Jeremy (Chris Faille, illus by Danny Snell, Working Title Press)

This picture book tells the story of a young kookaburra. He is discovered by the family cat when he is just a baby, with bulgy eyes and no feathers. The family adopts him, calls him Jeremy, and keeps him warm and feeds him. With all this loving care he eventually develops into a healthy young kookaburra. The story warmly chronicles Jeremy’s growth and the care that the family offers him. He even goes to school for ‘Show and Tell’ and appears to enjoy the attention. The story ends positively with Jeremy joining other kookaburras, presumably his family, and flying away with them. This is a large picture book and all the illustrations are designed as double-page spreads, depicting in detail the story of the kookaburra’s development. Danny Snell’s previous picture book Somewhere in Australia established him as an accomplished illustrator of Australian wildlife. For the illustrations in Jeremy he has used acrylic paints on board and has captured the young kookaburra with life-like realism.

Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath

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Category: Reviews