Audrey of the Outback: Little Hare Books

Description

The outback is Audrey's backyard! Meet Audrey Barlow - a girl with a lot on her mind. Her dad has gone away to work, her brother Price thinks he's too old for games, and little Dougie likes pretending to be a bird. So together with her best friend Stumpy, Audrey ponders some of life's big questions...Audrey is Australia's response to Pippi Longstocking. Determined, mischievous, imaginative and inquisitive, Audrey of the Outback will have every girl in the country, wishing she were a swaggie.

Christine Harris is the author of over 50 books for children, published in Australia and extensively overseas. She is well known and well loved by children around the world for her best-selling Spy Girl series but most recently through the growing success of the Audrey series published by Little Hare. Christine grew up in different parts of the South Australian Outback. When she lived in Yorke Peninsula, her house was 'the first fridge on the right, 15k after the last pub'. Christine loves the outback and is fascinated with the history of everyday Australians. Her books ring with authentic Australian voices: witty, dry and down-to-earth. Audrey is Australia's own Pippi Longstocking. Determined, mischievous, imaginative and inquisitive Audrey is the perfect character for readers who love gutsy-go-getting girls. Ann James is an award-winning children's book illustrator who has collaborated with many authors and publishers to illustrate over 60 books. She works in a variety of mediums including pen and ink, watercolour, soft pastels, charcoal and collage. With her partner Ann Haddon, Ann established Books Illustrated in 1988, a gallery focused on promoting Australian picture books and their creators. Together they were awarded the 2000 Pixie O'Harris Award for Distinguished service to Australian Children's Literature. In 2003 Ann received the Dromkeen Medal. Ann is a founding Board member of the Australian Children's Literature Alliance. She lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.

Full of fascinating detail about rural Australian life, this gentle story will appeal to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series and Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House. --Booklist Children will love the fast pace of the plot, and the character development gives the book a nice depth. --School Library Journal