Readers of his earlier picture book, My Dog, will know already that award-winning author John Heffeman tells a moving tale with insight and restraint.  Set in rural Australia, Two Summers reveals the dramatic effect of drought on the lives and livelihoods of families in the agricultural sector.  The book will build on the knowledge and understanding of young children introduced to the challenges and satisfactions of fanning by the CBCAs 2002 Early Childhood Book of the Year, A Year on Our Farm (Matthews/McLean).  It considers the similarities and differences in routines and conditions experienced on a farm over two subsequent years, as perceived by a young visitor.  New illustrator  Freya Blackwood has a confident, sweeping style, somewhat reminiscent of Julie Vivas' work in that their figures share such exuberant vitality, and both illustrators delight in playing with perspective.  Blackwood's images take us above, below and to the very heart of the action.  While the book addresses some of the harsher realities of farming, it is by no means a grim read.  Heffernan captures wry humour, distinctively Australian voices and a prevailing sense of hope in a story that pays tribute to the stoicism and resilience of the nation's farming communities.

Lizzie Whyte works for Heinemann Library

Tags: john heffernan & freya blackwood