Barney Gumnut and Friends

Barney Gumnut and Friends

Tamsin Ainslie

HarperCollins, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781460759714

It’s a not-do-a-lot sort of day in Scribbly Gum Forest and Barney the koala with his friends Wilfred the budgie, Hoppity the kangaroo, Edith the echidna, Charles the cockatoo and Robert the wombat. are doing just that.  They make flower crowns and daisy chains, look for pictures in the clouds and then decide to have a picnic.  But then – plop, plop, plop – it starts to rain…

This is the first in a new series for very young readers that introduces them to the common creatures of the Australian bush, although they will have to look at the pictures and use their existing knowledge to work out who is whom – an early introduction to looking for clues and cues in the illustrations. Familiar characters, a simple tale and charming illustrations make this an ideal introduction to reading series and with a range of readily-available homewares on the market, matching the book with something special will make a treasured gift in the Santa Sack.