Neil the sea cucumber is not sure why he is in this book. Usually books are full of exciting creatures, and his life is a little, well, boring.

Things have been even quieter since Sandra, also a sea cucumber, floated away in the undertow. He misses Sandra. Why did she have to go with the flow?

Neil is named after a vegetable but he’s never seen one. He just spends his time hanging around at the bottom of the sea not doing much.

When a pickled cucumber falls off a boat into the sea, it wafts to the seabed is little distance from Neil. His excitement level goes through the roof. Could it be that Sandra has returned? He must get to her. ‘Stay there Sandra, I’m coming!’

Neil is the most wonderful deadpan character. His tale is very funny, eliciting snorts of laughter from me as I read it aloud.

Neil, the Amazing Sea Cucumber is such a fun, delightful book, already a classic. It’s fabulous and the clever illustrations by Lucinda Gifford only dials up the level of hilarity even further. Neil story works on many levels, leaving adults and kids alike giggling away.

Buy it, borrow it, but whatever you do, don’t miss it!

Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 3+

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amelia McInerney was born and raised in Melbourne but has spent her adult life living in the US, UK, Canada, as well as in four states of Australia. She has finally come to a stop in Canberra, where she spends most days writing kids’ books, staring out the window thinking about kids’ books, and occasionally just plain staring out the window. When she’s not writing, thinking or staring, Amelia likes to help people while simultaneously playing with slime; an unusual combination that makes her other job doing ultrasounds highly suitable. She also enjoys yoga and snorkelling, although not simultaneously.

Amelia’s first picture book, The Book Chook, was a CBCA Notable Book 2020 and was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Picture Book of the Year. Her subsequent titles include: Bad Crab, My Bird Bertie, Mary Had a Little Lamb: What Really Happened and Who Fed Zed? (the latter also shortlisted for SPA Book of the Year and long listed for ABDA Book of the Year.) By far, Amelia’s favourite vegetable is the potato and she has a penchant for it in all cooked forms. She also has three kids, two chickens and a hermit crab.

Visit Amelia McInerney’s website

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Lucinda Gifford is a children’s book author and illustrator based in Melbourne Australia, and spends a lot of her time drawing in front of an audience. She draws in notebooks, on digital screens, on easels and on huge bits of cartridge paper stuck to the walls and windows.

When she’s not drawing in front of people, she writes and illustrates books in her studio in Melbourne.

She also uses a digital pencil with a Wacom tablet to do some of her illustrations, and she usually uses Photoshop to put her final illustrations together. Sometimes, she uses ProCreate on her iPad to draw with too – this is great as she can take her iPad out and about with her.

So far she’s illustrated 33 books – and written eight of these.

Visit Lucinda Gidfford’s website