Review: Once Upon a Harbour

The first thing that may strike you about Once Upon a Harbour is David Elliot’s artwork.

The illustrations are not bright, bold and colourful as we may have come to expect in picture books – and therein lies their charm. 

For comparison, maybe think of Maurice Sendak's illustrations in Where the Wild Things Are. In the same way, David Elliot gives us detailed images you can lose yourself in for hours – long after you’ve finished reading.

Once Upon a Harbour is a collection of six poems by Fiona Farrell. Inside, you'll find some short poems and some longer ones, each themed around the water in some way. 

And all are a wandering walk into the quirky and somewhat macabre world of the darker side of imagination.

With ideas and language that appeal to older children (and adults), this is definitely a collection for readers a little older than your normal picture book poetry collection.

Within the pages, you’ll find poetic anecdotes about such things as the life of a pirate rat colony, the history of sea monsters (and what happened when sailors determined they were not to be feared) and wonderings about what trees might do late at night after a long day of standing completely still.

Each of the six poems can be enjoyed purely for their fun, and sometimes bizarre, imaginings. They offer a chance to escape the predictability of everyday life, ask ‘what if?’ and not worry about the reality or logic of whatever answers you may find.

However, if you’re up for something a little deeper, you’ll want to take another look at the poems, where you’ll find commentary on the need to be adaptable to changing circumstances and other such life ponderings.

Fiona Farrell’s poems beg for multiple re-readings. And that’s the beauty of poetry, right? A short literary form that calls you back time and time again, offering another – and another – layer of insight. This is what both Fiona Farrell and David Elliot do so well – snippets that invite another look and deeper reflection.

A word of caution, though – and this may not concern many poetry lovers – but if you’re a stickler for poems that follow a pattern, that don’t use partial rhyme and don’t necessarily rely on a meter that works perfectly every time, some of the poems in Once Upon a Harbour may grate just a little. Teachers, in particular, could be well advised not to pick out a poem and read it aloud unless they’ve pre-read it (which you should do anyway, but sometimes we just need a quick five-minute filler before lunch).

 
But do not let this stop you. Pre-read, practise and then immerse yourself in this world of possibility, amusement and intrigue created by this fabulous duo.

Title: Once Upon a Harbour
Author: Fiona Farrell
Illustrator: David Elliot
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children’s NZ $32.99
Publication Date: 15 September 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781991142276
For ages: 5 – 10 (and well beyond)
Type: Picture Book, Poetry Collection