Wakefield Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781743057063.
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. This is an exquisite collection of
short stories. Many have a filmic quality as Ashmere introduces a
scene and moves like a camera would, resting on an object or a
person, and then revealing subtle nuances in gestures or words as we
are led further in. The language has the expressiveness of poetry,
creating pictures and interactions, leading into stories that leave
us pondering long afterwards.
Several stories explore a woman's attraction to a brilliant other,
the beautiful but troubled Aveline, or the confident Romaine, or the
fascinating Louisa; the admirer herself, an observer somehow less
worthy, a 'Lame Horse', or ill or poor and less gifted. There is a
suppressed longing to escape from the mundane, to rebel and run free
like Vevette and her wild friend Rae.
'Silent Partner' gives a voice to the women ignored in family trees
and the records of ancestors and descendants: the so-called spinster
Harriet has a loved partner Winifred, the disgraced divorcee still
has children, and the present day narrator has a 'great friend' or
'life partner', relationships that are authentic and enduring.
There are also stories of historical fiction, of men scarred by war,
drunken fathers, hardworn women and families struggling in poverty,
stories imagined from intriguing glimpses of women's voices buried
in the archives. The settings range from Australia to England,
France, and Borneo, all 'a mixture of memory, imagination and
experience' that draw us into scenes from people's lives.
There will be images and descriptions that will stay with you long
afterwards, just as the cover photograph suggests thoughts and
imaginings; the stories can be read and enjoyed time and again.
Themes: Women, Relationships, Longing, Outsiders, LGBQTI, Historical
fiction.
Helen Eddy
Macca and Al, super pals by Matt Cosgrove
Scholastic Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760970246.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Macca and Al, super pals is the
latest Macca the Alpaca story in the series written for
younger children. Author Matt Cosgrove has cleverly combined rhyme
with bright and colourful illustrations to provide another amusing
and entertaining read. Macca and best friend Al play super heroes
all day and they have all the toys super heroes need. Macca though
dreams of becoming a real super hero and he and Al set about
creating costumes with a mask, cape and underwear. They give
themselves cool names, Mighty Mac and Sensation-Al, and try hard to
get super powers. They help their friends Slow Jo, Rhonda the
anaconda, the yaks and Harmer the Llama out of some tricky
situations in their super hero costumes. However they soon realise
that all the friends worked as a team and are all super heroes every
day. Macca and Al, super pals will be another enjoyable read aloud
for young children especially those who can relate to being super
heroes.
Themes: Alpacas, Super heroes, Dressing-up, Playing,
Friendship, Helping.
Kathryn Beilby
Healing lives by Sue Williams
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760982034.
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. This is the story of two truly
amazing women, Catherine Hamlin, a highly educated privileged woman
from Sydney, Australia, and Mamitu Gashe, a poor illiterate girl
from a remote village in Ethiopia, whose paths crossed when
Catherine and her husband Reg, both surgeons and committed
Christians, took up the challenge to establish a school for
midwifery in Addis Ababa. It was there that Catherine and Reg first
became aware of the shocking suffering of many young girls severely
damaged after prolonged and tortuous childbirth, left with fistulas,
holes worn in internal tissue leaving them uncontrollably leaking
urine or faeces or both. It is a problem rarely seen now in the
western world with its high levels of obstetric care, caesareans,
and antibiotics, but in Africa and Ethiopia, it is a huge problem;
the women, in constant pain, and ashamed, are outcasts from society.
The Hamlins became determined to help.
At 16 years of age, Mamitu was left with horrific fistula injuries
following a four day labour and a stillborn child. Her husband and
friends carried her on a stretcher over 100 kilometres across
mountains and gorges in the desperate search for help. It was the
worst case the Hamlins had yet encountered but they embraced her as
their daughter and determined to operate as many times as necessary
to achieve a cure.
Readers cannot fail to be moved, reading of the suffering of the
young Ethiopian women and of the care and love that the Hamlins
brought in their dedication to medical intervention. But perhaps
most inspiring of all is the story of Mamitu, reciprocating the love
she received, determined to also help, becoming a cleaner,
interpreter, nurse's aide and then assisting and ultimately
performing her own surgery, continuing Catherine's legacy, all
without ever having had any schooling.
