Bluey and Dingo's Outback Adventure

By: Connie Sewell
Illustrated by: Elyse Whittaker-Paek
Publisher: Tiny Hands Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: May 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9888324-0-4
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor 
Review Date: September 16, 2013

In this absolutely charming book, specifically made for four to seven-year-olds, Thomas Burton and Ron Peters combined their amazing talents to deliver a story that harkens back to the glory days of children's books. This is the type of creation that re-introduces the special time when families sat together in the evening, and Mom and Dad told bedtime stories. With the wonderful pairing of 'Bluey and Dingo,' this author brings back the fun of reading.

Bluey and his wife, Mabel, live on a camel farm that's located in the Outback - a huge desert in Australia. Surrounded by camels and dirt, people come to the farm to ride the camels for fun. Mabel and Bluey have a good life - even though the desert is extremely hot they enjoy keeping the camels safe and the tourists entertained.

The other resident of the camel farm is Dingo. Dingo is Bluey's dog and, boy, is he the top dog out there in the Outback. Dingo may seem like he's just interested in food, and being lazy under the bright Australian sun, but he is also an extremely smart dog who ends up helping his owner with his quick-wittedness and doggie brain power.

One day, a camel on the farm gets very ill, and Bluey has to drive one hundred miles across the Australian desert to where the nearest veterinarian lives. He has to go, because the camel needs medicine so he can feel better. Mabel packs a lunch and some cold water, and Dingo jumps into the jeep beside his best friend, as they head out into the hot, dry day.

As they travel through the Outback, they see some amazing things, (and so does the reader, considering the illustrations are phenomenal). Bluey and Dingo come across everything from flocks of colorful parrots and cockatoos, to snakes snoring in the shade of the Boab tree. The kangaroo's box and the sun beats down, as Bluey and Dingo try to make their way to the vet as quick as possible. But when their jeep up and dies, Bluey and Dingo find themselves in the middle of a hot desert with no food, no water, and no way to get home. And when darkness falls, the worry begins, and Bluey and Dingo have to find something or someone to rescue them.

This is an extremely enchanting story that offers a whole lot of fun to the reader. Not only is the story well-written, and the characters unforgettable, but there is also a section that lists OZ Facts: Things You Didn't Know About Australia; and Dingo's Lingo, which gives definitions of Australian words, like Dingo's favorite word Tucker - that means food.

Quill Says: The concept, the writing, and the remarkable illustrations make this a perfect read, and brings back the fun of bedtime stories.

For more information on Bluey and Dingo's Outback Adventure, please visit the book's website at: www.blueyanddingo.com