Showtime by Wendy Harmer

Ill. by Andrea Edmonds. Ava and Angus series. Scholastic, 2015.ISBN: 9781743628584
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Travel, Friends, Shows, Dogs. Imagine taking a year off from school and work to travel around Australia like young Alice, her parents and their dog Angus. As they travel on a country road, Alice notices farm trucks passing by with well groomed piglets in the trailers. It's time for the Doolimba Show, with fun rides, prizes for the best farm animals, woodchopping competitions and cooking and craft exhibits. Dad turns the Traveller around and the Appletons are ready for another exciting adventure.
Ava and Angus eagerly set off to explore the Showgrounds, and after a close encounter with a massive black bull, they head over to watch the carnival rides assembled. A chance meeting with the mischievous twins, Donna and Danny leads to some late night misadventures. Ava and her little dog sneak out and meets up with her new friends. First, they spin sugar into blue raspberry fairy floss making a big mess, then they sneak into the animal enclosure and disturb the sleeping animals, upset Asteroid the bull and are chased by a giant turkey. Show Day arrives with lots of fun and excitement, Angus even participates in the Pet Show.
Wendy Harmer's Ava and Angus junior novels are entertaining on the road adventure stories in familiar Australian settings. They are complimented by Andrea Edmond's pen and ink drawings that show a cast of lively characters and animals.
Rhyllis Bignell