The monster who ate Australia by Michael Salmon

Ford St, 2014. ISBN 9781925000542
(Age: 5-10) Recommended. Picture book. Australia. Humour. Journeys. The thirtieth anniversary edition of this book will find a place in Australian schools where it will be used as an adjunct to the emphasis now given to Geography in the curriculum.
Burra the Boggabri, a monster which lives in a small cave behind Uluru is being kicked out of house and home by the many tourists now visiting the centre of Australia. He decides it is time to find another home and spends some time wandering around Australia looking for just such a place.
He visits every capital city, looking at some of their famous places deciding that each place is not for him. Some are too cold or wet, others do not taste very nice, eating Blue Poles in Canberra meant that an alarm goes off, the noise sending him to the next city. In Sydney, horror of horrors he is captured and placed in a cage at Taronga Park Zoo, where he is besieged by hundreds of tourists coming to look at him, point at him and take photos. This is the final straw, he nibbles his way out of the bars and returns to central Australia, but not before many readers have had fun following his ventures around the country as shown on the map on the title page.
Salmon's funny illustrations add to the laugh out loud humour of the book which is suitable for early to middle primary students.
Fran Knight