Andrew McLean Aussie Bites and Aussie Nibbles

It is Christmas and the tradition is to give the garbage men (garbos) a gift such as some beer. The me of the title is Mickey. He agrees to help some older kids collect beer left out for the garbos. Sebby is his duck - the one on the cover. Sebby or Sebastian made so much noise when the kids left their house at 4.30am Mickey thought the only solution was to bring him along. 

The older boys are so greedy and they pinch way more than they can carry and of course there is a disaster and all the bottles are smashed. But Mickey still has some under his shirt. It is impossible to carry beer and a duck so his brother puts Sebby into a nearby garbage bin. Oh no Sebby is picked up by the garbos and he is heading for the tip or perhaps the garbos think he is a gift for their Christmas dinner! And there is another name in the title - Stee - that is Stephanie. She is the one who eventually is able to help Mickey retrieve his precious duck. I wonder if this book (1988) would be published today. It does contain a lot of beer and beer drinking and the dad even drives the kids home after he shares a beer with the guys at the tip. 

Andrew McLean posted a picture of the cover of Sebby, Stee, the Garbos and Me by Jane Godwin - Andrew did the cover and internal illustrations.

Here is what he said in his post:

Sebby,Stee,the Garbos and Me(was) a Puffin Aussie Bites paperback book. Written by Jane Godwin and illustrated by me. Published in 1988. ...  Jane Godwin wrote a wonderful adventure story that begins when Sebby starts quacking loud enough to wake everyone up, Mike can’t just leave him behind so off they set together and that’s when the adventure begins. ...  The cover is one of few that I have done with soft pastels on dark pastel paper. ...  The book sold very well and earned more than some picture books that I might have worked on for months.

Image source Instagram

Here is an interview with Andrew McLean. 

The library I visit each week still has nearly all the Aussie and Nibbles titles. I have talked about these two wonderful series previously. Next year a new series will be published here in Australia called 'Your Kids Next Read' aimed at younger readers. I have every finger and toe crossed that they will be just as fantastic and contain the truly wonderful stories as we previously had in the Aussie Bites and Aussie Nibbles. And of course I am hoping for fantastic illustrations and covers!

I went hunting for more titles from these two series illustrated by Andrew McLean:

Crusher Kevin

Bio from Walker Books: Andrew McLean grew up in the Victorian country town of Bairnsdale. He trained as a painter and teacher, and taught in secondary schools before becoming a lecturer in painting and drawing at Caulfield Institute of Technology. He has been a full-time artist now for more than thirty years. Andrew and his wife Janet have created many picture books together, and Andrew also illustrates books written by other authors. Many of his books have been award winners: he has won the CBCA Book of the Year Award three times.

Here is an image I found with lots of the books from these two series. I am sure you will see some you recognise:

Tearaway Coach by Neridah McMullin illustrated by Andrew McLean

Fenton Wood (Fen) and his father need to travel from Ballarat to Geelong. Mama has gone to stay with her own parents awaiting the arrival of a new baby. Fen and his dad have booked tickets on the famous Cobb and Co coach. Papa pays a little more so Fen can sit up with the driver. The coach is filled with passengers, luggage, bags of mail and gold. A new team of six horses are put into the harnesses. The driver is Edward Devine but he is known as Cabbage Tree Ned. He is based a real coach driver Edward (Ned) Devine (1833–1908).

The coach trip is filled with hazards and of course the danger of attack by bushrangers but this is so much more than a book about bushrangers who robbed stagecoaches during the Australian Gold Rush period of the 1850s. Neridah McMullin weaves other dangers into her story such as riding at night over poorly defined tracks, the danger from broken brakes, wildly stampeding horses and the low visibility of a single lantern. The story pace is set by the urgency to arrive on time and the urgency to arrive, perhaps, before the new baby is born. Then there is also the urgency to escape from the bushrangers and their guns. The coach really is a tearaway. 

The story also explores the relationship between Cabbage Tree Ned, the coach driver and Fen, his young passenger, and it also hints at the caring relationships in Fen’s own family when his father pays extra for Fen to ride next to the driver and when we see the family reunited in Geelong.

The illustrations move between full page spreads and small vignettes and the text uses different fonts for emphasis and to highlight two important introductions – meeting Edward Devine or Cabbage Tree Ned and meeting the new baby. 

