Ladybird, 2019. ISBN: 9780241375891.
Board book. Themes: Trains, Transport. Peppa Pig's family returns in
this book, taking a train journey for Daddy Pig's work. George loves
to ride the train and has lots of questions for his family. On the
way the reader will find out all the details of being on a train
that has a sleeper compartment. The story starts off with a picture
of the train on the railway tracks and then the family is seen
sitting in the carriage. They explore the cabin and after Daddy Pig
presses a button, four bunk beds appear, and then the bathroom is
found through a secret door. What fun when Daddy Pig presses a
button and the water from the shower falls down on his head! Then
the family put on pyjamas and go to bed. In the morning they have
breakfast and when they arrive Daddy Pig has to check some concrete
on the station platform.
The book is illustrated in the bright colours that the reader will
associate with the Peppa Pig series and each picture shows
the Pig family happy and helpful and just loving their train
journey. The narrative is fairly dense for a board book, so it is
one that would be read to a young child by an adult. What makes this
board book stand out is of course, the six sturdy wheels that make
the book appear like a train and make it into a toy as well.
Children will love to wheel this around and the heavy cardboard
construction should be able to withstand some heavy use.
A fun novelty book/toy, George's train ride is sure to
appeal to all the fans of Peppa Pig.
Pat Pledger
Peppa Pig: Australian fun by Ladybird
A Touch-and-Feel playbook. Ladybird, 2019. ISBN:
9780241402412, Boardbook. 10p.
(Age: 0-3) Fans of Peppa Pig will welcome another board book, this
time looking at how things feel. Peppa loves exploring Australia and
finds the touch of the sand to be rough and scratchy, the waves big
and bumpy, the koala fluffy and soft, the boomerang smooth and
bendy, and the pink dress happy and bright. Each thing that is
touched is put on a separate page with the narrative on the page
beside it. The materials that are touched are sturdy and should last
for the touch of little fingers many times.
The Pig family and Mr Kangaroo and Kylie Kangaroo are all painted in
very vivid colours with a bright background for each page. Peppa and
Kylie are outfitted in floral hats and cover-up swim wear when they
are at the beach and everyone wears a hat throughout the book as
they go exploring. The illustrations are amusing - especially the
koala with the big word Snuffle printed above his funny little face
and soft nose that children will love to touch.
This will be a happy read aloud, with words like 'Woohoo!' as Peppa
rides a wave, and 'Woo! Woo' Woo' Woo' as she throws a boomerang,
encouraging the young child to join in. This is a fun book for the
very young and pre-school child.
Pat Pledger
The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier
Warrior Bards book 1. Pan Macmillan Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781760783297.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Coming of age,
Music. I am always thrilled when a new book comes from Juliet
Marillier. The harp of kings is a wonderful fantasy set in
the same world as her Blackthorn
and Grim novels, and incidentally letting the reader
know what happened to them after the conclusion of that series. Told
in three voices, that of sister Liobhan and brother Brocc, musicians
and warriors and Dau a young warrior, the story opens with their
training on Swan Island, each hoping to be chosen as one of the this
elite fighting group. The three are selected to go on a mission to
retrieve the Harp of Kings, which has gone missing. It is an ancient
instrument that is always played when a new king is crowned and it
is feared that the kingdom will be thrown into chaos if it is not at
the coronation ceremony.
Liobhan is a tall, strong spirited young woman who is determined to
become the best warrior in her group. Brocc, too, is a strong
warrior but also totally immersed in his music, always making up new
songs that play constantly in his head. Dau is a handsome young man
who harbours secrets about his past, which he longs to leave behind
him. All three have an important part to play in deciding who to
trust and how to act in a spirit of wisdom and justice as their
quest grows more dangerous.
Faced with the difficult choice of following their mission and
allowing the unsuitable Crown Prince to become king or doing the right
thing by the kingdom, all three will have to examine their hearts
and heed the needs of both fae and human as they attempt to retrieve
the harp.
I raced through this book and finished it in a couple of sessions,
as the action and suspense about what will happen to the three main
characters was gripping. A second re-read, at a more leisurely pace,
gave me the opportunity to see the flaws and growth of the team, the
perils that they faced and also gave me time to think about the
qualities that a good person would demonstrate as a leader.
I also managed a re-read of the Blackthorn and Grim series,
so I had a most satisfying dose of high fantasy set in ancient
Ireland. Marillier's books will appeal to readers who enjoy books by
Sharon Shinn, Robin McKinley and Robin Hobb.
