Aussie Kids: Meet Mia by the Jetty

Aussie Kids: Meet Mia by the Jetty by Janeen Brian, illustrated by Danny Snell (Puffin Books) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 978 1 760893668

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is one of eight books in the Aussie Kids series about children from different states of Australia, telling of their lives and adventures. 

In this book, Mia, who lives in Victor Harbour, South Australia, with her parents and older sister Alice, awaits the weekend visit of Jim. She decides to take her new friend to nearby Granite Island with Alice and to be a super tour guide: she even makes and wears a guide badge. At Encounter Bay the three children have a sandcastle competition before boarding a horse-drawn tram which takes them across the jetty to the island. Lastly, they are fortunate enough to see a whale in the ocean.

This chapter book manages to showcase places in South Australia while introducing sisters who bicker in a good-natured way. Each page has a black and blue wash illustration which adds to the book’s appeal. At the end of the book there is a page of fun facts about penguins, including Fairy Penguins. Following this is a double-page spread with pictures of and information about the author and illustrator.

Meet Mia by the Jetty is ideal for readers aged 6 years and up who enjoy reading gentle, well-written stories.