The cover illustration is taken from the text and perfectly shows an Australian outback scene. The dust blowing behind the coach reinforces the speed of the coach with bounding kangaroos matching the pace of the team of horses. The illustrations were created with pencil, charcoal pencil, watercolour, pastel and Procreate. The sense of time is created by changes to the background colours and the sky which gradually turns blue as the night moves to day. Use of capital letters for the sounds such as the bang of the gun, the clip clop of the horses and the commands to the horses all add to the drama of the story making it a perfect one to read aloud. 

End notes provide extra details about the Cobb and Co coaches that travelled from Ballarat to Geelong and the hazards they faced. As I previously said - Edward Devine was a famous coach driver of the period.

With Andrew McLean’s expressive illustrations, this story takes the reader straight back into that amazing time in our history that formed such an important part of the Australian story, and as much as Fen’s journey is engaging and exciting, it also opens up another aspect of life in the times to explore. The Bottom Shelf

This wonderful evocation of life in early Australia is wonderfully told, and the illustrations are marvellously presented, giving young readers a great deal of detail to look at. Large sweeps of Australian bush land and vistas of blue skies will make them feel part of Fen’s world. The images of the horses are engrossing, drawing the eyes into the detail of their role in pulling the coach, mesmerised by the way they are linked to the driver and the coach itself. Read Plus

The story, shown through Fenton’s eyes and experiences, is high stakes and exciting, taking readers aged four and over on an epic journey in a mode of transport that many readers will never have seen or heard of before, and in doing so, Neridah has brought history to life again. The Book Muse

(Note this blog post is partly based on the annotation I have written for the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature Picture Books for Older reader database).

EVERY Primary school library should add Tearaway Coach to their library collection and I am very sure we will see this book listed as a CBCA 2025 Notable title. It would be great to compare this book with two older books illustrated by Andrew McLean - The Riverboat Crew and The Steam Train Crew. Trove list over 140 books under his name.

Here are some other books illustrated by Andrew McLean. He is one of our most talented Australian children's book illustrators. Andrew McLean grew up in the Victorian country town of Bairnsdale. He trained as a painter and teacher and taught in secondary schools before becoming a lecturer in painting and drawing at Caulfield Institute of Technology. He has been a full-time artist now for more than thirty years. Andrew and his wife Janet have created many picture books together, and Andrew also illustrates books written by other authors. Many of his books have been award winners: he has won the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award three times.

Check out my recent post of Eat my dust by Neridah McMullin.

Clancy of the Overflow by Banjo Paterson illustrated by Andrew Mclean

Clancy of the Overflow is a very famous Australian poem and this new edition illustrated by the wonderful Andrew McLean will give you (here in Australia) the perfect book to share with grades 4-6. This book should be added to every school library. 

You are sure to notice and appreciate the wonderful book design. The front cover stretches across to the back and you can see Clancy himself with his Blue Heeler* dog rounding up a mob of cattle. The land is dry and you can almost hear the grasses crunching under the feet of the lumbering beasts. There is a low mountain range on the horizon and the colour blue suggests this is near the end of the day. Notice how the cattle are running towards the reader inviting you to join in this rollicking tale. 

On the front end paper, Clancy races across the red dirt on his horse with two of his faithful dogs in front racing possibly to their camp site. On the half title page we see Clancy's kit - hat, tin mug, swag and billy. On the imprint page the two dogs face the reader resting but ready for action. By the time we reach the title page Clancy has packed up and he has his dog in his arms while he rides his horse off to another day of droving.

"He was shearing when I knew him ..." but now we learn "Clancy's gone to Queensland droving .. "

The final end paper is set at the end of the day with the drovers gathered around a camp fire as their dogs watch on. 

