I am passionate about literacy and books with young children. As a consequence my own children (aged 2.5 and 4.5) have grown up in a very book rich environment and know quality when they see/hear it. This book most definitely ticked this box for both of them and Flit (as he's become commonly known in our home) has been a continued request before bed (and every moment in between) since we received it.

This book features some magnificent pictures filled with beautiful native birds and trees; sure to capture the attention of your littlies. The text on each page is just the perfect amount and set at a larger size, which again is great for the age group intended. The descriptive language used catches your attention and both of my children were eagerly waiting to see what happened next. I must mention the subtle ingretation of te reo maori which was seamless and the teacher side of me just loves. This is most definately a New Zealand true pukapuka! As a part of this review I also took this book to the centre I manage and used it at mat time with the older children (who are aged 2-5); without a doubt this book captured every child there and again has proved to be a very popular request!

The story of Flit the Fantial is full of risk taking, team work and kindness which are all attributes I'm sure many mums and dad's out there aim to grow into their children. I must say that when I shared the video of my daughter (aged 4.5) 'reading' this book to me onto KIWIreviews facebook page, the part that most delighted me was when she naturally exlaimed "why don't you all work together"! There is literally nothing I don't like about this book or anywhere that I could fault it at all. I cannot wait to see future books and the journey that Flit may take next!

Put quite simply I totally adore this book and so do my children! Without a doubt this is a wonderful book that I will be purchasing again and again. Thank you so much Kat for writing yet another beautiful book that will only help enrichen children's lives!

From a very young age I have been an avid reader and have a true passion for reading. I believe that reading can transport you to another world especially reading books from the fantasy genre. Since having children I tend to buy and read more books for them rather than myself. I had always known that when I had children I would constantly read to them and limit their screen time. My 6 year old daughter is now a highly confident reader, and it is quite common to find her at 10pm at night reading by whatever crack of light she can find. We have enjoyed the Kuwi the Kiwi series written by Kat Merewether, and look forward to reading this exciting new series.

Looking at the cover of the book I can't help but smile at the gorgeous illustration of Flit the Fantail, on a branch with Kowhai flowers around. The colours are nice and soft, and my three children and I were eager to see what kind of adventure Flit was going to go on. As we read through the book my children admired the realistic illustrations, and to my surprise, they picked up that there was a strong theme regarding kindness and teamwork. They enjoyed seeing the different ways that the different birds tried to help Flit out of his current predicament.

The descriptive language in the book is entertaining and my children found 'Splat' and 'Plop' especially funny. My eldest son said his favourite part of the story was the 'Kaka catapult,' while my daughter enjoyed the ending and said: "Oh dear, here we go again."

Overall this book has proved to be a wonderful story which has become a favourite bedtime story. I recommend this to anyone with young children and believe it would be a great gift. I can't wait to see what adventures Flit will take us on next.

Even though my daughters are 8 and 10, they still delight in reading Kuwi the Kiwi books and Flit the Fantail is a fabulous introduction to Kat Merewether's new collection. My 8 year old was extremely excited when she saw this book and she dragged me to the sofa so we could sit down and read it.

The pages do not have too much text on them and the words are in a large font which makes it easy to read. Certain words are enlarged for emphasis and onomatopoeic words such as 'splat' and 'plop' make reading this book fun. The illustrations are absolutely amazing and my daughter kept telling me how adorable the birds were, especially Flit! She also noticed that a ladybird appeared on most of the pages and had fun hunting it out. What I really loved about Flit the Fantail was the fact that Merewether used predominately New Zealand birds such as the kiwi, ruru and kaka and native tree's such as the kowhai tree and fern. She also introduces simple Maori words such as puku and kai so it really felt like you were reading a book that was unique to New Zealand.

The book is a heartwarming story about risk taking and having your friends work together to help you out. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed reading this to me and I've spotted her rereading this a couple more times.
My 10 year old sat down and after reading it also commented on what a lovely book it is. Flit the Fantail would make a fabulous gift and I'm already planning on sending a few copies to nieces and nephews oversea's. It's a great book for the emerging reader and a fun read for slightly older children. I highly recommend this book and it's definitely one you'd want to keep!

The children in my family all love the Kuwi the Kiwi series, so they were already prepared to meet the new Kat Merewether character. I chose to share the book with the boys as they both love a good story and are always ready to listen to a new one when I visit them, or when they come round to see me.

There is a great message in the book about taking risks, and when to judge the right time to do that. Neither of the boys is especially good at assessing his own readiness to attempt a new activity safely, so they were delighted that Flit got it wrong too! When he fell out of the nest and landed upside down, Mr Five told us the same thing had happened to him earlier that week when he fell out of his own bed. He even showed us the bruise on his forehead!

They loved the way his friends all rallied round to help, and enjoyed the humorous illustrations that accompanied the text, bringing each of the bird species to life. In particular, they liked Kiki the Kaka as we had been reading about these birds recently. Mr Five had even drawn and coloured one to put on the pegboard in his room.

There was the security of knowing that Flit's mother was in the background just in case - at their ages, the boys are still very reliant on adult presence when they are making sense of the world; even though friends are useful in a time of crisis, it is also reassuring that there is someone available who is a little older and wiser. Every parent knows the difficulty of letting go when a child is ready to take a new step, and trying not to interfere unless it is absolutely vital. But this is the way kids learn and in fact become safer as a result, so Flit is only doing what every child does when he learns to ride his bicycle or cross the road on his own for the first time.

The vocabulary in the story is aimed at very young children; there are plenty of onomatopoeic words like "thud" and "splat" which are so satisfying to say out loud. Mr Six was able to read the book himself without much assistance while Mr Five is now starting to sound out the odd word as well. The boys are bilingual, so the inclusion of words like "kai" and "puku" caused no difficulty at all! All three of us are looking forward to the next book in the Flit series. It is to be hoped there will be many more!