Gibblewort the goblin series by Victor Kelleher
Illustrated by Stephen Michael King
Random House Australia, 2010.
(Ages 7-10 years) This year sees a new edition of the popular series of
stories featuring an ugly, disgruntled and mischievous goblin,
Gibblewort, who originally posts himself from rainy, soggy Ireland to
Australia, in the hope that life will improve. It does not take long
for things to go wrong as he confronts the climate and wildlife of
Australia; life is better in Ireland he decides!
Throughout the series, Gibblewort makes numerous trips home but is soon
posted back to various parts of Australia by his goblin friends. For
the likes of this goblin, nowhere makes him happy. His looks,
smells, habits and his generally unfortunate nature, mean that he
experiences all sorts of tricky situations and surprising adventures.
The author uses this cleverly constructed early chapter book series to
show the abundance of interesting wildlife, weather and landscapes
making up Australia. Stephen Michael King's delightful black pen
and wash drawings give life to Gibblewort's adventures and add a good
deal of humour and anticipation. The human characters are especially
quirky - snow skiers, surfers, greenies, zookeepers and city folk - all
with their own way of dealing with this menace!
The descriptive writing is excellent, and the style and language will
extend the new reader. The adventures of Gibblewort are sure to please.
The books are Goblin in the Bush; Goblin on the Reef; Goblin
in
the
City; Goblin in the Rainforest; Goblin at the Zoo; Goblin
in
the Snow;
and Goblin at the Beach.
Julie Wells