This wonderful poem lives again. With a salute to Andrew McLean for his stunning visual narrative ... Kids' Book Review

McLean’s artwork is beautifully woven throughout the text and provides for poignant pauses in the read aloud of the story. The endpapers are equally beautiful and depict all the shades of the sunburnt Australian landscape and end with a star-speckled bush campsite. Reading Time

The illustrations by Andrew McLean give a brilliant visual for the contrasts, with soft, sunset and bush colours for the scenes set in the bush and darker greys and browns for the city scapes. This reiterates the feelings of the narrator as he ponders Clancy’s journey and reflects on how he feels trapped in the city. The book Muse

I was surprised the Andrew McLean version of Clancy published in 2021, was not entered in our CBCA 2022 awards. This is not the first picture book version of the famous poem - here are some others:

Illustrated by Kilmeny Niland

Illustrated by Robert Ingpen

You should also look for Drover by Neridah McMullin illustrated by Sarah Anthony as a comparison text. 

Here is the full poem from 1889 by Banjo Paterson.

Clancy of the Overflow

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better

   Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,

He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,

   Just "on spec", addressed as follows: "Clancy, of The Overflow".

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected,

   (And I think the same was written in a thumbnail dipped in tar)

'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:

   "Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are."

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy

   Gone a-droving "down the Cooper" where the western drovers go;

As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,

   For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him

   In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,

And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,

  And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy

    Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,

And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city

   Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle

   Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,

And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,

   Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me

  As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,

With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,

   For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,

   Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,

While he faced the round eternal of the cashbook and the journal -

   But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of "The Overflow".

I am a huge fan of Andrew McLean's work - I even own a small piece of his art from the book Hazel Green by Odo Hirsch. If you share this book with a group of students you could also explore the way Andrew McLean illustrates another famous Australian poem My Country by Dorothea Mackellar and his version of On the Road to Gundagai. 

* yes people reading this in another country the Blue Heeler is that little tv star Bluey!

I'd also like to mention this poem - The Shearer's Wife by Louis Esson -  which I once recited in a theatre production:

Before the glare o’ dawn I rise

To milk the sleepy cows, an’ shake

The droving dust from tired eyes,

Look round the rabbit traps, then bake

The children’s bread.

There’s hay to stook, an’ beans to hoe,

An’ ferns to cut in the scrub below,

Women must work, when men must go

Shearing from shed to shed.

I patch an’ darn, now evening comes,

An’ tired I am with labour sore,

Tired o’ the bush, the cows, the gums,

Tired, but we must dree for long months more

What no tongue tells.

The moon is lonely in the sky,

Lonely the bush, an’ lonely I

Stare down the track no horse draws nigh,

An’ start . . . at the cattle bells.

Drover by Neridah McMullin illustrated by Sarah Anthony

Courageous, clever and daring, Drover is one of a kind. Travelling through the heart of the outback, Drover delivers a mob of cattle. Searing heat, dust and flies, hardship and danger: these are just part of the job. But there’s no place Drover would rather be.

Drover is a beautifully told, quintessentially Australian story which will give readers an insight into an interesting aspect of rural life.  The energy of the story perfectly matches the pace of the cattle, from slow moving through to still and at rest and then onto the wild night-time stampede. 

The writing in this book is nostalgic and it is also evocative of time and place – the heat of midday, the cool of the evening and the rising dust are explained using lyrical phrases such as ‘A hush descends over the bush’; ‘At full tilt, they nudge and bump into each other, dangerously teetering’; ‘They lie down near the fire, letting out a huff as they fall asleep.’   

It was wonderful that Neridah McMullin waited until the second last page to reveal the gender of Drover although readers could discover this from the back cover blurb. I wish Walker Books Australia had not included her name and instead had written "This is the truly remarkable story of a legendary drover."

The spare text allows readers to ‘fill in the blanks’ working out who Drover is, where she is going and why. The use of droving terminology adds an authenticity to the story. Shifty, the naughty one, is also perfectly named and depicted. His eyes look so shifty. 

The book mentions Lancewood and I discovered it is a species of Acacia with long dark thorns. These trees grow in Queensland and the Northern Territory. I think this detail could perhaps have been included in the glossary but that is a very minor criticism. The glossary and biography pages are very useful additions to this book. The glossary is not in alphabetical order but then I realised it was presented in the order in which the words were used in the story and this makes it easier for younger children to navigate. 

