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Blinky Bill #1
Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian
While telling the adventures of Blinky Bill, a naughty little boy in the form of a koala, the stories also present messages of conservation. Blinky Bill is known for his mischievousness and his love for his mother. His friends include his adopted sister Nutsy, his kangaroo friend Splodge, his platypus friend Flap, Marcia the marsupial mouse, and his mentor Mr Wombat or Wombo, as Blinky prefers to call him. In general throughout the stories he does things that are realistic for koalas as well as things that child readers would like to do. Dorothy Wall tells the stories directly to the children and Blinky often interacts with the readers in an introduction. Her dedications are often to 'All the Kind Children', with her own son Peter and other common Australian names of the 1930s appearing. The books are also fully illustrated by Dorothy Wall herself.
103 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1933
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 24, 2023
I only read the first book in the Blinky Bill series because…well… he’s a jerk and I didn’t like him. But I can see how both the book, and Blinky Bill were so much a part of the era in which they were created. For example, even though Blinky Bill is such a ratbag his mother defends him, and criticises Mrs Grunty’s son Snubby, saying at least her son would grow up to be a man. Whereas the gentle, obedient Snubby would never be a real man. That’s quite a little gem of insight into Australian attitudes at the time of writing, and I was tempted to read on. But in the end I decided it wasn’t enough incentive for me to read further stories.
May 9, 2019
I did not finish this book- my daughter just didn't find it interesting. The pacing was a bit too slow for her, you know, not enough superheroes and explosions.
If I get more time at some point, I will revisit it. I read probably 45 pages or so. The chapters almost work like short stories, they seemed like they'd be a good bedtime story book. My daughter just doesn't have the sort of personality to enjoy it.
You can read this book online, it is available for free with the National Library of Australia.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-943876/view...
If I get more time at some point, I will revisit it. I read probably 45 pages or so. The chapters almost work like short stories, they seemed like they'd be a good bedtime story book. My daughter just doesn't have the sort of personality to enjoy it.
You can read this book online, it is available for free with the National Library of Australia.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-943876/view...
July 25, 2021
Read the original full text version online.
At first I thought this quite like Winnie the Pooh except Australian, but it's actually a lot more violent (and not to mention the racist bit in chapter 4 about black people). As I have mentioned in other book reviews, animal stories are not my favourite, especially when they are slow paced- this book is fits this bill, with a few exciting bits, but it certainly is not one I'd read again.
At first I thought this quite like Winnie the Pooh except Australian, but it's actually a lot more violent (and not to mention the racist bit in chapter 4 about black people). As I have mentioned in other book reviews, animal stories are not my favourite, especially when they are slow paced- this book is fits this bill, with a few exciting bits, but it certainly is not one I'd read again.
February 28, 2020
Loved this book growing up and I'm not even australian.
May 20, 2021
1001 Children's Books list
Age group: 3+
Age group: 3+
August 8, 2021
Middle is more teach-y than I remembered
January 12, 2020
This is actually pretty terrible.
Loved the Blinky Bill cartoons as a kid; am convinced I know how to spell extraordinary from the show. But this book was incredible dull. Also, I couldn't get over how Walls kept referring to them as koala bears. No!! He is also not a cub.
Loved the Blinky Bill cartoons as a kid; am convinced I know how to spell extraordinary from the show. But this book was incredible dull. Also, I couldn't get over how Walls kept referring to them as koala bears. No!! He is also not a cub.
November 3, 2013
This is a book for older children - an Australian book about an adventurous little koala called Blinky Bill. It took me a while to get into - it starts from the perspective of his mother, when she first gives birth to him. We learn about how she tries to find a nurse for him (and after interviewing several animals, decides upon Angelina Wallaby) and how she tries to protect him from the evil snake, and how they eventually travel as a family, along with Angelina Wallaby, to find somewhere safer to live. This is all quite quaint and amusing, although not particularly exciting reading, and I'm not sure that as a child I'd have been particularly interested in the mother's perspective. So I started off not too impressed with this book.
