Book 1 in the Rotto! series. Rottnest Island is home to one of the world's cutest and happiest animals-the quokka. Clancy the quokka is a youngster and is determined to discover all the wonders of Rottnest, or Rotto, as the locals like to call it. He gets more than he bargained for when he becomes trapped in a picnic basket on the back of a bicycle and taken far from home. An incredible island adventure ensues involving seagulls, peacocks, more quokkas and a speedy stingray. Clancy must summon his courage to rescue his new quokka friends from some bullies, and find his way back home.
Clancy the quokka was up before his family, ready to explore with his mate Cobba. But Clancy became stuck in a basket on a human’s bicycle and as he headed off on an adventure, he wasn’t sure if he should be frightened or excited. When he was free of the basket, he knew he was lost so Clancy headed for the nearest community where he could ask other quokkas for directions. But bullies – large quokkas – had taken over and Clancy knew he needed to rescue the youngsters. Could Clancy help the young quokkas and find his own way home? He wasn’t sure, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
Rotto! Clancy the Quokka of Rottnest Island is #1 in the Rotto series and a lovely introduction. I’ve already read book 2, Rotto! Kylie and the Quokkas of Rottnest Island and now look forward to #3 when it’s released. A delightful adventure story for children, with the cute quokkas, Razor Ray and other animals on Rottnest Island off Western Australia's coast. Highly recommended.
With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Book 1 in the Rotto! series. Rottnest Island is home to one of the world's cutest and happiest animals-the quokka. Clancy the quokka is a youngster and is determined to discover all the wonders of Rottnest, or Rotto, as the locals like to call it.
He gets more than he bargained for when he becomes trapped in a picnic basket on the back of a bicycle and taken far from home. An incredible island adventure ensues involving seagulls, peacocks, more quokkas and a speedy stingray.
Clancy must summon his courage to rescue his new quokka friends from some bullies, and find his way back home.
Quokkas are adorable cat-sized marsupials who live on Rottnest Island, among other places. While tourists love to take selfies with them, quokkas have sharp claws, damaging teeth, and are known to defend themselves, occasionally sending tourists, especially children, to the island’s infirmary
It is extremely well written. Engrossing. Kids will love this book. The fictional tale of Clancy is interwoven with facts about quokkas.
There is no artwork inside. The tale only. So it's a bedtime story or on the beach while having a snack.
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*.
This is a brilliant tale of a little Quokka with a big heart. Clancy's adventures are fun and amusing, but seem to lead him into lots of trouble! The pacing is great and it really moves through the plot in an exciting manner. Each chapter raises great points for conversation with children around friendship, bullying, the environment, and so much more. The characters are sweet and given there are so many they are well-differentiated! Would definitely recommend as a class novel for year 1 or 2, particularly if you live in Western Australia.
Rotto! Clancy the Quokka of Rottnest Island by Jonathan Macpherson
Another book that I’ve downloaded from Voracious Readers Only! This copy was complimentary.
I love that this book is based in Australia, and features the Australian Quokka 🇦🇺🌊🏝 there was even a storyline with humans taking selfies with quokkas for food... which has become such a big thing lately 😂 🤳 I’d love to do it myself one day, but also am concerned about quokkas being wild animals and they honestly should be left alone.
This book is aimed at children but it doesn’t mean I didn’t love it 😍 it was fast paced and full of different adventures and situations that Clancy got himself into. And I tell you, it’s a lot! 😂
I would have absolutely LOVED some illustrations of the selfies that the humans took... especially when Choppa photo bombed Clancy! It would have added a really nice element to the book.
Overall, this book was definitely enjoyable and mega cute! Good for young children, especially if you want to focus on Australian settings and Australian animals. Four stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Ideal for children capable of reading a short novella this book is fun and lighthearted. It narrates the tale of one young quokka who gets himself in a pickle but somehow still makes it home for bedtime.
I must admit I had to do a search to find out what a quokka was and boy is it the ideal little animal for these kind of adventures. The story was set in the right little world and was delightful with the use of other quokkas and different species as characters too.
I received this from the author via Voracious Readers Only for the pleasure of reading and leaving an honest review. I'm sure my 10, 8 and 6 year olds would enjoy this book.
This is a cute little story. It is short enough that it doesnt take a super long time to read and you can easily get through a chapter or two before bed. My daughter is very excited that there are more Rotto books and that she is the same age as the girl introduced in #2. We also looked up lots of pictures of quokkas in real life when we started this book.
Comments by my 8 year old:
I liked when Clancy met the stingray and when he stopped the spider from eating the bird. I also liked when Clancy made it home.
Disclaimer - I was given a free copy of this book by Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review
I read this book to my children and they absolutely loved it. Being from Western Australia I really enjoyed the information about Rottnest Island and teaching people that feeding the Quokkas really isn't good for them, no matter how adorable a Quokka selfie is. I liked how it opened up the conversation with my kids about protecting the wildlife, bullying and helping others in need. This book is fun, sweet and educational. Absolutely fantastic.
