1. Ageing
2. Alliteration
3. Art motifs
4. Companionship
5. Cultural diversity
6. Domestic life
7. Emotions
8. Empathy
9. Families
10. Figurative language
11. Home
12. Imagery
13. Literary techniques
14. Narrative techniques
15. Older people
16. Personification
17. Relationships
18. Symbolism
19. Visual literacy

The Lucky Shack is a modest structure located on a remote rocky seashore against a backdrop of mountains. It is home to an old white fisherman. Cosy, comfortable scenes feature in the opening pages that suggest a sense of partnership and reciprocity between shack and owner.

A violent storm marks a turning point in the story. The fisherman never reappears and the shack falls into disrepair with no-one heeding its calls for help. With spring, however, new buds bloom in the shack’s eaves, and a fisherwoman arrives by boat. She fixes up the shack and gradually makes it into a home again for herself and her children. The fisherwoman has brown skin; while two of her three children are white skinned, the third is brown-skinned.

‘The Lucky Shack’ features an inanimate object—a shack—as its main character and first-person narrator. Throughout the story, the shack not only demonstrates a keen sense of self-awareness but also shows itself to be an astute observer of nature and human behaviour. The text on each page is minimal and deceptively simple. Readers will note the use of adjectives, adverbs and action verbs as well as literary devices, such as onomatopoeia and personification.

The illustrations are realistic and beautifully crafted. They range from small vignettes featuring the fisherman or fisherwoman at work, to rugged landscapes that fill a double spread. Readers will also notice that the shack has a human-like appearance, with eyelids, eyebrows and a mouth. Illustrator Jennifer Falkner uses colour to echo the ups and downs in the story. The opening pages are full of vibrant colour and warmth; a murkier palette takes over after the storm; bright light announces the new beginning. There is also a beautiful symmetry in the two fireplace scenes depicted in the book.

1. HarperCollins Children’s Books Classroom Resources by Mandy Newman and Jemma Myors for ‘The Lucky Shack’ https://dhjhkxawhe8q4.cloudfront.net/harpercollinscomau-wp/harpercollinscomau-wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/05142913/The-Lucky-Shack-Classroom-Resources.pdf
2. The Open University UK ‘Using inanimate objects as characters’ https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/creative-writing/using-inanimate-objects-characters/
3. The Giant Dolls’ House Project https://giantdollshouse.org/about
4. Australian Writers’ Centre 27 Sept 2023 ‘Aspara Baldovino’s picture book ‘The Lucky Shack’ details how the author developed her storytelling skills https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/apsara-baldovinos-picture-book-the-lucky-shack/
5. Reading Time 5 Aug 2023 review by Lynne Babbage of ‘The Lucky Shack’ https://readingtime.com.au/the-lucky-shack/