Chris Jackson proved his mastery at painting whimsical pigs in his Edmund books (the China Plate Farm series) and his illustrations for Three Tales of Three (written by Marilyn Helmer). The musical geese in Jackson’s new picture book, The Gaggle Sisters River Tour, are just as skilfully portrayed.

“Songster Sadie” (the self-proclaimed star of the show) and her accordion-playing sister, Dorothy, launch their floating stage for a concert tour of Wriggle River, but Dorothy (as usual) gets stuck doing the work while Sadie lounges on deck, dreaming of fame. When mishaps occur, Sadie throws tantrums while Dorothy calmly finds solutions. After the concert, Sadie finally thanks her hard-working sister.

Unfortunately, a key cause of their sibling rivalry (that Dorothy always plays second fiddle to Sadie) is never resolved. Dorothy’s accordion inexplicably vanishes from the story partway through, and she never plays at the concert, being occupied instead backstage. Two scenes in particular cry out for Dorothy to play: her lonely night spent outside the tent, and the finale, when the sisters sit quietly under the stars. A duet then would have provided resolution without changing the storyline.

Visually, however, the book is a delight. Jackson’s comical illustrations (supported by colourful dialogue) capture the sisters’ vast range of emotions. There’s an ideal balance of text, illustration, and white space. Excellent design features include endpaper maps of the river and Sadie’s theme song (with music) on the back cover. The narrative is divided into episodic sections (The Launch, The Moons, The Hat, The Show), which will appeal to children who are almost ready for chapters.