In Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett, a restless meerkat goes in search of greener pastures. By tracking his global adventure, children will discover new creatures and countries to explore in their writing…
In the words of a certain car insurance obsessed meerkat, a book project using Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett is ‘simples!’, especially if you use the Talk for Writing process.
As a core story for a half term it is perfect for KS1 – with plenty of text types to focus on, captivating illustrations, quirky characters and lots of humour.
It’s also a fabulous way to develop geography, PSHE, art and history through a theme such as ‘amazing animals’.
What is Meerkat Mail about?
Meerkat Mail is a story of self-exploration, of believing that the grass is greener, of leaving home and coming back again.
Our hero, Sunny the meerkat, lives with his extended family in the Kalahari Desert and he is fed up with two things – the place where he lives and the people (or meerkats) he lives with.
It’s time to move on, so he packs his suitcase, writes a note and starts his search for a better place to eat his ice-creams.
We join him on his search, along with a hungry jackal who is always close behind him, as he travels from one global family member to another.
Needless to say, each place seems to have its own set of problems and Sunny finally arrives at a common conclusion ‘there is no place like home’.
Carol Satterthwaite is an independent literacy consultant. Previously she has been Family Literacy Advisor for the LA, and senior literacy consultant for the Primary National Strategy.
