'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Friday 30 August 2019

Review: Row, Row, Row Your Boat

When I think of the rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat I remember a toddler balanced on my lap, while moving their hands in a rowing motion as we sang. I remember signing it as a round, at school or on a bus.

But what would an Australiana version sound and look like? Wonder no more, as Matt Shanks has illustrated a delightful Australian version of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

In this version we meet a boy in a small row boat, who collects a group of Australian animals as he gently rows down the stream.

Which Australian animals will you see in this river adventure rhyme? A sleepy koala, an adorable bandicoot wearing a life saver's cap, a platypus on a raft flying his version of the jolly roger and a dive bombing kookaburra. But which Australian animal will make you scream?

Shanks illustrations are soft and have a dreamy like quality to them. He is an illustrator that gives characters great personalities and often includes characters that are not mentioned in the text. In Row, Row, Row Your Boat Shanks has included a mischievous frog that follows the adventure down the stream.

For more glorious stories illustrated by Matt Shanks read Eric the Postie and Koala Bare.

Title: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Illustrator: Matt Shanks
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $6.99
Publication Date: 1 May 2017
Format: Board Book
ISBN: 9781760159917
For ages: 0 – 4
Type: Board Book