kel richards – Aussie Reviews

Jacko and the Beanstalk by Kel Richards ill Rob Ainsworth

Bad news, wolf at the door –

Jacko and Mum were very poor.

Mum sent Jacko (who’s not too shrewd).

Down to the shops to buy some food.

Never thinks, no thanks –

Jacko’s thick as three short planks.

Jacko spent all Mum’s money,

On magic seeds … that’s not funny!

Bad news, wolf at the door –

Jacko and Mum were very poor.

Mum sent Jacko (who’s not too shrewd).

Down to the shops to buy some food.

Never thinks, no thanks –

Jacko’s thick as three short planks.

Jacko spent all Mum’s money,

On magic seeds … that’s not funny!

Jacko and the Beanstalk transports a familiar tale to an Australian setting. Jacko is a kangaroo, the giant is a crocodile, the trickster is a dingo. Add in some Aussie language, a few variations on fee-fi-fo-fum, a few helpful geckos and cameos from other Australian animals and you have an adventure in the outback. Jack’s trip up the beanstalk is brief and his retreat swift. After Jacko has ensured that the giant is no longer a threat, Mum finds another way to secure their future. Illustrations are pencil and watercolour and offer plenty of humour. Follow the antics of the three small geckos.

Jacko is none too bright, and it’s a wonder really that Mum thought he could be trusted to spend her last cash wisely. But she does, and as any fan of this fairy tale will recognise, he is tricked into parting with his cash for some magic beans. Mum is cross, the beans are tossed then grow overnight and Jacko decides that he should travel where the beanstalk takes him. The action proceeds with ‘ticko, tacko, blicko, blacko’, ‘wham, blam, splat, blood’ and ‘fig, peach, pear, grape’ until the foe is vanquished, and life can resume it’s normal pace. Pre-schoolers will play with the rhymes, develop versions of their own as they play with sounds of words and watch the antics of both Jacko and the other characters.

Jacko and the Beanstalk

Jacko and the Beanstalk, Kel Richards ill Rob Ainsworth Scholastic Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781742835389

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

The Lamington Man, by Kel Richards & Glen Singleton

I’ve outrun Matilda’s kitchen cat,
At only half speed, I can do that.
So run, run as fast as you can.
You can’t catch me. I’m the lamington man.

When Matilda makes a little man out of lamington mix, she doesn’t expect him to run away. But that’s just what happens – the little man jumps off the tray and outruns first Matilda and then her cat, a dog, and the postman. But will he outrun the crocodile basking by the river?

The Lamington Man is an Australian take on the classic Gingerbread Man tale. Told in rhyming verse, by Kel Richards and illustrated with plenty of quirky humour by Glen Singleton, this is a fun addition to the Aussie Gems series from Scholastic.

Whether young readers are acquainted with the Ginger Bread story or not, they’ll enjoy this new version.

The Lamington Man (Aussie Gems), by Kel Richards & Glen Singleton
Omnibus, 2009

Goldilocks and the Three Koalas, by Kel Richards

Everyone called her ‘Goldilocks’,
although her name was Shirley,
because she had a mass of hair,
fluffy, blond and curly.

The story of Goldilocks has been given an Aussie flavour with koalas replacing bears. It’s also brought into the modern day with Goldilocks carrying her mobile phone. Her walk into the woods brings her to the house of the three koalas. They of course are out walking themselves, while their gumleaf porridge cools. Goldilocks rings the doorbell and calls out ‘G’day’. She’s a curious girl and after a suitable time, goes inside for a good look around. She’s fast asleep when the koalas return. She wakes with a fright and that’s when the mobile phone comes in handy. Illustrations are in loose watercolours and portray a particularly Australian countryside with Hills Hoist, bull nose verandahs, kangaroos and plenty of gum trees. There’s even a koala gnome in the front yard of the koalas’ home!

Goldilocks and the Three Koalas is a new title in the ‘Aussie Gems’ series from Omnibus. The series is recognisable by its square shape, bright colours, sheep and sheep dogs on the cover. The cover illustration is framed by the title. Here, Goldilocks is a modern girl, venturing out with her mobile phone. The koalas are as surprised as any bears to find evidence of their curious visitor. Goldilocks and the Three Koalas is told in four-line verses. Readers will enjoy looking for little extras in the illustrations, like animals and ants and the things that hide down the back of chairs. Recommended for 5-7 year olds.

Goldilocks and the Three Koalas (Aussie Gems), Kel Richards ill Claire Richards
Omnibus Books 2009
ISBN: 9781741692310

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Also in the Series
Redback on the toilet Seat, by Slim Newton
Click Go The Shears
The Three Little Bush Pigs, by Paul Dallimore

Father Koala's Nursery Rhymes, by Kel Richards

Tom, Tom the piper’s son,
Stole a pig and away he run.
Tom got caught, the pig got away,
And Tom went sailing to Botany Bay.

There is no doubt that kids enjoy hearing silly poetry – the sillier, the better. And Father Koala’s Nursery Rhymes is full of silliness.

Australian versions of popular nursery rhymes fill the pages, with Three Fat Chooks (instead of Three Blind Mice), Here We Go ‘Round the Banksia Bush, Swaggie Put the Billy On and many more. The comic illustrations of Glen Singleton complement the humour of the rhymes and, in many instances, outshine it.

This is not great literature, but is something children will enjoy.

Father Koala’s Nursery Rhymes, by Kel Richards, illustrated by Glen Singleton
Scholastic, first published 1992, this edition 2005