Shearing Time

Shearing Time by Allison Paterson and illustrated by Shane McGrath (Big Sky Publishing) HB RRP 24.99   PB RRP 14.99 

ISBN 9781925520095

Reviewed by Gill Griffin

Seen through the eyes of a child living in the country this tale perfectly captures the author’s happy childhood memories of working together with her family from sunrise to sunset on their annual task of sheep shearing.  Despite the hard work she describes shearing as the best time of the year, 

The wonderful descriptive prose and the colourful illustrations by Shane McGrath make each page resonate with the sound, and smell of shearing.  The sheds rumble and racket whilst machines whir, while a large recalcitrant sheep eyeballs a very determined dog.  The dogs hitch rides sitting on the back of sheep.  The shearers crowd round the kitchen table and enjoy the home cooked food. The book is so alive with written and visual description that the reader feels part of the whole experience.

Shearing Time reflects the experience of rural children and provides an opportunity for early childhood readers to appreciate the lives of Australian country children and to gain a glimpse and understanding of the Australian farming experience.  Inside the back cover the author describes many of the features of the shearing experience.  I had no idea that sheep first arrived in Australia on January 26 1988 with the convicts, and were mainly raised for meat. 

Allison Paterson grew up on a farm, surrounded by animals and the authenticity of her experience clearly shows.  She uses this experience in her other book Granny’s Place and again compiling old family letters  Anzac Sons: The Story of Five Brothers in the War to end all Wars  which was listed for the 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards.

There’s a Magpie in my Soup!

There’s a Magpie in my Soup! written by Sean Farrar and illustrated by Pat Kan (Big Sky Publishing) Kindle Price $4.73 

ISBN 9781925275681

Reviewed by Gill Griffin

A magpie in your soup!  A cockatoo in the loo! A big black snake in your cake!  This is just the beginning of a rhyming journey with familiar Aussie animals popping up in the most unexpected places.

There is a possum in a pie, and a tadpole in a cup of tea.  The idea of the cockatoo emerging from the loo with knife and fork and asking for food is sure to catch the imagination of younger readers. For each animal there is a warm and witty rhyming description which includes the author’s reaction at the sight of these unexpected creatures in familiar places. 

This is the first book by Sean Farrar, and Pat Kan’s illustrations complement the rhyming pages beautifully.  Her drawings are full of expression and very funny.  The use of the black ink make the drawings look spiky and alive with each animal having their own personality.  The wash of soft colour is very effective, enjoyable to look at and brings light and definition to the characters.

This is a simple picture book designed for reading out loud with large pictures which match the verse perfectly.  It is an easy read-out-loud book and small children will soon learn the names of Australian animals and the strange places they decide to visit which are  totally different from their natural habitat. 

There’s a Magpie in my Soup book celebrates Australian animals in an endearing, light hearted and entertaining manner. 

Sean Farrar already has another book in the pipeline which gives an unusual twist to our unique Aussie creatures. There’s a Koala in my Kitchen which is due to be released 2017.