This book is a collection of poems that tell a story.
We are taken on a journey through farm life in Australia by a boy called Zack.
Through these poems, we sense the hard work involved on a farm, including early mornings and chores for everyone. We join Zack hands-on in the cowshed, picking plums and helping on washing day. He is also learning to drive the tractor, although he may be a bit young!
Sounds of the country with barking dogs, croaking frogs, squishy mud & splashing water are echoed in these pages.
“in the quiet
I hear everything
cicadas chirp
cockatoos screech
bees hum
trees creak”
The joys of country life are explored at the apple orchard, the creek and with tadpoles at the pond.
Towards the end of the book, dreaded droughts and bank bills create tension and helplessness of things slipping away. In the final poem Moving Day, Zack struggles with the big change that lies ahead of him but is determined to make the best of it.
Lively line drawings add to the charm of this little book.
Suggested age: Read aloud to 5+. Read by self 7+
