Kids’ Book Review: Review: Hairy Holes

It’s an outback adventure like no other when a ‘skinny’ stumbles across the secret lair of a Hairy Holer brother duo.

Beg and Red are a couple of Hairy Holers living life in the Australian bush. Cruising the desert. Drinking grub tea. The usual things.

But when outback explorer Joplin (a skinny) stumbles right into them, everything changes. Beg’s the friendly brother. He wants to show Joplin around. Teach him the hairy ropes. Red… well, Red wants to eat him, but that’s Red for you!

Beg and Joplin get to know each other and Beg lets Joplin in on some of the outback’s (and the Hairy Holers’ most secret of secrets).

In return, Joplin offers Beg help to track down other Hairy Holers using the internet. But is getting online really such a great idea? Is social media Beg’s destiny or the start of something really, really bad?

This is the start of a great JF graphic novel series. Written by renowned Yawuru graphic novelist Brenton E McKenna, it brings legend to life in a super fun way. Yeti, Big Foot, Hairy Man, Abominable Snowman — they are the legends of many places, called lots of different things with different stories and quirks. This is the Hairy Holers’ story, and it’s a wild, wild ride!

McKenna injects loads of humour into his work. These two cool (and sometimes crude) creatures will provide lots of laughs for readers. Reluctant readers in particular will like McKenna’s easy-read approach, which is definitely not on the serious side of the fence. McKenna’s illustration style, too, is super funky. Lots of details, louder than life expressions — they’re a whole lot of fun.

With a cliff-hanger ending, and the promise of some serious challenges to come for our heroes Beg and Red, I’m looking forward to the next instalment of Hairy Holes.

Title: Hairy Holes
Author/Illustrator: Brenton E McKenna
Publisher: Magabala Books, $17.99
Publication Date: 1 April 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922613189
For ages: 7 – 10
Type: Graphic Novel