Meerkat Mayhem (Mem Fox & Judy Horacek, Puffin)

Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, the dream team behind the popular picture book Where Is the Green Sheep? (now celebrating its 20th anniversary), have a new collaboration that is also likely to become a contemporary classic. In Meerkat Mayhem, Meerkat eats too much and gets stuck climbing out of his burrow. ‘Mother of all meerkats!’ he exclaims. Elephant, Giraffe and other large animals join in the effort to pull him out, turning the narrative into a cumulative tale with a side of slapstick. When the underestimated little Bird joins the tug-of-war, she tips the balance, and Meerkat pops out of the hole. But will he learn his lesson? The bright, clean design, hilarious animal expressions and posturing, and strategic cropping of some bodies to show only a leg or tail enhance the story by encouraging children to predict who might appear next. The scale of the big animals compared to the small Meerkat and Bird positions the reader to ‘become’ these latter characters: one cheeky and troublesome, the other helpful. An interactive tale that invites children aged 3+ ‘inside’ the story to help solve the dilemma, Meerkat Mayhem is a natural successor to Pamela Allen’s iconic Who Sank the Boat? and Alexander’s Outing.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Joy Lawn has worked for independent bookshops and blogs at Paperbark Words. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews