In search of the Goonoobee by Pat Clarke. Illus. by Graeme Compton

In search of the Goonoobee is a warm and comforting story told in the third person narrative form. Pat Clarke is an Australian writer who has written many books for adults and for children. In search of the Goonoobee is a gentle, magical tale about two children who leave Queensland to live on their grandparents' farming property in the Goonoo Forest near Dubbo, N.S.W.

Artist Graeme Compton's soft, muted and fanciful illustrations accompany the storyline delightfully. 

In search of the Goonoobee is reminiscent of stories of this reader's childhood. Enid Blyton's The enchanted wood (1939) comes to mind as does Ethel Pedley's Dot and the kangaroo (1899); Blyton because of the magic/ Pedley because of the evocation of the Australian bush. Peg Maltby's Peg's fairybook(also written in 1899) may have been an unconscious influence on Clarke's writing.

It is refreshing to read a freshly published (2023) children's book which is not bent on dragging young readers into the world of worrying contemporary issues or identity agendas. With In search of the Goonoobee, the child hears an almost grandmotherly voice telling of the magical adventures that two children have in the Australian bush with magical and real Australian creatures and fairies. In the depths of the bush, the children find a fairy ring and because they are children they enter a world into which adults can't venture. There are brief references to prior Aboriginal and gypsy presence on the land and a sense of longevity - of a long history going back through time. The love of the land and its creatures is clear and the belief that the land and its creatures are just waiting for children to come back is heart warming. The intergenerational and deep abiding family connection and love is demonstrated in the relationships between the family members. This book is not unsettling or disturbing in any way. It is for children to enjoy.

In search of the Goonoobee is all about love for the Australian bush and gentle, sensible family relationships combined with a touch of magic and whimsy. A lovely book which would make bedtime or armchair shared reading (especially for grandparents and children) a special pleasure.

Themes: Fairies, Family, Australian rural life.

Wendy Jeffrey