One Little Goat

One Little Goat written by Ursula Dubosarsky, illustrated by Andrew Joyner (Little Hare Books) HB RRP $24.99  ISBN 9781742976921

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

‘My daddy bought a little baby goat, a little baby goat my daddy bought’ begins this cumulative tale with echoes of There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. A cat eats the goat, who is bitten by a dog, who is hit by a stick and so and so on, as the tale becomes increasingly more mayhem-filled. The repetition as the story builds has a musical quality, and would have children repeating along in no time.

The ridiculous antics of the characters are humorously depicted via Joyner’s cartoon-like illustrations, full of action and with very expressive faces throughout. Even the suggestions of violence (think chopping and burning!) are reduced to nothing more than frivolity with Joyner’s clever touch. After a fun turn of events where a tall, dark stranger is revealed for who it really is, the chaos subsides until the story comes to a satisfying, full-circle conclusion.

There is a real old-fashioned, nursery rhyme feel to this story, as it is based on a traditional Hebrew song dating back to the 17^th century. The words retain a timeless feel, while the illustrations bring a contemporary sensibility.

Little Why

Little Why written and illustrated by Jonny Lambert (Little Tiger Press) PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781848691834

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

Cute baby elephant Little Why struggles to stay in line as he marches along to the watering hole with his elders. He diverts from the path each time he spots a creature he aspires to be like, from the leggy giraffe, to crocodile with its ‘snippy-snappy snazzy snout’. When his request for their features is constantly denied by the older elephant, Little Why asks ‘Why?’ to the reply of ‘Keep in line!’

The images are striking, with the use of white space accentuating the animal characters, which are reminiscent of Eric Carle’s illustrations. Some fun features on each spread include the busy little orange and purple insects, and Little Why’s ever-faithful bird companion – extra layers to examine during repeat reads.

Repetition, alliteration and rhythm result in some lovely language, culminating in a message of self-acceptance. Although, it takes one of the elephant elders to point out Little Why’s unique attributes – it would have perhaps been more powerful if Little Why came to this conclusion himself. Nevertheless, Little Why is a charming and beautifully designed book with a strong, evergreen theme.

The Big Fish

The Big Fish written and illustrated by Pamela Allen (Penguin/Viking) HB with slip cover RRP $24.99 ISBN 9780670078974

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

New Zealander Pamela Allen never seems to fail when it comes to producing an attractive and effective picture book for the younger reader. In this, her latest, she has a fisherman, his wife, two children and their dog setting off to a river to catch a fish. Dad casts off, but while singing a song about his wish to catch a fish, he suddenly finds something biting. It’s big, too. Almost falling in, he calls to his wife to help. Both almost fall in, and you’ve guessed it – one after another the two children try to help. However, the fish tugs them all in. Then they have to get out. Saved by the dog!

This is a circular story with musical language, much repetition, a happy ending, and a last page (and typical) Pamela Allen question for the young reader. It all seems so effortless, and makes for great reading and re-reading with the young reader perhaps joining in with the recurring song. Also appealing are Allen’s illustrations which use lots of pen and ink line work and bright colour and masses of white space. This gives the pages a clean and attractive look.

For more than thirty years, Allen’s picture books have enchanted generations of children around the world. They have garnered a glittering array of top awards and commendations in Australia, New Zealand and internationally. This book is no doubt going to be a classic, well-loved by children aged four and up all over the world.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Alison Jay (Koala Books)

HB RRP $19.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-114-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a classic Christmas carol which most people know well. On each of the twelve days of Christmas, a man buys a gift for his true love, each one getting bigger and more extravagant.

The counting and the repetition within the lyrics make it perfect for a picture book but the absolute delight (and cleverness) of The Twelve Days of Christmas is the illustrations. There is so much to marvel over on so many different levels.

At first glance they are old-fashioned paintings; beautiful, glowing scenes, cracked with age. But the closer you look, the more you see. From the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations in the town to the quieter, but still active, country life, there is so much going on around the man and woman as they walk through the story.

Every page provides a clue to what the next gift will be – on the page before ‘six geese a-laying’ two geese float on the river as the couple cross a bridge. Hidden away on every page is Father Christmas, and he is not always easy to spot!

Also hidden away on most pages are little humorous scenes – such as a policeman chasing a turkey down the street – and links back to precious gifts. And I’m sure much more that I have missed. These are illustrations which can be studied for great lengths of time.

So many themes of Christmas are included; families, carolling, gifts, and parties. 

This is an engrossing book for quiet contemplation as well as for reading to young ones during the December preparations.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Alison Jay (Koala Books)

HB RRP $19.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-114-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a classic Christmas carol which most people know well. On each of the twelve days of Christmas, a man buys a gift for his true love, each one getting bigger and more extravagant.

The counting and the repetition within the lyrics make it perfect for a picture book but the absolute delight (and cleverness) of The Twelve Days of Christmas is the illustrations. There is so much to marvel over on so many different levels.

At first glance they are old-fashioned paintings; beautiful, glowing scenes, cracked with age. But the closer you look, the more you see. From the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations in the town to the quieter, but still active, country life, there is so much going on around the man and woman as they walk through the story.

Every page provides a clue to what the next gift will be – on the page before ‘six geese a-laying’ two geese float on the river as the couple cross a bridge. Hidden away on every page is Father Christmas, and he is not always easy to spot!

Also hidden away on most pages are little humorous scenes – such as a policeman chasing a turkey down the street – and links back to precious gifts. And I’m sure much more that I have missed. These are illustrations which can be studied for great lengths of time.

So many themes of Christmas are included; families, carolling, gifts, and parties. This is an engrossing book for quiet contemplation as well as for reading to young ones during the December preparations.