Waddle Giggle Gargle!

Pamela Allen (author/illustrator)

Puffin Books, Australia: 1996

ISBN: 9780140559910

Genre: picture book, animal stories

'Waddle giggle gargle paddle poodle!' the magpie shouts.

Jonathan and his family enjoy having an Australian magpie living in their street. With its crisp black and white plumage and beautiful song, the magpie is a lovely neighbor. Or it was. Suddenly the magpie is attacking Jonathon, Grandma and Grandpa as they pass near its gumtree. What can they do?

Pamela Allen's remarkable ability to capture the small events of life and turn them into a story is what endears her to children everywhere. She also specializes in embedding non-traditional relationships in her stories. Here, Jonathan lives with his grandparents. No mention is made of his parents at all; no fuss, no explanation; the reader is simply encouraged to accept a different kind of household as it is presented. Allen's stories always show great affection and respect for grandparents and older members of the community, portraying them often as active, busy, hard-working, affectionate people. This encourages cross-generational relationships in her readers and provides teachers with many good models of alternate family structures.

Allen's illustrations are full of energy and humour and pre-readers will soon be able to tell the story using the pictures – the best way to learn to read.