Look See, Look at Me – Leonie Norrington and Dee Huxley

Ask any parent and they'll tell you that their children grow up too fast. You just have to blink and they have moved from baby to toddler and before you know it they are at school. For toddlers it can't happen soon enough especially if they have big sisters or brothers. All they want to do is to grow up and be able to do the things that their older siblings can do. Leonie Norrington has captured this desire perfectly in her new book.
The little boy in the story has just turned three and there are so many things he can do now that he is bigger, such as running, hopping, and climbing trees. The story has minimal words on each page and there is a lovely gentle rhyming to the little boys actions. The pride that the boy has at being able to do all these things speaks loudly from the page. This is due in part to the soft pastel illustrations by Dee Huxley. They are presented on coloured card with a lovely red earthy colours that is reminiscent of the northern Australian outback. The boy in the story lives in an indigenous community and the background illustrations, to his amazing abilities now he is bigger, show the richness of community life.
One great thing what we did after a few reads was acting out the story. My five year old son would jump, bump, wiggle giggle, hop and flop with the main character just to show me that he too could do all these things. “Mum! Look see, Look at me!”
This book has been short listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Early Childhood and I think has a great chance at winning.
An absolutely beautiful book that I would highly recommend for children aged 2-5.      8/10