In a nutshell: charming story of boy who can talk and joke with the animals | Lucky Vince – not only is his dad a zoo keeper but Vince has inherited the family trait and can talk to the animals. They can talk to him too of course, and sing, and what an eccentric but lovable bunch they are. In this adventure Vince recruits their help to track down stolen jewellery – the reward is a massive Swiss Roll, so wouldn’t you? Sophie Thompson’s narrative style is charming – she frequently breaks off to address the reader direct, and as though we are just the kind of people she really likes. She has a lovely turn of phrase – ‘There was a rittle-rittle-rootle and a frithy-frith-fatootle in the hedge’ - while the animals’ songs, interspersed throughout the story, are enormous fun. Illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown make this as good to look at as it’s fun to read aloud.
Readers will also enjoy Harriet Whitehorn’s Violet stories, and The Bolds by Julian Clary and David Roberts. ~Andrea Reece
Sophie Thompson is an Olivier Award-winning actress and also the winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2014. Her films include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Emma and Four Weddings and a Funeral. She has two teenage boys and lives in North London.Rebecca Ashdown was born in Chichester and grew up right by the sea. After a Masters at Central Saint Martin's, she worked for the BBC until her lifelong passion for children's books led her to start creating them. She now works from her studio in the countryside near Stroud, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Sophie Thompson was the winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2014. She is an Olivier Award-winning actress who was born in London and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her films include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Gosford Park, Emma, Persuasion and Four Weddings and a Funeral. On stage Sophie has appeared in many plays and musicals at the National Theatre, RSC & London's West End. Television roles have included The Detectorists and Eastenders, for which she won Inside Soap's Best Bitch Award. She's been married to Richard Lumsden since 1995, they have two teenage boys and live in North London. Sophie is currently working on the sequel to her children's fiction debut, Zoo Boy, which will be published in spring 2016.
