Parcel for Koala; Shelley Knoll-Miller

Getting a present is always exciting. Getting a present you are not expecting is very exciting, and up in the trees Koala his just received a very special delivery in this noisy guess-a-thon.

What on earth is making all that racket? And more importantly, will it ever stop? Up in the tree tops, Koala and friends are tired. Surrounded by the squawks, acks and screeches of their noisy neighbours, sleep is hard to come by. What they could really do with is something to block out all that noise. When a parcel arrives for Koala, everyone is fizzing with excitement. But what could be inside? Bat, Possum and Owl all have an opinion on what it might be. Something to bring some peace and quiet would be amazzzzzzing. Has Turtle delivered the perfect gift…

The Parcel for series continues at pace with the third title in the space of a few months hitting the shelves in late July. This time, Shelley Knoll-Miller whisks us up to the tree-tops where the leaves are green, the sky is blue and where the sweet song of birdsong fills the air. Actually, better scratch that last bit, there is nothing sweet about the harsh, loud and sharp screech from a cockatoo. Take it from me, with in-laws that live at the bottom of the Dandenong Ranges, Koala’s situation is one that I can very much relate to. The endless noise of a cockatoo can become rather irksome after a while (as much as I love nature, sometimes a bit of peace and quiet is just what is needed).

Readers familiar with this delightful series will be well accustomed to the pattern of these stories that tickle and tease in a fun guessing game that results in the most unexpected of endings. Brimming with all of the joys of getting a present, the fun of trying to predict what it might be, and the shock (and for some, disappointment) of what on first sight is perhaps not the perfect git before ultimately making the best of the situation. I’m sure there’s a valuable lesson here about being grateful for what you receive even if it is not what you ideally wanted. The most unexpected gifts can sometimes be the very best ones - you just have to get creative like Koala.

​Littlies will be squawking their little heads off as they laugh and speculate their way through this tale of excitement, suspense and surprise. Koala’s big eyes and beaming smile on the front cover are a good indicator of things to come, and the levels of energy and anticipation ramp up with each turn of the page. A colourful treetop setting, a delightful ensemble of charismatic characters, a bouncy story and adorable endpapers make for the perfect little package that comes in an equally perfectly sized book for small hands.

The choice of animals is very clever and offers a great opportunity to look at the sleeping patterns of koalas, owls, possums, bats and cockatoos. The obvious question is, why don’t the disgruntled animals just sleep at night alongside the cockatoos? This can then lead into an exploration of nocturnal animals in the case of owls, possums and bats, and an interesting look at koalas who sleep for up to twenty hours a day.

​A great read aloud, it encourages children to be active participants, engaging with the text as they speculate as to what might be inside the box and to make connections between the animals’ guesses and Koala’s reasoning as to why they cannot be correct. Koala says, ‘It’s a ripper', but once you have finished reading can you please be quiet so they and the other animals can get some rest, zzzzz.

Recommended for 2+.

With huge thanks to Penguin for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.