30 Oct Books to keep little ones engaged from start to finish.
Ideal for younger readers, these books combine warmth, rhythm, and colour to keep little ones engaged from start to finish. Whether read at bedtime or playtime, it’s a lovely way to introduce babies and toddlers to the joy of books and shared reading.
The Drought Kangaroo
by Jackie French, illus. by Danny Snell pub. HarperCollinsChildrensBooks Angus & Robertson Imprint, picture book, RRP $24.99, Ages 0-2
Jackie French has continued the theme of her recent books about the environmental challenges facing Australian animals. This book is based on her own interaction with the age-old life cycle of a Kangaroo ‘mob’, where the younger male (Joseph) leaves his home to find water during a drought. During his journey along a country road, he gets injured by a car, but the focus on water and fresh grass keeps him moving until he finally settles in with a new kangaroo group. Danny Snell’s illustrations are beautiful, and they really enhance the situation Joseph finds himself in, searching for food and water.
Big Aussie Animal Bush Bash
Written & illus. by Brentos, pub. Affirm Kids (Simon & Schuster), picture book, RRP$22.99, Ages 2-6
The great Aussie ‘Bush Bash’ or music festival, organised by none other than Snags the koala, is getting set up with a trickle of kangaroos building stages and adding to them their sound systems, along with ‘Merch’ tents and food stalls. It’s going to be massive fun. With each page turn, the Bush Bash Day progresses, and the crowd grows. By nightfall, it’s ‘heaving’ with quirky animals, dancing and having fun. Amusingly, the bands’ names change from page to page and begin to sound familiar (Savage Gumnut, Midnight Owl).
The book is a “Can you find…” style with items to search for on each page. The pastel, solidly coloured illustrations make the ‘finding’ tricky, allowing the book to be read over and over again.
Dear Broccolil
by Jo Dabrowski, illus. by Cate James, pub. Affirm Kids (Simon & Schuster), picture book RRP$24.99 Ages 3-8
Broccoli – you love it or hate it. President George H.W. Bush was very vocal about disliking it, and many kids are the same. This is a fun book to read aloud. It’s a series of letters written by young Frank to ‘Broccoli’. Broccoli always writes thoughtful letters back to Frank, offering positive suggestions about broccoli and adding lots of reasons broccoli is good for you, which gradually develop into general thoughts about being a friend, with a little twist at the end!
The following two books are from sporting legends, written and illustrated by others. It is a common development in books for kids and gives kids an interesting way to reach their heroes through storybooks.
Pat Cummins unexpectedly became Australia’s 47th Test Cricket Captain at the age of 28. His ‘Howzat Pat’ adventure books for emerging readers (#1-4) use his name to bring different adventures to life. His new picture book is for littlies, is different.
Best Worst Farmer Ever
Story by Pat Cummins, with Michael Wagner & illus. by Louis Shea. Pub. HarperCollinsChildrensBooks, picture book, RRP$24.99, Ages 0-3
Farmer Pat and his son Albie set out for the day, fixing things around their farm. The bumbling farmer’s chores are comical ‘fixes’ that are never going to work. Kids will love seeing what is wrong in each ‘fix’.
The illustrations by Louis Shea are big and slightly cartoonish ,which adds to the hilarity of each page spread.
My Dream Holiday
Story by Ash Barty with Jasmine McGaughey & illus. by Jade Goodwin,
pub. HarperCollinsChildrensBooks, picture book, RRP $24.99, Ages 3+
Ash brings to storybook life the memories of her summer holidays with family, cousins and friends at North Stradbroke Island (QLD). The fun of getting organised, gathering things to pack, arriving at the campground and setting camp up with all the noise of an annual family holiday. Swimming, the beach, fishing and the evening campfire make this her ‘Dream Holiday’, not dissimilar to many Aussie kids during the summer months.
