Alexis Wright’s latest novel, Praiseworthy, defies description. It is a unique outpouring of language with its own shape and form. Rather than a lineal narrative structure, it weaves in and out, like the ripples of a whirlpool, or the waves of the ocean, picking up, capturing for a moment, then tossing down, winding back on itself in a restless motion that is cyclical, never straight. Thus as readers we come back to characters and their stories in a recurring flow that continues endlessly.
It is set in a far northern Aboriginal community called Praiseworthy, a town that has become wrapped in a mysterious haze. The character Widespread, alternatively called Planet or Cause Steel, has come up with one solution to the problems of climate change, and champions the vision of a renewable transportation conglomerate based on donkeys, harnessing those age-old beasts of burden running feral in the country. His wife Dance can’t listen to him, instead focussed on the magical world of butterflies and moths. Cause Steel’s oldest son, named Aboriginal Sovereignty, the words Cause loves best, is bowed down with guilt and contemplates suicide, and his youngest son, the fascist Tommyhawk, is obsessed with the social media stories of rapists and paedophiles in Aboriginal communities and craves rescue by the beautiful white mother of Aboriginal children, the minister in her white palace of the Australian Parliament. And then there is Ice Pick, Major Mayor of the community, an albino black man, who campaigns relentlessly for Praiseworthy to become an iconic white assimilated town.
There is a fury underlying the words. Tommyhawk has become so distressed by the news stories of rampant paedophilia in Aboriginal communities, he is afraid of his parents, afraid of all adults in the community and desperately appeals for rescue by the Australian government which supposedly loves sacred Aboriginal children. Aboriginal Sovereignty, the young man who slept with his promised wife whilst she was still a few months underage, has become labelled a criminal, one of the paedophilic scourge that must be wiped out; he wades out deeper and deeper into the sea, and then has a moment of panic as he realises he has left behind his plastic Basics card. And there are refugees on a sinking boat who reach out to help another unknown drowning person in the ocean. All this, within a world where Country is being suffocated by the climate change effects wrought by white colonisers.
Alexis Wright says that Praiseworthy gave her a deeper understanding of the importance in following a literary vision, ‘a literary vision that refused to be contained or restrained’. In this way she breaks new ground in Aboriginal literature, and in literature in general, much as James Joyce did when he reinvented the form of the novel with his book ‘Ulysses’ (1920). Wright’s novel weaves a new form, perhaps best represented by the image of the butterfly trail on the cover, weaving through time, curving back on itself and flowing on. Praiseworthy is the 2024 winner of the Stella prize, the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award 2023, and shortlisted for a number of other awards.
In contrast to Kelleher’s previous works, the Gibblewort goblin stories and the futuristic Wanderer, The cave is set in prehistoric times, where cave men are very much at risk from the elements and the fierce animals that are their predators. Irian and his clan are cave dwellers, guarding the cave from the wild animals that attempt to return to their lair. Their clumsy weapons are spears and axes, though the best weapon of all is fire, if only they can protect and nurture it. It becomes a rotating duty to stand guard through the night, fuelling the flames.
When Irian and his father fail in their duty and succumb to sleep, the Beast returns and annihilates all but the boy who escapes through a small cleft in the cave. It is a horror that traumatises Irian to the point of losing all speech and shuddering in fear whenever his thoughts turn to that night. There is however another survivor, the severely wounded Ulana, and the two of them unite to find a way to survive in the harsh environment.
An old woman, not of their clan, but a travelling trader, Trug, joins the two children and helps them to navigate the landscape, along the way sharing some of the secrets she has learnt. It is a story about the discovery of fire, and the power that it gives the cave people as they learn how to create and maintain it. And then as they master the striking of flint, more sophisticated weapons can gradually be perfected.
The cave is a scary adventure story. The little group have to travel through snow, rain and flood, always on the alert to danger from leopards and other wild creatures. Along the journey, Irian has to rediscover his selfhood and find the courage to stand tall and take his place in the world. There are strong moral lessons about caring for others, sharing knowledge, and working together for the better of the community.
In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen is the first in the Geomancer trilogy by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.Set in a timeless, mythical, almost recognisable world, this story takes the reader on a breathtaking adventure and leaves them desperately waiting for the next book in the series.
