WIN $150 GIFT VOUCHERS: ALADDIN'S GOLD
Ben Clifford ============ Ben Clifford was born and raised in Tasmania, Australia. He began illustrating after living in a nice place with the cuckoos and sparrows in England. After returning home he began drawing, painting, illustrating and writing books. When he's not drawing or writing stories, running through forests, climbing mountains or kayaking in rivers, he loves to swim at the beach and build sandcastles. Richard Turner ============== Richard Turner is an author and Performing Arts teacher in Adelaide South Australia, who supports children's creative voices through drama and dance. He has directed and choreographed musicals, working with students who can sing and dance way better than he can. Like most people, Richard has to be told to eat his peas, but never has to be told to eat his jellybeans or ice cream. He has been on a skateboard, a rollercoaster, an elephant and a camel. He has also been on a spaceship to the moon, but only in his dreams!
With an emphasis placed on natural history, Turner invites readers to award gold, silver, and bronze medals to three animal contestants in each of 10 actual Olympics events. Some choices are no-brainers (against the albatross, the snowshoe hare and the arctic wolf really have no chance in ski jumping), but more are tough: in ice hockey, for instance, the social penguins bring speed and teamwork; the polar bears get a leg up (so to speak) in defending the goal, because of their huge paws; and the wolverines are fierce and tenacious. Clifford's illustrations are as riveting as the competitions themselves: he depicts a host of arctic and antarctic creatures in fine, naturalistic detail but places them in action poses, sporting athletic gear and game faces. Highlights include the balletic puffin figure skater, the colossal squid curling team, and the opening and closing ceremonies. If the premise is a bit more artificial than that of Martin Jenkins' The Animal Awards (2019), the combination of basic animal facts and dramatic scenarios still adds up to a winner. --John Peters, Booklist
