Together Always

Together Always written by Edwina Wyatt, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo (Little Hare Books/Hardie Grant Egmont)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781742979632

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

Best friends Pig and Goat are always together, no matter what happens to hang from the trees in their orchard. They constantly reassure each other, and promise to always stick together. Their different personality traits create a harmonious balance – Goat cheers Pig up with stories, while Pig sings Goat to sleep. Their pact to remain together, always, seems to be working out, until one night Goat is inspired to venture beyond their home.

Pig would rather not leave home, but sticks to their agreement and reluctantly follows. It is clear Pig and Goat now want different things, and they sadly part ways. In their attempt to live apart, each is reminded of the other through memories sparked in nature, depicted beautifully in Masciullo’s gentle pencil and watercolour art.

This is an endearing book about friendship, change and compromise, and about allowing those we love to follow their dreams. The story also demonstrates that when you’re unable to physically be with your loved ones, they can still be in your heart.

Wyatt uses repetition and rhythm to great effect in this heartwarming tale. Together Always would make a wonderful read for someone about to enter a period of change

Muddle and Mo

Muddle and Mo by Nikki Slade Robinson (Starfish Bay Children’s Books)

HB RRP $25.99

ISBN 9780994100757

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780994100740

Reviewed by Leigh Owen

Sometimes simple is beautiful. This is the case with the picture book Muddle and Mo.

In fewer than one hundred words author/illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson tells a tale of Muddle, the duck trying to understand what he is and why his friend Mo is so odd.  Your beak is too hairy…. You should eat worms.

In fact, Mo is a goat and Muddle is a duck, which of course, children will know right from the start but following Muddle as he puzzles over their identities is the fun of the story.

The illustrations mainly consist of just the two stylised animals in various comical poses on a textured brown background. The simplicity is charming and somehow comforting

I imagine children will soon be memorising this book and reading aloud to themselves. This is enabled, not only by the sparse story and illustrations but also the large clear text and the use of different fonts for the speech of Muddle and the speech of Mo. As a reader I enjoyed coming up with voices for the two characters; the energetic duck and the more lay-back goat.

Muddle and Mo is a delightful book begging to be read aloud to 2-6 year olds.

Anzac: The Story of a Little Goat

Anzac: The Story of a Little Goat by Jacque Duffy (Itchy Emu Press)

PB RRP $15.95

ISBN 9780646930497

Reviewed by Yvonne Mes

Anzac is an Australian story about a little goat. Won in a two-up game, his adorable Anzac eyes fail to win over the hearts of the cold family he comes to live with. In a case of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ Little Anzac finds that the family he ultimately belongs with is very unlikely indeed.

The story, set at a time where Australia is recovering from war, is heart-warming with its message and its lively illustrations will appeal to young children.

Jacque Duffy, a fine artist and children’s writer of several books, is based in Cairns.

Yvonne Mes is a children's writer and illustrator. Her picture books, Meet Sidney Nolan (Random House) and Oliver’s Grumbles (Dragon Tales Publishing) are scheduled for release in October 2015. www.yvonnemes.com

There’s a Hole in my Bucket

There’s a Hole in my Bucket [with CD] illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $12.99 [Board book]
ISBN 978-1-77543-234-0
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

There’s a Hole in my Bucket is a board book version of the well known song of the same name. In this book, the long-suffering Liza is depicted as an often grumpy goose, while dear Henry is a happily goofy goat.

The illustrations throughout this board book are delightful. Henry keeps getting distracted by all manner of things – like a clothesline full of clothes – and Liza, who starts off cheerful, gets more and more frustrated with him.

The text dances along the pages, echoing the playfulness of the lyrics and the humour is wonderfully alive in both the words and pictures.

This is a fun and attractive board book for both babies and their older readers.

Along with the board book is a CD which is performed by New Zealand comedians the Topp Twins. They sing with wonderfully goaty and goosey voices to great effect.