A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs

In A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs, Vickers and Budd introduce young readers/listeners to the collective terms for 19 land and sea creatures that can be found on the West Coast or living in its waters. As can be seen in the “Excerpt”, the simple text consists of rhyming couplets with the collective term being highlighted.

The contents of A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs will contribute not just to the vocabulary development of its intended young audience but may also add to that of the book’s adult facilitators as Vickers and Budd do not always choose to employ the most common collective noun. For example, the Canada geese noisily flying over Winnipeg, I would label a “gaggle”, but, in the board book, I read: “A wedge of geese is very loud.” In the line, “A quiet cougar avoids a crowd”, the authors subtly acknowledge that there is not a collective noun for this solitary animal by not highlighting any of the words.

Like the creative pair’s earlier board books, A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs also incorporates the art style of the Northwest Coast’s original peoples as well as the tactile element of some embossed surfaces. The latter feature means that young fingers can, for instance, touch the trailing tentacles of the jellyfish or feel the dolphins’ bodies. Once again, the colourful artwork, rendered in spreads and pairs of facing pages, is simply outstanding and calls for repeated visits by viewers wherever they live in Canada. Though the board book format suggests a young toddler audience, the visual elements of A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs will appeal to older children.