The Terrakeet by Jo van der Borgh. Illus. by Jo Beasley

In the shade of the gobi trees on the edge of Pincer Sea, live a family of Finlocks as peaceful as can be. They lomf and fish and fish and eat and hope that they will never meet  the Frimbulitic Terrakeet!

Described as "Dr Seuss meets The Gruffalo" this is a delightful story in rhyme that tells the story of a family living alone, fending for themselves but constantly in fear of meeting this maniacal monster who will eat them at the first opportunity. But then, when Mother Nature isn't as plentiful as she has been, the youngest decides to look further afield for food but, instead encounters the terrakeet...

On the surface this appears to be one of those stories full of imaginative, made-up words that just roll off the tongue and become etched in the brain. Whether it's Seuss, Lewis Carroll, Spike Milligan or others who have mastered the art of inventing a word to suit the circumstances, children love to listen to the rhyme and rhythm and let their imaginations soar as the nonsense evolves. The soft, gentle watercolour and ink illustrations offer a clue that all might not be as it seems, and there might be a surprise ending.

But this also has a more serious message, one that takes it into the realm of older readers because even though the youngest Finlock has been conditioned since birth to believe that the Terrakeet is a scary, dangerous monster to be avoided, he discovers something quite different. So, just as wolves have been portrayed as fierce, fearsome creatures in stories and we have been encouraged to rethink those beliefs, is it time to re-examine some of our own perceptions and preconceptions to discover the truth? In a world which seems to becoming increasingly black and white (or black versus white), are there any shades of grey? Are strangers in fact friends we have yet to meet? Could this be an opportunity to investigate the role of monsters and other fearsome creatures and outcomes passed on to generations through a culture's myths, legends, fables and folklore?

Themes: Monsters, Courage, Mythical creatures.

Barbara Braxton