Cockatoos [Hardcover]

Quentin Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1992 | Age Level: 3 and up

When Professor Dupont's pet cockatoos decide to scatter, sharp-eyed readers are challenged to help the distraught professor find his fine feathered friends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A daft professor and his frustrated cockatoos take part in a zany game of hide-and-seek sure to tickle sharp-eyed readers. Professor Dupont never strays from his regimented daily routine--from tying his tie to adjusting his glasses to greeting his pets by saying "Good morning, my fine feathered friends!" Deciding they will "go crazy if they had to listen to the same words once again," the birds take refuge in various rooms in the house to teach their owner a lesson. Kids will love spotting the colorful plumage behind every corner and cushion--easily visible to everyone but the hapless professor, who stumbles about in humorous ignorance searching for his avian companions. (The birds' frantic expressions as they desperately attempt to remain hidden are positively smashing.) Convinced their message has been delivered, the satisfied birds are back on their branches the next morning, only to discover that "Some people never learn." Blake's characteristically effusive drawings enhance the silliness of this thoroughly engaging ditty. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Blake's cockatoos have flown from his ABC (Knopf, 1989), where they represent the letter C, to a book of their own that gradually emerges as a counting book. Ten of these multicolored birds live in a leafy conservatory in the home of Professor Dupont. To say that the professor is a man of routine is an understatement; not only does he do the same awakening chores in the same order each day, but he also gives an identical greeting to his cockatoos--"Good morning, my fine feathered friends!" One day they become so annoyed by this repetition that they escape from the conservatory and hide throughout the man's large house. They elude him, but, if readers look closely at the scratchy, funny watercolor double-page spreads, it is apparent that they have not gone far. The busy, detailed illustrations complement the text, showing Dupont's puzzled search. This is a book that will be enjoyed most by a child who reads it alone or shares it with a friend. --Carolyn Jenks, formerly at Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, NH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv) (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316099511
• ISBN-13: 978-0316099516
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,013,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cockatoos, February 3, 2001

By 

Barbara Joseph (Troy, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cockatoos (Hardcover)

Ten cleaver cockatoos lead the absent minded Professor Dupont through a zany adventure, covering every room of his old house. Young readers will delight as they spy the birds hiding in unlikely places. Parents will be thrilled as well, as the children count, and recount the elusive cockatoos. The illustrations are exceptional, as we have all come to appreciate in the work of Quentin Blake.