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First Impression: A thrilling caper that sees a group of kangaroos harnessing their martial arts skills to conduct a daring rescue.

The taekwonderoos - rescue at rattling ridge book cover

And he’s back…Following the successful debut of his first children’s book, Josie, Johnnie, and Rosie and the Ocean Rescue, Michael Panzner is back with another thrilling tale for the little ones. I would like to thank Michael for a first look at this wonderful picture book and the opportunity to review it for the Papergirl Community before it reaches the masses. The generosity of the gift of an Advanced Reader Copy does not go unnoticed. Now onto the review…

From the very beginning, Michael Panzner’s, The Taekwonderoos: Rescue at Rattling Ridge is an inviting read. Brianna greets the reader and asks them to come along for the adventure. The dedication is sweet as the book goes out to friends of the Taekwonderoos, no matter who, what or where they are. All the while, the reader gets to experience the exquisite artwork of Lora Look depicting scenes of the Australian outback. Considering these are predominantly dessert scenes, Look has selected a superb color palette that is realistically colorful and brings Panzner’s words to life.

‘So, who are the Taewonderoos?’, you might ask. They are three kangaroos, George, Brianna, and Jackson, with not only their own individual special talents, but masters of taekwondo too. Whilst out practicing, they hear a distress call. Discovering it belongs to a young Joey in the far distance, they must race against time to save the young roo. Can they use their skills, and if so, how? Will it even make a difference, and if so, how?

On the pages where there is text, it is often written against the backdrop of a cloud, or at least in the sky. This is visually pleasing, consistent, and easy to read. It is also above the main action depicted in the illustrations. Where there isn’t text, the pictures are stimulating and depict motion both in what is presented but also by leading into the events that come next. The text is appropriate for the younger members of the audience it is aimed at, but I wonder if 7–8-year-olds would prefer a slightly more challenging text. Either way, the characters are fun and unique and make martial arts sound both interesting and glamorous. There is a good balance between narrative and dialogue, and it is particularly great to hear the characters speak their ideas on how to tackle their tasks and what they have learned from their experience.

This book is well placed in a school, library, playgroup, or home. It’s one that is best served for carpet time/daytime reading as it might be a little long for a bedtime story for a tired three-year-old. The numerous pages of pictures also control the flow of the story and provide many instances to pause for thought, reflection, and discussion. My six-year-old was fond of the story and enjoyed the characters. We both noted that we hadn’t read stories about kangaroos before and that other animals were more commonplace. As a child that practices martial arts, he also thought it was really cool to think about how he might use his own talents. Seeing him engaged and interested, whilst experiencing his inquisitive nature towards this book solidified my belief that the book is a 5 out of 5. This is not a difficult book to fall in love with and children are certain to want to read this again, and again. If he’s not there already, Panzner should be on your watchlist when looking out for picture books. His imagination is relevant for this category of reading material, and he does well to incorporate and model good morals in his work in a way that is fun.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / G Rated

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