Everyone enjoyed hearing about the Marabou stork, which poos on its legs - apparently to cool itself down - and there was fascination about exactly what the meat was that the hyena and the vulture were eating. It is told through rhyme which provides pace and rhythm and is great for a read-aloud class story and it could also be used to study poetry and different rhyming patterns in English. They’re an unusual looking bird, bald-headed with wisps of hair, perhaps worthy of their addition to the ugly five.

This is a particularly fun read aloud if you like doing funny voices and can come up with a good tune for the singing part (I recommend using the tune to the lullaby "I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me" but checkout a few readings on YouTube to find something that works for you. Their powerful jaws can crush the bones of some of Africa’s largest animals, and their strong stomach acid makes easy work of any meal. At the back of the book there is a comparison of the big five, the little five, the shy five and of course the ugly five. The repetition allows the children to join in with any repeated refrains and encourages them to notice and predict the rhyming words at the end of each sentence. Hyenas are scavengers (which is starting to seem like a strong predictor of ugliness), making them important players in their ecosystems.The ungainly-looking Wildebeest is recognised by a long black mane and a beard of hair hanging from the throat and neck. It did have a more musical chorus throughout that could be used maybe with a beat to help it along, but I just couldn't get into it. They’re respected members of Africa’s ‘ clean-up crew’ for their ability to keep our wildlife reserves tidy. Their diet consists mostly of grass, bulbs, and roots, but they will occasionally scavenge for meat scraps. I liked how the book introduced first one and then all the others so that readers have time to smile at how self-deprecating each one of the five ugly critters is.

If you do this, I would suggest a mix throughout the week of some days writing and some days typing. If you’re interested in seeing these ‘ugly’ African animals for yourself, consider booking a tailor-made, African safari. These animals sleep underground in burrows which they steal from other animals such as the aardvark. The surprise ending of the book is what makes it and leaves you feeling all warm inside as everyone is pretty to someone.Warthogs are normally found in family groups, where they spend most of their time either looking for food or wallowing in the mud at waterholes. anyways, the translations by naoura work very well in transmitting the magic, better than most of the other donaldson translations into german. The hyena also has some peculiar proportions, with all the strength loaded in their forequarters (and jaw), and the weak-looking hindquarters seemingly added as something of an afterthought. The name wildebeest is derived from the Dutch word, which means wild beast or wild cattle and belongs to the African region. Would this be a good book to read aloud to the class or would it be good for Shared or guided reading?

The plains of the savannah are home to some of the world’s most majestic creatures, but this is not a book about them. It also introduces children to the different gangs; the big five, the little five, the shy five and the ugly five. You may also be aware of the little five, or small five animals– rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, and the antlion. Creating a popular character is a double edged sword; one side is buckets of cold hard cash, the other is people demanding that you trot out the same old stuff. If this had been the entire plot, the story would have been too dry for most young people as there is almost an educational quality as you learn about the animals.When running through grass their tails stand up straight, and when in danger these animals choose to run, rather than fight. Which, in Swahili, actually means ‘to be absentminded, careless, foolish, ignorant, lazy, stupid, and negligent’. As a faith school, we could then expand this further to discuss the concept of how we are all unique and yet loved by God.