Just So Stories

Walker Books Australia

March 2024

ISBN13:9781760655099

Australia RRP:$26.99

New Zealand RRP:$28.99

Frané once again brings her extraordinary talent to a new picture book that epitomises joy in our Australian wildlife and landscapes, this time for the very smallest of Smalls.

For those of us with long experience in literacy and teaching, we know that exposing children to books from an early age is paramount for success in reading. We also know that the value of knowing traditional nursery rhymes is an important first stepping-stone as we introduce our littlest students to reading (and writing).

Once upon a time (it seems in a galaxy far, far away!) this is how we started off our Year 1s (in what was the first formal year of education in Qld) because most had a familiarity already with the traditional rhymes.

I absolutely love the way Frané has reinvigorated the old verses with such a refreshing Australian take, without taking away any of their original verve and rhythm, and, as one would expect, her illustrations are just sensational! Just flick through the slideshow above to see what I mean.

Her adaptations of the rhymes flow so naturally – no doggerel here (thank goodness) – so the cadence unfolds with absolute perfection.

For your older Smalls, so Preppies upwards, this is also an ideal way to talk about our unique fauna, flora and landscapes, introducing them to their earliest understanding of what makes our country so utterly beautiful. For even older kiddos, it would provide a marvellous springboard into their own creative writing and innovations. And, for even older ones, segue into some research on the history of nursery rhymes, and how their words (and sometimes, meanings) have evolved over time. This really is a gift that keeps on giving!

From my point of view, someone in my circle has a beautiful baby girl, all of two weeks old, and I think this will make a perfect ‘welcome’ gift to a pair of young parents and their precious new one.

This is an outstanding book and I would suggest that you cannot go wrong with it, either for a library collection, at home or as a gift. Top work from Frané again – one of my favourite creators – and such a jolly nice human as well.