Children’s Book Review: What the Macaw Saw*

What we thought of What the Macaw Saw

We are often sent children’s books but they don’t all have the same captivating story as this one by Charlottle Guilain, illustrated by Sam Usher.

The book really resonated with my youngest son, who after reading it just once, decided this was the book he would take on World Book Day! The book is told through the eyes of macaws that live in the Amazonian Rainforest and talks about how their habit is continuously changing often via the hands of destructive humans – you learn about how they find it hard to carry on living and surviving in this part of the world and in turn the numbers are decreasing.

This book talks about deforestation in a delicate and appropriate way in which children can really get to grips with it.  It also talks about how habit is important for certain breeds of birds and how when we change those habitats how it can be detrimental to the species that live within them.

Although the book has an important message, it also has a huge amount of detailed facts about Macaws. We found the book’s back pages where all the facts are held unbelievably interesting. The story is beautifully written and the illustrations capture so much movement created by these beautifully colourful birds.

The book brought so much curiosity to my children, especially my youngest who straight away made a tree trunk out of scraps of card with a hole cut out for the macaw nest, which he took to school to paint and add in his macaw chicks. There are very few books that inspire him in the way that this one did.

If you are looking for post-World Book Day inspiration, then I can honestly say look no further – this is a perfect book, it has a great story and then has endless hours of more reading with all the additional pages of facts. All in all a brilliant children’s book.

Where can you get your copy of this book and how much is it? 

You can get your copy at Waterstones here online link or in-store and it costs £12.99.

About the book

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Welbeck Editions (27 Oct. 2022)
Style : Hardcover ‏
Number of pages : 32 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913519735
Age range : 4 and up
Language ‏ : ‎ English

About the Author 

Charlotte Guillain is not new to writing children’s books and has published more than 20 stories, including, What did the Tree See and a collection of Folk Tales from around the world. Her books are always beautifully illustrated and most have a factual or cultural perspective and are fun as well as being informative. You can find out more about Charlotte and her husband Adam (also a storybook author) on their website.

About the Illustrator
Sam Usher is also not new to illustrating and has illustrated many of Charlotte Guillain’s books, as well as some of his own Children’s stories and fictional novels. He has a classic style that often uses watercolours to add texture. He uses his skills to create beautifully creative illustrations that are filled with depth and detail. He is also an author of a handful of story books too.

About Welbeck Publishing

Welbeck Publishing curates and put to print a whole host of children’s story books, as well as fiction and non-fiction books. They focus on beautiful tet that is accompanied by equally beautiful illustrations. All have to fit perfectly together to create the most successful and enticing reads.

Based in London and previously known as Carlton Publishing they are a small and well-established publisher, producing a whole host of sublime books year-on-year.