Cockatoos

Professor Dupont lives alone in his house with his ten cockatoos. Each morning follows the same routine as he takes care of his beloved birds. One day, Professor Dupont discovers all his cockatoos have disappeared. He searches throughout his house looking for them in various locations. The illustrations show the cockatoos hiding in plain sight across different rooms of the house, while Professor Dupont continues his determined search. The story explores themes of playfulness and perspective, demonstrating how what we seek might be right before our eyes.

Readers describe this as a fun, silly story that makes children laugh. Parents and teachers report that kids request repeated readings and enjoy finding the hidden cockatoos on each page. Liked: - Engaging hide-and-seek format that encourages participation - Simple story structure makes it accessible for young readers - Illustrations help develop observation skills - Works well for reading aloud to groups Disliked: - Some found the ending anticlimactic - Limited appeal beyond very young children - A few parents noted it was too short for the price Ratings: Goodreads: 4.13/5 (237 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (98 reviews) "My preschool class asks for this book daily" - Teacher review on Amazon "Perfect for teaching prepositions and location words" - Librarian on Goodreads "The cockatoos' expressions as they hide are priceless" - Parent reviewer

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🦜 Quentin Blake's signature loose, energetic illustration style perfectly captures the chaotic mischief of the ten cockatoos who escape from Professor Dupont's house one by one. ✏️ While best known for illustrating Roald Dahl's books, this 1992 work is one of several that Blake both wrote and illustrated himself. 🔢 The book serves as both an entertaining story and a clever counting book in reverse, starting with ten cockatoos and counting down to none. 🎨 Blake created the illustrations using his trademark combination of ink line drawings with watercolor washes, giving the cockatoos their distinctive playful personality. 🏆 The book earned special recognition from the Kurt Maschler Award committee in 1992, celebrating the integration of words and pictures in children's books.