Badjelly

Tim and Rose have a cow named Lucy and when she goes missing the story starts to get juicy! Badjelly is an action filled, fantastical rhyming tale about a boy and a girl trying to get their cow safely returned. Along the way they are helped by a menagerie of characters such as a sausage-hatted tree goblin, a rusty metal lion, a super strong worm and an ex-banana mouse!

If you are an adult of a certain age you will remember Bad Jelly, the 1973 story by Spike Milligan, a staple in pop culture history. This version has all the beloved elements of the original, with a new spin. It's written in rhyme making a fantastic read aloud and making it feel like a new story.

The illustrations are stunning, light is depicted beautifully, creating atmospheric, magical images that give a sense of tension, action and emotion. There are lots of details on every page, giving readers more to take in on subsequent readings. This book accompanies the animated TV show by Mukpuddy airing on TVNZ and internationally.

While this is not the Bad Jelly that I loved as a child, it is however, a fantastic modern take, given a new life and format for this generation. No one should grow up without the phrase "Stinkypoo, stinkypoo, knickers knickers knickers!".