Sir Sydney Dinkum

Special Full Color Edition

Children - Grade 4th-6th
168 Pages
Reviewed on 03/30/2015
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Sir Sydney Dinkum is a full colour illustrated children’s book by Marc Reilly and Martha Gold. It follows the adventures of Sydney, a wily koala bear who dreams of being the next great hero of the world. Sydney is able to communicate with all animals, including humans, and it is his fondest dream to become an armour-clad Koala Knight. Along with a wombat squire named Sancho and his noble steed, a deaf camel called Rosie, Sydney sets out on an epic and hilarious quest aimed at readers of the 4th to 6th grades (US). Along with its not-so-hidden messages about the preservation of koalas in the real world, Sydney Dinkum is portrayed as a lovable yet flawed hero with tremendous heart and a cool factor that’s off the scale.

As a child who was obsessed with Crocodile Dundee, I found myself sucked back into my past as soon as I opened Sir Sydney Dinkum. The spectacular illustrations accompany a delightful and hilarious story, in which writers Marc Reilly and Martha Gold really bring Australian culture to life. Sydney’s story is funny, straightforward and highly suitable for its intended age range, yet its charm and depth will certainly appeal to parents wanting to read their child something fun before bed too. I, for one, found myself smiling all the way through the delightful plot, and wishing I’d had stories like this one to entertain me when I was a child. Overall, a marvellous adventure with fabulous illustrations and a story that never gets old or unfunny. Bravo.

Jack Magnus

Sir Sydney Dinkum: The World's Zaniest Koala Knight is a children's action and adventure tale written by Martha Gold and Marc Reilly and illustrated by Polina Ipatova and Kenny Davis. Sydney lives in a very special tree house that he designed called Chok-A-Blok, and his wombat pal, Sancho, lives in his burrow at the foot of Sydney's tree. One night, Sydney has a dream that he's in a huge arena and everyone is calling out his name. He's sitting on a camel and carrying a heavy wooden lance. Facing him is a huge knight on a black charger. When the knight charges, Sydney ducks just before the knight's lance strikes him, and then he wakes up. Sydney wonders why he ducked, and then he remembers the words of the chief of the aborigine tribe that adopted him when he lost both of his parents. Dreams are a state of mind, the chief had said, and they can refer to your past, present or future.

Martha Gold and Marc Reilly's children's action and adventure tale, Sir Sydney Dinkum: The World's Zaniest Koala Knight, is a story worth cheering for. Sydney is one of the most entertaining characters I've had the pleasure to read about, and he's definitely the most entertaining koala. Ipatova and Davis's illustrations are inspired; each one is brilliantly colored and masterfully composed. Sir Sydney Dinkum has a plot that is filled with adventure, danger and discovery as the young knight and his squire set out to do good deeds. Along the way, the reader gets to see a good deal of Australia's wild places and learn to speak Australian. Just in case a word seems unfamiliar, there's also a grand glossary in the back of the book. I had a marvelous time reading Sir Sydney Dinkum: The World's Zaniest Koala Knight. It's most highly recommended for children of all ages (this most definitely includes adults).

Faridah Nassozi

In Sir Sydney Dinkum, by Marc Reilly and Martha Gold, two best friend marsupials - a koala named Sidney and a wombat named Sancho - had settled into a very comfortable daily routine in the Australian outback, one that generally revolved around relaxing and having fun. The two treasured their routine and had no intention of giving it up for anything. However, their life took an unexpected, scary and exciting turn when Sydney started having strange dreams that saw him exhibiting some weird and dangerous behaviour. The only way for Sydney to put these dreams to rest was by changing his life. Following his dream and the advice of some newly acquired friends, he reached out to the most important person he knew - the owner of his favourite pub in town - so he could be dubbed a knight. Together with his best friend, now his squire, they set off on an adventure.

Sir Sydney Dinkum by Marc Reilly and Martha Gold is an enchanting kids' story book that will capture the minds of its young readers with an exciting storyline filled with laughter and adventure. The story is brought to life through a humour-filled writing style and incredible coloured illustrations that pop out of the pages to make the setting even more vivid. Marc Reilly and Martha Gold paint a very bizarre, unique and exciting little world set in the outback of Australia, its surroundings and its wacky inhabitants. Imagine a world where the animals of the wild peacefully co-exist with the humans and they even hang out at the same pub. This particular koala understands human language and can even do business with the humans. Sir Sydney Dinkum is a fun way to teach kids about life's important values, living life bravely, friendship, and chasing their dreams. It is also an exciting way for them to learn about some of the animals that live in the Australian wild.