Image source: Neridah McMullin

The illustrations in Drover instantly plunged me into the dry and dusty outback, and brought the words to life. Sarah Anthony demonstrates her artistic skills in this book especially with her use light (bright sunlight) and dark. There is so much to enjoy about these illustrations. Sarah Anthony perfectly captures the colour of the red soil in the outback. Her night time scenes add to the atmosphere of the story. I love the change from the red ochre to the dark teal blue of the night skies. Her horses are also perfect and the cattle are beautifully rendered with their stark white faces and the way she shows their temperaments so clearly on their faces. There is so much movement, too, such as in the scenes where Drover chases the marauding herd. The pages somehow feel hot in the summer sun and cool in the night air and you can hear the stillness of the night and the thunder of the hooves as the cattle stampede into the night. 

In this stunning book those pleasures are brought to life by the lyrical text and the evocative illustrations as the reader joins Drover on the trail as the herd of bullocks are moved over the vast interior of this country.  Even though each day seems to be a repeat of the routine of the one before it, the ever-changing land and skyscapes make each unique and enjoyable, even though they are bone-weary and saddle-sore The Bottom Shelf

This is a fine, heroic tale, strong on iconic images of Australian ruggedness Reading Time

You could pair this book with our famous poems:

You could also contrast the life of the Edna Jessop with the woman in this poem.

The Shearer's wife by Louis Esson

Before the glare o’ dawn I rise

To milk the sleepy cows, an’ shake

The droving dust from tired eyes,

Look round the rabbit traps, then bake

The children’s bread.

There’s hay to stook, an’ beans to hoe,

An’ ferns to cut in the scrub below,

Women must work, when men must go

Shearing from shed to shed.

 

I patch an’ darn, now evening comes,

An’ tired I am with labour sore,

Tired o’ the bush, the cows, the gums,

Tired, but we must dree for long months more

What no tongue tells.

The moon is lonely in the sky,

Lonely the bush, an’ lonely I

Stare down the track no horse draws nigh,

An’ start . . . at the cattle bells.

Read more about Edna Jessop

The Weekly Times Edna Zigenbine drove 1550 head across the country at 22

Background information from Neridah McMullin

Here is an interview with illustrator Sarah Anthony

The other day I explored a different book about droving written for a younger audience.

Christmas Always Comes

Here is another book by Neridah McMullin:

Fabish the Horse that Braved a Bushfire

Hazel Green by Odo Hirsch illustrated by Andrew McLean

Hazel lives in the Moodey building in the heart of the city.  Her friends also live in the Moodey building. On the ground floor there are shops including Mr Volio's bakery.  As the story opens Hazel has woken early, as she does every day, and from her balcony she sees Mr Volio step out to greet the sun. Mr Volio invites Hazel down, as he does every day, but today he has a wonderful surprise for her to taste. Mr Volio has invented a new cake in preparation for the annual Frogg Day celebration. Victor Frogg's life is celebrated in the city every year because he was the mayor, then a senator and eventually the Prime Minister. Victor Frogg was also born in the Moodey Building. One part of the Frogg day celebration is a huge march with various floats. Twenty years ago children used to participate in the march. Hazel is determined that the children will march again this year. She has a wonderful group of friends but she also has a serious rival and to make things worse her beautiful friend Mr Volio accuses her of betrayal. He says she told his rival, Mr Murray, about his special Frogg Day cake - the chocolate dipper!

You might know I am a cake fan! If you ask me about my favourite cake I am sure to say I long to one day eat a chocolate dipper:

"Hazel was holding a round pastry with a shortcrust base. The top was made out of toffee, and a glazed strawberry sat in the middle ... Hazel took a bite. First the sweet toffee fractured between her teeth, Then she tasted a wonderful smooth caramel custard. Then there were swirls of strawberry. Then there was a delicious surge of almond and cinnamon. Then just when she thought she had discovered all the flavours in the pasty, her tongue dipped into a layer of chocolate covering the base. And all in one bite!"

I saw Hazel Green at a recent charity book sale. I rarely re-read books but I knew I wanted to spend time again with Hazel who I first met in 1999. I once entered a competition where you had to describe the authors and characters you'd like to invite to a dinner party.  Odo Hirsch's name was certainly on the list. His real name is David Kausman and he now lives in London. I wonder why he stopped writing children's books. He last title was published in 2012. He had so many utterly brilliant books: Bartlett and the Ice Voyage (and 3 sequels); Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool, Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees; Frankel Mouse and sequel; Will Buster and the Gelmet Helmet and sequels; Antonio S and the mystery of Theodore Guzman; and Pincus Corbett's strange adventure. 