The book opens in Glaw Wood where Ysolda and her sister Hari live surrounded by trees and a peaceful village.Hari can hear the trees and communicate with them which causes the Wolf Queen’s warriors to take her as they are collecting gifted ones from across the land.Ysolda travels to the Wolf Queen’s palace to bargain for Hari’s life. And so, begins an epic adventure across the land with the Wolf Queen, who is a complex and fascinating character, portrayed as a villain but written as far more complicated than first thought; she is terrifying in her unfeeling nature but at the same time unpredictable and at times likeable.Ysolda must use her wits and knowledge of people and the land to stay alive and search for earth-magic.Ysolda is a complex character who yearns to be gifted like her sister, but in many ways has a far greater gift in her understanding and respect for nature and living in harmony with it.She is joined on her journey by a sea hawk, Nara, who is bonded to her but free to fly.
This story takes the reader along on a quest that is at times thrilling, dangerous and exciting.The book perfectly combines danger and tension with lyrical descriptions of both the people and the places that they are travelling through.
I was captivated by this story and found that I wasn’t ready for the book to end.I am eagerly anticipating the next book especially Ysolda’s quest to save her sister and the world, but I am also interested to discover the motives for the Wolf Queen and her single-minded obsession with being the most powerful at the expense of all else.
This book is brilliant, I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure or books that will draw you through complex characters.A great read alone as the reader will need time to sit at times with the characters and situations and take time out.It could work as a class novel as there is a lot to unpack but I think many readers would prefer to read at their own pace to get the most out of it.
The Viking wolf pup wants to be a true Viking hero just like his dad. Unfortunately, Leif is always tripping up, falling down holes, ripping his trousers and nobody fears him, they just laugh at him. So when a shooting star crashes to Earth and a witch arrives at his village asking the chief’s (Leif’s Dad) help but he claims he is too busy, Leif decides that this is his opportunity to prove he is a fearsome and smart Viking not just to himself but also to his Dad and his (annoying) older sister who never trips or makes mistakes.
No one trusts Leif to do anything, and the author has crafted him to be such a funny, likeable character that the reader will be cheering him on. Leif has to journey deep into the heart of polar bear country to retrieve the star, on his adventure he is joined by a series of interesting and “helpful” characters that at times steal the limelight and create some comedic moments as he tries to outwit and defeat mythological and real creatures who are trying to stop him from reaching his goal.
This book is brilliantly written, and the reader will be giggling along as Leif encounters a range of characters who each present their own challenges including giant, extremely grumpy, polar bears, monster whales, mythological creatures, annoying older sisters and a cunning witch!
This is a book that would be brilliant as a class read aloud as the teacher will enjoy it just as much as the children. It was a great read, and I am sure that children and adults will enjoy it and reread it. A fabulous book with Viking adventures, Gods fighting and dropping mythical objects to Earth and a wolf pup who just wants to prove he is as fearsome and fabulous as his dad. This is the first in a series and I can’t wait to read the next one.
University of Queensland Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780702266355. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
When Wanda and her family went on their annual holiday to the beach, Mum would remind the girls to take three dresses: one to wash, one to wear and one spare.
This wonderful picture book will thrill young readers as they spend the holiday at the beach with Wanda and her family. All the fun of a beach holiday is there: boiling a billy over a small fire, skipping, swimming, collecting things, playing with the dog, talking around the camp fire, building a shelter, sleeping on the beach and even getting salt water on their arms and legs when they get stung.
The family is warm and strong, doing everything together and readers will relate to this holiday at the beach. Information in the story shows us that this family come from a mission and has to walk to the beach for their holiday, their clothes rolled up and carried on their backs like a swag.
Wanda is immensely proud of her three dresses, given to her from the Lutheran Church. She is happy when Mum uses her sewing skills to repair the dress, and dries them near the fire when they get wet.
This compelling picture book gives readers a slice of life not often seen. The book relates Wanda’s time with her family, close knit, supportive and happy. Wanda does not question how they live, it is presented for the reader to think about and question. And they will. A new generation of people will ask what a mission was and why they have to walk to their holiday without a suitcase, or live in the sandhills on the holiday and have three dresses donated by the church.
This wonderful story impels readers to think about the difference in their lifestyles, ours so privileged, the other bereft of the trappings of our society, living a life few of us would be able to contemplate.
The emphasis on the happy family, delighted with their place on the beach and their simple life style is represented by Wanda’s pleasure with her three dresses.
Wamda’ story is told at the end of the book, along with a photo of this warm and generous woman. Her illustrative technique, using swathes of colours across each page, has quite an impact. Not for her the fussy details of life on the beach, but a clear unequivocal look at the sparseness of their existence, made clear with the family as the main object that the eyes see on each page. They are always helping out: Dad with a child on his shoulders, mum sewing up a ripped dress, the children collecting eggs for supper, making the fire.
