Top Koala by Jackie French

Illus. by Matt Shanks. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9781460754818.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: Koalas, Australian animals, Australian landmarks, Rhyming stories, Geography/Mapping. Top Koala is written by celebrated Australian author Jackie French. In this enjoyable early years/junior primary read, Koala proves that he is the only animal that can climb higher than a number of other animals. His journey to prove his ability to always be at the top takes him to places like Uluru, Coober Pedy, MCG, Big Pineapple, Tasmania, Sydney and Canberra. The animals he out climbs are both uniquely Australian and familiar to children i.e. the quokka, wombat, Tasmanian Devil and kangaroo to name a few.
The illustrations by Matt Shanks are beautifully drawn in water colour and are both detailed and entertaining. They complement the simple yet clever rhyming text where emphasis is placed on a significant word or two on each page. Jackie French and Matt Shanks have combined to create another picture book in the Koala series which will entertain younger readers. The story also provides junior to middle primary students with some information about the landmarks of Australia and lends itself to a mapping activity where they could plot Koala's journey on a map of Australia.
Kathryn Beilby