A is for Australia (Frané Lessac, Walker Books)

It’s easy to become blasé about the many attractions of one’s own country: after all, the grass (not to mention the castles, art galleries and ruins) look so much greener and inviting overseas. A is for Australia is a good reminder that there are plenty of natural and man-made sights to enjoy without a passport. Frané Lessac’s picture book is not just a selection of pretty images but a ‘factastic tour’. She includes snippets of information of each of her chosen locations, which makes the book a great resource for primary school-aged children. Adults may learn something too. For instance, did you know that the word Bondi, from a coastal Sydney Aboriginal language, means ‘the sound of breaking waves’, or that the box jellyfish in the Great Barrier Reef kills more people than snakes, sharks and crocodiles? Lessac is careful to feature interesting spots from all of Australia’s states, and her colourful, flatly delineated illustrations portray the Daintree Forest in Queensland, Lake Eyre in South Australia and Parliament House in ACT, among other sights. Some locations are well known, others less so. She even manages to find places for some of the trickier letters of the alphabet: Q is for Qui Qui—a sheep station in Queensland. A is for Australia should do well on its release to coincide with Australia Day festivities.

Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer and books editor of the Big Issue

Category: Reviews