Pat Pledger
Who's afraid of the quite nice wolf? by Kitty Black
Illus. by Laura Wood. New Frontier Press. ISBN: 9781925594706.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Wolves, Fairy tale, Fractured
fairy tale, Appearance. With the bad wolves living up to the
reputation of big bad wolves lolling against the wall, our tea
drinking hero just doesn't add up. All the fun of a fractured fairy
tale is here as our quite nice wolf trains the sheep to stand up for
themselves in the face of the wolf pack.
Our hero, Wilfred loves tending his garden and having afternoon tea
with the sheep and chickens, much to the dismay of the wolves that
howl in the background. The wolves try and teach Wilfred how to be a
big bad wolf, but it just doesn't work, especially when he tells
them that he is a vegetarian.
They tell him that they are to attack the flock of sheep the next
night and he is to be with them. He considers how to avoid this
hideous task, and in waking Mildred tells her his plan. When the
wolves attack the flock they are frightened off by the skills the
newly trained sheep exhibit and get into their car and go away.
This is a wonderful laugh out loud read. Children will guffaw at the
images of the big bad wolf, the group's dress contrasting mightily
with Wilfred's neat slacks and braces, bow tie and buttoned up
shirt. He picks flowers, uses a watering can, tends his garden,
makes cakes for morning tea, reads books and wears lovely spotted
pyjamas.
Children will have fun seeing the contrast between the big bad wolf
image promoted in some fairy tales, and the image within this story,
leading to a discussion of the term parody and looking at other
fractured fairy tales.
Fran Knight
Lemonade Jones and the Great School Fete by Davina Bell and Karen Blair
Lemonade Jones, Book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN:
9781925266740. 57pg.
(Age: 6-8) Highly recommended. Themes: School fetes, Mothers.
Delightful children caper across the pages of this appealing book
which is ideal for children who want to move from a bigger picture
book but are not quite ready for a longer chapter book. Lemonade
Jones is determined that her mother be the lead singer in the Year
One Mum Band and puts forward her name without asking her. Mum is a
bit daunted as she never sings but caves in and says that she will
do it. The day of the fete arrives and Lemonade Jones has a great
time trying all the different food and she courageously rescues her
mother when she freezes on the stage.
I loved the illustrations in this book, especially Lemonade doing
the Pony Punk Funk dance. The humour of the book stands out with
wonderful expressions on all the people's faces as they all dance to
the band and the woe-begotten face of Marcus Crackle's dad is
amazing, not to mention the cranky little mud spattered boy.
Lemonade is a character who is able to problem solve and realises
when she makes mistakes and the relationship between her mother and
her is beautiful.
This is a well written, feel good, heart-warming book, and will
appeal as much as the first in the series, Lemonade
Jones. I look forward to reading about this feisty little girl
in future books.
Pat Pledger
The Quest Diaries of Max Crack by Jules Faber
Macmillan, 2019, ISBN: 9781760783907.
(Age: 8+) Themes: New school, Friendship, School life, Family life.
The Quest Diaries of Max Crack is Jules Faber's first
children's book. he's the popular illustrator of Ahn Do's Weirdo
series. Written in a diary format with lined pages, filled with
humourous cartoons, action diagrams and funny conversations with
speech bubbles, only child Max is anxious to fit in at his new
school. The stream of consciousness style gives the reader insight
his school and home life. To help him settle in, he's prepared a
Quest, a list of tasks and challenges some harder than others to
fulfil.
Max meets his soon to be best friend when he lands in a flooded
drain and hits his head on a submerged trolley. Frankie comes from a
big, rambunctious family full of older brothers fighting. They speak
in a descriptive new way and welcome Max, who is an only child, into
their home. Frankie and Max's relationship is built on a shared love
of drawing cartoons, after school adventures, practising for the
upcoming Spelling Bee and completing the Quest. He wants to make a
new friend, explore his new town, win a trophy, solve a mystery and
have his photo in the local paper.
Max and Frankie learn to trust and help each other and as all
friends do compete against each other, fall out and then reconnect.
Along the way, there's a search for buried treasure, an epic bike
ride, a chance to earn money by selling copies of their comic book
at the school fete and plenty of joking around. Each boy has a great
sense of humour and love to talk in puns.
Faber's cartoons add humour to the fast-paced action, they are
integral to Max's diary entries. The Quest Diaries of Max Crack
gives the reader insight into the chaotic mind of an eleven year as
he copes with a new town, home and school. Exploring themes of
friendship, acceptance, identity with a dash of mystery and
adventure, this is an engaging addition to the diary genre.