The Catherine Hamlin Fistula
Foundation has restored the health and dignity of over 60,000
women. This book is a wonderful testament to the kindness,
determination and dedication of two outstanding women and the people
who continue their work.
Helen Eddy
The Tree by Graeme Base
Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897048.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Enticing illustrations will draw
readers into this latest offering by award winning Base (Animalia)
and they will linger over its message of sharing and working
together. A curly-haired cow with long horns and eyelashes and a
cute little duck linger under a beautiful big tree. Cow looks up and
sees mooberries while Duck looks amongst the roots and see
mushquacks. Both are happy with the tree, Cow building herself a
castle in its branches and pulling up the drawbridge, while Duck has
an underground hideout with a secret entrance. However, when a storm
bends the tree Cow and Duck notice each other and believe that their
mooberries and mushquacks are under threat. Then another storm blows
the tree over and Cow and Duck must cooperate to help a new tree
grow.
Base's illustrations are delightful. Both Cow and Duck come alive
with their individual characteristics. The tree is a character in
itself and the details of the castle in its branches and the
hideaway in its roots are amazing. The double page spread that shows
the tree against a beautiful dark blue night sky, with Cow perched
in his castle looking at the sunset, and Duck lounging in his
deckchair underground is beautifully drawn and memorable. Other
animals who live in the tree peep out through the leaves and scamper
around and readers will enjoy finding and naming them.
The narrative reads aloud well and finally shows the futility of
pulling up the drawbridge in Cow's case or hiding the entrance by
Duck. When they have to grow another tree, readers will be happy to
see that creatures can live along side each other, sharing and
helping each out.
Pat Pledger
Jumbo the most famous elephant who ever lived by Alexandra Stewart
Illus. by Emily Sutton. Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526608581.
Highly recommended. Many, many years ago, there was an elephant
named Jumbo. His story is one that has been told thousands of times
over the years, and has lead to major changes in the realm of animal
welfare. In this book Alexandra Stewart tells us the most amazing
story about Jumbo's life and trek from the Sahara all the way to
this his final resting place in America's National History Museum.
I was really enthralled by this book and read it from front to back
as soon as I got it. I have now read it to my children, family
members and other staff at my school!
We learn about how, in the 1860s, an elephant was shipped, trained
and shipped again across the world! How his life varied in the zoo
and the circus and eventually how modern science has allowed us to
learn many new things about the magnificent Jumbo. Alexandra Stewart
also tell us about the people involved in Jumbo's life, especially
Mr Scott an extra special keeper/handler in the elephant's life.
Woven in to the pages is also information about the London Zoo, the
difference between Asian and African elephants, and the lasting
effect of his legacy in today's animal welfare and conservation
efforts.
Overall, this book is one of my favourites! The story is engaging
and full of interest at every page turn. I loved learning about
Jumbo and how he was looked after over 100 years ago.
I cannot leave this review without talking about the illustrations.
Emily Sutton has really created something special. Every page is
beautiful. Her use of watercolours with pencil outlines shows the
animals' emotions and brings them to life! I particularly love the
pages depicting the London Zoo and the final page of the elephants
in the sanctuary.
5 out of 5 for this book, especially great for the animal lover in
your life.
Lauren Fountain
Fox: A circle of life story by Isabel Thomas
Illus. by Daniel Egneus. Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526600776.
(Age: 5+). Highly recommended. Fox is a thoughtfully written
factual picture book. The story begins and ends with the reader
being encouraged to look and listen closely. There is life stirring
in the shadows. The journey of the fox searching for food to feed
her young is written in short sharp sentences e.g. 'Rabbits nibble
fresh green shoots. Then freeze. Ears stiffen. Noses twitch. Fox
creeps, then leaps.' This simple text will appeal to younger readers
but also encourage the reader to look carefully at the clever
illustrations which further enhance the meaning of the story. It is
evident that the author has studied foxes and knows their traits as
she has described the movement of the adult fox and the way her cubs
play beautifully. She has cleverly introduced the reader to the
unfamiliar word of 'gekkering' which is to make a series of
stuttering throaty vocalizations in the manner of foxes when
encountering a rival. This story though is ultimately one about the
circle of life. The adult fox dies on the road, the cubs find their
way safely back to the den and the body of the fox decomposes in the
way nature intends it to. The death of the fox is sensitively
addressed and the author is quite honest in the description of what
happens to the body. At the completion of the story are important
facts about what happens when something dies. The illustrations by
Daniel Egneus seamlessly complement the text. Fox is perfect for reading aloud in the classroom or sharing
at home. A welcome addition to both public and school libraries.
