Love is in the air by Harry Vanda and George Young

Ill. by Shaun deVries. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 978
(Age: 5+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Animals. With John Paul Young's singing of Love is in the air (using the CD included with the book) who could not resist getting up and moving around, singing along with this song, which first appeared in the 1970's then was made an even more surprising hit with Baz Luhrman's film of 1992, Strictly ballroom. In this picture book, illustrated by deVries, who also did Phil Cumming's book about the two South Australian pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, as well as other books for Scholastic, the animals range from those living in the deep dark forests to those of the North Pole, where all animals have a huge loving smile on their faces.
Readers will love recognising the animals and their habitats as they read the book, listening to the CD as they do so. The bright colours, movement of the animals and information it incidentally gives will intrigue and keep them turning the pages. Readers will follow the antics of the little polar bear in his balloon with glee, spotting him on each page as he talks to many animals on his way back home, ensuring that love will be with them. The glow of the pages when talking of the rising of the sun and then at the time of the end of the day are wonderful, and lingered with me long after I closed the book. For junior primary classes just wanting some fun with John Paul Young's song, or using the book as a leap into work on animals or travelling around the world, or rhyming songs or ballads, then this is most useful.
Fran Knight