Rhyllis Bignell
Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Unearthed book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN: 9781760292164.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Adventure,
Diversity. Fans who were left breathless by the non-stop action in Unearthed
will be delighted to pick up where Mia and Jules off and continue
with their adventures. Helped by a short summary at the beginning of
the book the reader is reminded of what happened in Unearthed and
will plunge into the story, following the pair as they attempt to
get back to earth to warn authorities of the danger that the
Unearthed pose to humanity.
With the hijacking of a spaceship, imprisonment by authorities, a
wild chase across Spain to Prague, a deadly virus attacking whole
cities and Mia and Jules racing for their lives, the reader is in
for a thrilling ride in Undying. There is also some new character
development that makes for a more thoughtful understanding of the
Unearthed. Twists and turns and unexpected plot developments keep
the reader engaged with both the action and the characters and the
authors manage to bring this duology to a satisfying conclusion.
Fans who get tired of long series, but are reluctant to leave much
admired characters, will be happy with the pace and plots in this
series and look forward to anything else these talented authors
write.
Pat Pledger
I need a parrot by Chris McKimmie
Ford St, 2019. ISBN: 9781925804287.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Wants and needs, Humour.
McKinnie's quirky play with words and illustrations will appeal
widely as the boy in the story says simply, I NEED a parrot. Ideas
will stream into the readers' minds as they too ask the question,
what do I need? A parrot is probably the last thing many would admit
to needing, so the question arises, why a parrot? With that question
in mind, the ideas will come thick and fast as the illustrations
show the boy rejecting a parrot hand puppet and a turkey,
questioning a whale in his bath (blue of course) and a shark in his
pool, telling the reader that he already has a bear (although not a
real bear) and a cat. He promises that he will clean its cage, teach
it words, feed it and love it.
Up to this point, the boy is adamant that a parrot is what he needs
and the reader will go along with story but seeing the parrot in a
cage will stop them in their tracks and make them take a breath. The
story changes from a boy's wanting a parrot to the awfulness of a
large bird kept in a cage, where once he had a sky full of blue in
which to fly. And that point is underlined with a page filled with
blue, a huge sky for the bird to fly freely. The boy now says 'Oh',
realising the consequences of his demand. But over the page,
McKinnie brings another bolt of humour, one all readers will
recognise.
McKimmie's humour packs a wallop: lulled into the voice of the hero,
going along with his well rehearsed reasons and promises to persuade
his parents about the inclusion of a parrot in the household, the
aim of the story changes to more of an environmental one, where the
parrot's needs, not the boy's, are paramount.
It makes for a thrilling read, laughing along with the recognisable
wheedlings of a child in wanting something, then pushed into the
thought for something other than themselves, children will question
the need of a parrot in their lives. The idea of a parrot, or any
pet bird in particular, is brought into question with the series of
cages shown throughout the story.
McKimmie's illustrative style is most distinctive, and readers will
recognise the images he uses, a multiplicity of techniques including
collage, paint, pencils and gouache, with ease, recalling other books
they have read.
The images build a domestic background against which the boy pleads
his case, his face looking directly at the reader, forming a bond.
Laugh out loud illustrations will evoke comment as the theme changes
in the book, pushing the readers to give more thought to their
requests.
Fran Knight
The music makers by Meredith Costain and Danielle McDonald
Olivia's Secret Scribbles book 8. Scholastic, 2019, ISBN:
9781760660048.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Themes: Musical instruments, Diaries, School.
Olivia loves to share her special thoughts and record her school
life in her secret diary, scribbling, sharing her feelings and
drawing her activities. After The Music Makers give a special
performance at the school assembly, they share their musical
instruments with Olivia's class. When Bethany suggests their Year 2
class perform a musical item at next week's assembly, all the
students come up with lots of fun ideas. Mr. Platt their teacher
suggests they play a recorder song, but that doesn't work out.
With a little creative planning, Olivia comes up with an exciting
concept: create new musical instruments by reusing and upcycling
things from home and school. With everyone on board, some of her
class research ideas on the computer and Olivia seeks help from Mr.
Snarski in the library. To add to the excitement and creativity,
there's a little mystery when their instruments are sabotaged at
night. What a special super-duper performance, each class member has
a special role, even Mr. Platt helps create a unique sound wall! The music makers is Meredith Costain's delightful eighth book
in the popular series, filled with bright bubbly characters, plenty
of creativity, teamwork and fun. Splashes of purple bring a
liveliness, with Danielle McDonald capturing the excitement, the
preparations and the unique musical instruments.
Rhyllis Bignell
Misrule by Jodi McAlister
Valentine book 3. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143793465. pbk,
404 pgs.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Paranormal, Fairies, Murder,
Diversity. Fans of the Valentine series will be thrilled with this stunning conclusion. It is
best to read the series in order (Valentine, Ironheart
and Misrule) as each book continues immediately after the
other one with the story of Pearl Linford and Finn Blacklin taking
centre stage. Pearl is all alone. Finn is a captive back in
Fairyland and there has been a gory murder in her neighbourhood.
