KENNEDY, Cate (text) Carla Zapel (illus.) That Car! Allen & Unwin, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781743310953 SCIS 1660490
Here is a celebration of the history behind those disused cars you see in paddocks during long road trips! A story about imaginative play, it shows a family finding an old car at their farm property and Dad pushing it out under the peppercorn tree to create an impromptu ‘cubby’. The children climb in and ‘journey’ to Buckingham Palace, Mount Everest and far off Africa. They are not limited by physical constraints and the car both ‘flies’ and takes to sea to achieve the desired destination. It is a perfect prop for limitless adventures.
The illustrations are ideal, depicting both the realism of a happy inventive family and the exciting scope of adventurous destinations. Previous owner Mrs Crosbie is welcomed to the farm and the sharing of her happy memories is a positive conclusion to this ultimate ‘recycling’ story.
reviewed by Christine Oughtred
