The Wheelbarrow Express by Sue Whiting illustrated by Cate James

I am working my way through the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 notable titles. The Wheelbarrow Express is a title from the Early Childhood list and I really like it. The intended audience for books in this category is ages 0-6 and I can see this book will be perfect to share with your own young reading companion or grandchild or with a younger group in your library or preschool. Why? I will list some features here:

• The setting is a farm - all young children, even if they have not had the opportunity to visit a farm, love farm animals especially pigs and chickens.
• The relationships are warm and recognisable - Grandfather and grandson. And there is the arrival of a new baby which is an adjustment for all older siblings.
• There is a repeated refrain - toot! toot! choo-choo-choo-choo. After all this is an express "train" and there are many stations to visit along the route.
• The plot is linear as the child and adult travel through the farm, so it is easy for a young child to anticipate a happy ending or in this case reunion with mum and the baby.
• Adults will love the tiny touches of poignancy - grandad knows he will see Tom again but today is the final day of this visit. Grandad is clearly choked up when they say goodbye to the dam - his voice has gone croaky, and that final hug is so special - I certainly felt the strong squeeze of Pa's arms.
• The plot races along with the wheelbarrow but before we reach the end the journey there is time just to sit still and enjoy skipping stones into the yabby dam. (A reminder to slow your reading down too and make a plan to one day skip stones too.)
• This is a universal story of love and shared experiences, but it also feels Australian (I mentioned the yabby dam).
• And there are also those all-important touches of sweet humour such as when the goat steals Tom's railway cap. 
• The collection of treasures are the perfect way to recap their journey - the special shared moments of, not just that day, but over the whole visit. 
• This book will be one you share with your young reading companion more than once and I would anticipate that some of the phrases might become part of your own family vocabulary - "Put away the gloomies"; "With a bump and a bounce and a toot"; and "Till next time."
• I love that this is not an end-of-life story - it is just a happy day shared across the generations. Too often we categorise grandparents as elderly, but the reality is a child the age of Tom, I'd say he is 3 or 4, would have a grandfather who is only 65-70 years old.

Image Source: Walker Books

I have previously talked about the art of Cate James. It really shines in this book. I highly recommend this book and suggest after reading you go down to your shed, pull out your old wheelbarrow and go for a ride around your own backyard or park. 

The CBCA Judges said: A heartwarming celebration of the loving bond between a child and grandparent is shared in this timeless narrative. Readers may be familiar with a wheelbarrow ride and will enjoy joining Tom and Pa on their last day on the farm together, journeying on the wheelbarrow express, collecting mementos and revisiting favourite spots and memories. The language is simple and accessible for young readers, with onomatopoeia and some verbs emphasised in a different font. Crucial to the narrative, the farm setting is gloriously reflected in the soft colour palette of blue, greens and browns. Avoiding sentimentality, the narrative alternates between the pair’s genuine banter and playful descriptions of farmyard activities and closes on a reassuring and satisfying note.

This is a charming story celebrating the special bond between grandparent and grandchild that is destined to become a family favourite. The Bottom Shelf

I do hope we see The Wheelbarrow Express as a short-listed title. I previously hoped this would happen with another book by Sue Whiting:

Beware the Deep Dark Forest

See more books by Sue Whiting here on her webpage. With a group of older students in Grade 1 or 2 you could read another terrific book that features a journey in a wheelbarrow:

The Man whose Mother was a Pirate

The Man whose Mother was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain

“The little man could only stare. He hadn’t dreamed of the BIGNESS of the sea. He hadn’t dreamed of the blueness of it. He hadn’t thought it would roll like kettledrums, and swish itself on to the beach. He opened his mouth and the drift and the dream of it, the weave and the wave of it, the fume and foam of it never left him again. At his feet the sea stroked the sand with soft little paws. Farther out, the great, graceful breakers moved like kings into court, trailing the peacock-patterned sea behind them.”

These lines continue to ring through my ears years after the first time I read The Man whose Mother was a pirate by Margaret Mahy to a class of Grade One children. The imagery and alliteration are perfect. I always include this book in my story bag when we explore this talented writer from New Zealand.

Margaret Mahy is a true master of language. This is one of the reasons I often ponder our good fortune of speaking English in Australia and sharing this with so many countries in the world. This gives us enormous quantities of quality children’s books from which to find our favorites.

The little man in this story has never seen the sea even though is mother is a pirate. One day he decides to dispense with his sensible brown suit and shoes, his books of figures and routines and along with his mother travel to see the sea. His boss gives him two weeks leave with the threat that if he fails to return he will be replaced by a computer! This is especially funny when you realize this book was first published in 1985.

Loading his mother into a wheelbarrow they set off for the sea. His mother tries to tell the little man about the sea but her words cannot fully prepare him for the wonder of it. There are of course some obstacles along the way. At one point they need to use a kite to fly over a river. Then they meet a pessimist who warns “The wonderful things are never as wonderful as you hope they’ll be. The sea is less warm, the joke less funny, the taste is never as good as the smell.” But they are determined to travel on. Suddenly as they come over the hill the little man sees the sea.

They join a rosy sea captain and the little man finally discovers his true destiny and his real name – Sailor Sam. Needless to say he does not go back to the office. In the final scene Sam sends a letter to his boss in a green glass bottle. “Having a wonderful time … Why don’t you run off to sea, too?” We have a huge collection of books by Margaret Mahy in our school library - why not borrow one today?