Pearl is determined to find out what is happening and to come up
with a plan to rescue Finn depending on a fairy holiday called
Misrule. Misrule is not for the faint hearted. There is plenty of gore
and rather scary moments to give the reader breathtaking chills as
Pearl struggles with the machinations of the fairies, not knowing
who she can trust and what to do. However as fans of the first two
books will be very aware, Pearl is no swooning heroine, but
strong, intelligent and resilient and with the help of friends and
occasional allies, attempts to thwart the Fairy Prince's plans and
rescue the love of her life.
Without giving away too much of the plot, it is enough to say that
the action is fast paced, the characters are well developed and the
combination of normal life with a Fairy Court all make for a
gripping read. And the snarky narration by Pearl will also keep the
reader engaged with the plot.
Fans of Holly Black will love this series and I look forward to
reading any future books by the author.
Pat Pledger
The butterfly garden by Michael Torres
Illus. by Fern Martins. Magabala Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925936995.
(Age: 2-5) Themes: Board book, Caterpillars. The butterfly garden
is a fun and cheeky introduction to the life cycle of a caterpillar.
The illustrations are bright and vivid and the butterflies feature
bleeding tie-dyed colours that highlight the powdery nature of their
wings. White and green backgrounds and yellow detail are used to
great effect, making the sparse illustrations really pop off the
page. There are also some interesting and effective techniques used
to create a sense of movement and the passing of time. Another page
uses an extreme close up of the kookaburra to show the caterpillar's
reflection in his eyes. The story itself is about a hungry
kookaburra eyeing off a fat caterpillar. 'That's my brother. You
can't eat him' says a nearby butterfly. The kookaburra won't believe
it; they look nothing alike! 'He will soon' says the butterfly, and
they watch as the caterpillar wriggles off to build a cocoon and
crawl inside. The kookaburra thinks he is being tricked so he waits
and waits and to his surprise out comes a handsome (a nice change
from beautiful) butterfly. There is a nod to dreaming stories here
as well, with the ending explaining how the kookaburra got its
laugh. This is a great concept and the illustrations are fantastic
but unfortunately the text falls just a little flat.
Nicole Nelson
Game on by Alex Miles
Girl Geeks book 2. Penguin, 2019, ISBN: 9780143795063.
(Age: 9+) Themes: Skateboarding, Gaming, Friendship. Alex Miles in
collaboration with the Australian Girl Geek Academy presents her
second junior novel Game on in the series Girl Geeks.
This series is written for girls who love online gaming,
skateboarding and stories about friendship and loyalty.
Niki, Maggie, Hamsa and Eve developed their friendship through
developing a computing project for their class. Niki who loves
online gaming invites the girls to attend a LAN party on the
weekend. TrickiNicki is her online persona and she enjoys gaming
with her guy friends, Felix, Max and Archie as Team Jupiter. She is
fearless and loves competing. The Castle Capture Cup is an upcoming
national televised esport event with a competition open to young
gamers. Niki is super excited to enter her name for selection in the
competition. She even coaches her friend Maggie giving her gaming
tips and strategies.
An unfortunate skateboarding accident resulting in a broken thumb
stops Niki from participating in the competition. Her friends rally
around her and work together to find a solution, even
though Niki is angry and unappreciative. Even Eleni her beautiful
older sister steps up to help. With her close circle of friends
working together, there are some surprises and plenty of excitement
at the Castle Capture Cup event.
Alex Miles explores themes of loyalty, stereotypes, friendship,
school and family life in Game on. The Girl Geeks
series is written to encourage girls to learn and embrace computing,
gaming and technology. The books are written in conjunction with The
Girl Geek Academy which aims to empower one million girls and women
in these fields by 2025.
Rhyllis Bignell
The adventures of Anders by Gregory Mackay
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760632076.
(Age: Junior readers) Highly recommended. Anders is a very appealing
hyperactive yet easily scared squirrel who makes friends easily and
has a lot of adventures. The first story in this compilation finds
Anders at school on the last day of term. The colourful comic style
frames are filled with detail, easily identified characters with no
emphasis on whether they are boy or girl, and interesting points of
view. Bernie (an elephant) is a new student in the class and Anders
befriends him. They walk home together through the woods and hear
noises that might be 'the Green Grabber' the older kids talk about.
