Dot & The Kangaroo
Lost and afraid in the darkening bush, Dot is befriended by a kind Kangaroo. She eats some magic berries that allow her to speak with the bush animals, who eventually guide her home. Magic. Pure Magic.
Written by Ethel Pedley. This version illustrated by Frank Mahony
Ned Kelly & the City of Bees
About a boy who is shrunken down to size and spends a summer in a beehive, witnessing and learning all about bee activity.
Written by Thomas Keneally (You may recognize Thomas Keneally as the author of Schindler’s List).
Illustrated with gorgeous woodcut illustrations by Stephen Ryan.
Tashi
This clever little gnome outsmarts giants, ogres, witches and ghosts in adventurous tales he relates to his friend, a young boy called Jack.
Tashi by Anna and Barbara Fienberg (1995)
Illustrated by Kim Gamble.
The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
My son loves this Australian classic with the adventures had by two miniature “gumnut babies” through the Australian bush and ocean.
The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs (1918)
The Magic Pudding
Published the same year as Snugglepot & Cuddlepie is this quirky and chaotically funny tale about a group of friends and foes in a struggle for possession of an animated “pudding” who is very much alive and provides a never-ending food supply for it’s friends.
The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay (1918)