I do need to mention a couple more things about Hazel Green.  First off here are a list of her friends - such inventive names:  Marcus Bunn; Robert Fischer; Leon Davis (her rival); Maurice Tobbler; Abby Simpkin; Mandy Furstow AND the most important true friend of all Yakov Plonsk - The Yak.

Shop keepers: Mrs Gluck the florist; Mr Petrusca the fishmonger; Mr Volio the baker; Mr Murray bread maker; Mr Winkel leather goods; Mr McCulloch the barber.

The second delicious part of this story (apart from those chocolate dippers) are the descriptions of Mrs Plonsk - The Yaks mother.  Here are a few samples:

"She wore a silk gown the colour of emerald, and her fingernails were painted emerald as well. Her shoes were amber. She was holding a silver brooch in one hand."

"This time her silk gown was a deep plum colour, and her finger nails were plum-coloured as well. Her shoes were yolk yellow. Her hair was auburn and the brooch that she was clutching was gold."

Fans of View from the 32nd Floor will adore reading about my hero Hazel Green and I am so happy to report Hazel Green (the first title of the quartet) is still in print. I am sure many, if not all of these, will be found in most Australian Primary School libraries.The original editions were illustrated by Andrew McLean. His tiny pencil illustrations are just perfect and are sprinkled throughout the book. Take a look at all of these different covers:

This is one of those books that bursts out all over you as you turn the pages. YAK Books Reading Matters

Here’s a young mover-and-shaker who will stay with readers for a long time. Kirkus

Odo Hirsch image Looking Glass Review

Bushfires in Australia

Image Source SBS News 3rd January, 2020

There have been a few questions on various forums about books teachers and teacher-librarians might share with children as we all struggle to make sense of the bush fire crisis here in Australia.  Here are some that should be easy to find in Australian Primary school libraries and council libraries. Thanks to my friend at Kinderbookwitheverything for her discussion of this topic.

I am not suggesting anyone share these books with children who are directly or even indirectly affected by the fires.  These are books to use if your children (living in other areas) have questions about these events. I would expect any parent or teacher would take the time to read a book first to check it is suitable - this is especially important for a topic as serious as this. Here is a quote from Megan Daley to her KidsNextRead Facebook group: "As someone who lived through the 2011 floods in Brisbane I know it was way too soon for children/families to be reading books about floods (even with a good ending) as they lived it, and in the months afterwards. Everyone is different - but I had several little people in my life who were unable to read anything about natural disasters for a very long time indeed. Just something to be mindful of as I know there will be many people in this group who are directly affected by the fires."

Bushfires

Fire by Jackie French illustrated by Bruce Whatley. Here are a set of Teachers Notes from the Geography Teachers Association NSW. And another set from the publisher.
Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

One small spark bought fire awake

Winding like a small black snake

Fire flickered, fire crept

Flames snickered, bushfire leapt...

Inspired by the bushfires that have affected many Australians, Fire is a moving and sensitive story of a natural disaster as seen through the eyes of a cockatoo. The fire mercilessly engulfs homes and land, leaving a devastating path of destruction. But from the ruins, courage, kindness and new life grows.

The House on the Mountain by Ella Halcombe illustrated by David Cox
Here are a set of discussion questions and web links to use with this book.
Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

The powerful story of a family who lose their home in a bushfire and their journey of recovery.

REMEMBERING BLACK SATURDAY

There is a fire coming, and we need to move quickly. Mum and Dad start packing bags, grabbing woollen blankets, the first-aid kit, torches, and then the photo albums. Dad puts Ruby on her lead and ties her up near the back door. My chest feels hollow, like a birdcage.

Atmospheric and intensely moving, this is the story of a family experiencing a bushfire, its devastating aftermath, and the long process of healing and rebuilding.

Through the Smoke by Phil Cummings illustrated by Andrew McLean
Here are a set of Teachers Notes from the publisher shared by Pegi Williams bookshop.
Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

The fire awoke like a dragon. Its flames licked the sky, and smoke veiled the sun.

With a hungry crackle and an angry hiss, the cruel beast circled, trapping them.

Until, through the smoke, knights appeared.

Through the Smoke tells the story of three kids, their imagination and a frightening fire in the Australian bush.

