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The Big Five

by Bella Makatini, Judi Abbot

Subject
Diversity & Multicultural
Age
0-3 years
Format
Board Book
Pages
24
Publisher
Clavis Publishing
Size
20.8 cm × 21.8 cm
ISBN
9781605377230


Danny is spending the week with his grandpa. Grandpa has a painting of five animals. “Those are the big five,” says Grandpa, “the most famous animals from my homeland,” Grandpa tells Danny about one animal each day.

A playful and informative story about wild animals and about the love between a child and a grandparent. For animal lovers ages 3 and up.

About the creators

Bella MakatiniAuthor

As a child, Bella Makatini (1980, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands) already liked to write. She asked notebooks for her birthday to fill them with her stories. She continued writing, also during her studies in communication sciences and sociology, and at her job as a project manager in research. With The Big Five, Bella won the international children's story competition of Inclusive Works in the toddlers category.

Judi AbbotIllustrator

Judi Abbot was born and raised in Italy. She studied illustration at the art school in Milan. She now lives in London with her family. Judi usually works with acrylics, collage, and colored pencils, but she’s also good with digital media. In addition to her work as an illustrator, Judi organizes creative workshops for children in bookstores and libraries.

Data provided by BiblioShare.

$18.99In stock at our supplier — delivered within 5–9 days.

What reviewers said

A little boy connects with his African-immigrant grandfather over a shared loved of the “big five” animals of Grandpa’s homeland. On a five-day visit to his grandfather’s house, Danny enjoys the paintings and colorful masks on prominent display. Grandpa commits to teaching Danny about the big five animals, with each one designated to a day throughout Danny’s visit. From Monday through Friday, Danny’s grandfather tells him about elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, leopards, and buffalo, introducing them by their attributes via a guessing game. “The third animal has thick skin and two horns on his…
"A sweet celebration of family and introduction to some perennially popular animals."
Kirkus Reviews
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.