Let’s Make an Adventure (Carrie Gallasch, illus Kïa Hing Fay, Little Book Press)

Let’s Make an Adventure by Carrie Gallasch (Cherries, Stitches and Stuffing) encourages independence and agency from the outset: it’s not let’s have an adventure, but let’s make one. The onus is on kids to create fun on their own terms and not wait to be taken on adventures by grown-ups. The book follows two children as they transform ordinary objects around their home into various props for their big day out. A suitcase, for instance, becomes a horse; a colander transforms into a hat; and a laundry basket is the perfect shape to become a boat. With just a few tools and the power of their imagination, the kids visit several places, including the jungle and the ocean. Gallasch’s rhythmic text invites young readers aged 2 to 7 to join the play through simple, repetitive verses that build momentum and mirror the sense of movement in the characters’ adventure. Kïa Hing Fay’s illustrations resemble paper cut-outs, using simple shapes and a multi-coloured palette to capture the energy of imaginative play. Let’s Make an Adventure is a joyful reminder that you don’t need expensive toys or excursions to have fun; the book will likely inspire readers and their caregivers to refashion household objects and create their own adventures.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Thuy On is an arts journalist, critic, editor and poet. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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