Archive | January 19, 2014

Town Possum, Outback Possum

Jan19
Town Possum, Outback Possum

Town Possum, Outback Possum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Town Possum, Outback Possum

Yvonne Morrison

Heath McKenzie

Little Hare, 2011.

Hbk,

9781921541476

Jacko the Possum is very content curled up in the hollow of the eucalypt beside a cool pond, deep in the country. Watching the sunset is enough entertainment for him.  Even when his peace is disturbed by his cousin Jessica from the city, he is unperturbed.  But after three days, Jessica is bored and persuades Jacko to join her in the city, and, in the tradition of ‘Town Mouse, Country Mouse’, both find that there is no place like home.

However, there is much more to this story than an Australian version of an old tale, and its richness can be explored through themes like friendship, what makes a home, similarities and differences and subtle questions such as “Do we all enjoy the same sorts of things?  Is there something wrong with us if we like something our friends don’t?” or  “When was the last time a possum kept you awake all night until you took drastic action?  What would that be like from the possum’s perspective?”

The verse format will appeal to the younger readers because it gives the story a rhyme and a rhythm, and the humour of Jacko’s encounters in the city will delight everyone, while Heath McKenzie’s  illustrations are the perfect accompaniment.

And if I haven’t yet convinced you that this is a must-have on the library’s shelves, then there are teaching notes available.

Others in the series are

The Cocky who Cried Dingo

The Cocky who Cried Dingo

The Three Wallabies Gruff

The Three Wallabies Gruff

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

 

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

Jan19
The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

Yvonne Morrison

Heath McKenzie

Little  Hare

hbk; RRP $24.95

9781921541421

 

“In the back of beyond, underneath the hot sun,

lived a huge flock of parrots, who loved to have fun.

They would scratch in the dirt, and splash in the creek,

Sing raucous songs and then dance beak-to-beak.”

 

And among them was a handsome and arrogant young cockatoo who was not yet ready to go to sleep.  He liked to play tricks, and if you are familiar with the traditional tale of The Boy who cried Wolf, you can predict the storyline of this Australian version.  But what happens when the real dingo comes?  Are the other parrots sick of his tricks and do they ignore him?  Does Cocky escape with a valuable lesson learned?

The rhyme and rhythm of this story have it bouncing along and young listeners and readers will join in with the chorus in delight, shouting out for help.  They will be on edge as it reaches its climax and shiver when they see those fierce dingo teeth.  It can spark discussion about telling the truth and be the perfect forerunner to Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? a free unit of work based on the original tale available from the National Digital Learning Resources Network (ID# R11580).

The pairing of Morrison and McKenzie is perfect – the colourful, whimsical illustrations are just right to build the tension but not overwhelm with fear.  A must for any school library collection which supports a values curriculum.

Others in the series are

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

The Three Wallabies Gruff

The Three Wallabies Gruff

Town Possum, Outback Possum

Town Possum, Outback Possum

The Emu that Laid the Golden Egg

Jan19
The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Emu that laid the Golden Egg

Yvonne Morrison

Heath McKenzie

Little Hare, 2012

hbk., RRP $A24.95

9781921894008

 

A long time ago, amid hills dry and brown

A flock of wild emus moved into town

They were hoping to find something wholesome to eat

So they set up their base at the end of Main Street …

Because of the drought, these emus weren’t fussy so they tried everything that looked like food, even cans of soft drink carelessly thrown away.  But Emma decided she wanted a big, fat juicy, black beetle and when it escaped her snapping beak she set off on its tail and trail.  The beetle escapes but Emma found something else instead … some kernels of corn in a creek. 

“It was strange-looking corn, oddly heavy and bright

And before long her stomach no longer felt right”.

The rest of this hilarious story is about what happens to Emma, creating a uniquely Australian version of Aesop’s classic The Goose that laid the Golden Egg. Poor Emma!  She falls victim to Nasty Ned and Pongo Pete who decide rather than stealing a golden egg from the nest every day, it would be much easier to kidnap the bird.  And to use that time-honoured cliché, you’ll have to read the story to find out what happens.  But it is a tale that has to be told.  Miss 6 and I loved it!!

Yvonne Morrison and Heath McKenzie have teamed up previously to write other Australian parodies of legendary tales such as The Cocky who Cried “Dingo”, and “Town Possum, Outback Possum” and their magic and chemistry just keep getting better.  This is my favourite so far.  I love the use of the word “flummoxed” and the other superb vocabulary that has been woven into the rhyme – just fabulous for extending young minds, and their own writing.  How much richer and engaging is “The pair hoisted Emma on top of their nag” than “They lifted Emma onto their horse”? Perfect picture books are those where the text and illustrations enhance each other into a seamless whole, and the Morrison-McKenzie combo achieves this brilliantly.

On the surface, it is just a rollicking good yarn but there are so many themes that could be explored such as the impact of drought on our native creatures; littering and unexpected consequences (and this could be compared with sea creatures swallowing plastic or the bears scavenging rubbish bins in Canada); greed and honesty- the list goes on.  Even though its primary audience is younger children, this is definitely a picture book for older students as well as they can compare the original to the parody and all the literary avenues that that opens up. But, better still, have the students put their Nasty Ned and Pongo Pete hats on to devise a plan to kidnap an emu!  Think of the creative and imaginative thinking such a task would produce. 

This books fits into the Australian National Curriculum on so many levels, it’s a must-have.

Others in the series are

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

The Cocky Who Cried Dingo

The Three Wallabies Gruff

The Three Wallabies Gruff

Town Possum, Outback Possum

Town Possum, Outback Possum