Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
Inspired by amazing true stories, this hard-covered children’s book features Australian fauna and its climate, specifically its flooding rains. The central characters are kangaroos – mother Mango and joey, Hopscotch. They live in the tropical forest and join the mob grazing beside the river. Hopscotch loves to play with the other joeys.
One day it begins to rain and does not stop. The river rises and all the fauna in the area have to flee from danger of drowning. At one stage the kangaroos have no option but to try to swim to safety. Fortunately for Mango and Hopscotch, just as they were becoming very exhausted, they are rescued by a man in an old kayak.
The illustrations portray this action very graphically from the peace of their grazing to their fear as they bound away during the thunder and lightning, to a place where they believe they will be safe only to have to flee from the water again. The text and illustrations also show the people of the town and how they are looking after each other as they face these trying conditions.
The final page of the story shows the kangaroos grazing peacefully in the sunshine once again. The illustrations are well done and fit the text which is easy to read.
The author of this book, which would be suitable for lower primary school children, is Sophie Cunningham, who was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), in 2019, for her contributions to literature. The illustrations are produced by Turkiye born, but now Queensland resident, Anil Tortop, who works primarily digitally with a focus on children’s books. These creators have worked together to produce several children’s books.
This is a beautifully presented book about Australia and its animals, as well as its extremes of climate.
Mango and Hopscotch
(2025)
by Sophie Cunningham
Illustrator: Anil Tortop
Allen & Unwin for Albert Street Books
ISBN:978-1761181122
$19.99;28pp