Sheena Knowles (text) and Rod Clement (illustrator), Edward the Emu, (35th anniversary ed.) Harper Collins Children’s Publisher, July 2023, RRP $29.99, 32 pp., ISBN 9781460764084
Being alone in his cage at the zoo, Edward is bored and decides to join the seals whose pool looks like fun. However, wanting to be with the animals that are most popular with the visitors, he moves on to the lions’ cage, then later to the snake pit. Finally, he hears a visitor say that the emu is the best creature in the zoo, so he goes home to his cage – where a big surprise awaits him and he is never bored again.
Rod Clement is both an illustrator and cartoonist and he has captured superbly the expressions of Edward and his friends. With the large amusing illustrations and the rollicking verse, prepare for constant requests to ‘please read it again’. This 35th anniversary edition will allow a new generation of young readers to discover the joy of this timeless story.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Douglas
