Dorothy Wall (1) (1894–1942)

I only read the first book in the Blinky Bill series because…well… he’s a jerk and I didn’t like him. But I can see how both the book, and Blinky Bill were so much a part of the era in which they were created. For example, even though Blinky Bill is such a ratbag his mother defends him, and criticises Mrs Grunty’s son Snubby, saying at least her son would grow up to be a man. Whereas the gentle, obedient Snubby would never be a real man. That’s quite a little gem of insight into show more Australian attitudes at the time of writing, and I was tempted to read on. But in the end I decided it wasn’t enough incentive for me to read further stories. show less

Although many of us remember this fondly from our childhood, the sad reality is that Blinky and his pals have not aged well. Or, rather, the myth was always greater than the reality. The prose is dreary, the concepts rather dull, and the interactions unexciting.
No Australian born before the mid-1990s is likely to ever forget the image of the koala boy in his little outfit, and it’s a quintessential Aussie moment, but, to quote the song, if that’s all there is, my friend, then let’s show more keep dancing... show less

I actually don't remember reading this when I was little so I thought it was time I did! I'm not going to run through the story as I think most of us know the story of the naughty koala by now!
I found this story delightful & very funny. However there are some bits that some people would find rather inappropriate for a children's story these days. I read quite a few negative reviews on this on Goodreads around the time the movie came out. There were a few times when I thought Blinky was a show more downright poophead but on the whole, as long as you take into account it was published in a time when people were a lot less mindful of most things (it was published in 1939), it's still a good book that happens to contain a lot of opportunities to discuss why certain behavious aren't acceptable now with your kids. show less

A much-loved book from my childhood, probably one of the first I read independently. Blinky is a feisty, if mischievous hero and has plenty of satisfying adventures. I recently read a comment about this book in which the writer said she could't read it to her class of seven-year olds as there was too much physical punishment. I don't remember that at all - I did however take away form it Dorothy Wall's environmental message - that native wildlife was vulnerable to human exploitation. The show more scene where Blinky's father is shot by hunters is indeed horrible, and probably would be deemed too cruel for today's generation. show less