An Aussie Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Australian
Kids by Tania McCartney, illustrated by Tina Snerling (Exisle Publishing,
2013)
Reviewed by Dianne Bates
The author, illustrator and publisher ought to be very proud
of this beaut book. The bright, well-designed cover shows Australian children –
Zoe, Kirra, Matilda, Lily and Ned – of different ethnic origins who each has
childhood adventures throughout the following pages.
Next to come are the fly pages: Wow, what a lovely introduction
to what is to follow! They depict dozens of colourful, fascinating boxed
illustrations of the five children enjoying their Aussie lives. After this, the
children are introduced. Kirra, for instance, is an Aboriginal boy who wants to
be an environmental scientist when he grows up. Matilda – whom everyone calls
Tilly – was born in Ireland; she loves sewing and horse riding. Each of the
children has a history, hobbies and an ambition.
From then on the book’s double pages tell what happens to
each of these children during each month of the year. In January, for example,
they play cricket, enjoy picnics, eat icy poles, swim during the school
holidays and celebrate Australia Day. (Lily, whose father is Vietnamese, enjoys
Tet, or Vietnamese New Year, which sometimes falls in February). In April
there’s Anzac Day, the Royal Easter Show, the Easter Bilby and April Fool’s Day,
and so it goes on.
As young readers turn the twelve double pages, they can
relate to the various activities and events that the book’s characters engage
in and enjoy. Each page is beautifully designed with lots of white space,
lively variations of text and colourful cartoonish illustrations. After each of
the months’ page-spreads, there’s a map of Australia with interesting and
relevant facts: Zoe swims in the Great Barrier Reef, Ned surfs off the West
Australian coast, Kirra fishes near Kakadu, Matilda builds a snowman in
Tasmania in winter and Lily announces there are six states and two territories
in Australia.
This is a truly delightful book that not only celebrates
friendships and all that Australia has to offer, but which will reward young
readers (and older ones, like this reviewer) with many hours of enjoyment.
Writers for children are told not to preach to their readers, or try to teach
lessons: any child opening An Aussie Year
will not realise that there is indeed lots to learn from perusing this book;
they’ll be having too much fun reading it and looking at the terrific pictures!
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