Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241367063.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Themes: HIV, Sexuality, Gender, LGBQT+,
Prejudice. Simone is the adopted daughter of a gay couple she calls
Dad and Pops. The two men chose her, an HIV positive baby, as an act
of caring after seeing friends die from AIDS. Simone's condition is
managed with regular drug treatment, her viral load is almost
undetectable which means she is not a risk to anyone. But whilst she
is informed and responsible, she knows that the ignorance of people
around her can mean humiliation and rejection if anyone finds out -
that was the horrible experience at her last school. She is now
starting at a new school, with new friends, and has been selected as
director of the school play, but just when everything seems to be
going well, anonymous messages threaten her happiness once again.
Camryn Garrett wrote this book when she was only seventeen years
old, and it is a refreshingly candid account of teenage worries and
fears: anxiety about the first date, first sex, gender confusion,
sexual attraction, masturbation and even a first visit to a sex
shop! The voice is open and honest, and the values are positive
throughout. Her fathers are both caring involved parents, her
friends are loyal and supportive, she has an encouraging teacher,
and even the blackmailer is revealed to be a troubled person in need
of help rather than punishment. The book advocates for speaking up,
sharing worries and getting help. And ultimately Simone learns to
overcome her fears and to trust in the people who care for her.
Dealing openly with topics people generally don't like to talk
about, this story will reflect many teenage concerns, and also is
very enlightening and informative on the subject of human
immunodeficiency virus - readers will come away having enjoyed a
heartwarming story and be a little more knowledgeable as well.
Helen Eddy
A banana is a banana by Justine Clarke and Josh Pyke
Illus. by Heath McKenzie. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760891664.
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Names, Humourous stories. Based on the authors'
song by the same name, A banana is a banana looks at the
humour in some of the names given to things ('If an eggplant really
grew eggs, chickens would be out of a job. If a catfish was really
made of cats, then it might get chased by a dog . . . And a banana
is a banana. That's what it's called. I don't know why'). This
definitely sounds better when sung, but it reads rather well and
unlike the song it allows time for discussion about what it means.
Kids will love 'getting the joke' ('It would be just like a bad
dream, if they serve you up jellyfish and ice cream') but they may
need some help understanding it. This will be enjoyed by those who
are already familiar with the song but will also encourage those who
don't know it to have a listen. As always, Heath McKenzie's
illustrations are bright and fun and use mini-versions of the three
creators.
This is a fun nonsense book that isn't complete nonsense, because it
does make you think!
Nicole Nelson
A dog's promise by W. Bruce Cameron
Pan Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781529010084. A dog's promise reminds me of the literary tradition of
family sagas, in which the personal travails of families are set in
the context of societal upheavals. The story follows Burke, brother
Grant, father Chase and Chase's mother. Other significant characters
include Wenling and her Chinese father and American mother.
The book is third in the A dog's purpose series, but it does
stand alone.
Its narrator is the dog Bailey, who becomes Cooper, then Riley, then
Oscar. We meet Bailey when he is born as Cooper, visualising him
becoming Burke's assist dog, whom we first meet as a child in a
wheelchair. Together they confront prejudices about disability.
Burke's small farm family faces the environmental and economic
impacts of agribusiness. Children strive to break away from parental
expectations and brothers fight because they are jealous. Anger
leads to lasting grudges. Illness and death feature, too.
Dialogue is crucial in expressing ideas. After one dispute between
the brothers, Grandma tells Grant not to hurt Burke because, 'You
shouldn't take your frustrations out on others.' Racial prejudice is
flagged in the following exchange when we find out that Wenling's
father is a janitor, not a leader in agribusiness:
'I guess I assumed he was an engineer', said Chase.
Why, because he's Asian? Wenling asked.
'Yeah . . . you got me. I'm sorry'. (p. 192)
Bruce Cameron writes fluently and preaches that we can choose the
thoughts we carry through our lifetime(s). Happiness or anger.
Forgiveness or resentment. He also comforts readers with the idea
that what goes wrong can be righted by love.
Sometimes there is humour to relieve the tension of sober themes,
for example, when Cooper hopes that his people will stop trying to
get him excited about a nylon bone. A dog's promise is long. I'd suggest it to Year 10s and 11s
who like stories about families and about dogs. Some may read avidly
about the love triangle between brothers. But I find myself
wondering. What the dog knows and understands is not always
congruous and though the thought that the animals we love may be
reincarnated is appealing, I can't suspend my disbelief.
Chris Bourlioufas
Max Booth future sleuth: Film flip
Illus. by Dave Atze. Max Booth future sleuth series. Big
Sky, 2019. ISBN: 9781922265104.
