Dr K Fisher is a busy bird and agony uncle, here to help troubled creatures from all over the globe with any problems their environments might bring them. In this book, he sets about solving a number of weather-related worries including a grumbling monkey who wants to know why it rains so much in his jungle and a very confused duck who wakes up to find the surface of his lake 'rock solid, slippery and very cold'. Dr K Fisher's knowledgeable and patient replies provide a unique and humorous way for children to discover the unusual and dramatic weather conditions that animals have to cope with on a daily basis and encourage them to imagine what life might be like in the wild.
The innovative use of a 'problem page' is a really effective way to engage the reader with the facts and wonders of the natural word. Each letter places an animal in its particular environment and so the great forces and events of nature are viewed through the eyes of these distinctive characters. This gives the reader an opportunity to consider what extreme conditions - storms, sweltering sunlight or an environment of permanent snow and ice - might actually be like to live in.
The letters are interspersed with double page spreads detailing key processes, such as the water cycle, or focusing in on a type of weather as in 'Dr K Fisher's Guide to Dangerous Storms'. These varied methods of presenting information are made more lively and interesting to look at by Kate Sheppard's humorous illustrations, which continually highlight the presence of animals and insects against the backgrounds of different weather conditions and habitats.
The book is presented in a scrapbook style, with the letters and Dr K Fisher's replies 'stuck' in alongside the illustrations of animals, plants and habitats that are drawn to look like pieces of paper in a collage. This sense of the pages being actively put together makes the book look fun and inviting. It ensures that the factual information is transmitted in a lively and imaginative manner, with the text surrounded on every side by things to look at. The wealth of visual detail (every single animal has a distinctive character and is engaging in a particular way with their environment, such as the frogs who are variously enjoying the puddles and wondering why the monkey doesn't like the rain) make this book an absorbing one for reading alone. The 'dialogue' technique in the letters mean that it would also be good for reading out loud and would provide lots of starting points for interesting discussions