Look, A BOOK! by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood

Little Hare, 2011. ISBN 9781921541803.
Recommended. Unbeknownst to her, the book falls from the lady's bag as she pushes her shopping trolley towards home, a ramshackle old house in a poorer area of town. It lies in the dust until two children come along and discover it. And it is then their REAL discoveries begin As they perch on top of the old outhouse to read it, their dreary, drab world comes alive through the magic of the words and their imaginations. But, the greatest impact is when they return it to the lady . . . the last page sums up the power of story in a way that words cannot.
This is a true collaboration between author and illustrator that will become a classic - it needs to be shared. In my opinion, I have just seen the winner of the CBCA Picture Book of the Year, 2012. What more can be said?
Barbara Braxton