Meet Eve in the outback by Raewyn Caisley

Illus. by Karen Blair. Aussie Kids series. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760894108. 64pp.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Another in this fine series offering easy to read chapter books for the newly independent reader in junior school. Each of the eight books, set in the different states and territories of Australia, presents a family in a situation not quite known to the reader. The familiarity of the family situation give the books a solid foundation with an overlay of adventure.
Eve lives in a roadhouse on the Nullarbor Plain and cannot wait for her cousin, Will to arrive from the city. A postcard to the reader on the first two pages shows us where Eve lives and she tells us a little of her unusual life.
When Will arrives they explore the area, meeting kangaroos, and Wally an old digger who teaches them how to make billy tea and damper and tells them about the camel train, once an important part of the travel regime of outback people. Through easy to read short chapters, Eve's life is revealed to an admiring audience, the story full of interest and delight.
The others in this series are listed in the back of the book and will prove a hit with early readers and teachers looking to keep them engaged, while learning a little of Australia as well. Themes: Outback, Western Australia, Desert.
Fran Knight