Chook Shed Snake by Phil Cummings

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Scholastic, 2009. ISBN 9781862918115.
(Ages 7+) One of a series published by Omnibus, called Mates, Chook Shed Snake has broad appeal, as Phil Cummings, once again, draws upon his wonderful childhood memories to relate a story about dad and the snake in the chook shed. Filled with warm, endearing characters, families everyone dreams of, and augmented with Greg Holdfeld's illustrations, this book, one of four in the series will be well used in junior primary classes, where the print size and short chapters make it instantly appealing.
Dad, sent by mum to mend the chook house, a task he had been promising to do for years, is squeamish after Harry spies a snake heading towards the little building. He gingerly uses the rake to pull away the straw to see where the creature could be hiding, but is pecked by one of the chooks, and decides to leave the task to another day. Full of gentle humour, the details about life on a farm remind us all of childhoods in the past with love and affection.
Others in this fine series, include Thorpey by Ruth Starke, The Wombat and the Giant Poojam by Jackie French, and The Smartest Dog of All by Ian Horrocks.
Fran Knight

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