Illus. by Owen Swan. New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594768. 32pg.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: Bullying, Difference, Winter,
Squirrels, Loneliness. This is a picture book with ideas and images
that have kept drifting back to me since I first picked it up!
Pictures of the snow swirling through the air as a little girl with
glasses, Olivia, watches a squirrel with a stumpy tail in a quiet
park and thoughts about bullying in both the human and the animal
world have popped up again and again. The book opens with a scene of
an old woman sitting in a park remembering when Nanny Clementine
took her to the big park in the middle of the city. She recalls
watching the squirrels, who bullied the scruffy little squirrel with
the stumpy tail, chasing him away from food and leaving him behind.
This mirrors the actions of three little girls from her school, who
whisper behind their hands about her. She names the little squirrel
Scruffle-Nut 'because he's wise and brave and strong', and the
other squirrels the Bully-Bunch, and Swan's illustrations show the
little girl becoming braver with the human Bully-Bunch that she
faces at school.
The themes of bullying and difference are handled gently, with
Swan's drawings perfectly complementing the text and adding to the
narrative. It is a book that could easily be overlooked because of
its muted colours, but is one that a parent or teacher could well
use to highlight the importance of being kind and one for children
to read quietly to themselves and think about difference and how to
avoid bullies.
Corinne Fenton writes about how the book came into being on her blog.
Pat Pledger
Dressing your family by Beci Orpin
Lothian, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419408.
(Ages: 0-3) Recommended. Board Book. Themes: Clothing, Family
members. From the creator of Moving
your body comes this similar board book introducing little
ones to different items of clothing and family members: 'My sister
wears underpants', 'My uncle and cousin wear overalls'. There is a
pleasing diversity of people, including an uncle in a wheelchair, a
step-brother and various skin and hair colours.
The illustrations are fun and stylish, depicting a safe, happy and
comforting family environment. Young children will be able to
identify with the representations of daily life, including playing
inside and waving goodbye to grandma.
This is a great early concept book for very young children who are
just learning about the world around them.
Nicole Nelson
Under the ocean by Nancy Bevington
Can you find? series. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925594379.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Oceans. This is one in a new series
for babies called Can you find? (others are At the beach,
In the forest, On the farm). Nancy's previous titles
have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef
series. In this book, each page says 'Under the Ocean there is . . .
' and then shows and names three things found under the ocean
(angelfish, seahorses, sharks, stingrays, lobsters, oysters, coral
etc.) The illustrations are large, happy and fun but quite
realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour.
The last page says 'Can you find all the things under the ocean?'
and shows all of the illustrations included within the previous
pages. These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that
encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for
babies.
Nicole Nelson<
Africa, amazing Africa: Country by country by Atinuke
Illus. by Mouni Feddag. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406376586.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Africa, Geography, Climate,
Animals. Every page is full of colour and fascinating information in
this highly readable account of the 55 or so states in the continent
of Africa. Divided into four sections, following the points of the
compass, each section deals with the countries within its area. So,
Southern Africa for example lists the states of Angola, Botswana,
Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland,
Zambia and Zimbabwe. A page is devoted to each country and an
introductory paragraph outlines the main features of the place which
might include geography, climate, main cities, features, history,
customs and industry. This is accompanied by vibrant illustrations
and several facts at the bottom of the page. Each page is enticing
in what it reveals about that country, the information given is
absorbing, capturing the imagination of the reader.
I read it from cover to cover, it is so well written it lends itself
to that use, while in a classroom, its usefulness is enhanced by a
sound index and references to websites for further information. I
was struck with the positive thrust of the book. The information
about Africa is future focussed, each country is presented as a
vibrant community working together to overcome problems of the past.
The illustrations present a colourful, intoxicatingly positive aura,
full of life, colour and movement to encourage every reader to see
this extraordinary continent with fresh eyes.
