Through the Heart of the Jungle

The bright, brash and edgy illustrations in rich glowing colours are the real stars in this riotous picture book. There is a menagerie of jungle creatures featured, each is gobbled, gulped or bothered by the next biggest in size and ferocity until the daddy of them all is revealed. A rewarding, noisy, shared-reading experience.
John Mclay, CAROUSEL

Glowing colours and a fast-moving rhyme combine to create a rather surreal jungle in which strangely coloured animals come and go, behaving badly against the stylised foliage … It reads aloud well and children could soon join in. Quite young preschool children will enjoy the rhythm and the texture; older ones and infants might extend the idea and create some exotic plants and animals of their own.
Frances Bull, SCHOOL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Gomez’s broadly imaged, textured creatures and stylized jungle foliage are composed for strong emotional impact … The painterly illustrations delight the eye as we follow the tale to the end.
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz, CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

There is great rhythmic movement in the art, with bursts of color beginning with blues and greens. Gradually, dashes of other colors are added, culminating in bright orange for the King’s mane, as his roar fills the whole page. Kids will be mesmerized – when they are not chiming in on the title refrain.
Wanda Meyers-Hines, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Elena Gomez’s superb artwork brings the jungle animals to life … A great follow on from The House that Jack Built not only for the language but also for the comparison of Gomez’s art work. A good book to read aloud; the constant repetition makes it a natural for joining-in. A quick, easy-to-produce show for an end of term concert.
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The rhythmic text is perfectly showcased with lush, colorful artwork making Through the Heart of the Jungle a popular and recommended addition to any personal or library picture book collection.
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