These two leading authors are core to Gecko Press publishing, and they have brought us a new story from the much-loved characters of Snake and Lizard.
Twigs and Stones
Snake and Lizard live together in a burrow in the desert. They are such good friends that Lizard decides to display their names above the burrow entrance.
But three small words can cause trouble between friends.
They must decide whose name should appear first. Then Lizard makes an unfortunate spelling mistake—he thinks it’s very funny but Snake is not laughing. Snake finds some spelling of her own that will teach Lizard a lesson!
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Book Details
Country of Origin New Zealand Reader Age 5-7 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
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Red Reading Hub –
Snake and Lizard live in a hole under a rock and like all friends they have their ups and downs with one another.
One day Lizard decides it would be good to collect twigs with which to put both their names above the entrance to their home. Off he goes to the river in search of sticks and mud. On his return he sets to work carefully arranging the sticks to form the letters; Snake is unable to assist on account of her bad eyesight. However Snake listens dozily to Lizard’s comments, the task is completed and the names written large stand on the ledge until along come Tortoise and Owl warning of the likely consequences of a desert wind. The wind comes, blowing down Snake’s name but then out of their hole comes Lizard to retrieve the fallen letters after which he returns to bed.
Next morning though, Snake emerges first and is furious to see that his friend has accidentally misspelt Snake. Lizard’s way of dealing with things only makes his friend angrier and both have a most unsatisfactory day in silence.
That night it’s Snake’s turn to go out and check the names: now is her chance to teach Lizard a lesson. Fortunately though all ends well: the letters are removed and the friendship is restored.
There’s a gentle humour in both Joy Cowley’s telling and Gavin Bishop’s pen and ink and watercolour illustrations . The expressions on the faces of both Snake and Lizard are splendidly done heightening the drama throughout the squabbles, making this a great read aloud story with lots of potential for class discussion. It should certainly reassure children that friendships are important and silly incidents should be forgotten quickly.