Pip Harry (text) and Hilary Jean Tapper (illustrator), Over or Under?, Lothian Children’s Books, October 2024, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734421807
I’m not surprised that this divine picture book has been notabled for the CBCA’s Early Childhood Book of the Year Awards. It takes a quintessential Australian childhood experience – learning to jump a beach wave or dive under it – and elevates it to a universal milestone that will resonate with both children and adults.
Pip Harry is an accomplished children’s author with some of her titles including wonderful verse novels, such as the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year, The Little Wave. This grounding in poetic, succinct writing has paved the way for her picture book debut. A snippet of the beautiful language to enjoy:
Dad says waves are like a kiss from the wind, blown from the middle of the ocean.
When the protagonist Maisie experiences her first proper dunking wave, one of those horrendous ones where you feel like you’ve been spun in a washing machine, she decides to sit out of the water – all week. But later, she collects all her courage like shells in a bucket.
Hilary Jean Tapper’s gentle watercolour illustrations create an authentic Australian beachside setting and bring Maisie and her family to life.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Heather Gallagher
