Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

August 2023

• ISBN: 9781761340017
• Imprint: Puffin
• RRP: $22.99

It is a well-known fact in my circle, that R. A. Spratt habitually makes me snort-laugh. So I really had to prepare myself (and The Kid) for random outbursts of bizarre guffawing as I enjoyed my way through this gargantuan offering.

There is something to please everyone here. Although, for me, it is the plethora of Piggins history that makes for the most enjoyable experience.

Of course, I found the Friday Barnes mystery of the missing prison pudding fun. I also very much appreciated the Tall Tale stories with Mum, Tammy and Vanessa, particularly, A Tall Tale about War…and Chocolate, with the hypothetical possibility of a Romeo & Juliet vendetta based on rival chocolate products rather than their bizarre families, (if only I’d had that suggestion last year teaching year 9 English!).

But for me, the pigèce de résistance is the multiple histories according to Nanny Piggins. I would be hard-pressed to name a favourite as so many reached the bar of snort-laughing, but definitely, NP’s version of the ancient world myths are complete crack-ups, and one can’t go past the porcine version of The Sword in the Stone (so apt given I’d just finished reading the T. H. White novel).

Nanny is in fine form as she ‘helps’ the children complete their homework, as always accompanied by delicious cakes (the making of which is a well known Piggins family skill, refer to Scheherazade in 1001 Arabian Cakes). And naturally, there are moments when poor Boris feels quite overwhelmed by the drama and tension of a story (or hissing snakes, indeed almost anything untoward) but it all comes right with Nanny’s reassurances.

I absolutely love Rachel’s dedication to parents who are raising kids in today’s society. She’s right about it all. These are bewildering times indeed and while there is so much that is beyond the control of parents, reading a story as a balm, a cocoon, a security blanket, or a hug is one very easy way to show children how much they are loved.

Also, I love that I now know what dulce de leche is, and propose hunting some down to make Alfajores according to the recipe included at the end of the book (though I will have to find one for bougatsa myself!).

Thanks R. A. Spratt for another episode of light-hearted escapism to make us all happier and sleep with brilliant porker-style dreams. It goes without saying, this is superlative Spratt and I highly recommend it to you for either your collection or as a gift for a favourite child of your acquaintance.