Rebekah Gienapp

We have just two continents left to visit in our global reading journey around the world: Australia/Oceania and Antarctica. These are our 4 year old’s two favorite continents (I know that sounds weird, but he goes to Montessori school, where they do a lot of geography.) Before we could read the books, we had to have a lengthy discussion of how Santa lives at the North Pole, which is not Antarctica. After we got the globe out and got clear on that, he was ready to dive into the books!

I confess to knowing next to nothing about New Zealand, so New Zealand ABCs was informative for both our son and me. The letters cover history (Pacific Islanders settled New Zealand about 1,200 years ago); nature (it’s one of only three countries worldwide that has geysers); culture (the Maori people cook special feasts in underground ovens called umus); and more.

Each letter provides a very basic introduction to the topic; your child may have additional questions that you’ll need to look up in other books or online. (Set in New Zealand, recommended for ages 4 – 8).

Related Post: Five Great Children’s Books about New Zealand

Possum Magic tells the story of a very special little possum Hush, whose grandmother made her invisible so that she’d be protected. Though Hush enjoys the adventures she can have as an invisible possum for a while, she eventually asks Grandma Poss if she can reverse the spell. Grandma Poss tries everything and is stumped.

Eventually she realizes the spell must have to do with food. As the two possums travel through Australia eating some of the foods that Aussies are famous for loving, Hush slowly becomes visible again. I appreciated the glossary of Australian terms in the back, because I had no idea what pavlovas, lamingtons, and minties were. (Set in Australia, recommended for ages 4 – 8).

The Diary of a Wombat tickled our funny bones immensely. The first few days of the wombat’s diary are quite boring; all she does is sleep and eat grass. When humans arrive in her territory, things get interesting. The wombat discovers that simply by breaking the humans outdoor furniture, tearing holes in their front door, and banging on a “large metal object” (trash can), she can get delicious things like carrots and oats.

I especially loved the illustrations of the horrified human faces as the wombat did what came natural to her. (Set in Australia, recommended for ages 3 – 8).

To download the printable passport-themed book log, just use the quick form below to access it in my free Resource library!

Of the two alphabet books reviewed for this post, I prefered D is For Down Under: An Australia Alphabet. That’s because the book includes simple rhyming text to explain each letter, but there are also more extensive notes off to the side to give more information about the topic. The book also does not gloss over the harm that the arrival of Europeans did to Aboriginal people, or continuing controversies today.

There are plenty of fun, light-hearted pages as well, such as the jackaroo page, which shows a sheep farmer riding a motorcycle with both a sheep and sheepdog on board. If you’ve ever wondering what the lyrics of “Waltzing Matilda” are about, go find this book! (Set in Australia, recommended for ages 4 – 10).

The wordless book Mirror could also be included in my post on books set in Africa. Side by side textured collage illustrations show a child going through his day in Australia, with another child doing his typical activities in Morocco. Children will likely first notice that the two children’s lives seem very different, but Jeannie Baker has carefully arranged the mirror illustrations to show common themes and activities as well.

One thing that I missed but that other reviewers have pointed out is that the Australian scenes are designed to be “read” from the left, the Moroccan  are designed to be read from the right, just as the Arabic language is. (Set in Australia and Morocco, recommended for ages 6 – 10).

There are more than 50 different kinds of kangaroo-like animals in Australia, including the wallaroo. Hello, Mama Wallaroo asks very simple questions on each page spread, such as “Mama Wallaroo, what do you look like?” and “Mama Wallaroo, what do you fear?” Because the text is simple and repetitive, it’s best suited to read aloud to a toddler, or for emerging readers to read independently. (Set in Australia, recommended for ages 2 – 6).

“The Greedy Frog” is an Aboriginal Australian story included in The Barefoot Book of Animal Tales.  The whims of a gigantic frog named Tiddalick determine whether the earth would tremble or whether life was peaceful. One day, in his grumpiness, Tiddalick drinks all the water in the lake, the river, the billabongs, and finally all the water in the land.

Once he falls asleep, the other animals gather in their distress to discuss what they must do. One by one, the animals go to plead for water with Tiddalick, but he will not even open his eyes. It is only with Noyang the eel begins a strange and silly dance on top of the frog that Tiddalick starts to laugh, and the water finally gushes out of him. Even today, when Aboriginal people see frogs drinking water and burying themselves in the ground, they know a drought is about to start. (Set in Australia, recommended for ages 6 – 10).

Sophie Scott Goes South has a lot of text, so I was a bit surprised at how thoroughly the book held our 4 year old’s attention. The author traveled to Antarctica and created the character of young Sophie as a way to share her trip with her own children. Sophie’s father is the captain of an icebreaker ship, and she gets to travel with him on the treacherous journey from Australia to Mawson Station in Antartica, where scientists do their research.

The illustrations are a mix of photographs and childlike drawings where Sophie records what she sees. While our son was very curious about the many factual details about snowmobiles, blizzards, and animals, his favorite part of the story was the King Neptune ceremony to celebrate crossing the Antartic Circle. Everyone had to kiss a dead fish! We read this paragraph at least 12 times in one sitting. (Set in Antarctica, recommended for ages 6 – 10).

It’s pretty common for children to mix up the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. Which animals live where? Do people live in both places? North Pole South Pole uses straightforward text and pictures to help children understand key information about each of these cold places and what happens there. One fun fact I learned about Antarctica: only the Weddell seal and the midge insect live there year found! Penguins and seabirds only arrive in the summer. (Set in Antarctica, recommended for ages 4 – 8). 

Want to continue your around the world book journey? Find books set in Africa, South America, Asia, North America, and Europe. 

Tell us in the comments: what are your favorite children’s books set in Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica?