Welcome to Children's Corner book reviews from 4MBS Classic Radio FM in Brisbane. Here you will find short annotations of the children's books reviewed by Kerry Neary in Children's Corner on 4MBS, together with the details you need to find them at your favourite bookstore. Any prices shown are the publisher's Australian recommended price and may vary depending on where you shop. You are welcome to use these reviews for newsletters and the like with appropriate acknowledgement.

Mar 13, 2016

Books reviewed 10.12.15



It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to keep indigenous publication vibrant and alive, beginning with children’s stories. It is important for their culture and our shared country.
Splosh for the billabong                                                                      Summer rain






Ros Moriarty, illustrated by Balarinji Studio
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9781760112127; 9781760112110
RRP: $12.99 ea.

This companion pair for early literacy education invites readers into the spirit of country with lyrical text and vibrant illustration. Splosh describes the animals living around the billabong, filled with sound words and descriptors. Summer rain tells the story of the changes that happen as the wet season moves into the Top End in a palette of colour contrasts that draw the eye. The drawings are done in contemporary indigenous style with inspiration from the traditional dot and x-ray styles. The translation of the text at the end of the book in Yanyuwa language from the NT will intrigue all readers of these books.
Kookoo Kookaburra

Gregg Dreise
Magabala Books
ISBN: 9781921248900          RRP: $24.95

Kindness is like a boomerang – if you throw it often, it comes back often. Kookoo entertains his animal friends by telling stories about their silly behaviour; he helps them to laugh at themselves. Then he becomes a little too cocky and starts to poke fun at them. The animals turn away. Only when kindness returns to his tales does it rebound from his friends and they laugh together again. The illustrations vibrate with colours of the landscape, in a contemporary representational style that references the Aboriginal dot style.
No way Yirrikipayi!

by children from Milikapiti School
with Alison Lester
Indigenous Literacy Foundation
ISBN: 9780992478070          RRP: $19.99

A hungry crocodile sets out to hunt but each animal he stalks convinces him it would be wise not to eat them – turtle has a hard shell; stingray has a sting in his tail; crab has snappy claws. Then he meets snake. The catchy text includes the Tiwi names of all the animals and was a collaborative effort by mentor and children. The drawings are done by individual school artists, again in contemporary style but showing influences from their cultural origins. It all blends to make an exciting story for all early readers.