The Book Chook
By Amelia McInerney & illustrated by Connah Brecon Bad Crab By Amelia McInerney & illustrated by Philip Bunting
$24.99 each, Scholastic
Amelia McInerney may be a newcomer to the children’s picture book scene, but she’s shot out of the gates with two books published this year, and a few more already in the works. The Book Chook and Bad Crab are both light-hearted, think-outside-the-box creations (and both have colourful illustrations with very telling animated eyes). The former is a meta tale (meaning it draws attention to book conventions – in this instance as a way to create absurdity and humour) about Ray the chicken realising he’s a character in a book and through lively dialogue – existential crisis alert! – considering the pros and cons of being a ‘book chook’ versus a real life chook. The latter, using far fewer words (“ow” is the sum total), sees a crabby crab failing to win friends due to his penchant for pinching. Books with few or no words are great for teaching visual literacy; the fact that the action gets a little confusing towards the end of Bad Crab just means readers can discuss and dispute the exact series of events… so long as no one gets crabby!
Angie Schiavone has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and is the former children's book reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, a restaurant reviewer and editor for the Good Food Guide, and a cookbook editor. She's also a mum to two book and food-loving kids.
If you are a SCBWI member and have a new book coming out soon make sure you CLICK HERE to submit your book to Angie’s Reviews.