Her story of living at Hope Vale Mission where she was expected to work on the farm, then as a teen learnt domestic duties through working at the mission house, is another story in itself. Wanda Gibson is a Nukgal Wurra woman of the Guugu Yimithirr people. Her dad is a Yuuethawarra man and his country is around Cape Melville. Both of Wanda’s parents were brought to Cape Bedford Mission when they were ten or twelve, having been taken from their communities. Wanda came to painting in 2010 and loves it, completing a Diploma of Visual Arts at Cairns TAFE in 2014. Wanda has five kids, eleven grandkids and five great-grandkids.
And they just hear some wonderful stories. A wonderful book. Teacher's notes are available.
Real tigers, in the wonderful series of novels about Slough House, an end point for failed spies, comes after Slow Horses (2010) Dead Lions (2014) and The list (2015) a novella, sometimes called the third in the series.
Real tigers introduces us to the level of deceit and subterfuge behind the political machinations of the day.
The workers in Slough House are wondering where Catherine Standish has got to. She is never late for work. River receives a photo of her in handcuffs on his phone and immediately takes action trying to find her. The kidnappers tell him that he will need to bring a file from Regent’s Park in exchange for her. River gets into the tightly controlled archives in the Park, but is caught and taken to the basement for an interview with the notorious Dufy. Meanwhile Lady Dianna is called into the office of MP Judd, where he discloses that the kidnapping was staged to expose how inept Slough House is and he will have all the evidence he needs to close it down when this fiasco is cleared up.
Judd is a weasel with an eye for the Prime Ministership, happy to walk over any body he finds and not fazed about how many bodies there are, as long as he is not implicated. But the leader of the Real Tigers, a friend and ally of Judd is killed by the second in command, and the body dumped in London central.
When a shaken and very sore River returns to Slough House, Lamb brings them all together to plan a way of getting Catherine back. Their small numbers are reduced even more when Lamb sacks two of them, effective immediately. The climax is absolutely thrilling as all protagonists end up together at the building housing the archives of material held by Regent’s Park. River and Louisa talk their way into the facility, but find the there are several other groups to deal with, Donovan and the Real Tigers are there to stop River taking the folder. Donovan goes about looking for the folder which implicates the head of MI5 in a conspiracy to cover a crime linked to Donovan. But another group is on the ground keeping them holed up in the facility. Along comes Lamb ad Ho, bumbling their way into the action, while Duffy has been send by Ingrid to clean up the mess, that is, make sure no one leaves alive. On the outer, the sacked pair, Marcus and Shirley also make their way to support their former comrades.
The climax is wonderfully executed, readers will need to keep their wits about them to keep apart the disparate groups keeping tabs on each other and finally having a shoot out.
The notorious Jackson Lamb, head of Slough House and its retinue of failed spies, has left the building. An unheard of event, he never works in the field, but an old working partner has turned up dead on a bus in Oxford, and Lamb sees this as a trail the old spy was leaving for him to follow. Playing by London Rules, Lamb is cautious in who he trusts. Dickie Bow was a clever streetwalker, known for his excellent tracking skills and sniffing things out. His impeccable sense of purpose has Lamb doing things he has not done for years, so convinced is he that Dickie’s death is not random or meaningless.
Meanwhile Spider Webb has asked for two of the Slow Horses to protect a Russian oligarch who is meeting Webb in London. Webb is convinced that a dialogue with this man will win him friends both in the MI5 precinct and at Whitehall. River leaves to follow Lamb and the trail left by Bow. He comes across an Oxford airfield used during World War Two and now seeing action again. River tracks the assailants but realises that he is being followed, and finds himself amidst a series of explosions.
The small town by the airfield is not all that it seems, and as the visit by the wealthy oligarch draws near, some of the town’s occupants are activated. Back in London, Richard Ho the tech expert at Slough House is uncovering a web of deceit, and all of this is linked to the Stop the City campaign currently placing London in gridlock.
This complex novel, full of wonderful characters, and a tightly controlled plot had me listening again to make sure all the threads were secured. I loved it, and now on Number three, expect my evenings will be well spent for months to come.
Dead Lions won the 2013 CWA gold dagger! (unsurprisingly).
University of Queensland Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780702266218. (Age:7+) Recommended.
