Shamus

=__**The Mighty Bunyips**__= It was the most amazing grand final in bush history. The Mighty Bunyips were facing their fiercest rivals, Feral United. The Bunyips were the crowd favourite, but how could they stop the unbeaten Ferals and their star full-forward, the razorback Snout? And with one of their players asleep on the job? It was a famous game, with a surprising finish! =__**Introduction**__=
 * Written and Illustrated by Paul Harvey[[image:enhancedenglish2012/Picture1.png width="384" height="361" align="right"]]**
 * Published in 2004 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited**
 * Blurb:**

Context:
__Who is the author and what other works have they created?__ Paul Harvey, the author of 'The Mighty Bunyips' is an Australian author and Caricaturist who has written multiple children picture books, mainly evolving around Australian sport. He has created another book called 'The Invisible Bunyips' which is similar to the story of 'The Mighty Bunyips' but is themed around the sport of cricket. Paul Harvey, renowned for his caricatures does many illustrations in the field of sport, in particular AFL and this is his day to day job. His fine artistic work can be enjoyed to the full extent in 'The Mighty Bunyips'

__What culture and historical period was this book written in?__ 'The Mighty Bunyips' was written in 2004 in a typical modern Australian society as this is is relfected by the book. AFL has dominated sport in Australia for a very lg time and it represents a large part of Australia's culture alone. The books heavy AFL theme represents a large factor in Australian culture by way of Aussie Rules. Australia has a great appreciation of its native animals, their uniqueness and comical characteristics have been cleverly implemented in the text to add humour as well as some stereotypical charactestics of certain animals which are expressed by Harvey in 'The Mighty Bunyips' through the text and illustrations. The pride which Australia has in their native animals has been displayed in the book as they are seen superior to the feral animals within the text.

Personal:
__Why did you choose this book and what does it mean to you?__ I chose the book 'The Mighty Bunyips' because it is my favorite book and means a lot to me. I first knew about this book when a teacher from my primary school read it to me knowing how much I loved football. I have loved football ever since i could walk and talk and although i was good at reading, I didn't enjoy it much. In year 5 when i was read this book i thought it was the the best book because it was about everything i loved, football. Another thing i loved about this book were the illustrations. They are extremely detailed and include many references to real AFL Football. =**__Conclusion__**=

Meaning:
__What are the messages or meanings in the book?__ The book begins with a grand-dad and his son sitting together talking football. Straight away we see a way of engaging the reader or audience of children as it is about football and idolizing those they love. It is important for older people involved in young children's lives to set the right example and be there for them just like the grand-dad in the story as these figures mean so much to young children. There are some very smart themes added to the book such as the two grand final teams and the animals within them. The animals in The Mighty Bunyips are all native Australian animals and in contrast, their opponents Feral United are all feral animals found in Australia.There is a message within the text that definitely expresses the good times, memories and fun to be had when playing football. This can be seen when the Bunyips are able to defeat feral united when all hope was lost. I believe one hidden message within the story is that of the character Dozey Koala. Although Dozey comes across to be useless and clearly not interested as he falls asleep at the top of the goal post, the fact that he ends up winning them the game proves that you should never underestimate the 'weakest link'.

__What are the visual and language features and how do they work to create meaning?__ The visual and language features in 'The Mighty Bunyips' are exceptionally detailed and well thoughtout giving the reader a great insight into the story and the characters. The author of the novel is in fact a caricaturist by occupation and the detail in his drawings is unbelievable. The text itself is medium in length and provides enough detail to keep the story moving. Its rhyming style adds a great flow to the text and is very enjoyable to read. The visual features and language features work exceptionally well together but still leave a little to the imagination of the reader. There are also some comical elements within the illustrations which add a good feel to the story. For those who are mad about Aussie Rules, there are many great details within the illustrations which add a very realistic feel to the game.

__**Quote from the author's website:**__ //'The Mighty Bunyips,// written and illustrated by Paul and published by Pan MacMillan. It’s about family, fauna and footy, a rollicking and educational tale drawing on football folklore and personalities with clever rhyme and genuine suspense'