Reviewed by Dannielle Viera
‘Azumi, Theo, Bree and Jack lived side-by-side and back-to-back.’ The four friends love visiting each other, but because there are no gates in the fences dividing their properties, it takes forever to get from one house to another. They decide to convince their parents and carers to remove the fences and make one big backyard for everyone to use. However, the grown-ups elect to replace the rundown palings instead. After the fences have been pulled down, wet weather stops the construction of new ones. All four families eventually enjoy their huge, communal backyard so much that there is no more talk of new fences.
Kirsten Ealand’s bright and buoyant rhyming couplets evocatively describe the wide variety of elements found in Australian backyards, from swimming pools and chicken coops to soft grass for sitting on and hard surfaces that make great skateboard runs. Kids aged three to seven will identify with the enterprising young protagonists who envision a sharing culture that embraces a key environmental idea: ‘owning less stuff helped the Earth’.
Joy emanates from Laura Stitzel’s vibrant illustrations. Small eyes will find plenty of delights in every corner of the detailed, double-page images, while focused vignettes add magic to the moments. Each of the four protagonists (and their family members) has been characterised beautifully to represent a multicultural neighbourhood.
Celebrating
the power of community and eco-friendly choices, The Big Backyard Plan encourages youngsters to be proactive
whenever they see something that can be improved for the benefit of all. They
soon discover that fun and friendships flourish when barriers are flattened.
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