I Don't Like Koala

I Don't Like Koala by Sean Ferrell, Illustrated by Charles Santoso (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-149-7

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Adam has a problem. He does not like Koala. But no-one will listen to him so Adam has to solve this problem all by himself. How can he get rid of Koala?

''Adam puts Koala away.

Away is a lot of different places.'

I Don’t like Koala addresses a universal childhood problem - an unwanted gift, the stuffed toy that will not stop staring. It is the language of the text, the illustrations and the subtle humour which transforms this seemingly straight forward tale into a highly entertaining and fun story.

The illustrations are fabulous. They are soft and matte which keeps the tone light. Even the dark is blues and purples rather than black. Koala is not made to look menacing. He has the same expression all the way through the story. It is Adam's face which reveals the terribleness of Koala. And Adam is a very expressive boy, his face tells the story.

This story is fun to read with an unexpected twist at the end to make every parent smile.