The fluffle of bunnies who play together as a footy team are dispirited, because all their adversaries are bigger, faster and stronger than they are.
So, wily old Crow suggests a solution – he will go and find some other creatures to boost their side, and help the bunny team to play even better.
At first, the bunnies are hesitant to embrace this idea. What if it’s no fun? What if it feels too different? But eventually, they agree and so Crow brings back all manner of weird and wonderful Australian critters to fill up the football team.
It’s always heartening to read of young people or creatures working together for the common good, and this book is no exception. Penned by beloved NRL star Alex Johnston, and illustrated by celebrated First Nations artist Gregg Dreise in spectacularly unique, Aussie style, the book looks and feels clever and fresh.
The sun, for instance, is a glorious yellow ball in the sky with smatterings of other colours in its body, and surrounded in tiny yellow dots to depict the conventional sun rays. Landscapes and rivers are embellished with beautiful patterning that is typical in First Nations art, and the animals are all distinctly marked in this way too – it’s utterly captivating.
A Footy Tail is a fun read, a visual feast and an important, wholesome reminder that life’s better when we work together.
Title: A Footy Tail
Author: Alex Johnston
Illustrator: Gregg Dreise
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $19.99
Publication Date: 3 October 2023
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761180316
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book