Themes: Foxes, Life Cycle, Factual picture book
Kathryn Beilby
A room made of leaves by Kate Grenville
Text Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922330024.
(Age: secondary/adult) Highly recommended. Historical writing at its
best, this tale of Australia's colonial experiences, told through an
imagined voice, gives a background and authenticity to one of
Australia's storehouse of overlooked women: Elizabeth Macarthur. In
reality there is little known of her life, and Grenville has taken
what has been written down, fleshing it out through her 'discovered'
diaries written as an older woman, looking over her long and
eventful life.
Her diary is a recreation of a time when marriage was an alternative
to living as an ageing spinster relying on the charity of a brother
or nephew's family. And Elizabeth made that choice, joining someone
she did not know to go to Sydney Cove where he could see openings
for advancement and wealth, as befitted his grand image of himself.
Their hasty marriage, saw Elizabeth questioning what she had
married: a cold, calculating, quick tempered man, bent on climbing
the ladder of opportunity via his contacts gained through his years
of army service. To this end he accepted a position with the New
South Wales Corp, traveling to Australia on the Neptune, one
of the worst ships of the Second Fleet, where he argued with the
captain of both the ship and the regiment.
Arguments continued as he built up grievances, culminating in a
court case in London, where he spent four years, (1801-5) leaving
Elizabeth with their newly acquired property at Paramatta. An
argument with Bligh saw him sent to England for court martial in
1809, not returning until 1817.
Grenville shows us how Elizabeth's background and skills, developed
while living with her grandfather on a sheep farm in Devon, enabled
her to establish Elizabeth Farm as the mainstay of the Australian
sheep and wool industry.
Colonial society is viewed through the eyes of this long suffering
woman, transported to the other ends of the earth, saddled with a
man determined to find fault, rubbing shoulders with Captain Tench,
Governor Arthur Phillip, astronomer William Dawes, as well as the
Aboriginal people of Sydney Cove. The diary is an expose of life at
Sydney Cove, giving the reader an enticing look behind the scenes.
Told by Elizabeth it gives insight into the restrictions on women's
lives at the time and new insight into one of the unsung founders of
Australia. Themes: Pioneers and pioneer life - New South Wales,
Women in Australia - Social conditions, Australia - History
-1788-1851, Married persons, Secrecy, Pioneers, Macarthur,
Elizabeth, Marriage, Australian history, Biographical fiction,
Macarthur, John, Australia, Sydney (NSW) - History, Convicts,
Aboriginal resistance, Astronomy, William Dawes, Captain Tench, John
Macarthur, Wool industry.
Fran Knight
We are wolves by Katrina Nannestad
ABC Books, 2020. ISBN: 9780733340888.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Liesl (aged 11), Otto (aged 7) and
Mia (nearly 2) Wolf, are German children who must escape from their
home as the Russians advance at the end of World War II. As
patriotic Germans they have been taught to speak positively about
Hitler and assume that his plans are good. When finally their father
is co-opted as a soldier along with many of the remaining men of his
East Prussian village at the final stages of the war they start to
get glimpses that all is not well. The advance of the Russian Army
means they must escape in haste, initially with their Mama, Opa and
Oma. But after Oma and Opa choose to remain in a barn and following
a mishap on a frozen lake, it is just the children left to survive,
living with the hope that they will see their Mama again. Their
survival as 'wild' children is phenomenal as they must make hard
choices and choose alliances to enable them to keep going.
Eventually they seek refuge in Lithuania but must shed all traces of
their German history and identity and 'adopt' a new family
existence. The love they have for each other and their ability to
see joy amid the horror of their wild existence owes much to the
simplicity of Mia and her naive view of the world. Otto barely has
time to be a child and Liesl must act on behalf of her siblings in
ways that reveal that she has been forced to grow up much too
quickly. But will they ever see their old family again? Is there
hope in the horrors of the aftermath of war or must they lose
everything to stay alive?
