Millie's special something by Tania Cox and David Miller

Working Title Press, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921504 38 9
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Collage.
When Millie plays hide and seek with her friends, Reggie comes on the scene with a different ending for the game, one where he eats Millie up. But Millie's friends are there to drive Reggie off, using their special talents to do so. Gus is able to roar effectively and Lea able to swoop down from above, while Don can scare anyone off when he stamps his feet. Although grateful, Millie is down hearted as she has no special talent to use to protect herself. But during the night when her friends are not there, Reggie returns to play 'dinnertime' with Millie. Turning her back she finds that the animal is laughing, and turning around realises that it is her feathery tail that is diverting him from eating her. She has found her talent.
A gentle story of finding your own talent and overcoming fear is told through David Miller's wonderful collage illustrations and Tania Cox's story. Children will thrill to the three dimensional illustrations and the animals so conveyed, postulating on what they might represent and trying to make some for themselves.
Fran Knight