Phil Cummings (text), Laura Wood (illus.), Echidna Jim went for a Swim, Scholastic Australia, 1 Feb 2016, 24pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760152994
This is a story about cooperation, problem solving and accommodating those who are different to us. Echidna Jim is spikey – physically and in his lack of social awareness. By the expression on his charmingly characterised face the reader guesses that he doesn’t know how to act and feels out of place. When he pushes through a crowd he hurts his pals and when he jumps into the sea he accidentally bursts their buoyancy aids.
The clear illustrations, softly drawn and shaded in graphite and filled with clean flat colour will appeal to younger children. Even stylised and simplified Wood’s animals are clearly identifiable as Australian natives and each has a fun unique appeal – dingo with his sunnies, platypus with her sun hat. Occasionally facing page compositions jar in their proximity, which may cause slight hesitation in comprehension, but where spot images sit on white there is a lovely flow of action as the reader discovers that the differences between Echidna and his friends are never insurmountable.
Cummings’ (Ride, Ricardo, Ride!) text integrates some nice sounds for readers to imitate and this book could easily be adapted into an action play for pre-schoolers. Suitable for ages 4+.
Reviewed by Liz Anelli