This is a serious story, akin to Gleitzman's Once or Boyne's
The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, written in a naive voice about
the circumstances of war for children. Based on the truth of the
stories of other 'Wolfskinder' of this time, the Wolf children's
account is a reminder that victims of war are sometimes very young.
Katrina Nannestad is known for her tales of quirky children in
comedic circumstances, but this very dramatic tale is a step into a
much more serious approach to story writing. But she still manages
to exercise her light touch as she uses Mia's very unsophisticated
approach to life to inject some moments of lightness into a story
filled with pathos. This is a joy to read, but tears threaten
to fall at various moments as the reader struggles with this small
Wolf pack in their journey of survival. Older readers will also
enjoy this book for its insights into the German experience at the
conclusion of World War II.
Themes: World War II; Resilience; Children in War; Family; Hope;
Survival.
Carolyn Hull
Catch me if I fall by Barry Jonsberg
Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760877613.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. The reader is firstly introduced to
the world of Ash and Aiden. Identical twins, they have promised
their mother that they will look out for each other, no matter what.
Thiers is a world of privilege and the author perceptively describes
of lives of children with expectations of entitlement who live in an
exclusive estate and attend a wealthy private school.
Through the dialogue in the story we learn this book is set in the
future. Sydney is adjusting to the ravages of climate change and
life is not as we currently know it in Australia. Food insecurity
and social inequities are explored through the lens of privilege.
The characters are richly drawn and the reader is led to believe Ash
is be both selfish and spoiled. Aiden is portrayed as wise and
compassionate as he acts as a buffer between Ash and the world.
On a school camp, described as a five star, politically correct and
work health safety controlled experience, Aiden and Ash are involved
in an unexpected accident that forever changes their lives. From
here on the reader is challenged by ethical dilemmas. The reader is
left to reflect on what it means to be human and where life begins.
The ethical issues raised in this book are complex. The author has
crafted a deceptively simple book that will lift the heart and
expand the mind.
The teacher notes, available here,
provide guidelines and links to resources that expertly guide and
support the opportunities for learning this book evokes.
Themes: Relationships (family, friends), Artificial Intelligence,
Ethics (climate change, sustainability).
Linda Guthrie
A time for mercy by John Grisham
Hodder & Stoughton, 2020. ISBN: 9781529342338.
(Age: Senior secondary/adult) Recommended. Small town Mississippi
lawyer Jake Brigance is given a case no one else wants. Popular
Deputy Stuart Kofer has been shot and killed. It's Jake's duty to
defend an immature 16 year boy who has admitted to pulling the
trigger.
The town of Clanton in Ford County Mississippi is not large, but it
does have a sheriff with a number of deputies as well as a city
police force. Surprisingly its sheriff, Ossie Walls is black. He
like other elected officials including the judge is up for
reelection in the coming year. Mississippi in America's deep south
is church going and conservative, they have the death penalty and
many believe the gas chamber is not used often enough.
Twice divorced Kofer has been living with Josie and her two teenaged
kids for a number of months. She has a history; pregnant at 15, a
few unhappy and dysfunctional relationships, a couple of drug
convictions, some time in prison, her kids in care and a life, at
times, of living out of her car. Josie jumped at the chance of some
stability, a roof over her head and food on the table. Kofer seemed
like a great choice. But Stuart had a dark side especially when
drunk, which was becoming more frequent.
Opinion in the town, from law enforcement, the Kofer family and the
God fearing community was that who ever shot Stuart Kofer should go
to the gas chamber. Jake Brigance has been leaned on by Judge Omar
Noose to be the state appointed attorney for young Drew Gamble. He
is about to become the most unpopular guy in town.
The facts of the case seem straight forward, an open and shut case.
But as Jake gets to know Josie Gamble and her son Drew and daughter
Kiera, the sympathy he has with the family grows as does his concern
for the well being of Drew. Drew, though 16 has not yet hit puberty.