This is the world's cutest book I have read in a loooong time. Everyone I read a book and read something that is very unfamiliar to me, I look it up. This book made me look up Quokkas and they are absolutely cute!! I did not think they were real. This book is an absolute must read for people who have kids. It's cute, entertaining and very good in the moral aspect of the book. If this is a series, I gotta read it!!! So so cute!!!
This book drew me in and was educational, I’d never heard of Quokkas before! Not only did I get to enjoy a story which had me holding my breath at times willing it to work out but I learned things too. I would have liked more descriptive language, to give a bigger picture of the environment but I wonder if that’s me as an adult rather than a child who the book is aimed at. I’m going to read it again with my 11 year old if she wants. I’ll add to my review with her comments if I do. I was given a copy of this book via voracious readers for an honest review.
An appealing story about a young quokka on a real-life Australian island who has adventures getting home after being accidentally quokka-napped. He meets a variety of other animals including quokkas from different colonies on the island. There's an element of fantasy in that they understand human speech and even speak it among themselves (though never in front of humans). Clancy takes the words of a wise old quokka to heart and learns the satisfaction of bravely helping others.
Let's hope anyone who reads this and visits the island (and you'll want to, I warn you) will remember not to give the quokkas human food, however much they seem to like it. Keep the quokkas healthy and cute!
I read these a few years ago and reread this as a read-aloud to several 2nd grade classes in 2023. I chose it because it is reasonably short and easy to read and understand for early readers. The Quokkas and the location are unfamiliar to typical US school students.
Clancy is a young quokka (a type of marsupial found on Rottnest Island) eager to see the world. When he strays from home one day, he experiences the adventure of a lifetime, making new friends along the way.
Before reading this, I had no idea what a quokka was. Unfortunately, the book did little to describe the animal, so I was confused through most of the book.
Overall, however, I really liked Clancy and his adventure and would definitely recommend this story for children reading early chapter books. The author sends the message about caring for others and the importance of family.
I received a free copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
What a fabulous story about a young Quokka from Rottnest Island, which can be found off the West Coast of Perth, Australia.
Clancy is a young Quokka who faces many challenges, bullies, being far away from home, learning some tough lessons, and looking after others before himself.
This book is a great read for children who are reading chapter books. It deals with morals good and bad, ethics, good versus bad and many other lessons that we can all take a little learning from. I enjoyed the easy read, enjoyed the adventure that young Clancy went on, I enjoyed watching him make friends, stand up to the bullies, and I cheered him on as he found his way back to his home and family.
This book also made me think about how we as people don’t always look after our animals, and how we take advantage of them for our own gain. That may be a thought that may be a little ahead of the younger readers …… or maybe not!
Clancy made some unusual friends who were not quite like him, another lesson in tolerance and looking beyond differences.
I really enjoyed Clancy’s tenacity and good heart.
This book was gifted to me by the author through Voracious Readers Only, this did not impact my opinion or my review of this book.
I love children’s stories with animal characters- and I like the fact that this tale is based around a set of mischievous but lovable characters who are a more unusual species of quokka’s
Meet Clancy, a young quokka, who is taken by surprise to face an exciting island adventure as he tries to make his way back.
Facing snappy seagulls, a furry spider, unfriendly quokkas and making a new stingray friend - this is a great story for discussion around friendship and bullying too.
A delightful and fun read that I can recommend for age 7 onwards.
I enjoyed this story of Clancy the Quokka. One day Clancy gets stuck in a picnic basket that is on a bike. The bike takes him away from his home. When he finally able to get out of the basket he realized he is a long way from home. On his adventures on the way home he learns how to help others. I do wish that the book had some illustrations to go with the story.
I was given a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
This little book is so sweet. Clancy finds himself in the middle of an adventure. Here, he finds new friends and new places. Where does he want to be? Home, sweet home.
I received a free copy from Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review.
A great adventure story with several life lessons! This is a fabulous bedtime story that opens up a discussion of, "doing the right thing." Perfect chapter book for young readers.
*I received a free copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review*
This was a really cute, wholesome read. I loved seeing Australian animals in a kids’ book, beyond the usual kangaroo-koala-kookaburra-wombat cast. I also really enjoyed that the author had clear takeaways (help out people around you, don’t feed the wildlife, teamwork makes the dream work) but it didn’t feel moralistic.
As a kids’ book, it was written simply and clearly. It took me until the second chapter to get into the story (probably because I don’t read many kids’ books so it was a very different style to what I usually read), but after that it was really engaging. The characters were a lot of fun to follow, and had super cute and descriptive names!
This is a cute shorter story for kids. Would work well to break up and read a chapter or two at a time. The characters in it were memorable and the story had good lessons for kids.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*
🌅 Sweet story with a moral of kindness and helping others 👍👍
🤗🤗 This short tale of Clancy the quokka's adventurous day on Rottnest Island is a winner!🤗 The opening pages so wonderfully described this little critter and his world off the western coast of Australia that I was right there on his beach with him. I can't see any child not loving this story that brings the island creatures to life. And what a great little hero, curious, kind and brave, ready to make new friends, repay kindness with kindness and defend the weaker and more vulnerable.
I read the follow-up book first, but they can be read as standalones or in any order; these stories of the quokka are just adorable😍 and I hope the author has many more stories to follow.😊
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.