But then, as Blinky Bill grows older, there is a switch to his perspective, and suddenly the book changes tone and becomes a lot more fun. It felt like one minute I was reading about Mrs Koala's gentle struggles to protect her baby, and the next minute I was witnessing a hilarious chase scene in a sweet shop - the woman who owns the sweet shop furious that Blinky Bill has found his way in and has been merrily munching the sweets! It's very visual slapstick comedy.
One thing I found particularly amusing about the book is Blinky Bill's complete disregard for rules or people's feelings - it is quite refreshing that there is absolutely no moral lesson to be learnt from this story! Blinky Bill's two conflicting motives are desire for adventure, and desire not to be hurt. He discovers a Frog school and asks to join, but ends up causing mayhem, and has to run off because he has landed on the teacher frog and totally squashed her - he actually thinks he's killed her, and is concerned only about the revenge that will ensue! And there is a delightful scene where he invites himself to a rabbit's party, and spends the evening pulling the tail of an annoying lady rabbit, who eventaully realises it is him and takes him out to give him a good kicking!
It's very rough and ready humour - no room for delicate feelings! Blinky Bill is a naughty little koala, and his naughtiness creates humour, but so do the come-uppances he gets. I can imagine reading this as a child, rooting for him, although also having a sense of 'Well, he did deserve that!' when he gets into trouble. Blinky Bill is often quite rude, for instance, commenting insultingly on the appearance of other animals - so when animals comment on his appearance (asking what that big black thing in the middle of his face is, for instance, having never seen a nose like his!) and he feels a bit hurt, one doesn't feel too sorry for him. He's got his just desserts.
As well as the story, and the fact that the animals are obviously given human characteristics, there is a lot in the story about the actual lifestyles of the different sorts of animals, and how they differ. The rather rude comments the animals make about each others' differences is also informative! I feel a know a little about some of the various animals in Australia now.
There are apparently more books in the series. I didn't like it enough to feel inspired to read more, but it was definitely a unique and fun read.
But then, as Blinky Bill grows older, there is a switch to his perspective, and suddenly the book changes tone and becomes a lot more fun. It felt like one minute I was reading about Mrs Koala's gentle struggles to protect her baby, and the next minute I was witnessing a hilarious chase scene in a sweet shop - the woman who owns the sweet shop furious that Blinky Bill has found his way in and has been merrily munching the sweets! It's very visual slapstick comedy.
One thing I found particularly amusing about the book is Blinky Bill's complete disregard for rules or people's feelings - it is quite refreshing that there is absolutely no moral lesson to be learnt from this story! Blinky Bill's two conflicting motives are desire for adventure, and desire not to be hurt. He discovers a Frog school and asks to join, but ends up causing mayhem, and has to run off because he has landed on the teacher frog and totally squashed her - he actually thinks he's killed her, and is concerned only about the revenge that will ensue! And there is a delightful scene where he invites himself to a rabbit's party, and spends the evening pulling the tail of an annoying lady rabbit, who eventaully realises it is him and takes him out to give him a good kicking!
It's very rough and ready humour - no room for delicate feelings! Blinky Bill is a naughty little koala, and his naughtiness creates humour, but so do the come-uppances he gets. I can imagine reading this as a child, rooting for him, although also having a sense of 'Well, he did deserve that!' when he gets into trouble. Blinky Bill is often quite rude, for instance, commenting insultingly on the appearance of other animals - so when animals comment on his appearance (asking what that big black thing in the middle of his face is, for instance, having never seen a nose like his!) and he feels a bit hurt, one doesn't feel too sorry for him. He's got his just desserts.
As well as the story, and the fact that the animals are obviously given human characteristics, there is a lot in the story about the actual lifestyles of the different sorts of animals, and how they differ. The rather rude comments the animals make about each others' differences is also informative! I feel a know a little about some of the various animals in Australia now.
There are apparently more books in the series. I didn't like it enough to feel inspired to read more, but it was definitely a unique and fun read.
