Secondhand Picture Book Bargain Book Box SP4265

Secondhand Picture Book Bargain Book Box SP4265

Twelve Australian and New Zealand picture books, several in hardback: Nick Bland and Freya Blackwood’s The Runaway Hug, Philip Bunting’s Wombat, two Sally Morgan stories, Rebecca Cobb’s Aunt Amelia and comedian Tommy Little’s Who Took My Nuts? Bedtime reading for ages two to six, with native animals on most covers.

1. Who Took My Nuts? — Tommy Little & Lucinda Gifford — A furious squirrel in overalls storms through the forest accusing everyone of theft. The comedian’s first picture book, and Gifford’s cross little squirrel face carries every page.
2. Aunt Amelia — Rebecca Cobb — Mum and Dad leave a long list of rules, and Aunt Amelia, who is a crocodile in a striped dress, breaks every one of them. The joke is in the pictures, which show the opposite of what the words say.
3. The Midnight Possum — Sally Morgan & Jess Racklyeft — Possum sets out across the bush at night and hears a cry for help from a chimney. A gentle rescue story, told in Racklyeft’s cut-paper collage.
4. My Shadow — Robert Louis Stevenson — “I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me”: the 1885 poem as a picture book, with a small boy and a shadow far bigger than he is.
5. Magpie Learns a Lesson — Sally Morgan & Ezekiel Kwaymullina — Magpie is jealous of Brown Falcon and plays one trick too many on her friend. A fable of friendship from a mother-and-son writing team, painted by Tania Erzinger.
6. Wombat — Philip Bunting — A wombat pops out of a hole, and the whole book is built from wordplay on its name. Very few words and very big shapes, so it suits the youngest listeners.
7. The Runaway Hug — Nick Bland & Freya Blackwood — Lucy borrows her mum’s last hug and promises to bring it back, then passes it round the family until the dog runs off with it. The CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year, and a guaranteed hug at the end.
8. The Little Yellow Digger and the Big Ship — Peter Gilderdale & Fifi Colston — A huge ship is stuck fast, and the smallest digger is sent to help. A new story about the digger New Zealand children have loved since 1993.
9. Down the Road, Little Bee — Sarah Jane Lightfoot — A bee flies from garden to garden down one street, past wattle, waratah and wisteria. Hardback, and a lovely way to learn the flowers.
10. Heads and Tails: Insects — John Canty — “I have six legs and wings like lace. I am a…” Each page shows the tail end and a clue, and the child guesses before the page turns.
11. Aussie Easter Hat Parade — Colin Buchanan & Simon Williams — The bush animals make hats and parade them, to a tune parents will know. One for the Easter basket.
12. The ABC Book of Seasons — Helen Martin & Judith Simpson — Beach days, falling leaves, cold mornings and blossom, as Australian children actually know them. Cheryl Orsini’s pictures are full of small things to find.