Night Watch (Phil Cummings, illus by Janine Dawson, Working Title Press)

Giraffe, elephant, hippo and baboon all live by the lake. They are neighbours, happily co-existing side by side without any territorial disputes. But although they politely acknowledge one another, they rarely communicate; they are acquaintances rather than friends. Then one fateful day, giraffe sees a shadow of a lion in the mountain. Soon the rest of the African wildlife is informed and baboon has an idea to join forces to combat their enemy. Janine Dawson’s dainty watercolours coupled with Phil Cumming’s words make Night Watch perfect for preschoolers or early primary school readers. Both Cummings and Dawson have a large portfolio of children’s books and their experience shows. There is lots of rhyme (prowling, creeping, stalking, sneaking), alliteration (splish splash, gruff grunt, boompety boom) and generally evocative language, and a nice comic touch, such as when the giraffe splutters out a mouthful of half-chewed leaves on sighting the predator. The simple moral behind the story—the rewards of working together to attain a common goal—is easy for the young ones to understand. To be brave and to overcome a seemingly almighty force of nature (the king of the jungle, no less!) is also a valuable lesson.

Thuy On is the books editor of the Big Issue and a Melbourne-based reviewer and manuscript assessor

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews