The Big Book of Australian Nursery Rhymes by Frané Lessac

Title: The Big Book of Australian Nursery Rhymes

Author: Frané Lessac

Genre: Nursery Rhymes

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 6^th March 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 96

Price: $26.99

Synopsis: Chant and clap, play and sing along to this fun-filled collection of nursery rhymes with an Australian twist by bestselling author and illustrator, Frané Lessac.

Row, row, row, your boat, Gently down the creek. If you hear a Tassie devil, Don’t forget to shriek!
Tweaked and twisted nursery rhymes include: Twinkle, Twinkle, Southern Stars; Rock-a-Bye, Joey;
D-I-N-G-O!; This Little Froggy; Lizzie Had a Little Bat; Here We Go Round the Banksia Bush; Hop Goes the Bilby; Three Blind Moles; Old McDonald Went Out Bush … and many more in this glorious 96-page volume, destined to be an Australian classic

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Nursery rhymes are a part of children’s lives from the early days, teaching them about rhythm, rhyme, language, singing and fun. They can be amongst the first poems that a young child hears, and there are so many, that they are very well-known by many. Frané Lessac has taken these well-known nursery rhymes and given them an Australian twist, from Old MacDonald taking a bushwalk, to Tassie devils by the creek, a song about the southern stars twinkling way up high, and all the others that feature Australian animals or themes.

Frané has written and illustrated this book, and evokes a sense of what Australia is like, if it is looked at through the lens of nursery rhymes, populated by beloved Australian animals and where there are people, a diverse range of people, giving people a different way to experience the nursery rhymes alongside the original, and showing the fun in the way we can experience nursery rhymes in a variety of different ways. It shows that when it comes to nursery rhymes, anything is possible, and their long history means that each rhyme will mean something different for different people, and they can be rewritten or reimagined in many different ways.

Frané has used bright, vibrant colours in her illustrations that reflect the nursery rhyme – each one has specific and cleverly crafted to ensure it evokes exactly what the words reveal, as well as being able to engage young children who can see the nursery rhyme being read to them playing out on the pages as they look at the book. I have always loved fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and seeing all the different cultures they come from and the ways they can be interpreted, usually with the same rhythm but a few tweaks that give the nursery rhymes new life and magic, and something that I think is wonderful for all ages, as it is filled with memories of what we know whilst also making new memories, and I loved the way this book has come together for Australians of all ages.