Thursday , March 28 2024
A story about life in the Australian outback.

Book Review: Taconi & Claude: Double Trouble by Margot E. Finke

Margot Finke has done it again! Her witty sense of humor, unbridled passion and talent to write stories for children and teens shine through like a beacon in the night.

In Taconi and Claude: Double Trouble, Ms. Finke introduces the reader to the Australian outback. The two lovable characters, Taconi and his beloved best friend Claude, a cockatoo, will captivate you till the very end of the story. The story chronicles the coming of age of a boy from a tribe in the 1950s era of the Australian outback. Taconi leaves the hills to come with his father to serve an affluent family at a time when he is also to enter the manhood of his Tribe.

Taconi and the cockatoo experience daily challenges together in a fun and amusing way. Along the journey, the reader will learn much about Australian folk tales and primitive tribal living.

The most memorable moment in this delightful tale is the author’s ingenious way to show that in Australia it is not too farfetched to indulge in eating snakes and other unheard-of critters.

There are a great deal of lessons one can learn from reading Taconi & Claude. Here are a few that stand out:

1) Hard Work: Taconi learns from his dad that hard work pays off. The lesson to be learned is that nothing comes easy in life; one must be willing to work hard to achieve goals. In the end, Taconi is inspired by his dad’s willingness to work hard and he helps his father keep his job as a cook and makes his father proud of the young man he has become.

2) Friendship: I love the strong friendship between Taconi and his mouthy cockatoo. Even though Claude’s death defying curiosity led to Taconi being smothered by flesh-biting critters, Taconi managed to forgive Claude and they remained close buddies.

3) Self Discovery: Taconi searches for the power he thinks he needs to survive by diligently looking for the blue kingfisher feather. Taconi is convinced that the blue kingfisher feather has magical power that will help him obtain unlimited amount of courage. In the end, Taconi discovers the power he is looking for comes from within.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book for both girls and boys. I believe, students can learn a lot about what it means to be loyal and the benefits one can reap from hard work. Lastly, the glossary of Aussie terms at the end of the book will introduce readers to an array of new vocabulary and expose them to a new culture.

About Nicole Weaver

Nicole Weaver is an award-winning author. Her first trilingual book Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle was published in 2009. Her love for languages and other cultures resulted in publishing the award-winning book, My Sister Is My Best Friend which was published in 2011 by Guardian Angel Publishing. My Sister Is My Best Friend has won the following awards: 2012 Creative Child Awards Program consisting of moms and educators has awarded this book the 2012 PREFERRED CHOICE AWARD Kids Picture Storybooks category. 2012 Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval 2012 Children's Literary Classics Gold Award Readers' Favorite 5 Star Review Her newest book , My Brother Is My Best Friend was also published by Guardian Angel Publishing, January 2014.

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