By Phil Kettle & Bob Andersen
Illustrated by Shane McGowan
Welcome to the Clancy of the Outback series.
Eleven-year old Clancy, has been thrust into life out woop-woop. These are his stories of his outback adventures at his uncle’s sheep station, Overflow Station.
Best Suited 7-10 years
Chookshed Blues
Dad decides to build a chook house with encouragement from Mum. Big Bill’s ute is used to bring in the wood and corrugated iron and wire netting for the chookhouse. Dad and Clancy build it and ensure that the run is protected from foxes. Dad’s chook house is a bit shakey. Dad and Clancy buy the chickens at the Farmers’ Market. The trouble starts when a large fox gets into the chook yard and Clancy and Mum notice that the chooks are very big and growing very fast. Eventually Big Bill works out what’s wrong but the annual school Christmas fete is a great success.
City Slicker
In this book, we are introduced Brutus and Butters Clancy and Little Bill’s dogs. Clancy has a lot to learn, and Little Bill makes sure he begins to understand the rules of country living. She takes Clancy for a tour of the property in the old ute and when they are a distance away from the homestead, she lets Clancy take control of the vehicle. The result is disastrous when Clancy mistakes the accelerator for the brake. The ute is undriveable and so they must walk back to the homestead. Clancy is exhausted and goes to bed straight after dinner. He has a nightmare about being a racing car driver.
Roadkill Rescue
In this book, the school bus runs over a mother kangaroo outside the gate to Overflow Station and Clancy and Little Bill find a joey in the pouch. Eventually the whole family become involved in looking after the joey. The story becomes more complicated when Big Bill announces a kangaroo cull. Clancy and Little Bill decide to mount a campaign to save the local wildlife which coincides with Little Bill declaring herself vegan. Nevertheless, the campaign goes on and is a huge success.
Shearing Time
this book, Big Bill decides to bring the shearing forward and Mum and Little Bill and Clancy clean the shearers’ quarters. Big Bill is keen to see if Mum will do the cooking for the gang but in the end a cook arrives with the shearers. Little Bill shows Clancy how to throw a fleece and then the rain arrives which means that the whole shearing process must stop. The cook has had enough. When shearing resumes some weeks later Mum does the cooking and it’s a great success.
