Too cold for a tutu by Mini Goss

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74331 378 7
Highly recommended. Stella and Barry are two lovably warm and curious friends, who have a very clever Nanna, who knits cardigans and sews tutus.
Barry and Stella go outside and have all sorts of imaginative fun, spurred on by Stella needing to be cozy inside Barry's cardigan . . .
There are so many things to love about this story. The knitted Barry and Stella are beautifully realistic and warm, you just want to reach into the book and give them a big squeezy hug.
When Barry and Stella are playing outside, the grass is green and the leaves are crunchy and colourful. When they go inside for tea, the cupcakes look scrumptious and the strawberries are ripe and ready to eat.
The language is reminiscent of any 3 or 4 year old I've ever met - rapid fire, filled with ideas, imaginings, enthusiasm and colourful banter. The text itself is written in different colours, which adds to the lively rollicking story.
There was some, as the 4 year olds I read to called it, 'not nice!' play - Stella tells Barry that racing is stupid, and climbing is silly, and she also calls him a 'great big stripy monkey'. To be honest, I kind of liked that. Not only was that realistic, but it was also a great catalyst for discussion about how they could have expressed themselves more nicely, and also that they could say these things, but then move on to being friends again.
This book comes complete with references to Barry and Stella's very own website, where readers can find more stories, and lots of fun things to make and do.
Freya Lucas