Nannie Loves

Nannie Loves by Kylie Dunstan (Working Title Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-921504-83-9

Reviewed by Vicki Thornton

Nannie loves her farm, with its rolling hills, muddy creek and lots of paddocks. Nannie loves her bouncy dog, her sheep and cows…even her hungry chooks. But most of all, Nannie loves when her family comes to stay.

Nannie Loves is a charming story that centres on family and farm life. The text is simple yet lyric, with the repeating line of Nannie loves which will draw the children in. Yet it is Kylie’s illustrations that I feel make this book truly magical.

A blend of pencil, paint and collage, the illustrations are so bright and cheerful they virtually bounce off the page. My favourite is the double-page spread depicting the family in silhouette with the surprised-looking rabbits down by the front fence.

This picture book would suit preschool children as well as early primary. Not only giving them an insight into farm life, it would also encourage many artistic endeavours.

This Way Up

This Way Up by Kylie Dunstan (Windy Hollow Books)
HC RRP $25.95
ISBN9781922081223
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Grace and her family are moving again. But home now is a strange shadowy place full of echoes and cardboard boxes. What will it take to make it a real home?

This delightful and delicate book with the dominant theme of moving away from familiar things and people, also addresses the mixed emotions experienced by a child in a new environment. The design of the text on the pages is a brilliant choice. Its purposeful placement on the page identifies with the boxes and chaotic coming and going within the house.

The illustrations are stunning; so creative and beautiful. With great insight, coloured pages have been used as background throughout. This adds additional uniqueness to the already outstanding preparation and design of the whole book. Kylie Dunstan just keeps getting better. This is her fifth picture book. Look out for this creator’s work. She is destined to leave a bold mark on the history of Australian children’s books.