Joy Cowley: Wild West Hullabaloo

Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand's most prolific and best-loved authors for children. While her picture books and novels are to be found in libraries and homes everywhere, her early readers continue to be used by emerging readers in primary schools throughout New Zealand and the United States.

Cowley has won numerous awards including the inaugural Children's Book of the Year Award in 1982 for The Silent One, and the AIM Book of the Year Award in 1992 for Bow Down Shadrach. She was awarded an OBE in 1992 for her services to children's literature, and in 2002 the Children's Literature Foundation, in association with Scholastic New Zealand, created the annual Joy Cowley Award for children's writers.

Cowley's first book was a novel for adults called Nest in a Falling Tree. Initially published in the United States in 1967, it was subsequently made into a film scripted by Roald Dahl. Cowley decided to write for children after realising that her son Edward was having difficulties in learning to read and that part of the problem was that the early readers then available did not appeal to him.

Her first picture book was the delightful anti-war story, The Duck and the Gun, which was published in the US in 1969. At last count, Cowley has written more than 500 books, with more than 40 million copies of Mrs Wishy Washy having been sold since 1980.

Her latest book, Wild West Hullabaloo, is the fifth book to feature the engaging Michael and his exuberant West cousins. Michael is an only child and his parents are conservative accountants who value restraint and discipline. In contrast, Uncle Leo and Auntie Rosie have a very relaxed approach to family life and as a result their unruly brood of five children are constantly having adventures.

In the first story, Michael has to come up with a creative topic for his school project. His cousin, Royce, suggests that he do his project on running a business and he persuades Michael to become his business manager. What this really means is that Michael has to come up with some ideas to raise money to pay for a new drum set for Royce. Within days he finds himself running a raffle, telling ghost stories and starring in a documentary.

In the second story in this book, called The Wild Wests Go Fishing, Michael joins his cousins on a weekend trip to Kaikoura where Uncle Leo and his mysterious friend Benny the Canary take the children on a fishing excursion.

Meanwhile, on shore, Grandadda West has been left in charge of Michael's puppy. Desperate for a whisky, Grandadda decides to take the puppy for a long walk into town, only to discover that he has left his wallet behind. How is he going to pay for that much needed drink?

The madcap adventures of Michael and his cousins are guaranteed to appeal to boys in particular. Use of short chapters and a relatively simple vocabulary make this book a great choice for children who find reading hard work, and once they have finished the book, they will be keen to read earlier titles in the series.

Cowley will be at the Storylines Family Day on Sunday at the Aotea Centre and will read from this book and others at the NZ Herald/Whitcoulls Kids Into Books Reading Aloud area at 2.30pm.

Publisher: HarperCollins

Price: $12.99

Age: 7-11

Recommended by: Dorothy Vinicombe