Goodnight, Joeys

By Renee Treml

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Since moving to Australia from the US in 2007 Renee has been inspired by the diversity of our wildlife and has produced an award winning list of titles that range from board books for the very young  (This LIttle Joey),  to graphic novels for middle grade readers such as the Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery series. She also works with other creators as in The Bird in the Herd. Her work is characterised by an eye for detail, precise line drawing and a joyful expressiveness that adds a freshness to familiar scenes.

In Goodnight, Joeys she introduces the young reader to all the Australian marsupials whose young are called joeys. It’s quite an impressive list including wombats, bandicoots, koala, kangaroos, numbats, gliders, possums and more. They come in many different shapes and sizes. Each animal is carefully illustrated with the scientific name written in small print at the bottom of each page.

The rhyming text is scattered with alliteration – sway and sniff; snuggle and snooze., which creates a gentle rhythm, echoed by the repetition of certain phrases.  Each short sentence using simple rhymes – land, sand; peaks, creeks; scrub, shrub. It is rich with words that are satisfying to say and learn.

This lovely bush lullaby with its soothing soft colours is the perfect finish to a toddler’s day and deserves a place in every home library.

Puffin 2024

Renee Treml