Jackie French and Bruce Whatley found a special place in the hearts of many Australian families with their wonderful collaboration Diary of a Wombat. Now they have returned with a new book, and while the style is a bit different, the whimsy and cute appeal remains.
Emily and the Big Bad Bunyip has all the elements of a great story for pre-readers and beginning readers alike. There are cute characters in the shape of Australian animals. There is clever word play, and funny sounds. Most importantly there is a simple yet endearing story to relate to-despite all the other animals thinking that the bunyip is a bit of a lost cause, dim-witted Emily the Emu refuses to give up and tries her hardest to make the Bunyip smile.
As with any children’s book, there are holes to be found in this story if you really want to look for them. Emily is meant to be playing a tuba but the illustrations show her playing something that looks a lot like a sousaphone. The story itself is a little bit twee (okay very twee) with the idea of a good hearted emu that annoys everyone with her inability to play in tune, but she obviously has a heart of gold that wins over a cranky bunyip. But you know what, most little readers are not going to give two hoots about that. My bet is they are going to giggle and cackle and laugh with glee at the silly bunyip and the funny animals who try to make him happy. What’s more, there is enough sly humour in this book that parents will most probably also crack a wry smile as they follow the exploits of the gang of Australian animals in Shaggy Gully on Christmas Day.
Printed from Babble Australia (babble.com.au). Copyright 2008 Allure Media. All rights reserved.