In Wandihnu and the Old Dugong (Magabala Books, $18.95 pb, 26 pp, 9781921248184), an indigenous folk tale with a modem twist, text and illustrations are unfortunately somewhat out of step. The story, written by Elizabeth Wymarra and her daughter Wandihnu, has a strong message about the importance of knowing your language and culture, and listening to your elders. The story revolves around the dream that Wandihnu has about Old Dugongjust before she visits her 'aka', or grandmother, in the Torres Strait. The story is competently written, but unfortunately Benjamin Hodges's naïve illustrations, with their pallid colours and minimalist watercolour treatment, do not do justice to the text This is a pity, as some of this award-winning indigenous artist’s other work has the vibrancy that would have given the gentle moral tale a much-needed lift.

There is no disjunct between text and illustrations in You and Me: Our Place (Working Title, $24.95 hb, 32 pp. 978 I 876288792). Leonie Norrington and Dee Huxley sympathetically explore the link between community and place as two young boys, one white and one black, go fishing with Aboriginal elder Uncle Tobias on a beach in Darwin. Together they enjoy the wonders of their environment, their different cultures and their shared community. Huxley s luminous illustrations, with their organic lines, sense of movement and rich colours, perfectly suit Norrington's lyrical writing. Huxley's elongated figures have a fluidity which makes them dance across the pages, taking the viewer inexorably with them, and her crowd scenes have a wonderful warmth and intimacy which reflects the same community spirit that the story espouses. This visual feast in blue and gold is defi­nitely one to be savoured.

Roland Harvey, that master of deliciously demented detail, has set his sights on a totally different community – the big city. Whenever you open a Roland Harvey book you are guaranteed a good giggle, and he does not disappoint with In the City: Our Scrapbook of Souvenirs (Allen & Unwin, $24.95 hb, 32 pp, 978 I 741144130). There is plenty here to keep both children and adults entertained for hours. The family, who are visiting Uncle Kev, start with a tour of the city's sewers – let's face it, things can only go up from there! Other highlights of the family's trip – hilariously narrated by the three children – include the zoo, the aquarium, the esplanade, a department store and the markets. Harvey's fantastic city, with its surrealistic buildings, is populated by the ordinary, the athletically challenged, the overenthusiastic, poseurs, and the just plain weird and wonderful. His loose cartoon style, with its unusual angles and perspectives, perfectly suits the mayhem and humour of his subject matter. This is a book that will repay many rereadings, preferably with a magnifying glass to help pick up every visual pun.

Coral Tulloch's Sydney of the Antarctic (ABC Books, $27.95 hb, 46 pp, 9780733321023) is also a celebration of place. It tells the story of an adventurous toy mouse whose owner takes him on a trip to the Antarctic and inadvertently leaves him there. Tulloch's enthusiasm for the Antarctic is palpable and her Antarctic landscapes are stunning, though at times the illustrations are a tad too cute, and the combination of fantasy and realism does not seem to jell. The story would have had more impact if it has been presented as the factual retelling of the delightful tale of how Tulloch did in fact visit Antarctica with her favourite stuffed toy, left him out in the open, and then made numerous futile attempts to retrieve him. Those who are fascinated by the Antarctic will appreciate the extra information provided in the text, illustrations and accompanying notes, and that a percentage of the royalties goes to the Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Minnie Pearl and the Undersea Bazaar (ABC Books, $27.95 hb, 36 pp, 9780733320149), by Natalie Jane Prior and Cheryl Orsini, is another book in which the music of the dance hits some false notes, although some of the ideas behind it are worth considering. The story follows the fortunes of a mermaid called Minnie and her attempts to help her parents save their old-fashioned business. There are interesting comments on fashion fads, blatant consumerism, big-business machinations, environmental degradation and friendship between different ‘races’. However, the text is overlong and, despite some clever details and characterisations, the Disneyesque illustrations fail to create the necessary illusion of being underwater that is so convincingly captured by illustrators such as May Gibbs.

For author-illustrators, complementarity of text and illustrations is easier to achieve. In Natemba (ABC Books, $27.95 hb, 32 pp, 9780733319457), Annette Lodge tells the story of a baby velvet monkey whose mother has been killed by a car. The distressed orphan seeks the help of other animals in the forests and plains of South Africa in order to return to where she truly belongs. Lodge’s text, with its heartfelt refrain, has folk-tale qualities, and the lush illustrations of animals and landscape are as strongly coloured and patterned as an African tapestry. This is a beguiling tale about hope and belonging.

Guess Who? A Lift-the-Flap Book about Australian Wildlife (NLA, $14,95 pb, 24 pp, 9780642276582), by Susan Hall, is another excellent example of good book design and strong content. Each double-page spread encourages pre-school children to identify the animal or bird hiding behind the circular flap. The flap partly covers the image beneath, and tantalising visual and verbal clues are provided to encourage children to predict what they will find. Opening the flap revels exquisite reproductions from John Gould’s The Birds of Australia (1840—48) and The Mammals of Australia (1863). Interesting facts about each creature are provided on the flap’s reverse. The unusually strong pastel page colours and white lettering complement the gentle tints of Gould’s illustrations. With its impressive design features, sublime illustrations and informative text, this is a picture book to treasure.

For educational fun for pre-school and junior primary, it is hard to go past Five Little Owls (New Frontier, $24.95, 32pp, 9781921042553), by Mark Carthew and Mini Goss. Carthew’s rhyming text has just the right noise-making for a satisfying read aloud, as five little owls fly away one at a time to catch something for tea. The twist is that they end up involved in a game of hide-and-seek that should delight keen-eyed children. Goss’s illustrations are vibrantly patterned, colourful and humorous, and the story has a strong visual finale: a quadruple-page spread, where two full-page flaps lift out to reveal all the owls and the animals they have met along the way hiding from one another – and the reader. This is a fun way to learn about subtraction and animal noises, and to develop visual literacy skills. Carthew and Goss once again demonstrate the importance of words and images waltzing as one.