Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony

Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney by Pony by Stephanie Owen Reeder (National Library of Australia)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9780642278654

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Riveting and well-researched, Lennie the Legend: Solo to Sydney is the fictionalized version of a true story for the 7+ age group. It is a great adventure; a story of courage, resilience and dreams come true. It presents a view of the unbreakable bond between Man and horse, and the challenging times brought on by the Great Depression. The story alternates with factual pages of authentic history, stunning original coloured and black and white photos from the NLA’s rich collection, plus maps and posters.  These all tie in together beautifully to form a whole.

Nine year-old Lennie wants to go to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s a hard ask as he’s a bush boy who lives in Leongatha in Victoria. His father, Captain Gwyther, a decorated war hero has broken his leg and Lennie must step up and fill his place, and finish the ploughing of their farm acres.

As a reward for his commitment to the family, his father gives permission for him to ride his horse Ginger Mick, to Sydney for the opening of the Bridge.

Lennie’s story is inspiring. We travel with him from town to town, through the bush and bushfires, past swagmen looking for work, through a flooding Princes Highway and onwards against odds. Then there are other dangers – snakes, horse thieves and various unseen threats. Every scene gives a strong sense of place. The visual descriptions of the natural world and Lennie’s surroundings put us right into every event.

Carrying letters of introduction and depending on the kindness of strangers, Lennie and the gallant Ginger Mick are on the greatest adventure of their life.

He meets the Prime Minister, visits Parliament House and Canberra Grammar School. Everywhere he goes, people know him because the newspapers have been following his inspiring journey.

The book has included an excellent Glossary, Acknowledgements to the primary and secondary sources, and the usual outstanding detailed list of illustrations with references for further research.

This is one of the best NLA books I have read although each one has been of the highest standard in every area. Stephanie Owen Reeder’s excellent narrative skills and insightful prose breathed life into this amazing story.

Riley and the Curious Koala

Riley and the Curious Koala: a journey around Sydney by Tania McCartney, illustrations by Kieron Pratt (Tania McCartney Press)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 9780980475036
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

One rainy day Riley stares out the window and watches the clouds roll across the sky making all sorts of shapes. Granny says it looks like the city of Sydney but Riley spies a koala among the "gaggle of buildings". Fascinated, he flies off to Sydney in his fabulous red bi-plane to search out the koala.

McCartney's imaginative text complements her exceptional black-and-white photography of Sydney at its finest. Riley flies past many iconic Sydney landmarks including  the harbour, the beaches, The Rocks, Circular Quay with its ferries, Luna Park, Strand Arcade, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge as he searches for the elusive koala. Finally he finds the koala sound asleep nestled in a tree at Taronga Zoo. And it is no wonder the koala is exhausted. Children will find it hilarious that throughout Riley's journey, the koala is climbing and snorkelling and getting into all kinds of adventures but Riley fails to spot him.

Pratt's brightly coloured illustrations inject movement and draw the eye across the page. Panda, Lion and Dragon, Riley's friends from the previous two titles, add humour and that touch of companionship to make Riley's journey a shared journey.

From the embossed cover to the illustrated endpapers, Riley and the Curious Koala is beautifully presented and would make a wonderful gift. A percentage of the proceeds of sales will also be donated to the Australian Koala Foundation

Lennie's Ride

Lennie's Ride by Mary Small, illustrated by Marion Wilcocks (Small Endeavour Publishing)
PB RRP $15
ISBN 978-0-646-53194-6
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/

Lennie's Ride is the remarkable story of Lennie Gwyther, a nine-year-old farmer's son from Leongatha in Gippsland, Victoria, so excited about the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge he rode his pony, Ginger Mick, 600 miles to witness the event himself.

However, Lennie's Ride is more than a story of a boy. It is the story of his family, rural community life and the social history of Australia in the inter-war period. Lennie's feat is astounding. Allowing my own nine-year-old son to walk home from school (ten minutes and he doesn't even have to cross a road) is a leap of faith, let alone sending him off on a trek of this nature. Lennie's parents took that leap of faith. Stays with friends along the route were organised and as the fame of Lennie's journey grew, he certainly was not alone in his ride, being feted on his arrival in Canberra and Sydney among other places. The biggest testament to Lennie is that his parents felt safe in the knowledge that their son was capable of such a journey despite his youth.

Life on the Gwyther farm was not easy despite the ideal climate and soil. Lennie's father was a decorated returned serviceman from the trenches of Gallipoli and the Western Front. However, he also returned with injuries that would affect him for the rest of his life. Add to that the difficulties of the Great Depression. Lennie's parents relied extensively on him to help on the farm and, when his father broke his leg, Lennie worked the farm as well as any grown man.

1932 was a time of economic and social uncertainty and the excitement surrounding the Sydney Harbour Bridge was intense. It was an achievement of national significance and Lennie wanted to be a part of it. Lennie's interest in the bridge stemmed from his love of drawing, design and construction. As reward for all his hard work Lennie asked to be allowed to ride to Sydney for the opening. Hazards along the way included bushfires and Lennie's adventures in Sydney included entering the Easter Show.

Marion Wilcocks' black and white illustrations give us the feel of times past and complement the text beautifully. The book also includes numerous photographs of Lennie, the Gwyther family, and people and places of the 1930s and a brief section telling sister Beryl's story, and a facts section about the building of the bridge.

Lennie's Ride is recommended reading for Australians of all ages. It opens a window into a vastly different Australia in the not too distant past, it is a tale of the excitement surrounding the bridge opening, but most of all it tells of the wonders of a childhood fully lived and experienced.
Contact Mary Small for orders