Quoll’s Great Idea by Joanna Tait and Muza Ulasowski — a review

Quoll’s Great Idea is about a Spotted Quoll who has very cold feet in the snow and finds a novel way to overcome this.

Today it is my pleasure to share my review of Quoll’s Great Idea written by Joanna Tait and illustrated by Muza Ulasowski. Muza sent me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I have always admired Muza’s beautiful artwork and have previously introduced her to you when interviewing her about the beautiful picture book Forest Wonder written by Caroline Tuohey. You can read that interview here.

About author Joanna Tait

Joanna Tait is a medical practitioner, mother of five and grandmother of five with more grandchildren on the way. She has been writing all her life. Quoll’s Great Idea is her first published children’s picture book, with several more currently being illustrated.

About illustrator Muza Ulasowski

Muza Ulasowski established her art studio, Muza Designs, in 2007, set in the leafy western suburb of Brookfield in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The studio is surrounded by a vast array of wildlife who tend to regularly make an appearance in her illustrations.

In 2010, she was invited to illustrate her first children’s picture book and enjoyed it so much, she has been collaborating ever since with Australian and international authors and publishers. To date she has illustrated over 10 published children’s picture books and is currently illustrating several more.

Whilst primarily concentrating on creating digital images for children’s picture books, Muza also specializes in graphic design, designing book covers and book layouts to print ready stage.

She also enjoys creating pencil and charcoal illustrations, acrylic painting, photographing wildlife and creating colourful merchandise from her artwork on her trusty sewing machine.

Find out more about Muza on her website:  www.muzadesigns.com.au

Or connect with her on social media:

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/muzadesigns

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/MuzaDesigns

About Quoll’s Great Idea  — the blurb

A Spotted Quoll within the snow

had feet as cold as ice.

“So, what will help to keep them warm?”

he pondered once or twice.

Quoll has a GREAT idea leading to the most amazing series of events.

What I like about Quoll’s Great Idea

I’ve always enjoyed being creative and inspiring creativity in others. Spending time thinking and coming up with new ideas, especially great ideas that can solve problems is a wonderful pastime, so a book about a great idea has immediate appeal. Combine that with a cute lesser-known threatened Australian animal, the spotted quoll, and an endangered mountain pygmy possum and the book has to be a winner. Especially when Joanna Tait’s clever rhyming story is accompanied by Muza Ulasowski’s beautiful illustrations of these and other favourite Australian animals.

When Quoll spots some skiers on the snowy slopes, he thinks skis would be perfect for preventing his feet being so cold. He quickly finds a way to make his own skis and discovers that they not only work as he intended, they are fun too.

The other animals watch in amazement, then enlist Quoll’s help to make skis of their own.

The only ones who don’t join in are the little pygmy possums who will continue to hibernate until summer comes and the snow is gone. So, as well as being about creativity and good ideas catching on, the book is also about friendship and collaboration.

The book is great to read aloud and may get children thinking about inventing different ways of keeping warm or of getting around. Children will be entranced by the detail in Muza Ulasowski’s illustrations and will have no difficulty imagining themselves right there in the snow with Quoll and others.

I also like that the author has included information about the quoll and the mountain pygmy possum in the back of the book. There is just enough information to provide story background while piquing curiosity to encourage research for greater detail.

I am happy to recommend this beautiful picture book.

You can purchase your own copy of Quoll’s Great Idea from Muza’s website here.

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