Thirty Things a Kangaroo Can Do: Self Belief Is Just a Hop Away

Kevin is a kangaroo on a journey of self-discovery. With help from his wise mom, he navigates the winding path to understanding his own abilities and to stop comparing himself to others.

All Sir Rhymesalot books include visual prompts to denote rhyming and the rhythm of the phrasing, which is a wonderful child literacy too.

Except:

You can grow brand-new teeth

when your old ones wear down

All kangaroos can,

our talents abound

You can bounce at high speed,

40 miles in an hour

You can stand on your tail,

your tail is high-powered

And then there’s your spirit,

unique to us all

There’s only one you,

there’s never been one before

No one can love the way

my Kevin can

Every hair on your head

was purposely planned

＂Wow!, that’s amazing＂

Kevin calmly proclaimed

＂I had no idea,

until you explained＂

＂And Kevin, my boy,

keep thinking of more

There are many more gifts

for you to explore

But there’s no need to boast,

keep your news to yourself

You can’t be compared

to anyone else

An Australian poet-pirate-persona is a very good place to start describing this relentless-rhymer, but his books are as multidimensional as the renaissance man himself. Simon Mills is a gregarious, larger-than-life author who masterfully com- municates on multiple levels. Courageously comedic and then soulful when you least expect it, his stories entertain the parent reader on one level and the youngster on another entirely. You will meet Violet the Virus who longingly loves people but has no idea she is harmful. You will meander through Venice with Pigeoni, the Italian consigliere whose fanciful-fairytales prove too much for his fellow feath- ered friends until they discover the remarkable truth of his character. Parables that ponder themes from bullying to self-belief in I Lost My Brave, and from racial harmony, in Cyril the Squirrel to social distancing dilemmas in I Lost My Hug.