Wombat Goes Walkabout by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Christian Birmingham

Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

One day Wombat digs the deepest hole he's ever dug and crawls into the cool darkness to think. But when he climbs out again, he can't see his mother anywhere. He is all alone.

As he wanders through the great outback looking for her, Wombat meets all kinds of wonderful creatures – Kookaburra, Wallaby, Possum, Emu, Boy and Koala. None of them think very much of him, though.

But when a fire sweeps through the bush, it is Wombat's skills which save the day, and afterwards everyone races off to find his mum and bring her back to him.

Fabish the horse that braved a bushfire by Neridah McMullin illustrated by Andrew McLean
Read my review comments - this book was short listed in 2017 by the CBCA.
Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

Fabish was a handsome grey racehorse. In his racing days, he wasn't the fastest horse, but he always tried his hardest. And when he retired, Fabish took care of the yearlings in a paddock far away from the training track. Fabish showed the flighty young horses what was expected of a racehorse.

One hot summer day, a wild wind blew up and the yearlings were restless. Then Fabish smelled smoke. Fire was coming, fast. The trainer threw open the gate and said, 'Go now!' Fabish neighed to the young ones and they galloped away. All through the night, the fire raged and the trainer battled to save the racehorses in the stables.

But what would become of Fabish and the yearlings? Could he save them from the firestorm?

Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle by Glenda Millard illustrated by Stephen Michael King.

From QBD bookshop: 

Applesauce is convinced that there can be no Christmas this year -- her heart, where Christmas comes from, is as small as a gumnut and there was no Christmas in it at all. But then something special happens and Applesauce discovers that Christmas does not need to be all about glitzy decorations, fancy foods and expensive presents. It does indeed come from the heart.

Firefighters

Image source: Samaritans

Where there's Smoke by Robin Lovell illustrated by David Miller
Here are a set of teachers notes from the Curriculum Corporation.
Here is the blurb from the publisher web site:

One hot January day, a bulldozer cuts a new track near the creek and firefighters back-burn around their house a bushfire is coming, and smoke fills the air. Bodie and his mum shut all the doors and windows, and make sure there is no rubbish around the house that can catch fire, all the while listening to their CB to keep track of what s going on.

The fire comes closer; fire trucks arrive to fight the fire will their house be saved?

Where There’s Smoke deals with what firefighters do when a bushfire gets close, and what you can do to protect your property.

Web sites to investigate

Tasmanian Fire Service - School Fire Education

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority - Bushfire Education

NSW Rural Fire Service - Resources for Teachers

Squeak Street by Emily Rodda illustrated by Andrew McLean

Easy Fiction Treasures

This is a series of books that are 

perfect to read aloud

In 2002 Emily Rodda wrote the picture book Squeak Street illustrated by Andrew McLean.  In 2005 she developed this original story into a series of ten little chapter books each one with 58 pages and again illustrated by Andrew McLean.

This whole series is perfect to read aloud to a class of children in Kindergarten or Grade One. You could read one story each day for two school weeks.  The stories have all the ingredients - they are funny, there is a little tension and everything works out beautifully at the end. I also love the way each of the ten mouse has his or her own personality and talent/hobby.

Each book begins with a list of the ten characters.

Old Bun lives in Number One.

His piles of gold shine like the sun.

One-Shoe lives in Number Two

With precious things he'll show to you.

Fee-Fee lives in Number Three

With her enormous family.

Pink-Paw lives in Number Four.

She paints until her paws are sore.

Fat Clive cooks in Number Five.

He makes us glad to be alive.

Quick-Sticks lives in Number Six.

His band is called the Squeaky Chicks.

Kevin lives in Number Seven

He thinks old cars are simply heaven.

Tails the Great, in Number Eight,

Spooks us into an awful state.

Adeline in Number Nine,

Builds boats - all to her own design.

And post-mouse Ben, in Number Ten,

Is resting his poor feet again.

Every school and public library should have this set of books and the original picture book. The little individual books I have shown here are out of print but luckily the publisher has released two compilation volumes and there is also an audio version.  Here is a set of brilliant teachers notes. Take a look because these notes also include a synopsis of each story. If you have a young child or a junior class I highly recommend you hunt out these stories.