This engaging story is told exclusively in images, using both panels and variations in picture size to entice the reader. There is no need for words in Rogers’s story world, where composition, gestures, facial expressions, body language and intricate settings provide all the information necessary for decoding the plot. Rogers effortlessly brings to life both time and place, and readers can pause to wonder at a small vignette or comic detail, or to gallop through the pages to find out what happens next. Humour and adventure abound in this fascinating visual journey.

Following on from the success of their first comic-book-style picture book, Captain Congo and the Crocodile King (2008), Ruth Starke and Greg Holfeld have produced Captain Congo and the Maharaja’s Monkey (Working Title Press, $24.95 hb, 48 pp). This is a rollicking tale about two redoubtable anthropomorphised action heroes: Captain Congo, a gorilla, and his somewhat reluctant sidekick, Pug, a penguin. Their mission takes them to India, where the maharaja has just been murdered, and it is feared that foul play will put the wrong successor on the throne. As in the first title, Pug is the fall guy. He has to dress up as a woman to infiltrate the harem, while Captain Congo cleverly uncovers the dastardly plot and saves the day. There is murder, intrigue, sabotage and action in this Astérix-meets-superhero adventure.

The eye-catching cover depicts Captain Congo single-handedly saving Pug from a rampaging elephant, and the endpapers, with their detailed maps of India, emphasise the exotic location. The vivid colours, minimal details and black outlining are visually striking, and Holfeld’s animals effortlessly take on human characteristics. The text is highly readable, although the storyline is not as strong nor the humour as infectious as in the first Captain Congo book. However, this is still a great read, especially for those who like big, hairy heroes, lots of images and action, and minimal text.

The Red Piano (Wilkins Farago, $27.99 hb, 40 pp), by André Leblanc, is also for older readers, but there is nothing of the comic book in this harrowing, albeit ultimately uplifting, tale. Set in a re-education camp in China during the Cultural Revolution, it tells the story of a young girl who fights the authorities’ attempts to break her spirit. Each night, when the soul-destroying physical labour is done, she sneaks out to the home of Mother Han and practises on her piano. Unfortunately, the girl’s nocturnal visits are discovered, and both she and the old woman are punished. However, Mao Zedong’s reign does not last forever, and once it is over there is hope, even for the young pianist for whom music is her life.

Illustrator Barroux uses a minimalist palette of blacks, greys and reds to good effect in The Red Piano. Chinese artistic influences are apparent in the strong black lines and broad brushstrokes of colour. These are combined with photographs, musical notations and parchment covered in Chinese characters. Barroux has a strong sense of design, and there is great dramatic tension between the sophisticated formal elements and the simplified, sculptural characters and landscapes.

Based on the true story of international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei, and supported by Amnesty International, this is a book about how human beings should be so much more than animals grubbing in the soil for survival. It is a strong message indeed, powerfully conveyed in this thought-provoking book. The Red Piano is a fitting companion to the Children’s Book Council 2008 Picture Book of the Year winner, The Peasant Prince (2007), written by Li Cunxin and illustrated by Anne Spudvilas, which tells a similarly uplifting story of perseverance and sacrifice for the love of art.

Sam’s Bush Journey (Little Hare, $24.99 hb, 32 pp) also deals with the importance of culture, but it is definitely for a younger audience. Written by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan, acclaimed author of My Place (1987), it is a gentle story about becoming a part of your environment. Sam, who is afraid of the bush, visits his Nanna’s bush home and, with her encouragement and tutelage, learns to reconnect with his heritage, feel comfortable in the natural world and value the land of which he is an integral part.

Bronwyn Bancroft illustrates Sam’s Bush Journey with highly decorative artwork which taps into both her Aboriginal heritage and Western traditions such as naïve art and woodblock printing. The colours are bright, saturated and luminous. Images jump off the page, and the stylised use of black outlining highlights the strong sense of design and patterning which gives Bancroft’s paintings their distinctive look. The black Mimi-like figures that appear in the background of many of the illustrations reinforce the link between Sam and his ancestors. This is further enhanced by the role that his Nanna plays in helping him to reconnect with the bush. Sam’s Bush Journey is sensitively told and decoratively illustrated.

Michel Gay’s Zou (Gecko Press, $14.99 pb, 32 pp) uses a more traditional style of picture-book art which sits comfortably on the nursery shelves. Zou is a cute zebra who resembles the knight in a chess set, but with more personality. He is the main character in this charming tale of family life. Like all small children, Zou wakes up early. When he pops his head around the door in search of his morning snuggle in Mum and Dad’s bed, they pretend to be asleep, but Zou is not put off. What helps adults wake up? Coffee, of course. So Zou sets about making breakfast for his parents. The results are at first disastrous, but ultimately touching and satisfying for both zebras and readers alike.

Publisher Gecko specialises in bringing quality overseas publications to Australian readers. Zou has been translated from the French, but the illustrations speak in an international language that all can read. Gay uses suitably subtle watercolour illustrations, with highlights in primary colours, to tell Zou’s story. There are large amounts of white space, and the interior of the zebra’s home is suggested by minimal grey outlines. This helps children concentrate on the most important visual elements in this character-driven tale. This is a tender, family-oriented story with engaging characters and an endearing ending.