The book's introduction outlines some of the things about Africa which
make Africa amazing and unique: the first humans walked there, there
are 55 states, but this is variable, there is a huge range of
temperatures, climates and landscapes as well as animals and
religions, languages and governments. Impossible to put into one
book, the facts given will whet the appetites of the students with a
desire to know more about the world they live in.
Fran Knight
A first time for everything by Tiffiny Hall and Ed Kavalee
Illus. by Anil Tortop. Albert Street Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781760525002.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Exploration,
Parenting, Babies, Families. This book had me laughing out loud
recognising the trials and tribulations of that first year with a
new baby.
Everything seems to go well before he comes along, but the
experience of a first child is daunting and it is shown with love
and humour as the parents grow into their new job. The look on mum's
face as the child is left with her, a mixture of panic and
happiness, of fear and joy, comes across beautifully in the cartoon
like illustrations. Each page reveals another trial, as the parents
tell the reader what has happened, and the illustrations belie the
calmness of the text.
As the pages turn the progress of the child's first year is
revealed, from its first wee across the room, the first poo, the
first time Dad introduces pumpkin, the first outing and so on.
Readers will see the development of the child from a baby to a
toddler, reinforcing the progressive development of skills and
abilities as the child grows.
But humour abounds as the frazzled parents take their new roles
seriously. I love the image of the child in its bassinet in the car,
the first time they take the baby home. And of Mum struggling with
the array of things she must take with her as she wheels the pusher
down the street whistling to herself at a job well done while the
baby has been left behind. Readers will get a thrill out of the
contrast between the illustrations and text, and pore over the
detail of family life shown.
Delicious first moments appear on every page: the first word, the
first outing, the first sleep through and the first birthday, for
the parents a long time coming. Classes will have a lot of fun with
this book, recognising the trauma that occurs in a house with a new
baby, empathising with the new parents, seeing a child's
development, and seeing the first year from three (or four, with the
long suffering dog) different perspectives.
Fran Knight
Akin by Emma Donoghue
Picador, 2019. ISBN: 9781529019971.
(Age: Adolescent - Adult) Recommended. This beautifully written
narrative takes us into the world of Noah Selvagio, an older man
faced with a challenge that is unexpected. His decision to agree to
guardianship of his young great-nephew, Michael, a boy who has no
other living relatives, brings him a joy that we see him realise
only in the last lines of the narrative. Noah had lost his wife and
Michael's parents had struggled with drug use, poverty, and lost
their battle to live. Vibrant, entertaining and beautifully written,
this novel plunges us into the lives of two people, of vastly
different ages and experience, forced together at a difficult time
for both of them.
Yet while this young boy is tough, he resents being handed over to
an old man whom he doesn't know. Noah's struggle to adapt to such a
radical change in his own lifestyle evokes our empathy, given that
he is about to turn 80, and booked to return to the country of his
birth for the first time. He has only a photograph and a few ideas
about his mother's life, and is eager to find a sense of how she
managed, as a young Jewish woman, to escape from France during the
Second World War.
In the quirky inclusion of his late wife's words of wisdom, we read
of Noah imagining her commenting on his actions or telling him what
to do whenever he has a decision to make. When Noah realises, with
her 'help', that it is not sensible to admit to 'aches and pains' to
young people as they would 'write you off', she tells him, he is
convinced that he must be acknowledged as a capable and competent
carer for this street-smart but needy child.
This wonderfully uplifting, rewarding novel is appropriate for both
adolescent and adult readers. Emma Donoghue focuses on both the
challenges and the humorous aspects of aging, the tough outer
persona of youth, and the capacity for human beings to build
resilience, even to developing a loving friendship, even in the most
unlikely and unexpected ways. It is suitable for adult and older
adolescent reading and is a delightfully wry comment on the chance
of an unexpected event radically altering our lives.
