Mr Chicken all over Australia by Leigh Hobbs
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760296964.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Australia, Geography, Travel.
Encouraged by the number of letters he has received from children in
Australia suggesting places he might like to visit, Mr Chicken does
his research, reading a book about Australia for polite visitors.
Those who have read Mr Chicken before, are well aware of the in
joke, as he is likely to be gruff and demanding. Previous books
about his travels to Rome, Paris and London will have given many
insights into his character as a tourist, so readers will be
surprised when he takes his book to heart, and remains a polite,
interested tourist.
He travels across Australia, visiting the places children have
suggested, listing them all as he goes, adding an attraction or two.
And most of the time he has a smile upon his face, except of course,
his face of abject fear on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or
running from the Tasmanian Devils who see him as lunch, or the
aftermath of eating a whole pavlova.
Readers will get lots of laughs recognising places known in
Australia, combined with the sorts of things tourists want to see
and are offered to them, and reading about places they have never
heard of, their interest whetted by the inclusion. He visits many of
the 'big' things, the big Galah in Kimba, the Big Boxing Crocodile
at Humpty Doo, the big Koala at Dadswells Bridge while seeing such
animal attractions as the quokka, koala and crocodile. Well known
physical attractions are flown over, walked around and swum: Great
Barrier Reef, Uluru, Bungle Bungles, to name a few. Each place will
bring either a sigh of recognition or a 'where is that' question,
begging a large map of Australia to be poured over by the readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Chicken's outing in Australia covering so
many places that I wonder he was still able to unveil his statue at
the end.
Leigh Hobbs' distinctive illustrative style will intrigue and
delight all readers, as they look for Mr Chicken's offsider, a
helpful koala, on each page, and spot the myriad of places, people
and events that make Australia, Australia.
Leigh Hobbs dedicates his book to the children, teachers and
librarians he met as the 2016-2017 Australian Children's Laureate.
Fran Knight