Dappled Annie and the Tigrish
Mary McCallum
Gecko Press
pub. 2014

09 March , 2021

Dappled Annie and the Tigrish by Mary McCallum is a heart warming book about friendship, bravery, and hedges. I chose this book because the blurb sounded really interesting, and the title also pulled me to it.

Annie is a nine year old girl living in a remote place called Winding Cottage. She lives with her mother and younger brother, Robbie, while her dad works long hours at the lighthouse nearby.

When an earthquake rumbles through the small cottage one afternoon, Annie and Robbie are sent outside to play. They soon get acquainted with the talking hedges at the end of the garden, and Annie discovers she is special: she is dappled. When a terrible wind sweeps across the lawn, taking a nest of baby fantail hatchlings with it, Annie is distraught. As she befriends the Tigrish, together they embark on an adventure to find the nest.

Annie shows courage, bravery and determination when she sets out with Robbie and the Tigrish to find the nest. She is very responsible, as she has to make sure to look after Robbie, who has an inquisitive nature and tends to wander off.

I really enjoyed reading this book; although I found it a bit boring at the start, I soon got into the groove and really liked it. I also especially liked that it had some facts about the author at the back, so I could explore more into different books from the same person.

One of my favourite parts in the book is when Annie uses the sunlight stored in the palm of her hand to light the lighthouse lamp: ‘A drop of saved sunlight left her hand, and there was a whoosh as the wick grew white, and then whiter still… Light was filling the dome above her like milk in a glass, and then being sucked out like a giant straw into the mouth of the night sky.’

I love the description of these sentences, as it creates a clear picture in my head of what is happening.

I love how Mary McCallum has invented the Tigrish to be a magical tiger that can shape shift.  I also love how he can smell of any random thing, at any time, whether it’s a ham sandwich or pancakes with maple syrup and bananas.

I would recommend this book to friends and family. I would also recommend a reading age of about 9-12 year-olds, as they will probably enjoy it more than older kids.

– Brianna Hellyer lives in Rolleston, Christchurch.