Barnesy

Allayne Webster (author)

Tom Jellet (illustrator)

Omnibus Books, Scholastic, Australia: August 2010; 55pp

ISBN: 9781862918214

Genres: animal stories, realistic fiction

Hannaford's family takes the naming of things – and people and animals – very seriously. The lawnmower has a name. The washing line has a name. Names are important.

So when it's Hannaford's turn to name the next animal the family adopts, he's determined to choose something sensible; and definitely a little more normal than most of those that his parents have chosen. Hannaford doesn't think calling a wombat  Sir Robert Helpmann is sensible even if the creature did dance like crazy to get out of the road of the car that nearly hit him. And naming a cockatoo Stumpy after the shape of the lizard that injured him is just weird. No, Hannaford plans on a nice, plain, strong name for the baby lamb that needs rescuing. Something for it to grow into.

Another in the Mates series from Omnibus (Scholastic), Barnesy has a very Australian style of humour that will attract young readers. The simple story with colour illustrations and limited text on each page makes an excellent bridge between picture books and novels for that difficult reading age, giving children the courage to attempt longer books.

Good fun to read aloud or alone.