Wild Things! series by Lisa Regan

Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.
Emu on the loose. ISBN 9781408142479.
Giraffe on a sleepover. ISBN 9781408142462.
(Ages: 3-6) Highly recommended. Wild things! is a series of four books written by Lisa Regan, and charmingly illustrated by Kelly Byrne. Sales proceeds support the Zoological Society of London in their charitable care of wild animals around the world.
Emu on the loose, and Giraffe on a sleepover are the first two lively and colorful books in this series where emus and giraffes are unquestionably the topics of conversation.
The Wild things! books have been written to a formula in a buoyant and entertaining manner; and while Emu on the loose, and Giraffe on a sleepover both mimic storybook telling, and some Australian readers may not understand the references to miles, these books absolutely provide the small child with loads of facts about emus and giraffes. The page layout and graphics are clear and energetic and for little ones with inquiring minds, each book includes a glossary.
The books begin with the emu and giraffe ringing a doorbell and waiting to be invited inside. Children will laugh at the emu in the bath, and the long giraffe peeping in the window, and they will groan when the giraffe visits the bathroom. Both animals have been creatively brought to life through Kelly Byrne's cheerful artistry.
Beautifully told and illustrated, and exquisitely bound, these two books are a delight to read and would be especially suitable for resource centre and classroom use at kindergarten or pre-school level. I recommend them most highly.
Colleen Tuovinen