Archive | October 28, 2020

The Joy in You

The Joy in You

The Joy in You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joy in You

Cat Deeley

Rosie Butcher

Random House. 2020

32pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780593181416

Dream big, as big as the night sky full of stars. When you discover the things you love, you’ll find true joy.

Mother Koala is teaching her baby about the joy that can be found in finding your inner passion and being yourself. 

You can sing!

If you love to sing, sing.

You can dance!

If you love to dance, dance.

Accompanied by a cast of colourful characters, Baby Koala is encouraged to use her imagination and to embrace her emotions and feelings, searching for the joy that is to be found in being true to oneself. And to be reassured that even if things don’t always work out, there will always be someone there to catch her.

It is the colour and the exuberance in the illustrations that put the joy on my face in this story, a theme that has been explored in many ways by many authors. While dancing crocodiles, orangutans, pandas and giraffes add visual fun,  placing Baby Koala on the back of an ageing tortoise so they both wonder and wander is an enduring image.

When the baby might have had a fractious day, this is one that can be shared at bedtime to calm both parent and child and remind them of their special, unique connection.