The Backyard Games

The Backyard Games by Alister Nicholson, illustrated by Tom Jellett (Allen & Unwin) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781761180927

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Inspired by the Olympic Games, some children decide to hold the ‘Backyard Games’. They each choose a country to represent and perform a ‘parade of nations’. Then ‘the quest for gold’ begins. Not everything goes to plan – a few of the plates used as archery targets get smashed, and the frisbee discus goes flying over the fence – but everyone’s a winner. When the sun goes down, there’s no time to be sad – they’ll all meet at Yumi’s house for another festival of sport tomorrow.

Alister Nicholson channels the glorious childhood of yesteryear, when there was no such thing as screentime, and youngsters eagerly got together to make their own fun. The joyful rhyming text will encourage kids aged four to seven to get out into the sunshine and run, jump, and throw their way to sporting success while building friendships and learning about kindness and empathy. Real Australian sports stars are named throughout the text, and fascinating info about these legends appears on the endpapers.

Tom Jellett matches the exuberance of the text with illustrations that are bursting with cheerful colour. There is plenty of action to draw the readers’ eyes across the spreads, and this adds to the delightful dynamism of the story. The diversity among the young characters is commendable, and showing a child in a wheelchair fully participating in the activities is refreshing.

A sizzling celebration of all things sport, The Backyard Games is lighthearted from beginning to end. Readers will come away from the book with a positive mindset, perfectly encapsulated by a classic phrase: ‘It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ 

The Backyard Games

The Backyard Games (Allen & Unwin) Alister Nicholson & Tom Jellett PB RRP $19.99 9781761180927 

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Alister Nicholson is one of Australia’s best-known radio and TV sports commentators who is a leading voice on Channel Seven’s AFL. He has commentated on many of the biggest sporting events in the world, including the Summer and Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, AFL Grand Finals and Test Cricket.

Tom Jellett has illustrated Whale in the Bath, The Gobbledygook is Eating a Book and My Dad Thinks He’s Funny. Tom is an editorial illustrator for News Limited and has been included in the Editorial and Book category for illustrators 53.

Alister Nicholson & Tom Jellett are the team that also created Cricket, I Just Love it!

The Backyard Games is a celebration of friendship, sports, ceremony and fun. It brings to life the imaginative play of children creating their own Olympic Games, showcasing personal strengths, near misses and victories.

Alister Nicholson’s text has an energetic liveliness that captures the pure joy of sport and fun. The language is rich and on topic so young readers are totally immersed in the Backyard Games environment. What a glorious day for the Backyard Games! Who will be the champions, household names? The text reads aloud beautifully and Nicholson’s radio voice shines through in the voice. Famous names appear throughout text bringing in Olympic history and showing how Olympians have become a part of our culture. Thorpey and Pearson, oh the elation. And Cathy in Sydney – pride of the nation. Names of countries and the importance of ceremonies is shared along with the quest for gold. The characters are the neighbourhood kids and there is no one main character, but varied characters, because that is how the games are too. The verbs work well and reflect the various sports. Weightlifting next- we heave, and we strain. I love how a crowd is included, too. Each child has different strengths and shines individually, and that is an important message the book shares. In the Backyard Games, everyone is a winner!   

Tom Jellett delights the reader with his illustrations that are full of life and action packed with lots of movement and humour. I love the burning sausage in tongs on the front cover as an Olympic torch. The endpapers are clever because they include Olympic facts on Olympians, sports and The Games. An ordinary backyard comes to life with imagination and the characters are kids from all around the neighbourhood. The country names in a hat for the selection of countries is so Australian and fun. A dog cleverly features as a silent character throughout the spreads. There are both double- and single-page spreads with constant movement from left to right taking the reader on a playful journey into the Games.  Competitiveness is shown in the children, but also their mutual respect and admiration.

The Backyard Games is a picture book that will delight children, parents, teachers and librarians because it is fun, informative and a great share. It’s a great teaching resource and I can see it being a handy book for many teachers. This book is suitable for 3-7 years.

Cricket I Just Love It

Cricket I Just Love It by Alister Nicholson and Tom Jellett (Allen and Unwin) RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781760526801

Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty

Cricket I Just Love It, is a fun, rhyming non-fiction picture book for readers of all ages, especially lovers of cricket. The delightful illustrations by Tom Jellett mesh perfectly with the text that rolls easily off the tongue.

Cricket is not just a sport for boys. This has become much more obvious over the last decade with the kid’s cricket programs like Cricket Blast, and with the higher profile women’s cricket has been getting on television. Cricket is not just five days of standing in a field anymore. With the one-day game and the amazing, action packed Twenty20 Big Bash, cricket has become an everyday sport in Summer. This quirky and fun book takes the message a step further to show that anyone can say and mean the words, “Cricket, I just love it. It really is the best.”

For newcomers to the game of cricket, Alister Nicholson explains every aspect of the game. We learn about the gear, the rules, the fielding positions, the batting shots, and the dangers of practicing inside. We are introduced to some of the legends of the game like Meg Lanning, Perry and Healy, Don Bradman, Lillee, and Ponting. It also shows that cricket is not just played on cricket ovals. You can play almost anywhere, at school, in the back yard and even at the beach. Cricket is for everyone.

One of my favourite pages in the book has an amazing illustration by Tom Jellett of a game of backyard cricket. There are boys and girls, a dog and the bowler sits in a wheelchair. The text reads, “Cricket, WE just love it! A great game for us all. Girls and boys, the young and old, the big and very small! On wheels, bare feet and four legs too, no matter what your style. Get out, enjoy some cricket… it’s sure to make you smile.” The book certainly made me smile, (and in one place, nearly wet myself laughing.)

Cricket, I just Love It is a wonderful book, from the text and illustrations to the design of the endpapers, which show fun cricket facts and the meanings of some rather whacky cricketing words. At the end of the book, there is a QR code that the reader can scan to listen to an audiobook version of the book read by the author.  I thoroughly recommend this to readers young and old. It would also make a great resource for school libraries.