These gorgeous illustrations tucked into Christina Booth’s Kip, leap off the page, and it’s clear to see why this Australian author received an Honours award in 2010 from the CBCA.
We follow Kip as he hatches from his egg, grows up – then discovers his crow. The story traces how Kip’s crow leads to complaints from neighbours. After each one he makes an effort to crow at a different time of the day, yet each time it results in another complaint. I like the way it shows little insights in to what people are up to at different times of the day! When the very patient Kip is given to the farmer, the neighbours decide that it is too quiet and so Kip returns and all is forgiven.
This is a straightforward, simple, amusing tale with the repetition of the crow and the neighbours complaints making it suitable and enjoyable for younger readers.
The illustrations feature a silhouette of the town along the bottom of each double page, each is interspersed with a wonderful, colourful display of kip crowing – a page the younger readers will quickly recognise and join in with the sound!
Read our interview with Christina Booth.
