Published: 5th April 2017
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Illustrator: Pat Kan
Pages: 32
Format: Paperback Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
Have you ever found a furry Koala kidding around in your kitchen?
Or been hassled by a great white shark at your park? Giggled at a Kookaburra causing chaos with Dad’s cooking?
There’s a Koala in my Kitchen takes children and parents on a rollicking, rhyming journey with plenty of funny, feisty Aussie animals.
I was expecting the entire book to be about the hassles one has having a koala in their kitchen but I was pleasantly surprised to find it filled with fun limericks about Australian animals and their antics.
Farrar’s book is a clever and poetic as it tells a great Aussie story about a host of great Aussie animals. The rhyming nature promotes great pace as the story can be told slowly but with style.
The animals include the well-known favourites like koala’s and platypuses, but also eagles, flatheads, and a pobblebonk! The humour is light hearted and nothing too sinister, it is a great book to read before going to bed, aided by the narrative, but works anytime.
The illustrations by Kan are quirky; each animal given a personality in their representation. They are cartoonish but not unrecognisable, and Kan’s painted drawings are colourful and whimsical and match Farrar’s limericks well.
I’m glad this was a fun read, especially after my initial disappointment. It’s a good story to learn about some Australian animals but also a great use of limerick too. It’s quirky and light hearted and Farrar’s tone is perfectly placed starting high and working down into a satisfying conclusion.
You can purchase There’s a Koala in My Kitchen via the following
Lost in a Good Book 