Flooded

Flooded is the funny and beautifully illustrated tale of animals who live in a city that is ever so slowly flooding. At first, the flood comes gradually which for the majority doesn't prove to be much of a problem. Ignoring the obvious change to the city, and being ignorant to the potential risk, the animals go on about their busy lives as they did before. Disjointed from one another and consumed by their own problems, nobody is taking much notice about the water levels until, eventually, the water reaches a height which makes it impossible to ignore. Will the animals of the city realise the importance of togetherness before it is too late? Or will the problem be too big for them to solve?

This is an exceptionally illustrated story that teaches a message not to let problems fester and with a little team work and community spirit, no problem is insurmountable. "Flooded" is the debut work from Mariajo Ilustrajo, a UK based Spanish author and illustrator who is already making some noise in the children's literature scene.

Having read this text with a class of year 1 children, it was clear to see how accessible and understandable it was for children as young as five. They were able to predict the message of togetherness prior to the end and were excellent at creating links between their own lives and the text. They also enjoyed studying the illustrations, especially as we are moving into an animal-based unit of work.

This is a splendid debut from Mariajo and certainly a text that we will revisit in the future.

Picture book / Reviewed by Kyle Matraverse, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+