Audrey Skips

Audrey Skips by Andrea Rowe, illustrated by Lisa Coutts (MidnightSun Publishing) HB RRP $29.99 ISBN: 9781922858719

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Audrey, The Skipping Girl, warms the hearts of Melburnians every night, as her ‘hot peppered feet’ skitter across the roofs and straight into children’s dreams. She tries to cheer the adults when financial hardships bite, but her ‘bright glow dims’ and her memory is ‘lost to an inky sky’. However, the city misses Audrey’s dazzling happiness. People rally together to restore Audrey’s sparkle, and soon she is skipping over the skyline once more.

Based on the real-life story of The Skipping Girl, a historic animated neon sign in Melbourne, Audrey Skips leaps lyrically across the page and lifts spirits with every rope twirl. Andrea Rowe uses lightly rhyming text to reflect the reassuring rhythm of Audrey’s springs, with evocative phrasing that grips the soul. Kids aged four and older are sure to smile when they see what can be achieved when community and conservation come together.

Lisa Coutts makes the most of mixed media to construct a remarkable realm through which Audrey moves with ease. Audrey’s radiant reach stretches across emerald cupolas and into periwinkle rooms, where worry suddenly drains colour from the scenes. It’s only when hope sparks that flashes of red – reminiscent of Audrey’s renowned dress – begin to pop up in the illustrations, a visual clue to the story’s joyful ending.

A touching love letter to a treasured landmark, Audrey Skips is not just for Melburnians. It’s for anyone who seeks light in the dark, and the comfort of tradition in an ever-changing world.