Meet Dooley on the farm by Sally Odgers and Christina Booth

Aussie Kids. Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760893682.
(Age: Beginning independent readers) Recommended. Meet Dooley on the farm is one of 8 books in the new series Aussie Kids published by Penguin Random House. This wonderful series has been very well thought out with each book a story about a child from a diverse background, from each of the Australian states and territories. Each book also showcases a special event or day or a unique place where they live.
These books are written for young readers aged 5-8, who are newly confident. The text is of a good size, there is ample space between lines and the 2 colour illustrations assist the reader to make sense of the story.
In this particular book, by Sally Odgers and Christina Booth (both Tasmanians too!), the main character Dooley is showing his farm to his city living cousin Sienna. He shows her the country life, and they experience lots of 'pongs' including farm and wild animals, hay and the pond loving family dog. The main event is when they attempt to sleep in the barn and are consistently woken up by a large number of animal friends.
I think this book really hits the brief of being for beginning independent readers. The words used are fairly easy to decipher when needed and the content is relevant. I think that children will both enjoy reading about something within their state, but also maybe somewhere they have previously been or would like to go. This adds that element of connection which is important for many readers. A really great start to the series, I look forward to finding the rest and adding them to our library.
Lauren Fountain