The chapter ends with what looks like an alien nearby, in a
laboratory with a strange aircraft on the roof. The holidays start
for Anders playing at home then at cousin Eden's house. They play on
the trampoline and then with a bow and arrow Eden has made. Anders
makes one too, to hunt the Green Grabber and Eden offers to help
build a cubby in the woods. The next day Anders goes to play with
Bernie in his cardboard box hideout and they design their cubby.
They decide to check out the clearing in the woods but emerge in a
world of the imagination (wavy lines around the panels make this
clear) They cross a desert, requiring a trip to the fridge for ice
blocks, and enter some rubbery tubes eventually to pop out into the
reality of the clearing in the wood. They collect stuff to build
their cubby but the next day it is all gone. While looking for it
they come across strange footprints leading to a building in the
woods, when the Green Grabber comes they are very scared but Eden
meets him and finds out that he is really Dr Larsen who is building
a giant telescope at the observatory where Anders' dad works. He
offers to help them with their cubby. Each chapter develops a new
adventure as the holidays progress including one where Anders finds
a large beetle which he names Skip. Skip clings to Anders' back and
flies with him so their adventures get more wide ranging. Scattered
through the chapters are opportunities for learning about things
like comets and aircraft and volcanoes but mostly the adventures are
about having fun with your friends.
This bumper book of 445 pages includes three stories, two of which
have been published previously. First time independent readers will
enjoy the challenge of reading this themselves. The captions are
short and the language accessible, the pictures support the text but
add to it considerably. The short, contained chapters make this a
good bedtime read and junior readers will still find enough to
absorb them in this highly recommended book. Teacher's tips and a
book trailer are available from the publisher's website.
Sue Speck
Dr Seuss's Horse Museum by Dr. Seuss, illus. by Andrew Joyner
Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241425725.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Art history. With the words,
'A canter through art history' on the front cover the reader is well
aware of the topic of the book and will discover what art is and how
artists have represented horses though the ages. The book is based
on a manuscript and notes by Dr Seuss that was recently uncovered,
and Andrew Joyner has brought together iconic figures from Dr
Seuss's book as well as his own engaging illustrations.
A definition of what is art is given right at the beginning and the
young reader is told to look at some of the different ways that
artists have represented horses in their work. They are instructed
to Look it over
Think it over.
Talk it over.
From then on the book explores work from prehistoric times, and
ancient Chinese culture and many, many artists like Picasso, Manet,
Magritte, Pollock and names that aren't as familiar, Katsushika
Hokusai, Marino Marini, and Rosa Bonheur. As the children look at
the paintings they also learn about the kind of art they represent,
like Realism, Impressionism, and Surrealism. There is plenty of
humour in the illustrations to keep the young reader engaged and
older readers who have an interest in art will be fascinated by this
easy to understand tour through art history, instantly recognising
some of the more famous horse paintings and being intrigued by
others.
The back of the book contains images of the works and information
about the artists, with the time period that the artist was alive.
Notes from the publisher discuss Dr. Seuss' lifetime interest in art
and Andrew Joyner's approach to illustrating the book. Teacher's
notes are available to download.
This would be an excellent addition to any library and would make a
fabulous gift for any child who is interested in art.
Pat Pledger
Theodore the unsure by Pip Smith
Illus. by Beau Wylie. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760661861.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Lions, Hair, Decision making. Unsure
Theo has been made King of the Whole Animal Kingdom. He lives in the
grasslands of Africa. But he is indecisive and worried that he
should be king. He cannot make up his mind about anything. Breakfast
can take hours as he tries to make a choice between ostrich eggs and
camel milk.
But one very hot summer when the one tree on the savannah is
wilting, and all the animals are very hot, his mane begins to grow
and grow. It grew so much that he has to make a decision about
cutting his hair as it is now unmanageable.
He asked his advisor, Babs for help, and Babs scours the earth
canvassing opinions, and tallying the results. And everyone has an
opinion! But the results are decidedly No.
But Theodore thinks about the poor cold polar bears and the
shivering penguins while his hair simply grows longer and longer in
the sweltering heat.
So he makes a decision, one that helps a variety of animals and
keeps him in place as the King of the Whole African Kingdom.
Children will laugh out loud at the trials of Theodore never being
able to make a decision. His procrastination is very recognisable as
he teeters between the rights and wrongs of what to do.
The efforts Babs goes to help make that decision are very funny and
parody the interviews, questionnaires and surveys that seem part of
our daily lives.
The illustrations are a delight, with the most amazing looks on
Theodore's face, reflecting his indecision and worry about making up
his mind. And I love the endpapers, surveying the savannah in the
hot bright daytime, then the same place at night, two hipos absorbed
in reading their books by lamplight under the stars.
Fran Knight
