The Ugly Five

Product Information

Just like the marabou stork, vultures tend to have bald, scabby looking heads. Often with unfortunate skin folds, and sometimes with unsightly, exposed ears. Some sources single out the lappet-faced vulture as the vulture’s representative in the Ugly 5. Although most of Africa’s 11 vulture species could make the cut – none are blessed with particularly good looks. Both males and females have a set of horns, and they use this as a defense mechanism but are not always that successful as their horns grow to the side of their heads. Another very interesting about wildebeests is that they have a set of pre-orbital glands on their faces. And can be seen rubbing their faces in dirt patches, thus marking their territory, but also advertise themselves to females. The Marabou Stork I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.

Marabou storks are one of Africa’s most unique birds, and they are also one of the largest birds in the world. They can be found in both arid and wet habitats, especially near human habitation. The plains of the savannah are home to some of the world’s most majestic creatures, but this is not a book about them. This is a book about the other animals that don’t always get the limelight; the dumpy, the lumpy and the smelly. When five less than pretty animals get together they all decide that they are the ugliest creatures around. Can anyone love a face as hideous as theirs? They’re perhaps the most infamous scavengers of all, and they’re very good at what they do. In fact, they clear up to 70% of the carrion in Africa, helping prevent the spread of disease in animals and humans. 3. Wildebeest A new book by Julia Donaldson is always a thrilling event for a primary-school librarian. Her books - the best-known of which is The Gruffalo - are guaranteed crowd pleasers, easy and fun to read aloud. They are often used by our key stage 1 teachers as the basis for a term’s project work. She is also one of those rare picture-book authors whose name the children recognise, and they are genuinely excited when she publishes a new book.Vultures all have long, wide wings that allow them to glide gracefully at great heights. They can stay in the air for hours without effort. They can also spot other vultures coming down to prey miles away and scan for carrion with their sharp eyes. In any game reserve, 2 nights should be a minimum stay to give you a decent amount of time to hunt down the animals you’re looking for. There are three species of hyena in the Hyaenidae family. Namely, the striped hyena, brown hyena, and spotted hyena. The lesser-known aardwolf is an additional member in the same family. I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.

Tell a hyena that it’s ugly and it will probably ‘laugh’ in your face. In all honesty, they’re not terribly unattractive. I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). You get the Big 5 , the Little 5 , the Shy 5 . But you also get the Ugly 5 , an entirely subjective and somewhat jokey designation.Edward listened carefully and wisely pronounced: “It’s good that they don’t care what they look like, but I prefer The Gruffalo.” There would be lots of ways to incorporate The Ugly Five into teaching. It would fit beautifully into any topic work on Africa or animals, particularly looking at how animals are suited to their habitats and the idea of food chains - both the vulture and the hyena are seen scavenging - and also how animals grow.

As always, Julia Donaldson’s rhyming is fabulous. It is never forced or awkward and, with its rhythm and wit, is always a pleasure to read. The illustrations by Axel Scheffler are again lovely. His style is instantaneously recognisable and very child-friendly. The message of the book is charming - that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and that we are perfect just the way we are. These large birds are commonly found in the Lowveld. They are crucial species when it comes to cleaning up the environment. Like hyenas and vultures, they feed on carrion (decaying flesh) and thus provide a huge service to other animals, with regards to diseases spreading. They are also opportunistic fishers often seen on the edges of waterholes, but will also feed on anything from termites to smaller birds. Marabou storks in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi tinged by Marcel Their preferred habitat is open grasslands. They use seasonal migration as an optimal survival strategy to access and use large areas of resources, minimising overgrazing in both dry and wet seasons. Their faces are pointy with strange-looking snouts, and their tusks aren’t exactly pretty. Then there’s their leathery skin which is peppered with exactly the wrong amount of coarse hair. Warthogs love to wallow! To cool off, warthogs will submerge themselves in water. They love to wriggle in the mud, as it cools them and provides protection from biting insects.Oliver thought it was mysterious. Sonny pondered the message of the book and told me: “At the end of the book they weren’t really ugly at all - they were lovely.” Due to the rhyming nature of the story it is a great read aloud book. 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. Therefore could be used with Nursery children or lower Key Stage 1.