#BookReview:
Our Shellharbour, Karen Hendriks (author), Emma Stuart (illus.), Little Shell Books, December 2023.
Blurb:
Join Lani and Oli as they explore Shellharbour’s natural wonders.
Let’s go to magical places – From the mountains to the sea.
Shellharbour is our treasure.
Review:
What a treasure of a book! From the opening endpapers and all the way through, we are drawn in to the complete beauty, wonder and awe of this New South Wales coastline town, Shellharbour. Written from a place of love, Karen Hendriks brings readers into her home, on a magical adventure exploring ‘from the mountains to the sea‘ with Lani and Oli. Welcome to Our Shellharbour!
A beautifully lilting narrative combines perfectly with the visually stunning watercolour landscapes from Emma Stuart, refreshing our senses at every page turn. Two playful children, Lani and Oli, along with their curious puppy, discover and engage in nature’s wonderful secrets in the area they live. From the rainforest’s cascading falls to the shimmering foreshore of Lake Illawarra, the sparkling coast at Windang Island, rolling forest hills, curling waves, ballet-dancing humpback whales at Bass Point, and more, the paddle-boarding, surfing, nature-watching and rollicking fun with Lani and Oli is a day of aquatic paradise dreams come true.
With playful language, divine imagery and the most wondrous water-themed adventure you could imagine, Our Shellharbour is the perfect incentive to visit, and re-visit, this book and the area as often as possible. There is also a fascinating information page at the end explaining the origins and exceptional features of the Shellharbour region.
I love that Karen and Emma have captured the essence of the area, as well as the essence of childhood, in their energetic delivery that entices readers to not only explore the beauty of the language and environment of Shellharbour, but also encourages them to discover their own surroundings – the wildlife, the landscapes, the community, the history and geographical place names of where they live.
Our Shellharbour is a keepsake treasure celebrating a vast coastline of unique natural wonders. It’s also a reminder that the simple, most rewarding things in life are right outside your door.
Review by Romi Sharp.
Visit Karen Hendriks at her website: www.karenhendriks.com, and on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Our Shellharbour can be purchased via Karen’s website.
Find more treasured features of Karen Hendriks and her stunning picture book, Our Shellharbour at the following websites and via Books On Tour PR & Marketing on Facebook and Instagram.
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