Elizabeth Bondar
In the forest by Nancy Bevington
ISBN: 9781925594348.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Forests. This is one in a new series
for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean,
At the beach, On the farm). Nancy's previous titles
have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef
series. In this book, each page says 'In the forest there are . . .'
and then shows and names three things found in the forest (trees,
leaves, rabbits, toadstools, butterflies, foxes, waterfalls,
badgers, etc.) New Frontier publishes in the UK as well, hence the
English references. The illustrations are large and the animals are
happy and fun but quite realistically drawn. Each page has a
contrasting background colour. The last page says 'Can you find all
the things in the forest?' and shows all of the illustrations
included within the previous pages. These are simple but impressive
early vocabulary books that encourage parent-child interaction and
positive book experiences for babies.
Nicole Nelson
On the farm by Nancy Bevington
Can you find? series. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925594362.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Farms. This is one in a new series
for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean,
In the forest, At the beach). Nancy's previous titles
have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef
series. In this book, each page says 'On the farm there is . . . '
and then shows and names three things found on the farm (cows, a
pitchfork, hay, a farmhouse, a scarecrow, a wheelbarrow, a mower
etc. The illustrations are large, happy and fun but quite
realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour.
The last page says 'Can you find all the things on the farm?' and
shows all of the illustrations included within the previous pages.
These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that
encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for
babies.
Nicole Nelson
Dad's wishing the rain would come by Martine Miller
Illus. by Fiona Levings. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925545845.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Australia, Outback, Drought,
Family, Survival. The harshness that surrounds the farm house, the
cracked earth, the almost empty dam tell the readers that they are
in drought country, an Australian landscape that is parched and
seriously dry. But it's not only Dad wishing for rain again: it's
all the animals they see in their journey around the farm. The
cattle, eating their hay dropped off over the fence, the chooks
scrapping at the red dirt next to Mum's sparse vegetable garden, the
birds hanging from the trees with outstretched wings, the boy
wanting rain, Mum wanting the sheets to dry without being covered in
dust.
Everyone on the farm wants rain, and by the end of the story when
rain does fall, all the readers will be parched, feeling like one of
the farmers, wishing for rain. The story so often heard on our
continent, tells a familiar tale but told with a background of one
family's anguish and wishing. The whole family is together in
wanting rain, and all for quite different reasons, as all facets of
their lives are impacted by the lack of rain. The illustrations
parallel the concerns of the family, the red dust permeating
everything, the parched looks on all the animals telling the story
of need, the vast horizons showing us the lack of grass, feed and
water. But rain changes the landscape immeasurably, bringing smiles
back onto the faces of the family and the animals, Dad able to hep
Mum plant the next lot of vegetables, all the animals lolling about
in the new green grass which follows the rain.
A timely picture book which will underline the plight of those who
live in the country, may encourage students to think about water and
its lack, a looming problem for the world and its people.
Fran Knight
Invisible boys by Holden Sheppard
Fremantle Press; 2019. ISBN: 9781925815566. 344p; p/b. (Age: 15+) Recommended. Charlie, Zeke and Hammer each struggle to come to grips with their homosexuality in a small, conservative town. Invisible boys is a highly character-driven story, so it's only natural that the characters in the novel are well crafted. Characters are strongly introduced with relatable or familiar elements but ascend beyond stereotypes as the plot progresses into their hidden depths. As the synopsis likely suggests, the novel has a direct, central theme about the struggles of homosexuality in intolerant circumstances. It's not pleasant to read about, but it's an important perspective on privilege. The plot progresses in chunks as each character faces their own different struggles, but they're carefully woven together to keep the pace flowing. The novel is set in the modern day, in the real town of Geraldton, characterised strongly as small, highly religious, and as a result, intolerant. It's a familiar feeling for anyone who's lived in small towns before where everyone knows everyone and everything. The book follows the perspective of each major character, interspersed with grave letters to keep things compelling and tense. The pacing of which characters take focus when, is impeccable, and a continuous tone of dread permeates the entire novel, causing the reader to sympathise with the characters' awful plights. Teacher's notes are available. Vincent Hermann
Hapless hero Henrie by Petra James
Illus. by A. Vi. House of heroes series. Walker Books, 2019.
