Alice Rex (text) Amanda Francey (illus.), Onesie Mumsie!, New Frontier, 1 April 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925059243
Onesie Mumsie is a delightful bedtime story that little kids will love as a weekend or holiday treat. I feel that this sequence as a regular routine would wear thin for busy parents. Ha!
A little girl can’t go to sleep until she’s tried on all of her five animal suits. Mum playfully joins in the fun as they move from a rabbit to a crocodile, a tiger, a penguin and lastly a bear and a lovely surprise twist at the end.
Francey’s bright pencil and water-colour illustrations dance between the realistic setting of the bedroom to scenes of fun imaginative play. Mum plays along with lots of tickles, cuddles and hugs.
Rex’s text has the strong rhythm and repetition that small kids love.
‘Onesie Mumsie! Onesie Mumsie!
There’s a crocodile in my bed.’
I would recommend this wonderfully imaginative book for fun-loving pre-school children.
reviewed by Wendy Fitzgerald