by Lyn Lysaught and Daniela Frongia

This early readers book can be likened to ‘Where’s Wally’. ‘Just Like Maisie’ is about a beagle whose disguises will have children laughing and pointing where to find Maisie. It’s a fun-loving story of a beagle who is not staying in a dog kennel while Mr and Mrs Harris enjoy the sites of London, Rome and Paris. Maisie is incognito at different locations. But the Harris’s think they are seeing Maisie everywhere they go — in the airport as a sniffer dog, as a beagle bag on the plane, as a bus driver on London’s red double decker bus etc.,

Author and teacher Lyn Lysaught, has created a comical travel story. The antics of Maisie in disguise shows an ingenious beagle — wearing a dark coat and dark sunglasses at the park – like an undercover agent, on stage as a can-can girl in a pink frilly dress – as a dancer. The scenes are joyous and will have young readers from 3 years thinking up other disguises, situations and locations for Maisie. This delightful book is a great way to introduce narratives to children so they can write their own imaginative stories.

Illustrator Daniela Frongia’s photographic-style, digitally-drawn buildings show young readers what these world landmarks really look like. The architectural buildings are washed in realistic creams and light browns. The illustrator has created light and shade on the building facades and stone arches to emphasise a time of day. Also the hot bright oranges, hot pink and yellows of the closeness of the show girls scene engages children to dance. Maisie’s facial expressions and disguises will have children shouting out, ‘There’s Maisie!’ or ‘There she is!’

The co-creators collaboration is seamless. Children will learn about real places in the world and about the people  — London’s Buckingham Palace, Paris’s The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, and Rome’s Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum. The Maisie books are a series of exciting learning experiences through vivid, engaging characters in realistic situations. The Maisie series has another fun book, ‘Play It Again’ about her unbelievable talents as a pianist.

Congratulations to Lyn Lysaught for the power of words which has inspired Daniela Frongia empowering illustrations.

Just Like Maisie book series is available from Lyn Lysaught’s website at www.lindyloubooks.com or Books of Buderim, Annie’s Books on Peregian, Berkelouw Book Barn Eumundi, Collin’s Booksellers Caloundra and Mary Ryans Noosa.

*co-authors – creators of word and picture narratives

Images courtesy of Lyn Lysaught and Daniela Frongia.

Life’s too short, to take on the world, without good books. MPB

Maria Parenti-Baldey, primary school teacher, writer, amateur photographer and blogger –  www.mariaparentibaldey.com