Armadillo and Hare by Jeremy Strong illustrated by Rebecca Bagley

Get ready, get set, this book is FUN FUN FUN!  Settle down and prepare to read. There are ten short chapters in this book. Each is a stand alone story with diverse characters such as Elephant, Wombat, Invisible Stick Insect, Lobster, Jaguar and of course our heroes Armadillo and Hare. You could read one chapter each night for ten nights! Or you could sit down now and read the whole book as I did. Before you do that, though, you need to make a cheese sandwich. The full instructions are in the back of the book but I am putting them here so you can be prepared.

Two Slices of Bread
NOTE 1: Must be the same size so the cheese doesn't fall out.

Cheese
NOTE 2: Obviously. Cheddar is non-stinky best, Stilton is stinky best. Camembert is sloppy and stinky best.

Method:
Place cheese between slices of bread.
NOTE 3: No butter required. Mustn't spoil the full flavour of the cheese.

Eat. Place in mouth between teeth. Grip tightly. Pull off large chunk. Chew.

Swallow
NOTE 4: Close eyes and emit sighs of intense pleasure
NOTE 5: Offer similar sandwich to Hare but not so big. He has small teeth.
NOTE 6: Chutney can be added but sparingly.

IMPORTANT: Obey the Golden Rule.
NOTE 7: The Golden Rule. Never leave the fridge without any cheese in it.

In the first story someone has broken The Golden Rule, all the cheese is gone and, as an added complication, the fridge light is not working. Armadillo is in despair. He is desperate to eat a cheese sandwich. He leaves the fridge door open:

"I thought some cheese might jump in. If I left it open. ... I didn't think it would. It was just a chance. A tiny, tiny possibility that some cheese might come wandering along and think: Oh, that looks like a nice fridge. It could sit inside and keep cool. This warm sun is making me melt. How kind of someone to leave the door open for me. I'll just hop inside."

Hare suggests instead of eating cheese sandwiches, Armadillo would be better off doing exercises and perhaps finding a hobby.  The exercises are a bit of a disaster but Armadillo finds the perfect hobby - painting cheese sandwiches.  Make sure you take a close look the the jacket fly leaf. Mona Lisa Cheese Sandwich.

One of the truly delightful story ideas in this book is the tuba played by Hare. Every time he plays things pop out. They do disappear quite quickly but some of them are so quirky and some are just for fun! Think about empty saucepans, toilet rolls and a lady's swimming costume. I also love Hare's ears which he straightens and twists.

Image source: https://bagleyart.com/portfolio/armadilloandhare/

The relationship between Hare and Armadillo is also delightful. During the big storm Armadillo knows Hare will be scared so he offers to make chamomile tea. They climb into bed together while Armadillo explains about lightning and thunder and of course eventually the storm moves away. At the Nobody's birthday party, Hare sits with Armadillo even though he would dearly love to dance. He is loyal to his friend. Perhaps Armadillo will never learn to dance but that doesn't matter at all. The end of this chapter will give you a huge smile.

This is my new favourite book for those children who are ready for chapter books and for those children who ready for fun!  Australian children will be pleased Jeremy Strong included a wombat in his cast of characters.  Here is an audio sample to give you the flavour of this story. Here is an interview with Jeremy Strong. Read this review for more story details.

This is the story of a wonderful friendship. It is a glorious book, highly recommended for readers of all ages.’Armadillo and Hare‘ is an ideal early chapter book for less experienced readers. It is bound to be laughed over, enjoyed, reread and cherished. Bookwagon

If you are reading this book with a class you could compare the chapter A Flood and a Cardigan with Frog is a Hero by Max Velthuijs.

This book continues the tradition of unlikely friendships - take a look at these:

When you read about Invisible Stick Insect in Armadillo and Hare you should also grab this unlikely friends book -  Pig and Small.