Leo and Ralph have been best friends since Ralph flew down from one of Jupiter's moons to join him on Earth. But when the family is set to move to a small country town, Mum and Dad think it's a perfect time to leave Ralph behind. How can he possibly say goodbye to his security blanket and can he make a real friend? The timeline of the story jumps around a little as the prologue introduces us to Leo as he says goodbye to Ralph and then goes back in time to when Leo was five and first met Ralph. It explains his failed attempts to make friends and his life with Ralph until Grade 3. The story normalises the idea of imaginary friends; Leo is even aware that he is the only one that can see Ralph and the people around him, while accommodating, acknowledge that Ralph is imaginary.
Leo is a young boy with a HUGE imagination and a love of space. He has invented a whole world in the sky and enveloped himself in it to help him deal with how different he feels to all the other children he knows. 'As soon as Ralph arrived, school became less scary, the grown-ups stopped worrying and Leo had the friend of his dreams. He didn't want to go back to the way things were'. The story hints at Leo's neurodivergence. The teacher always has to repeat things because his mind is wandering, Leo speaks slowly and doesn't feel like the other children. He also feels physically different, speaking of himself as small and slow. An alien from outer space is exactly how he feels amonst his peers. 'He didn't know what game, or how many games were taking place. Couldn't grasp the phrases they shouted at each other...The playground is too busy, too fast'. His parents are calm and responsive and he is blessed with teachers who all support him despite all being very different.
At the new school, it is Ralph who helps Leo make a new friend and helps Leo to realise that he no longer needs him. After all, he is the one helping himself, not really Ralph. This would make a great classroom read aloud and is perfect for putting in the hands of those children who feel different or who have trouble finding a sense of belonging and giving them hope that they too will find the perfect friend eventually. Teacher's notes are available.
South Australian author Mike Lucas, whose first YA novel What We all Saw was shortlisted for the Readings Book Prize 2022, CBCA Book of the Year Award 2023, and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award 2023, has again written an outstanding story. The complex plot with stories within stories, the powerful setting, the vast array of strong characters - both good and evil - are all carefully constructed to provide readers with an absorbing narrative.
The story begins in 1811 with the Brothers Grimm travelling the land to collect stories from the oldest storytellers. It is in the telling of some of these quite dark and cruel stories that the magic and mystery becomes apparent. When the youngest of the three Grimm brothers goes missing, with his two older brothers having no memory of him, the seed has been skilfully sown for what takes place throughout One By One They Disappear.
The next few chapters alternate between 1938 to 1942, where young Hannah Ginsberg and her parents are subjected to the growing hatred of the Jewish Race. Forced into hiding in Stuttgart 1941 with the Meyers, a brave non-Jewish family, Hannah and her parents spend almost a year in dark, damp basement. When Stuttgart is bombed by the allies in 1942, Hannah finds herself recovering in hospital alone, with her only possession a book of Grimms Tales with the name Sofia written inside. In order to escape and survive she now must become Sofia and with help from some courageous adults she is taken high into the mountains to the only living relative of the Meyer family. Maud Meyer is austere and somewhat cold, not fond of children but accepts her duty to provide a home in her lodge for her niece Sofia. However, Maud hides deep secrets and is instrumental in keeping Hannah safe.
In the peaceful village Hannah now lives, all is not as it first appears. In the face of growing danger, the friendship between Hannah, Josef and Elias is central to the story as is the huge castle that towers over the village - now home to German soldiers as well as the dreaded SS. Children are disappearing with adults having no memory of them except Heinz Schundel who has drawn images of all the children. Early on in the story Hannah discovers she has a rare ability to leave her body and travel to places and situations to observe from above. Here she gains valuable knowledge of impending events which help her and trusted adults to change the expected outcome.
The devastation and cruelty by Nazi Germany depicted in World War Two is cleverly intertwined around Grimm's fairytales which Hannah realises early on are not really suitable for children. There are strong parallels between the actions of the Nazis and what takes place in some of the tales.
One By One They Disappear is a compelling read with a hint of fantasy that would make an excellent class novel for those year levels studying World War Two.
Themes Magic, Memories, Fairy Tales, World War Two, Tragedy, Friendship, Betrayal, Trust, Missing Children, Fantasy, Bravery.
An eye catching front cover entices all to open the book and see what thank you means. A wonderful exploration of many things in our universe are thanked, encouraging young readers to look again at things in their surrounds and think about what they mean in their lives. What do we owe the sun that brightly shines during the day, why should we thank the moon for night, or the trees, and various colours. Each page offers a different object to be thanked; the child’s boots, his hat, the clouds, the geese, the toothbrush and the bath. Each offers a reason why this is to be thanked, prodding children perhaps to add to why this object is being thanked recalling the importance of this in their lives. Each offers a helping hand to our lives, and children will see that things around us are to be cherished.
