Many Australian children have grown up with the lovable creatures from the tales of Blinky Bill. Be it in the original books or via the cinema screen and TV, Blinky and his mates are iconic Australian characters. But many of us don’t know much about the clever person who created them: Dorothy Wall.

Within the pages of this beautifully written and illustrated picture book from award-winning author– illustrator Tania McCartney, we are introduced to Dorrie, a little girl who starts her journey in ‘the land of long white clouds and snowy peaks’, otherwise known as New Zealand. She eventually arrives ‘to a toasty land of flat red deserts and squeaky beaches’: Australia. Here she discovers the stories she wishes to tell and a new friend who inspires them.

This is an adorable picture book about a gifted yet sometimes undervalued artist, one that I am pleased is being reintroduced to a new generation. For ages 5+.