A Good Place

Four insect friends – a bee, a ladybird, a beetle and a dragonfly - decide to look for a new place to live together. Yet, as soon as they think they’ve found somewhere good, they realise that the new place has a problem: first, it’s the lovely dandelions that are in the middle of a busy pavement, then it’s the tiny pond that turns out to be a puddle on a noisy road.

After a few other possibilities are tried out and found wanting, a butterfly shows the insect friends a beautiful garden that a little boy has made: at last, here is a good place for all the friends to live.

Lucy Cousins is best known for her Maisy books but this new standalone story with an environmental message is perfect for long-time Maisy fans or those new to Cousins' bright, simple stories and talent for creating cuddly, reassuring characters. The book is very appealing with lots of lovely nature detail, but pitched perfectly for 2-4 year olds, and there's a nice addition here too of a simple understanding that animals need good habitats to thrive.