Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

ISBN: 9781761349706

RRP: $19.99

As he well knows, I didn’t have a clue who he was back in the days of Neighbours on TV, given I never watched it, but it makes me very happy to now count Felice Arena among my friendship circle. Not only have I reviewed many of his numerous books over the past decade, but always enjoy the insights into his family and travels – and really, I can’t hold it against him that he supports the wrong code of football 😉 [ you’d have to put that down mostly to geography, si?].

Just over a week to go to the start of the official 2025 NRL season, and my fellow fans and I are almost panting. Of course, being a Sydney girl who’s now lived in Queensland for 40 years, I still cop the flak for being both a Dragons and a Blues supporter [Mr Surfer, dyed-in-the-wool Qlder says loyalty, even in the face of constant defeat, is admirable! – rude!!]. I can completely relate to the premise of this new picture book.

This little piggy in the middle is the (apparently) lone supporter of the Blue team, in his extended family of rabid Red team enthusiasts, and feels he has to keep his secret locked away. He can’t even imagine how his family would feel if he suddenly blurted out his true allegiance. Until one Grand Final, when it comes down to the wire with tensions running high and just that one goal needed and seconds left on the clock – and BAMMMM!! the Blues score and that Big Secret is out in the open with an inadvertent excited blurt of:

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Hah! the stunned looks on the family’s faces is priceless but here’s the thing. What this little piglet hadn’t quite realised was that it doesn’t matter which team is the favourite, your family still loves you just for yourself. And you just never know, maybe you pave the way for someone else in the family to speak their heart as well.

This seemingly simple book has so many layers of meaning packed into it, that in today’s climate of distrust, disapproval, dislike – even downright hate – make it worth sharing over and over again. Couched in a way that even the youngest of Smalls will be able to process, Felice’s first foray as both author and illustrator is a resounding success IMO. Your kiddos will love it and the positive flow-on from conversations around it – not to mention the always heated debates about everyone’s favourite teams! – will be pure joy!

It’s a unqualified 5 ⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽ [<<<<wrong kind of football, I say!😜 ]. You can run around the pitch with your jersey lifted up for this one Felice – bravo!!