April 5, 2021
A longer version of this review was published on Lost in a Good Book
First published in 1933 the time period is evident in Wall’s writing style and the events in this book. The notion of Australian animals is a fascination and similar to May Gibbs with the Gumnut stories, telling stories of “the Australian bush” was the way to go. We’re introduced to Blinky after he’s born and how the animals around comment on him, watch him get named, and then, in a weird turn of events see him being nannied by a wallaby and almost get eaten by a snake. Why a newborn koala is being taken from the tree to the ground is not even the first question, the better one is why his mother can’t raise him herself. But such was the times I suppose and Wall is reflecting human behaviour onto these animals.
To give her some slight credit, Wall doesn’t overly anthropomorphise the animals. There is a group that live around the tree and are neighbours, animals hunt and are preyed upon, and we see Blinky’s early life. He is cheeky and mischievous, the iconic red “knickerbockers” on him from a young age.
Wall doesn’t hold things back either, there is a proper depressing description of the death of Blinky’s father in the first chapter, one told from both his perspective and the others. Definitely something I wasn’t expecting. It isn’t graphic, but it is rough to listen to. As Blinky grows up and explores the bush we see more of the animal life and the balance with humans and see the tense relationship between them.
Blinky has always been portrayed as being cheeky, but he is a lot rougher and harsher in the book. He hates his neighbour, he also runs away a lot when he doesn’t get his own way. The “reality of bush life” is through this story, Wall obviously wanted a cute tale about the Aussie bush creatures but it isn’t quite as cute with hunters culling koalas for no reason and animals preying on others, but it also has a simplicity about it where Blinky comes across various Australian animals and having brief encounters with them. Wall’s Australian knowledge only goes so far as Blinky’s mother is called Mrs Bear for most of the book until it switches to Mrs Koala and Blinky is called a cub not a joey, but given the actual weirdness in the story that part I might forgive her for.
First published in 1933 the time period is evident in Wall’s writing style and the events in this book. The notion of Australian animals is a fascination and similar to May Gibbs with the Gumnut stories, telling stories of “the Australian bush” was the way to go. We’re introduced to Blinky after he’s born and how the animals around comment on him, watch him get named, and then, in a weird turn of events see him being nannied by a wallaby and almost get eaten by a snake. Why a newborn koala is being taken from the tree to the ground is not even the first question, the better one is why his mother can’t raise him herself. But such was the times I suppose and Wall is reflecting human behaviour onto these animals.
To give her some slight credit, Wall doesn’t overly anthropomorphise the animals. There is a group that live around the tree and are neighbours, animals hunt and are preyed upon, and we see Blinky’s early life. He is cheeky and mischievous, the iconic red “knickerbockers” on him from a young age.
Wall doesn’t hold things back either, there is a proper depressing description of the death of Blinky’s father in the first chapter, one told from both his perspective and the others. Definitely something I wasn’t expecting. It isn’t graphic, but it is rough to listen to. As Blinky grows up and explores the bush we see more of the animal life and the balance with humans and see the tense relationship between them.
Blinky has always been portrayed as being cheeky, but he is a lot rougher and harsher in the book. He hates his neighbour, he also runs away a lot when he doesn’t get his own way. The “reality of bush life” is through this story, Wall obviously wanted a cute tale about the Aussie bush creatures but it isn’t quite as cute with hunters culling koalas for no reason and animals preying on others, but it also has a simplicity about it where Blinky comes across various Australian animals and having brief encounters with them. Wall’s Australian knowledge only goes so far as Blinky’s mother is called Mrs Bear for most of the book until it switches to Mrs Koala and Blinky is called a cub not a joey, but given the actual weirdness in the story that part I might forgive her for.
July 18, 2011
A 1001 CBYMRBYGU.
Blinky Bill is a young koala boy who is always getting into trouble. He often runs away from home and then immediately regrets his decision to run away. While running away, he meets many other animals.
Blinky Bill is a young koala boy who is always getting into trouble. He often runs away from home and then immediately regrets his decision to run away. While running away, he meets many other animals.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews