The Backyard Games

By Alister Nicholson and Tom Jellett
Reviewed by Margarite Igras

Australian sports broadcaster Alister Nicholson has covered Summer and Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, AFL Grand Finals and Test cricket. This wealth of knowledge and love of sport was incorporated in his first picture book, Cricket, I just love it!  celebrating the iconic Australian summer sport enthusiastically played in many backyards.

In this his second book aimed at 4- to 7-year-olds, he has again teamed up with the award-winning illustrator Tom Jellett to bring another backyard sporting romp. This time it is the noise, fun, and drama when some neighbourhood children get together to stage their own backyard Olympic Games. We’ve planned and practised; we’ve built our venue. Now, a great sporting feast is on the menu.

With the unavoidable Hills Hoist in one of the marked lanes, a sizzling sausage on the barbie earmarked as the Olympic torch and the esky serving as the winner’s box, the excitement begins. The neighbourhood children arrive, select the raffle ticket naming the country they will represent and line-up almost alphabetically for the Parade of Nation.   Soon the sporting events begin. There is Archery, with mum’s plates as the target, weightlifting using a broom and two tins of paint, and the shot-put that is playfully caught mid-air by the dog to name a few.

There are a few lines of rhyming text on each of the 33 pages, but it is the wealth of details included in Jellett’s colourful, animated illustrations, especially the pet dog, that makes this book a treat to read. As a bonus, there are interesting sports facts included on the end pages.

A & U Children 2024
Alister Nicholson
Tom Jellett