The underlying humour is just gorgeous, causing children to laugh with recognition. How can a tooth brush be thanked, they will ask, noting a chore that must be done, but equally seeing it as necessary. On one double page children will laugh at the reason the tyrannosaurus is thanked, and on another his sister is thanked for going in first, and telling him that the water is brilliant.
This inviting book will encourage readers to think about why they should thank something, thanking them for being part of their lives.
The wonderful illustrations are scattered across each page, underlying family and friendships as they sit down for a meal together, or ride a train, jump into the pool, ride a bicycle, play out in the rain, snuggle under a lovely patchwork cover. The vibrant colours are used to highlight aspects of this boy’s life, and the reader will follow his path with his knitted beanie with excitement. Readers will think about the things that are important to them and need to be thanked and acknowledged.
Don’t you love that feeling you get when you discover a new series to read/listen to? I love books about spies, and came across a series of books called Slough House by Mick Herron recently. Now listening to number five, I was surprised to see the first was published in 2010. I must have been asleep.
Slough House is an offshoot of the main building which houses MI5, Regent’s Park. People at Slough House have in the main stuffed up their spying life and are now relegated to the backwaters to scan files, do odd jobs and regret their fate.
A more jaundiced man cannot be conceived, Jackson Lamb is at their head, and his behaviour is crass in the extreme, delighting in voicing poisonous barbs at his co workers. Herron teases out information about the handful of inmates of Slough House, giving us snippets of their back stories, all scarred by their history. Called the Slow Horses by the real spies, each of them would do anything to get back in the game.
So when a boy is kidnapped the assailants promising to behead him on live TV, River Cartwright jumps at the chance to be involved hoping this may lead to his exoneration. River was relocated after a failed training exercise caused the shut down of King’s Cross Station, and he thinks about the mistake he’s been saddled with constantly. He is sure that the other trainee, ‘Spider’ Webb manipulated his demise and having to deal with him again is galling. River and the Slow Horses track the kidnappers, but the clues lead them in an unexpected direction one which sees Min, one of the Slow Horses, killed. And the realisation that it is all for a political stunt leaves the crew with an even nastier feeling towards Regent’s Park.
The characters are all fascinating, voicing frustrations that would leave readers questioning their own easy lives, but finding a lot of sympathy for their plight. From the alcoholic Catherine, the coke snorting Shirley, gambling addict Marcus, and newly partnered Min and Louisa, each of them will evoke sympathy from the readers. A host of other characters who work in Regent’s Park, as well as those in charge, Lamb, Diana Taverner and Ingrid Trelloar, each of the latter having hidden agendas behind the kidnapping event. Plot twists, lots of humour and quick quirky dialogue had me listening on the edge of my seat. A thriller and spy story, told with a lashing of humour, this is a great read and I look forward to the next in the series.
A TV series of Slough House, called Slow Horses is available on Apple TV.
Themes Missing persons, Secret Service.
Fran Knight
Penny draws: A secret adventure by Sara Shepherd
Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790569. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
For fans of Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes this new installment in the highly-illustrated Penny Draws series. Penny Draws a Secret Adventure is the third in the series, with a fourth on the way shortly. Sara Shepard is the American author of popular teen series Pretty Little Liars and the Penny Draws series is her first foray into middle grade books. The books are funny but heartfelt with comic style illustrations taking up half of the page space. Written in diary form, Penny writes to her dog Cosmo about her life and feelings. Dry humour abounds and Shepard has a clear understanding of contemporary tween and teen life; the teenage babysitter spends her time on her phone ordering smoothie deliveries and watching Tik Tok. There are also Penny's funny wonderings, such as her musings on the holey plot lines of Charlotte's Web.
Penny is in Grade 5 and has new twin siblings, one of whom will not stop crying. Her mind is taken off the house chaos though when she discovers a treasure map in her attic. The clues lead the group of friends around their community, including the theme park and the school music room and end with them discovering that not everything is as it first appears. The writing style is witty and revolves around Penny's friendship dramas and family life, as well as giving voice to her ever-present self-doubt and lapses in self-confidence. She's a worrier - she even visits the Feelings Teacher (school counsellor) on a regular basis - and is worried because two of her friends are getting closer and have lots of the same interests. There is also the inevitable enemy who turns out to be a friend after all.
Themes Friendship, Family, Anxiety, School Stories.
