At the Swamp's Edge by Jo Fisher

Cover illustration by Roger Boreham

First published in 1993, the book hasn't really dated as it is set in 1937, painting a picture of the pre-war years and the hardships associated with farming. Annie Miller's family have moved from Sydney to the country, to a small town called Walchep where they are running a dairy farm. But it hasn't quite worked out how it was planned, Mum's cranky most of the time and Annie feels heavily criticized in all that she attempts around the house. Her dad is exhausted  despite the help given by Annie's older brother Ted. It's a high maintenance farm with a run-down house and everything constantly breaking down around the farm. Things aren't much better at school with Annie and her two brothers finding the lessons a walk over. But, there was the swamp, a great place to explore and forget about the hardships of home. It was a time when all clothes were darned and not thrown away, cow pats were used as a mosquito repellent and the house is heated by a fuel stove. The novel is an interesting step back in time, a taste of family life in the Australian country in the 1930's.

Timmy by Colin Thiele

As with many of Colin Thiele's books this one deals with the relationship between a young boy and an animal. Denny is devastated when he watches a beautiful hare ripped apart by the Lukins' greyhounds. He is a timid and insecure twelve year old who has recently lost both of his parents and struggling in his new country evironment. He has a favourite pepper tree which he climbs, and his aunt has just given him Uncle Andy's old binoculars, so from the safety of his tree Denny  observes the rituals of his neighbours and the happenings in his district. There is definitely something strange going on oat Mario's farm next door. He comes across a baby hare and captures it believing this to be necessary to its well-being. The novel then follows the individual growth of  Denny as he cares for his hare, whom he names Timmy. The soft pencil drawings by Lyn Wood are scattered throughout the novel and reinforce the relationship between Denny and Timmy.

Gilbert's Ghost Train by David Metzenthen

This book moves swiftly from the present into the past as Martin Dean explains that his younger brother Dally (Dally) is dead, and then moves on to narrate the series of events preceding his death. The two boys live near the country town of Triggerton and they spend a lot of time hanging out at the old railway station and enjoy the joys of country life, like lighting campfires, riding motorbikes and exploring the old gold mines in the hills. Then Dally's illness gets worse and Martin spends more time outside exploring alone and is having a great deal of trouble coming to terms with the inevitability that his brother is going to die. One day, whilst walking his dog Carl along the tracks of the old station, he meets Gilbert (Gil) a friendship instantly forms. But there are a lot of strange things about Gil, the way he speaks about the past, his clothes, especially the old army slouch hat withe hole in the side. This is an extremely sad book but it helps you get in the mind of a brother and appreciate the complexities of the impending death of a loved one.

'Hello, Barney' by Mary K. Pershall

This is a very moving and thought-provoking story and I must admit that had to wipe a tear or two away at the end. Long ago in the Australian bush, a little boy called William Jackson trapped a young cockatoo and put him in a cage (which I found hard to accept). He named him Barney. From that first day together until William was an old man Barney was his special pet. This is basically the story of what Barney saw from his cage in William's garden; the changing seasons, the passing years, the growing up of both children and the gum trees. And what happens when William Jackson is too old to care for Barney anymore...

The illustrations by Mark Wilson are simple stunning and how much character does the aged face of William Jackson have? Heaps. This is one of the best picture books I have ever read and raises many philosophical questions about caring for pets, and old age.

Country Wisdom by Jim Conquest

This is a beautiful coffee table type book with captivating photos of rural Australia by photographer Jim Conquest. As the title implies, it contains little gems of wisdom. I have uploaded a couple of images to give a feel for the book.

Keeping an eye on the neighbours' place

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