Six Great Picture Books

Little Fox and the Wild Imagination, by Jorma Taccone and Dan Santat– A visual smash hit, but you wouldn’t expect any less from Dan Santat. Little Fox has had bad day at school, and his cleverly kind Poppa is determined to cheer him up on the way home. So begins a series of wild imaginings as we follow them through their after-school, dinner and bedtime routine. My kids really love it, but I think I needed this one the most. Feeling a bit burnt out after heavy covid restrictions I need to be reminded of what it is to be a fun parent. Pretend play, exceptions to the rules and letting the kids be the boss can actually work out better for your relationship than what you had planned.

This is a definite winner for the 2-8-year-olds.

Hello Jimmy!, by Anna Walker – Anna Walker makes such restrained, yet detailed books. The story is emotive and deceptively simple. The illustrations grab your attention and pull you into the story.

Jack sometimes stays at his Dad’s, where things are quiet and a general vibe of loneliness and perhaps mild depression permeates the space. Enter Jimmy a vibrant, loud, intelligent parrot and suddenly there is more light in their lives. But not everyone adapts to change well and Jack begins to feel a little jealous. Of course, there is a lovely happy ending to this strong story about the relationship between a boy and his father.

Ultimately this is another very memorable and heartwarming book from an absolute master at her craft.

Bikes For Sale, by Carter Higgins and Zachariah OHora – Two strangers, two bikes, two hobbies, one big accident that brings them together. It sounds like a soppy romance book, but it is a sweet story about friendship.

I always try to be honest in my reviews, so in all honesty, the illustrations for this one just aren’t my favourite style, plus the writing is a bit quirky and not as straightforward. I think because of this I was prevented from fully getting into the story. But after several times reading it I have really started to like this book.

With a very subtle environmental theme that might encourage families to repair and repurpose rather than replace, coupled with a theme of developing new friendships, this is a very strong book that kids will be happy to hear again and again.

Brave Molly, by Brooke Boynton-Hughes – The wordless picture book was very easy for my almost 4-year-old to understand and he helped me as we moved through the story together.

I found it difficult not to compare this book to Mr Huff, by Anna Walker. The main character, Molly, has a shadowy figure following her that (I thought) was meant to represent anxiety. She tries and tries to get away from it but the figure multiplies and she runs through the woods in search of safety. Molly realises she is going to have to face her fears as nothing else is working.

I was talking to some friends recently about wordless picture books. Some of their husbands really struggle with them and refuse to ‘read’ them to their kids. I know not everyone loves them and most of the time you do need several reads to really get all the layers of story that the author is trying to convey.

I really love a good wordless picture book as it gives you a chance to hear what your child picks up on through the visual cues as they tell you about how do the characters feel, what might happen next, and what they can see. When words are not supplied there can be no such thing as interruptions. It is a different type of experience that, admittedly can take a much longer time to complete but will also build stronger communication and bonds.

Busy Beaks, by Sarah Allen – Full disclosure I am still doing my internship with Affirm Press, publisher of Busy Beaks, but I’m pretty sure I would be reviewing and recommending it regardless.

This is a concept book displaying the variety of birds native to Australia. Each page highlights at least one bird; giving the scientific name and a short line about what that bird might be doing. The brilliantly bold colourful depictions of Australiana are superb. Comparable to Tania McCartney, not so much in style, but in the high level of execution. In fact, if you visit Sarah Allen’s online shop I’m sure you’ll struggle to convince yourself you don’t need her artwork in your house.

While the text for this book does not rhyme, there is a rhythm that allows the book to be read with a strong cadence. And at the end, there is an illustrated glossary of sorts giving curious readers a few more facts about the birds featured in the book. It is such a soft entry to non-fiction for preschoolers, but one that many primary schoolers will also love to look at.

Monsieur Roscoe On Holiday, by Jim Field – Jim Field is one of our favourite illustrators, from the Oi Frog! series to his outstanding series with Rachel Bright, to the Rabbit and Bear junior fiction series, we enjoy all his work.

There is an old saying that if you can’t find the book you want then write it, and that is how this book came to be. Englishman Jim Field is married to a French woman and when they had their first child he looked for bilingual books but couldn’t find a great selection. So he created his own.

The ‘story’ of this book is designed to maximise opportunities for a variety of vocabulary. We see Monsieur Roscoe pack for his holidays and then travel to go camping, skiing, boating and to the beach. While the majority of the story is written in English, each page has several items or phrases in English and French.

The illustrations are vibrant, fun and have lots of little details to look at. The style is not identical to any of Jim Field’s previous work, which I like, but the standard of the artwork is equally as high.