It's a miroocool by Christine Harris
Ill. by Ann James. Little Hare, 2012. ISBN 9781921541018.
(Age: 4-7) Highly recommended. A welcome return of Audrey of the
Outback, It's a miroocool! is a delightful picture book that
will introduce Audrey to a younger audience, who are certain to want
to read more about this fascinating little girl and the country that
she lives in.
Audrey has lost a tooth and really hopes that the tooth fairy will
be able to visit her. She puts the tooth in a billy of water and
then leaves lots of clues for the tooth fairy to follow: An arrow
made of stones, a trail of bread crumbs, a note on her cubby, and a
dish of water for the fairy to drink. All her careful trails are
destroyed and she begins to wonder if the tooth fairy will ever make
it to her house.
Harris has used sparse text and realistic dialogue to bring alive
her character, the family and the bush setting. It is not difficult
to see this lively, little girl in your mind's eye and to imagine
the dusty, lonely country that she lives in.
Ann James' illustrations are superb. They complement and expand the
text beautifully. I especially like the end papers. They show the
red earth, tufts of sage green grass and drought resistant trees,
with Audrey prancing towards the farmhouse in the distance on the
front one and racing away from her house on the back. The reader
just knows that she is a happy, exuberant little girl from the grin
on her face.
I loved this wonderful tale of a uniquely Australian tooth fairy and
highly recommend it.
Pat Pledger