Although this looks like another LGBQTI+ romance in the vein of Madden's other novels (Anthing but fine, and Take a bow Noah Mitchell) Wrong answers only actually becomes more a celebration of platonic teenage friendship. It is his relationship with his childhood friend CeCe that sees Marco through all the challenges of his life.
Marco is a high-achiever with his sights set on becoming a surgeon, but when it looks like his dreams of studying at Melbourne University are about to be realised, he starts falling apart. He suffers panic attacks when he even begins to think about moving from Ballarat and beginning his biomedical degree. Fortunately for him he is offered an escape from all his worries with the offer of an incredible holiday aboard a cruise ship with his long estranged uncle Renzo.
Thus the fun begins: cruise life is full of dance performances and parties, interspersed with outings to beautiful locations along the Mediterranean Sea. Plus, for Marco, there is instant attraction to hot surfer dude Hunter, a pleasure seeker with a bad reputation.
Madden realistically portrays the struggle of a high-achiever to come to terms with his anxiety about failure; and the fraught relationship with his concerned Italian migrant family is also well-drawn. But it is the up and down relationship with soul-mate CeCe that really pulls at the heart-strings, as they manoeuvre the hurtful but also the tender moments of their friendship.
I liked how this novel did not follow predictable plot lines, and not all the problems in Marco’s life are resolved. He has to learn that there aren’t always answers at the back of the book, life is full of uncertainties, and the best advice is ‘Let life surprise you’.
Lily Halfmoon: The witches' council by Xavier Bonet
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761069727. (Age:7+) Recommended.
This short graphic novel series translated from Spanish with full-colour illustrations will delight young fantasy lovers as there isn't much else in this genre and format for this age group. The second in the series, The Witches Council follows on directly from book number one, Lily Halfmoon: The magic gems and readers will benefit from reading that one first. This installment does have an introduction to Lily and her world for those who haven't read it, but similar to Harry Potter there is a fair bit going on in this witchy world that needs some prerequisite knowledge for full understanding of the story. The story doesn't have chapters but includes interval pages where information about Lily's world is presented (lunar calendar, magical creatures etc.).
Lily is a secret witch and attends a magical school, but her parents don't know yet, despite her little sister Zoe almost spilling the beans on numerous occasions. It is Halloween in the non-witch world but Samhain in the witch world; it's an old tradition where witches gather from all around the world to celebrate and pay respect to ancestors. There is a parade, magic demos and visitors from magic schools all around the world. There is also a mysterious stranger trying to steal her precious moonstone in order to corrupt it and use it for her own benefit. Her and her witch friends are eight and nine years old, so this will appeal to those who love the idea of entering a magical world like Nevermoor or Hogwarts but aren't quite ready to read about them independently.
Themes Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Magical Stories, Witches and Wizards.
Nicole Nelson
A better best friend by Oliver Tallec
Gecko Press, 2024. ISBN: 9781776575732. (Age:4+)
Squirrel is looking for a friend and thinks he has found one in the mushroom in the woods. He sits with the mushroom, Pock and they do things together. He is a better friend than the pinecones which fall from the tree, a friend does not fall from the tree everyday, so a friend when one is found is precious. Squirrel hopefully thinks Pock may become his best friend.
They go for walks in the woods, sheltering under a leaf together when it rains, the little animal showing him all of his favourite places. They shelter together when the leaves fall from the trees, shiver together when snow falls. Pock does not say much but he is always ready to do what his friend does.
When spring arrives, so does a new friend, Moo. He too says very little. Moo shows them all of his favourite places, and they skip stones across the creek, watching the water go by. Squirrel is in a quandary: Moo is good at skipping stones, much better than Pock, while Pock loves the things that he likes, sheltering under a leaf and watching the snow fall. The next morning Gunther arrives, and the problem is solved. He doesn’t say much but the four can all be friends.
This lovely book will be invaluable when younger readers are experiencing problems with their friendship groups. The book shows how we all love to have a friend and a best friend may be the solution but a number of different friends will make a difference. Children will love reading of the solution to the problem and laugh along with the author at the last page.
They will breathe in the woods where these little animals and the mushroom live, noting the variety of plants and trees, enjoying the outdoors.
I love the way Tallec shows the different expressions ad emotions of the group, using a range of eye movements to signify what each is feeling.
A humorous tale dealing with a concern many children have, this book offers a solution in a gentle way, showing them what friends do together, how one friend may offer different experiences tham another, and that friends need to be together to nurture their friendship.
