Bonkers about Beetroot is the debut picture book written by Cath Jones and illustrated by Chris Jevons.

Every so often, a picture book comes along that feels really fresh and different from the others on the market, and ‘Bonkers about Beetroot’ is one of them! There are so many things to love about the book, that it is hard to know where to start.

Cath Jones’s story is set at Sunset Safari Park, which is in danger of closing down. Zebra and his friends decide they need to save the park, but how? Zebra comes up with a totally ‘bonkers’ idea! What I loved about Zebra was his determination throughout the story, despite his friend Penguin’s pessimistic attitude, whose catchphrase is ‘bonkers!’ Zebra comes up with a solution to save the park, but the end result might even surprise him…

Chris Jevons’s illustrations are bold and fun, and match the quirky fun nature of the text. I love how the first few pages are full of reds, oranges and yellows – the park is called Sunset Safari Park after all. There is a fantastic spread with zebra munching his way through a giant beetroot. Look out for a little mouse who pops up on every spread, it’s great fun to try and spot where he is.

The extra details that have been put into Bonkers about Beetroot are fantastic. On the back of the front cover, you have a page full of newspaper headlines about the story and among them you will find the author’s and illustrator’s dedications. The newspaper headlines are a reoccurring theme throughout the story, right up until the back page, so make sure you read every page!

Not only is Bonkers about Beetroot a fun and entertaining read, there is also an educational aspect to it too. I love the dialogue about what manure is and the spread which shows how a plant grows from a tiny seed. This picture book would be a perfect one to use in schools when doing topics about growing and vegetables.