My Uncle's Donkey – Tohby Riddle

A very peculiar book about a donkey that belongs to the narrator's Uncle and is allows in the house. The donkey is allowed to do almost anything in the house but is largely ignored by the uncle as there is no interaction between the donkey and the uncle. Perhaps the uncle is oblivious to the donkey or maybe the donkey is a figment of the child narrator's imagination. The donkey is quite an exuberant character that has lots of fun in the house, doing everyday things but with a cheeky attitude.
The illustrations are drawn with ink, charcoal and pencil with some bold acrylic paints. They are mostly grey tones and some splashes of colour which as mostly red. The donkey is a cute character and reminds me of old cartoon donkeys with big wide eyes. Actually I loved the grey donkey wearing 4 red and white striped socks! Within the illustration the author has also included some famous (or not so famous) objects such as van Gogh's Sunflowers, a Charlie Chaplin movie image, and the Portland Vase (I hadn't heard of this one but apparently it is the world's most valuable vase).
The sunflowers get eaten and the vase is juggled and breaks. It is humour like this that makes this book appeal to both children and to the adults reading the book to them..
The book was inspired by a story Riddle told his 6 year old daughter about what a donkey could get up to when let inside. I don't think that this book will win the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year but it is well worth reading and is a lot of fun.
Recommended for children 5-8 (and their parents)          7/10