Reviewed by
Mary
Banjo the Travelling Cat writes letters from around the world that bring a little taste of adventure to your child. Each letter is personalised, and includes snippets of history, geography, and even the local wildlife.
Banjo’s latest journey has taken him to Somalia!
The chatty friendly tone is perfect for children to enjoy, and his descriptions are great fun to read, especially when describing his adventures with animals he meets along the way.
Parents can also add their own extra personal PS to each letter from Banjo, which is a lovely way for them to pass on special messages that children will be thrilled to read from Banjo hmself!
As well as the letter itself, you also get a little map, a colouring sheet with pictures relating to the stories in the letter, and a recipe card to try out! Food is one of the best ways to connect with a different country or culture, and it’s the perfect activity to try at home.
As Banjo is a penpal the letter-writing works both ways too.
Enclosed with his letter is a sheet of paper for the child to write back, plus envelope and sticker stamps. Banjo’s letter includes prompts for their letters and pictures to draw, and the piece of paper is large enough for proper writing, but nor so large the child feels like they’ve got to do too much.
The method of sending is very clever: the reply is posted under the sofa for a local cat to collect and send on to Banjo. Of course this means that parents sneak the letter out at some point, and then they have a lovely keepsake of their child’s letters.
By Evelyn 
