Discover your own backyard with this tour around Victor Harbor.
What a great idea: Aussie Kids is a series that asks local authors to write a story about their own backyard for emerging independent readers. Eight authors and illustrators from all Australia’s states and territories were asked to write a book featuring a child character celebrating a special day or visit to a unique place in their respective states.
Meet Mia at the Jetty has been written and illustrated by Janeen Brian and Danny Snell. Brian has written over 100 books including Silly Galah and Where does Thursday go? and Snell has illustrated many Aussie favourites including Bilby Moon, Jeremy and Ozzie goes to School. Both author and illustrator live in Adelaide and love the magnificent beaches.
In this short story written for younger readers, we are introduced to Mia, who lives at Victor Harbor. Her house is across the road from the beach so she is able to spend time looking for things in the sand, listening to the waves and smelling the salty sea. Mia has an older sister called Alice.
One day a boy named Jim comes to stay for the weekend because his mother has to go to hospital for a few days. Mia decides she will be responsible for showing him all the things she loves about living in Victor Harbor He is taken to the beach and taken across the causeway to Granite Island. They see the horse drawn tram and penguins.
The illustrations will be very familiar to those who know the area. They will recognise the causeway, Whale Centre, and views of Victor Harbor, all very simple black and blue illustrations but effective none the less. The story introduces the reader to things they themselves can discover.
Mia’s older sister has obviously taken a liking to Jim and throughout the story there are references to her out-of-character behaviour as she actually smiles at Jim and manages to sit next to him whenever possible. Because this book is for children aged between 5-8 it would maybe have been better to spend more time on the fabulous things to see in Victor Harbor rather than a blossoming first crush.
Brian also refers to the penguins as Fairy Penguins (a name older South Australians may still use) when the name was changed several years ago to their correct name of Little Penguins. There is a page at the end with some fun facts about the Fairy (Little) Penguins.
The story ends on a high note with a new exciting discovery and a promise of more things to see and do the next day.
Large font and only 52 pages make this story achievable for newly-confident readers and is a nice way for them to discover things about our great land of Australia.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: July 2020
RRP: $12.99
- Find other books in the Aussie Kids series
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