Matt Shanks (illus.), Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Scholastic Australia, Feb 2017, 16pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760158668
I will take any opportunity to share traditional rhymes with children and this lullaby from 1806 is one of my absolute favourites.
Matt Shank’s watercolours have presented us with an Australian twist on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star that I have never seen before. There are beautiful mauves and fuchsias of an Australian sunset settling page by page into the deep blue night skies of the outback with unobstructed views of the stars. The fauna depicted are familiarly Australian too with owls, sugar gliders, possums and wombats all shown. Small touches, such as a fence drenched by a waterhole and a windmill in the background, are subtle reminders of the Australian struggles in the outback. I giggled at the modern touches of an electric kettle in the wombat’s burrow and felt the silence of the night when I saw the little girl with her telescope peering up at the night sky.
Although not mentioned in the text, what I find particular entrancing is the added theme of the owl sharing a love of reading, flying far and wide in the night to give books to others. This subtle pictorial story will make wonderful talking points for children to discuss and compare with the rhyme.
The entire rhyme is included in this book which will be a lovely enlightenment to many people who are only familiar with the main verse in song. The text is positioned carefully and spaced thoughtfully for early readers.
If I could have offered advice to Matt I would have suggested designing eyes for each character as children relate to faces and expressions first in an image. I would also suggest that the star depicted on each two page spread actually ‘twinkle’ especially as effort has been made on the electric light hanging in the owl’s tree.
I adored this interpretation of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and recommend everyone share Matt Shank’s joy of an Australian night sky.
Reviewed by Sharon Smith
