Review of "Naked Bunyip Dancing"

Bibliography: Herrick, Steven. Ill. Norling, Beth. 2005. Naked Bunyip Dancing. China: Allen & Unwin. ISBN: 978-1590784990.

Critical Analysis

This verse novel written in free verse, with a mellow rhythm is appropriate for early middle school and older elementary readers. The language is intimate and informal, at times the reader feels like they are hearing a secret for the first time, at other times it is clear the reader has access to the characters inner thoughts and feelings. Individual poems are short, usually a page, and are titled with the character's name. At times the title of a poem is the name alone, at other times the title includes the character's name, an example is, "Micheal's Quiet Lunch."

The loose structure and intimate tone lend themselves well to addressing issues that adolescents usually feel stress around. Consider the following excerpt -

"Micheal's Secret

Emily and Jason
have done it.
They've kissed.
Yeah - lips,
open mouth,
spit and teeth everywhere . . ."

The drama and angst of the situation is well-balanced with the casual language - "Yeah." Additionally, the humor of the situation is highlighted by the detailed description, by a character (Micheal) that seems to enjoy his secret, but does not seem to have enjoyed the sight - "open mouth, spit and teeth everywhere."

Not all of the poems that address adolescent anxiety inducing situations are treated humorously, however. "Alex, on holiday" is a poem that looks at the anxiety of divorcing parents and the dreaded "What I did on my Summer Vacation" essay. The following is a short excerpt of the poem.

"Alex, on holiday

I'm sure glad Mr. Carey
didn't ask us to write
about our holiday.
How do you write an essay
on helping your dad move out
to go and live in a little flat
around the corner?"

Throughout the the text Herrick validates the emotional turmoil that accompanies adolescence while using humor to avoid both dreariness and a pedantic tone. The tone of Naked Bunyip Dancing is validating, humorous, and loose, much like the new teacher, Mr. Carey, who, "has long hair and a beard . . . wears flared trousers and beads" and opens the class by singing along to Bob Dylan. Throughout this verse novel, the character of Mr. Carey leads the class with compassion, encouragement, validation, and humor. The story culminates in a class talent show in which all of the students feel celebrated for the person they are.

Although some of the references are Australian, "Bunyip" for instance - the text is still highly accessible, and the characters presented will elicit laughter, feelings of comfort and intrigue, and validation to the adolescent reader.



Review Excerpts

Booklist: "The characters are fun (Peter is allergic to sports, and he farts even when the class does yoga), as are the angry insults (“uglier than a hippopotamus”) and the emotional dramas (“Ring her and say I’m sorry?”). Decorated with occasional ink cartoons, including 24 small portraits of the kids, this book will be a good choice for readers’ theater and for creative-writing classes."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Christmas vacation is over and it's back to school in the sweltering heat for this class of Australian sixth-graders. They have a new teacher who has long hair, a beard, and a fondness for Bob Dylan and poetry, but they prove that they have fondnesses of their own as they organize a school concert to showcase their various talents—rap, dance, poetry, and punk performance art, to name a few highlights."

Awards
Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award for Language Development recipient, 2006, upper primary readers category

Children's Book Council of Australia Award recipient, 2006, younger readers category

Connections

This text is perfect for a class of adolescent aged readers as an introduction reading at the beginning of the year. It can help set a positive, safe tone for the entire class. After reading the verse novel as a class, lead students in their own free-verse poetry. Consider encouraging students to keep private journals to write their poetry in if they want to tackle difficult subjects in their poetry in a safe environment.

The book Diamond Willow by Helen Frost is another verse novel written in free-verse that tackles the issues faced by adolescents.