Review by Frank Plowright

Frankie is an enthusiastic fairy with a pet dog, Tuna, while her mother is a university professor. They were introduced in the delightful Frankie and the Creepy Cute Critters, where Frankie enthusiastically explored the surroundings of her new town and met the creatures inhabiting the area.

It’s now the summer holidays and instead of heading for the beach, Frankie is accompanying her mother on a research trip to the bog. She enjoys the ferns and exotic smells, but her small size can sometimes be a disadvantage, such as when encountering a spider early in the story. In addition to the assorted creatures Frankie and her mother come across, there’s a mystery this time as Frankie can’t sleep due to the weird off-key singing coming from somewhere during the night.

Caitlin Rose Boyle delivers another delight here with the very likeable Frankie exploring the world around her and revelling in what there is to be found. Boyle’s art is again as decidedly eccentric as Frankie herself, and equally likeable. It’s lively flat cartooning, goofy with a very individual use of colour. Frankie herself being dark purple isn’t a decision most creators would have taken, yet it works in context and makes Boyle’s art very recognisable.

So what is the strange song Frankie keeps hearing? It’s there in the title, actually, and the solution is clever. Young readers can learn about some exotic creatures that may live near them, although as was the case last time some like the snapping turtle are exclusive to North America. However, that’s not the point. Readers in other English speaking countries will have their own species to explore, although don’t go anywhere near the spiders in Australia without being very knowledgeable!

Yet another great journey of discovery awaits, and learning about nature can surely never have been as painless.