Billie’s Underwater Adventure (Sally Rippin, illus by Alisa Coburn, Hardie Grant Egmont)

Billie B has entered the picture book world in Sally Rippin’s new series, ‘Billie’s Super Dooper Adventures’. Seeing a gap in the three-plus pre-school market, Rippin has taken Billie B back to a younger age, with adventurous, everyday tales that will stir the imagination in all sorts of colourful ways. The first book in the series is Billie’s Underwater Adventure. The last place Billie wants to be is at kinder, but when their teacher Amy suggests they have an underwater adventure, Billie is soon in the depths of the dark blue sea, exploring castles, swimming with schools of fish, and finding scary sea monsters! It is a delight being in the wild and wonderful imaginations of Billie B and her friends as they leave ‘real life’ and immerse themselves in their make-believe world. The language may occasionally seem too sophisticated for the three-plus market, but Rippin’s prose works wonderfully as a read-aloud and is accentuated by the engaging text design. Alisa Coburn’s bright illustrations are fun and cheerful, and the underwater scenes are particularly beautiful. For parents who would like to read stories to their children about real kids with real imaginations, Billie’s Underwater Adventure is a promising start to a refreshing new series. 

Freelance writer and reviewer Sarah Coull has worked as a children’s bookseller and an editor for an educational publisher