All the way to W.A. by Roland Harvey

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Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781 74175 883 8.
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Humour. Subtitled Our search for Uncle Kev, the book is brimful of humour and colour, as the family boards the Indian Pacific, travels to Perth, stays at Fremantle, then heads off north via Cottesloe, to the site of the Batavia, Monkey Mia, Broome and finally Wyndham. It is a Cook's Tour of the Western Australian coastline from Perth to the border with the Northern Territory taking in sights and sounds along the way familiar to some but unfamiliar to many. After reading this book, the sights will be familiar and exciting as Harvey wraps his search for Uncle Kev around the search for the Night Parrot, a most secretive bird. Bright fun filled pictures replete with many zany characters and things happening, will entice the readers to seek out various things on each page.
This is another in his series of books which includes, To the Top End, In the bush, To the city and At the beach. All great reads to include in the library for 2012 National Year of Reading, centering around Are we there yet? Alison Lester's funny story of a family doing the round Australia journey.
Fran Knight

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