ISBN: 9781760650834.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure, Gender, Humour.
Twelve-year-old Henrie was totally unexpected, no girl had been born
for over two hundred years into the Melchior family, only boys.
After all the House of Melchior is about heroes and everyone knows
that heroes are boys not girls. Octavia Melchior, head of the House
of Melchior (HoMe) is appalled, how can their family business
proceed with a girl?
This is the premise of the first in this exciting new adventure
series for younger readers. Its 240 pages are sprinkled with asides,
jokes, tips, diagrams, quizzes and illustrations, while the tale
itself is exciting, has a wonderful self deprecating main character
in Henrie and an adventurous side kick, and a cast of not so nice
villains to avoid.
The hapless hero herself, Henrie, tells the reader how she was taken
from her family at birth by her aunt Ellie who feared for her
future. The Melchiors stick to the old style tradition and their
successful investigative business revolves around the basic tenet
that only boys can be heroes and inherit the business.Henrie has
been kept in the dark about her background but at twelve, she
decides it is time she knew the truth. The arrival of a postcard
sees Henrie taking action to solve her problem, facing off her boy
cousins n the process.
The first in a laugh out loud series for middle school readers.
Fran Knight
Girl Geeks: Making Magic by Alex Miles
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143795087.
(Age: 9-12 years). Themes: Friendship, Computers, Coding,
Technology, STEM, Drama, Arts, Costume & Design, Problem
Solving. Making Magic by Alex Miles is the fourth book in
the Girl Geeks series. It is written in conjunction with the
Girl Geek Academy - an Australian-based global movement teaching one
million women to learn technology by 2025.
The main characters, Maggie, Evie, Niki and Hamsa, are all best
friends who love computers, coding, gaming and all things
technology-based. With their classmates they are tasked with
creating a SPACE-TACULAR production for the school community after a
class unit of work on SPACE. The students can opt to join the group
which they feel their expertise is best suited to.
Hamsa convinces Maggie to join her in auditioning for the lead role
even though Maggie is known as the Maker and wants to only work on
props and costumes. To everyone's surprise Maggie is given the lead
role but after seeing Hamsa's disappointment, she persuades her
teacher, Ms Atlas, into allowing her to continue with props and
costumes. Hamsa is not given the lead role in the end but another
role as the main robot. During the week of play preparations, Hamsa
and Maggie have a falling out over Hamsa's insistence that Maggie is
too quiet and needs to stand up for herself. Maggie is quietly
confident that she is able to put forward her opinion when it needs
to happen. Their difference of opinion is finally resolved but not
before the two girls learn a valuable lesson in really listening to
each other.
The opening night of the production is not without drama. The stage
manager becomes ill and Maggie takes over the role successfully. She
also cleverly saves a stage-struck Hamsa and encourages her to speak
her lines.
Middle to upper primary readers will enjoy and relate to the
realistic and honest relationships portrayed and appreciate the
technical aspects and use of technology threaded throughout the
story.
Kathryn Beilby
Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
Argyll Productions, 2019. ISBN: 9781614505006. 174p.
(Age: 13-Adult) Recommended. Themes: Magic, Drought, Coming of age.
Oliver is a minor mage with the ability of being able to cast only a
few spells, including the ability of tying shoelaces together and a
pushme pullme spell. He is clever with herbs and helpful in his
village, but when his mother is away, the villagers insist that he
goes on a quest to bring rain to the drought stricken area. On the
way he faces much danger, including being imprisoned by a strange
couple, encountering a ghost and nasty bandits in a dark forest and
meeting the eerie cloud herders who could bring rain.
Ursula Vernon writes as T. Kingfisher for adults and this novella
has caused some controversy as her editor didn't feel it was for
children. It does contain some gory bits - a mage who makes harps
out of the bones and hair of humans who have been murdered, ghuls
who chase Oliver trying to eat him, some vicious and violent fights
and a theme of adults acting in bad ways when under the influence of
a crowd. However Oliver is still only 12 years old and sounds like a
child and his familiar the armadillo is an endearing character.
