Sally Morgan (text), Ambelin Kwaymullina (illus), Joey Counts to Ten, Little Hare/Hardie Grant, Feb 2016, 24pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760121266
In lyrical, rhythmic prose, a young joey learns how to count to ten by noticing the wonderful wildlife surrounding him in the Australian bush. The bright, colourful illustrations on each page were created by Aboriginal artist Ambelin Kwaymullina and will mesmerise children.
Beyond numbers, young readers will be introduced to iconic Australian animals, the phases of the day, changing weather and various outback sounds. The natural beauty of a day shines through the sparse text on each page.
In addition, we are subtly reminded of the comforting love of a mother kangaroo as she follows her child throughout the outback all day long asking “Little Joey, what can you see?” guiding him to learn about his world.
Best suited for very young children aged 1 – 3, Joey Counts to Ten packs a lot into a few colourful pages. It’s a lovely book that teaches on many levels.
Reviewed by Stephanie Ward