He is small thin and looks 12. After his arrest he is withdrawn and
hardly seems aware of what he has done. He is locked in the Clanton
jail, a hostile environment with no facilities for a juvenile
especially one with significant trauma. Kiera on the other hand,
though 14, is physically mature and attractive, though timid and
inhibited.
Jake Brigance has the support of the law firm and a few stalwart
friends, but there has been a loss of business and threats to his
family for his defence of Drew Gamble. He successfully gets Drew out
of jail for psychological assessment and counselling and is able to
arrange for Josie and Kiera to be cared for by one of the local
churches.
When the trial begins Jake proves to be a consummate court room
performer. He is able to use the few assets the Gamble family
situation provides with skill like a chess player and keeps facts
from the prosecution until the trial.
Grisham has written many books, many of them court room dramas, but
A Time For Mercy seems fresh, riveting and eminently
readable. Politics, the legal system, "the South", prejudice,
religion and the human condition all blend to make this novel a joy
to read.
Themes: Crime, Court room, Lawyers, Murder, Mississippi, Death
penalty.
Mark Knight
The ultimate animal alphabet book by Jennifer Cossins
Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9780734420091.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. What a wonderful book to get lost in:
full of interest, but entertaining, informative and enlightening,
turning some of the accepted ideas about alphabet books on their
head, upending the idea of animal names being strictly formulated,
making each reader engage their thought processes as they read. Now
why has she included the grey great kangaroo under G, not K, or why
does the keel-billed toucan appear on the K page not the T.
Questions are posed on every double page, each covered with a
variety of splendidly illustrated birds and animals, some of which
are accompanied by a witty bit of information.
I turned to R to look up my favourite animal, the rhinoceros, having
just been to Monarto Zoo to view the rhino and its calf, but it was
not to be found on the R page. I thought about its full name and
turned to W to spy the white rhino at the bottom of the page,
accompanied by its calf learning from the information given that it
is the second largest land animal in the world, males weighing in at
3600 kilos.
Also on the W page, is the Wyandotte chicken, willie wagtail, weedy
sea dragon, Wilson's bird of paradise, the white bellied sea eagle,
wildebeast and a whistling heron. Each image will entertain younger
readers as they pore over the illustrations making note of the
intricate drawings, and take in the information
given.
In large format, the bright yellow cover is attractive and
mesmerising, challenging the reader to identify the birds and
animals shown on the front cover, daring them to open the book and
find which page the animal appears on.
A lovely book to challenge little minds, impelling them to look more
closely a the words used to describe the animal and reposition their
own thoughts about an alphabet book and just how an alphabet book
works.
Tasmanian author/illustrator Cossins is a CBCA award winner, and
well known for her A-Z
of endangered animals, as well as 101
collective nouns.
Themes: Animals, Birds, Alphabet, Words, STEM.
Fran Knight
Wombat by Philip Bunting
Omnibus, 2020. ISBN: 9781760972370.
(Age: 3 - adult) Highly recommended. What a wonderful book about
wombats and all those things that the word can imply. Who'd have
thought you'd find youngbat or oldbat or chit chat or thisbat or
thatbat in a picture book about wombats, but Phil Bunting's highly
original sense of humour and off the planet encouragement of
interaction and play with his audience, young and old hits the spot
again.
The pairing of each illustration with just one word magnifies the
meaning of that word. Eyes will dart from the word and its half
rhyme with wombat to the image before them. The dour look on the
wombat's face, its browns and greys, simple arm movements, all add
to the humour on each page. The eyes reflect the way the wombat is
thinking, and children will love replicating the wombat on their own
pages, seeing how they can make the animal come to life as Bunting
does. A wonderful read aloud, kids will pester adults for a
re-reading, marvelling at the rhyming of the words, the links
between each of the wombats illustrated, the conclusion of two
wombats coming together, while foraging the few words which tell of
a wombat's life. The endpapers reprise the flowers found throughout
the book, and Bunting even includes a laugh on the publication page.
Theme: Wombats, Humour, Rhyming.
Fran Knight
Take to the skies by Anh Do
Illus. by James Hart. Sky Dragon. Allen & Unwin, 2020.
ISBN: 9781760876364.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. When her parents are killed in a
house fire, from which she is pulled with scarring facial injuries
and her brother left in a coma, Amber finds that she has new powers.
