My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch [pop-up]

by Graeme Base, John Baker (Illustrator), Keith Moseley (Illustrator)

Grandma, who lives with a large collection of animals in her small Australian town, takes a disastrous trip to the seaside.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Australia, Fantasy, Poetry, Humor

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Graeme Rowland Base is a British-Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

We loved the funny names of everything in this book. It seems to be set in Australia and they have some funny words. The animals had some weird names and the towns certainly did. The nephew laughed at these silly words, very much real in that country, I’m sure. I had no clue there were so many exotic animals.

The artwork is nice, but it does look like this is one of Graeme’s earliest works. It seems he is still developing his style. I think this must be one of his first works. I didn’t feel the story had a real direction. What was really going on? It didn’t feel as together as Graeme’s other stories. I wanted to like it more than I did. Also, he would have a page of text and the whole page artwork page would be black and white and you turn the page and that is a full spread color layout. It’s beautiful. I didn’t like that. Another cost saving measure that makes me think this is one of his first works.

The nephew laughed at the salamander looking thing in the armchair relaxing. The nephew loved seeing grandma ridding a Kangaroo or the wombat pulling her wagon. He thought those were good. He thought the names funny too. Even though not much happens, he gave this 3 stars for all the weird things in it.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice rhyming poem about Grandma's ill-fated seaside holiday is fine, but the author's artwork steals the show.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming tale from the land down under about a grandma who lived in Gooligultch amongst the animals. She decides to take a seaside trip with her faithful wombat and is never seen or heard of again.

[Cruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
First Published: 1983

Graeme Base is one of those seriously lucky (and talented!) authors - the first publisher he sent his first book to accepted it. "My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch" has subsequently been produced as a play. He has gone on to make a huge name for himself with is elaborate, complex illustrations, educative flair and love for the world around him.

"My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch" is different to his later works. He mixes pencil drawings with full-colour, full-page narrative illustrations but without the intense image literacy and complexity of later books. The verse lacks the mouth appeal and $5 words of "Animalia". Base has heavily (and beautifully) placed Grandma in regional Australia - the characters, animals, plants, language are ours. While the illustrations are beautiful, Base hasn't hidden his extra meaning and layers within them, and they lack the polish and perspective he develops later. And the rather open conclusion, alluding to death, grief, and moving forward, is not as tight as typical Base.

But that doesn't make it a bad book.

Grandma's are special people. They do amazing things. Honest! And sometimes they go away and don't come back. But maybe, just maybe, they're still doing special things.

An interesting foray into grief and loss.

Age
Read Aloud: 4+
Read Yourself: 7+

(ISBN 9780140509410)

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. This is an interesting book it takes place in Sydney and in Melbourne Australia.
2. The author is the illustratior. Every other page in this book is illustrate with deep rich color.The other pages are of a print like sketch.
3. There are rhyming passage through out this story. Loads of new vocabulary terms. The animals in this story are native to Australia.



Learning Activity

This story will be a great way for students to become aquanited with the classroom globe. I will use this story to prompt question about the location of Australia. How can we travel to Australia? Can we drive there? We can compare the differences that may exist from how we talk and live in America.

[Moopies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Graeme Base. I LOVE Good Australian Authors ^_^ This one is so fun, its about a wild granny who lives in the outback, does everything like a true Strayan~

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graeme Base's illustrations are unlike any others, but his lyrical rhyme is also spectacular. This story is wacky, funny and uniquely Australian.

[Moon Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

have always loved his art

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introduction to the animals of Australia. It's more playfulness than fact, but I appreciate the feel of the book. The illustrations are lovely, and I enjoy how after each versed page, there is a full-page color illustration. The book contains a sweet, homey nostalgia that I think anyone can appreciate. I've never been to Australia, but Gran's hut in the jungle seemed so cozy and familiar to me. The end is a bit odd -- I mean, since nobody's heard from her, I'm pretty sure she didn't just go back.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic romp through the Australian bush. Grandma is quite the adventurer, and she has very interesting animal friends. The illustrations are full of life. It would be fun to have a book about Australian animals handy so that kids (or you) could learn a bit more about the critters in the land Down Under.

[Danna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sailed the Nostalgia Sea this weekend, revisiting my Graeme Base collection before giving it away. Lovely books, and time for them to be passed on to a new soon-to-be reader. Welcome to the world little Benjamin! I'm happy to be your Auntie.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch
Base, Graeme
beautiful pictures, great rhythms, wonderful rhymes, and a great story from down under showing the strength of character in women, and the belief that a strong woman could survive everything, anything and all things.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful way to be introduced to the critters from Australia, along with a bit of map skills. The colorful and monochromatic pictures enhance the reading experience and give multiple opportunities to go back and check for understanding.

[Kate H · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations. This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator describes the adventures of his plucky grandmother who lives in Gooligulch, rides wallabies and is a legend at the local pub. Then one year, Grandma went away on a seaside holiday. Will she ever return?

Fabulous illustrations.

[Cana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy says: Funny tale about a spunky Australian Grandma, complete with Graeme Base's usual lush and detailed illustrations.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rolicking adventure from down under!

[Heather Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. The story, okay, but the color images are amazing...

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lovely childrens' book I had forgotten all about!

[Rimaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this Book was very In teresting .

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that all the pages were illustrated in full-color, instead of just about half of them.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a present from my mom's Aussie pen pal when I was about 11. Loved the story and particularly loved the colorful, vivid art. A good book for kids!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is just adorable. Absolutely love it!

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1983 in Australia, first published in the United States in 1990 after the worldwide success of Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, this book will be most enjoyed by those with an interest in Australian animals or all things Australia.

[Vanessa Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about the fantasy of a grandmother who lived in Gooligulch and went on so many adventures. She had lots of fun and got to hang out with all kinds of animals. I thought that this book was really fun and engaging because as we talked about in class it was something that the students can guess what is going to happen on the next page. I think this would make a great read-aloud book!
Author: Graeme Base
Illustrator: Graeme Base
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams September 1, 1990

[Elkaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another picture book from my childhood, that has a funny story, but even more stunning beautiful pictures, of Australian animals. All, from the great author and illustrator – Graeme Base.

This book is a great one to teach young children about our Australian animals, along with all the different ecosystems that make up the large landmass of Australia. All, done with a wonderful rhythming narrative, that has a bit of fun with a very cool Grandma.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a rhyming book; more specifically a poetry book. It has lots of pictures through out the book to keep children captivated in the reading and so they are able to have suspense leading up to the next page. The colors used through out the book are bright on some pages and dull on the pages that habve words on it, to keep the reader focused on the words on the page in my opinion.

[Brittney Cayford]

This is a great book for read-alouds that have different cultural languages. As the author is from Australia- he uses language from Australia- this is a multicultural language. This book is useful for understanding different types of families and types of settings. I said this was modern fantasy because of the events that happen- along with the talking animals-such as grandma riding a kangaroo.

[Robert Shupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australia and the animals of the land down under make a foundationation for this story by Mr. Base. He interwieves his prose and illustrations with the best of them and he delivers with a story about Grandma and her interactions with the continent's animals and it works wholeheartedly.

[Emilee Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids! I little harder to read because there are a few words that are a little more challenging. The pictures are amazing and very detailed. Love the rhyming flow and the addition of the black and white pictures sprinkled throughout.