Jenny Wagner

"Late one night, for no particular reason, something stirred in the black mud at the bottom of Berkeley's Creek. The fish swam away in fright, and the night-birds in the trees hid their heads under their wings. When they looked again, something very large and very muddy was sitting on the bank. 'What am I?' it murmured." And so begins this classic Australian picture-book, which follows a bunyip's journey of self-discovery, as he sets out to discover who he is, and what he looks like. This show more first question is settled fairly quickly, as a passing platypus informs our hero that he is a bunyip, but the second is more involved, as each of the creatures he encounters, from a wallaby to an emu, gives him a very unflattering idea of himself. The worst is yet to come, however, as the bunyip meets a man - a scientist, no less - who, without even glancing at him, informs him that bunyips do not exist. Discouraged by this news, the bunyip set out (despite his nonexistence) to find a place for himself in the world...

Chosen as one of our April selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "mystical/magical creatures," The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek has a gentle, compassionate sense of humor that is immensely appealing. "What a pity," the bunyip murmurs, when he discovers that he doesn't exist, and, rather than arguing, he seeks to withdraw, from the hurtful world which doesn't acknowledge him, and from its creatures, who (if they see him at all) sneer at his appearance. Jenny Wagner captures the poignancy of his isolation with her simple text, making the joyful conclusion, in which he finds a mate!, all the more satisfying. Rob Brooks' dark engraving-style illustrations are well suited to the story, and (as numerous other reviewers have noted) are reminiscent of some of Maurice Sendak's work. All in all, a lovely little picture-book, one that deserves to be better known! show less

An odd book. For the first few pages I thought I'd love it (I'm a sucker for faithful pet stories), but by the end of the book I was completely flummoxed. Who's the audience for this book? If you identify with Rose, it's a lesson in manipulative passive-aggressive behaviour, if you identify with the dog, yikes, you're basically taught to capitulate to anything in order to hold onto love (hello, future domestic abuse victims), and if you identify with the cat, well, enjoy your career as a show more stalker.

Apparently it's a "new edition of this classic and beautiful book." Okay, then ...

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve! show less

This book shows children that it is okay to make run in their worlds for other things and it is okay to change, even though it is new and scary. John Brown is an adorable dog who belongs to Rose, an older woman or lives on her own, and he does not want anything to do with the midnight cat. One day when Rose falls sick, he realizes that the desire that Rose has for the cat overshadows his need to keep them separate and he invites the cat in. Acceptance makes everyone content in the end.

Amy's mother sends her to live with her cousins for a few weeks so she can get some peace and quiet. Amy's cousins are sneaky characters who try to scare Amy every night. Amy finds out that the monster she's afraid of is actually a very nice creature who befriends her. In the end, Amy and her monster make the cousins afraid and Amy's life is much better. Short and cute, definitely would recommend!