Kingfisher gives the reader lots to think about, especially the
nature of crowd behaviour and how a clever and influential liar can
influence how people act.
The brevity of Minor Mage, the witty dialogue and intriguing
situations that Oliver and his familiar find themselves in made this
an engrossing, quick read. I think it would be suitable for teens
who don't mind some gory details and adults who enjoy T.
Kingfisher's clever narrative and original ideas will find it a
treat.
Pat Pledger
Step sister by Jennifer Donnelly
Hot Key Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781471407970.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fairy tale retelling,
Stepsisters, Bullying, Redemption, Feminism. I'm very fond of the
retelling of fairy tales and this one kept me reading to finish it
in a couple of sittings. Award winning author Donnelly takes the
reader on an engrossing tour examining what happens to Cinderella's
step family after she leaves to marry the prince. Isabelle, one of
the ugly stepsisters, had cut off her toes in an effort to win the
hand of the prince and now finds it difficult to walk, while the
whole family has been shunned by the villagers who taunt them for
what they did to Cinderella. Meanwhile the Fates have mapped out a
path for Isabelle, one that Chance their rival is determine to
change. Tanaquill, the fairy queen also becomes involved in
Isabelle's life and offers her the chance to find the three missing
pieces of her heart, granting her one wish and hereon her life begin
to change. Isabelle believes that being pretty is the most important
thing that she could wish for and begins a journey to find her
heart, on the way learning that her strengths of bravery and
fearlessness are ones worth having.
Donnelly confronts society's view of what a young woman should be
like as Isabelle meets danger, and with daring and cunning overcome
much adversity. Her descriptions of how Isabelle was ridiculed for
her 'ugly' appearance and her fierce fighting ability and Tavi, her
sister, for her intelligence and scholarly interests will resonate
with readers who will relish the girls' gradual transformation from
a pair trying to be beautiful and fit a mould into doing what they
do best, even if it is not what their mother or many men judge fit
for young women.
Although a fairly lengthy book, (469 pages), short chapters and
snappy dialogue make this an easy to read story and the reader will
quickly identify with Isabelle as she struggles with how she has
behaved with Ella, her sorrow about losing Felix and her horse Nero
and her triumphant coming of age.
Pat Pledger
Africa Day by Chi Mary Kalu
Illus. by Jelena Jordanovic-Lewis. Little Steps Publishing, 2019.
ISBN: 9781925839197.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Africa, African food and
culture, Community, Family. Brisbane based lawyer, Chi Mary Jalu has
written a book about a special market day focussing on African food,
music and dance which will make readers' mouths water and feet beg
to move. A boy and his mother leave home early with baskets ready
for the special market day. Walking along some of the market stalls
they breathe in the smells and tastes of African food: fried buns,
jollof rice, bean pudding and Ethiopian coffee. They move on to a
jewelry stall where Mum buys some wooden beads and a bracelet. Next
is bag stall, full of cane and rattan baskets and bags. Then a
material stall where mum buys some shirts and lengths of fabric.
They watch some dancers, jugglers and fire breathers, and they move
on to the singers and musicians engaging the crowd with their lively
music, dressed in traditional costume. The music captivates Mum and
her son who dance until the stalls are taken down and packed away
and it is time for home.
A fabulous time has been spent at Africa Day at the market, and
readers will have joined in the fun of the day, learnt some things
about African culture, had their tastes tingled by the food offered,
and learnt a few African words. A book to encourage diversity and
harmony, Africa Day is full of verve and vigour, wonderfully
evocative illustrations cover every page, full of life, colour and
movement, encompassing the splendour of this continent across the
Indian Ocean. I love the endpapers with the range of African fabric
designs, repeated on the title page, and the happy, laughing faces
on all the participants at the market.
Fran Knight
