An amazing Australian camping trip by Jackie Hosking and Lesley Vamos

Bright, bold illustrations cover each page, ensuring the reader will take in all the detail before them as they embark on a camping trip with the family.

They are travelling east from Melbourne to find a fantastic beast for Aunty to paint. But she cannot remember its name. Mum thinks that finding a beast with fur like a dog and venom like a snake, a duck’s bill and a paddle for a tail and is very hard to spot will be impossible. Many children may know what the animal is but all will be engrossed as the author reveals a little about its characteristics in the rhyming stanzas. As the journey proceeds, many things happen which are explained as the book is read. The word game played to keep the kids amused, ‘I spy with my little eye’ is explained on the same page in a different font. This happens throughout the book, giving information to the readers as they go, and making it feel a little like a non fiction book. Lots of fun is had as the family sees many animals and ask whether that is the animal that Aunty wants.  It may or may not be the one she is looking for.  So adventure abounds, modelling camping trips to the young reader, outlining the things families do when camping together, the things they will see and adventures they will have. Of course there are a few mis-steps, which are shown as things to avoid as they move in the bush. Even if they know the answer of what animal Aunty is looking for, they will have absorbed lots of information about this animal and its part in the Australian bush.

Lesley Vamos’ illustrations are most engaging, reflecting a family together discussing where they are going and being together as they go on their adventure. The images of the animal too are lovely as they reject animals seen along the way. And the endpapers are wonderful. The first endpaper shows a variety of things needed when going on a camping holiday, and readers will love finding these details on the pages following. And the last endpaper shows the animal with all of its features labeled. It is absorbing and readers will pore over the detail shown, recognising the traits that Aunty told them about. 

Themes: Australians bush, Platypus, Camping, Family, Relationships, Adventure.

Fran Knight