Ananda Braxton-Smith (text), Lizzy Newcomb (illustrator), Backyard, Walker Books Australia, August 2018, 32 pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781925381177
The moment I saw this book I wanted to read it. The cover illustration invited me to open the book and discover what was captured throughout the pages.
Lizzy Newcomb’s illustrations continued to impress me and grab my attention, page after page as it represented and portrayed the Australian flora and fauna.
I appreciate the message this story delivers as it encourages children, no matter where they’re from or what their back yard looks like, to connect with their world and look beyond the surface – for there is always so much more than what you see right in front of you.
While sitting on her back porch at dusk a young girl and her dog friend watch and observe her backyard, while also paying attention to the different noises surrounding them. Bugs, insects, birds, bats, frogs, lizards and more; all by the light of the moon.
A truly inviting perspective of the natural world which surrounds us, presented in a colourfully wondrous way; encouraging us all to appreciate the environment while enjoying the pleasure it can bring us.
Reviewed by Raquel Mayman
