Book review: Myro, the Smallest Plane in the World by Nick Rose

Nick Rose’s high-flying and colourful new children’s series featuring a feisty aeroplane called Myro might not totally derail Thomas the Tank Engine, but he’s certainly following in the tracks of the popular steam train hero. Myro and his captivating aircraft chums combine an enticing mix of adventure, animals and the awesome scenery of Australia in a series which has been a labour of love for Rose and his team over the past seven years. Every page of the six books is crammed with vibrant images and lively and lovable characters in stories that take young readers aged three upwards on breathtaking flights of fancy across Sydney Harbour Bridge and far into the wild and wonderful Australian Bush. From sheep rescues and scary bush fires to supersonic plane crashes and meetings with a broken-down Tiger Moth, the sky’s the limit for the microlight hero with a heart of gold. In his first adventure, Myro Arrives in Australia, Myro travels from his home in the UK to the Australian Bush where he has to win the friendship and confidence of his new hangar-mates. Myro’s size and speed enables him to make a daring rescue on a remote farm, and help deliver a lamb. Soon he’s the toast of the airfield, even though he’s covered in smelly cow-pats from landing in the paddock! Myro and the Bush Fire, the second book in the series, sees the hottest day Myro has known in his new Australian home. When a bushfire starts racing his way, two ultralights become trapped in their hangar and Myro has to take off through the thick black smoke without his pilot. An emergency team is scrambled and Myro is hailed a hero for making the right decision. In the third book, Myro meets a broken-down Tiger Moth on an Australian farm, but discovers Tymo’s old plane’s propeller and wings are gone and his rivets rusted. Myro gets help from the museum’s engineer to restore his friend to his former glory but all is nearly lost and Tymo consigned to the scrapheap until a happy Myro discovers the missing control panel. Myro and the Railcar sees Rayco the old diesel railcar gently teasing Myro every day, calling him a flying lawnmower! Myro tricks his pilot into racing the railcar into Australia’s Blue Mountains but although Rayco tries to warn Myro of danger ahead, the little plane soon finds out for himself...the hard way! After a near miss, Myro and Rayco become the best of friends. In Myro and the Skydivers, Myro and his pilot are exploring the Australian countryside when the air is filled with skydivers called the Parachute Pirates! Myro shows off to a big aeroplane and breaks the rules to take a Pirate skydiving, but is caught and gets into trouble. When apologies are made and lessons learned, they go skydiving again, but this time with permission. The last book of this first series is Myro and the Jetfighter in which Jimo the Jetfighter makes Myro jump with his supersonic boom. Myro zooms to the rescue when Jimo sends out a Mayday call. He soon finds the bragging jetfighter crashed in the thick Australian bush and calls Chili the Chinook to take Jimo back to the airbase. They soon catch up with Myro, now the supersonic jet fighters’ hero of the day. Rose is a self-confessed aeroplane addict and he looks set to pilot his lovingly created Myro series into supersonic success. (Nick Rose, paperback, £6.99 each)