The fire began with a purple ball of fire hurtling form the sky,
burning the house to the ground. Always interested in insects and
their habitat, she finds that she can to some extent, communicate
with them, initially able to direct where they go, using simple mind
messages. So she foils the bullies as they pour milk over her,
directing a dragonfly to mess Trish's hair, resulting in a public
down grading.
A well scripted story, Do has got this genre to a 't', resulting in
a fast paced adventure story, full of interest and mayhem, with
believable characters that readers can identify from their own
family and school groups. Amber receives some stick from a trio of
bullies because of how she looks and her unusual interests, but you
know that they will get some sort of come-uppance by the end of the
story. Justin who shares Amber's interest is a good sidekick, loyal
and supportive when needed.
Anh Do is now seemingly churning out these series for the mid
primary readership, full of recognisable characters, high adventure
and pace, and illustrated by James Hart, adding a layer of
excitement and wit to the story. The second in the series is 'coming
soon' but readers will be able to turn to the other involving series
penned by Do for Allen & Unwin: Wolf girl, Mythrix,
and Eboy. Reading
group notes are available.
Themes: Adventure, Fantasy.
Fran Knight
Through the night sky by Anita Ganeri
Illus. by Charlotte Pepper. Dorling Kindersley, 2020. ISBN:
9780241355459.
(Age: 8+). Highly recommended. Through The Night Sky is a
stunningly presented non-fiction book which captures many and varied
aspects of what happens in the night sky. It is described as "A
collection of amazing adventures under the stars." The striking
contents page is presented in a whimsical horizontal format across a
double page. The headings are:
1. Night flight
2. Lighting the dark
3. Seeing with stars
4. A night of flowers
5. Heavenly lights
6. The moon
7. Into darkness
8. Happy New Year
9. Signs in the stars
10. A journey to Earth
11. A visitor from above
12. Eyes to the sky
13. Our base in space
14. Seeing the Solar System
Each topic has a double page spread with simple yet informative text
and further explanations and labels when required. The book contains
a wide range of topics including historical information and relevant
and recent facts about space, technology and nature. For example
there is information on comets, the planets in our solar system,
meteor showers, eclipses, the moon, flowers at night and nocturnal
animals. The identification of the more noticeable constellations in
both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are beautifully
illustrated and will appeal to those young budding astronomers.
There is a detailed index for a quick search of topics.
The illustrations by Charlotte Pepper seamlessly complement the text
and are quite exquisite. Photographic images add to the enjoyment of
the book.
Through The Night Sky is perfect for sharing in the classroom
or at home or browsing by an individual both young and old. It would
make a very special gift. Themes: Nocturnal Animals, Planets, Moon,
Stars, Time.
Kathryn Beilby
Dragon Mountain by Katie and Kevin Tsang
Simon & Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471193071.
(Age: 8-10) Dragon Mountain is a simple but imaginative tale
that could be useful for introducing younger children to the fantasy
genre. The setting is a mountain in rural China in contemporary
times. The formula is that of young heroes who are sent on a camp by
their parents in order to develop personal strengths and correct
certain individual weaknesses. Each child bonds with a dragon that
is matched to that child's particular self. As a team which relies
on togetherness, they go on a quest to save both the world of humans
and the world of dragons. The book concludes with a cliff hanger and
if children are interested they must wait for the next book in the
series.
The human characters represent different but complementary
strengths. None are fully developed to the extent that children
could strongly relate to them but that may come with the second book
in the proposed series. The dragons who are matched to each child
have their own distinctive capacities and personalities.
The authors have been sensitive about responding to current concern
about gender and cultural representation. They have therefore
ensured that there is gender balance and also mixed cultural
representation including a bi-racial child in the cast of
characters. Because of this some young readers who may not have seen
themselves cast in a storybook role may enjoy an identification with
the characters.
Many wonderful books have been written about quests and dragons
including Carole Wilkinson's Dragon keeper series which
takes readers back to the time of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the Wings
of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland which has attracted many
eager fans. Dragon Mountain is an action packed read with a plot that
proceeds at a cracking pace.
Suitable for 8-10 year olds.
Wendy Jeffrey
