THE MAN FROM IRONBARK

by A. B. Paterson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 1975

This is the third and least attractive picture book to be made from the verses of the Australian balladeer best known for Waltzing Matilda (KR, 1972). This rhyme about a yokel from Ironbark who tears up a Sydney barber shop when the proprietor tricks him into believing his throat is cut is no more memorable than Mulga Bill's Bicycle (KR, p. 236), and the illustrations have continued to plummet downhill. Hole plays up the perils of the city, as the hero dodges horse drawn carriages, and highlights the city slicker/hick contrast in his portraits of the rambunctious bearded outbacker and the cool ""gilded youths"" in the barber shop. But both the slapstick traffic encounters and the exaggerated characterization are lifeless and mechanical, with a pulpy crudeness which--intended or not--fails to evoke any regional/period atmosphere.

Pub Date: April 15, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Collins World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1975

Categories: CHILDREN'S