Newts, Lutes and Bandicoots is a book that will delight young readers. It masterfully incorporates word and picture interplay into every aspect of book. Each spread is densely and colourfully illustrated with no white space. There is much for the reader to take in. Illustrations are accompanied by humorous rhymes and riddles. Once the reader works out the one-word answer to the riddle the challenge is then to find as many pictures of objects, actions and other things that rhyme with the answer. Hidden on each page (except the last) is a tiny newt or bandicoot playing the lute.

At the back of the book is a list of the riddle answers. The answer is also written upside down on the corresponding page to the riddle. I would have preferred to have only the list at the back as my son (who is very good at reading upside down) began to go straight for the answer before reading the riddle. The end of the book also boasts a list of things to be found on each page. I challenge anybody to find them all!

– Vicki Stanton, Buzzwords

With ‘rhymes and riddles to make you giggle’, this interactive book with fully illustrated pages, will keep children entertained while learning new words and rhymes, solving riddles, and trying to find the hidden word and animals secreted somewhere on the page. There is a riddle on every page with a one word answer. The answer has to be guessed then found to confirm if it is right or wrong.

The themes are varied with a double page allocated to most themes. They cover a restaurant, circus, castle, a colonial scene, a snow scene with animals and children, entertainment with magic tricks, camping, trolls and moles, a campfire and picnic in the outback, flying animals, shearing, and pirates. Each scene is extremely detailed with animated versions of the characters and places. Australian animals are depicted throughout the book. This serves to encourage children to learn the names of each animal and where they are to be found. There are endless discoveries to be found and observation skills are definitely needed.

There’s an element of fantasy in every scene and Mark Spoor has thought very carefully about how to give the most to every illustration. The riddle answers can be found on the second last page and on the whole of the last page there is, under a listing of sub-headings of page numbers, all the words used in the book and the question, ‘Did you find these things?’ This highly educational picture book is suited to the 6+ age group, and can be helped along by an adult presence to support and answer any queries, and encourage the use of a dictionary.

– Anastasia Gonis, The Reading Stack