Recommended for readers aged 7-11. Themes: Future, Photographic
history. Max and his robo-dog, Oscar, find a 400 year-old film
canister and try to discover its contents. Unfortunately their
understanding of the photographic process is limited . . . the old
Internet ceased to function in 2037 and it is now 2424!
Unfortunately their exploration of this 'old historical item' causes
others to be interested too, and they encounter some risky moments
as they race to keep the film safe. This is a fun exploration of a
piece of 'lost' history that children from the digital era will also
be baffled by.
Cameron Macintosh has written a short, but appealing story set far
into the future with a quirky mix of travel, technology, robotics and
history as backdrops to the storyline. It is a fun and comedic
adventure with some variations in pace and characterisation.
Illustrated with engaging cartoons, this is a book for readers aged
7-11, and they will enjoy learning about other 'old' items
discovered by Max Booth in the other books in the series.
Carolyn Hull
The crayons' Christmas by Drew Daywalt
Illus. by Oliver Jeffers. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008180362.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Crayons, Christmas, Humour,
Pop up. This beautifully presented book, with flaps, letters,
envelopes, lift ups and pop outs will intrigue and delight younger
readers along with the older readers who helps them navigate the
pages.
Eager fingers will love searching through the intricacies of the
book's production. Buy two, even three! Kids will love it and shown
how to use it carefully, the book will last just as long as any
other popular book in the library or at home.
The humour of the The
day the crayons quit(2013), followed by The
day the crayons came home (2015) and Crayon's
book of numbers (2016) is spread throughout this
Christmas offering as the two, Red and Green crayon prepare for the
celebrations with Duncan.
Letters arrive at their home, but the contents are not for Duncan,
but various other crayons.
After being outdoors for a while in the snow they decide to get out
the Christmas decorations and hang them up, pulling out the box of
decorations that everyone has stored somewhere in their house.
Each routine of Christmas follows, putting up decorations, singing
carols, making a Santa in the snow, making biscuits and a drink to
leave for Santa, wrapping presents, receiving and sending cards and
letters, emails and gifts, until the night before Christmas arrives
and the Christmas play is over. All is in readiness. But Duncan
receives a map of the world showing a world tour by his friends and
hears that they won't be home for Christmas, so the crayons take the
day in hand, presenting a Christmas to remember.
A wonderful play on the idea of Christmas, this book revolves around
the routines of Christmas, the things done in western societies
heralding the day and its customs. Children will follow the routines
readily, recognising the ones done in their homes and seeing some of
those replicated in the shops and streets of their towns. Children
will love opening the envelopes and reading the messages, piecing
together the story as it unfolds, and enjoy hanging the decorations,
popping up the tree, taking out the clothing to put on the crayon.
Fran Knight
The lonely Christmas tree by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408892923.
Recommended. The lonely Christmas tree is a small picture
book, based loosely upon the classic Christmas poem 'Twas the
night before Christmas. This book also follows a poetic rhyme,
which allows the reader to fall into a nice rhythm quite quickly.
Each page of text only has 4-6 short lines and a beautiful
illustration on the opposing page.
The story follows a lonely little tree who found its self far away
from all the others who had already been cut and decorated.
Suddenly a jolly fellow came and chose the tree for a prime position
in the town, and when the bright star was placed on top all the
tree's woodland friends returned.
Of course we all know who this jolly fellow is, and although not
named in the book it is easy to tell, which brings a special element
to the book for those who believe.
I really liked this book, and think it would make a great addition
to the Christmas Eve festivities.
The illustrations are simple, yet extremely effective in showcasing
a winter theme. Each page has dark tones, movement within the snow,
and just the right amount of brightness to light up the town on
Christmas Eve.
My favourite page is the last one, where the scene is of St Nicholas
(readers might have to explain this name to young listeners), who is
lit up by the silver moon, the town is below and most importantly
the once lonely tree is taking pride of place looking out over the
town and snowy mountains. The silver additions add that extra
element that brings some extra Christmas feeling to the page.
Loved this one, the short rhyming story and the beautiful
illustrations. 4 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
We're going on an elf chase by Martha Mumford
Illus. by Laura Hughes. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781526606303.
Recommended. We're going on an elf chase is a cute little
board book that encompasses a 'life the flap' on most pages.
It is the perfect size to read on the couch/bed with your little
ones but also great to pop into your bag for a day out (it has a
nice and sturdy cover so I think it will hold up well with lots of
use). The story follows 4 lovely little rabbits who are going on an
elf chase through the snow, where they come across winter animals
like penguins, birds, polar bears and even some festive reindeer!
As the reader lifts the flaps and find the elves, they can identify
the number they are up to (under each flap the numbers are written-
a great numeracy link!), and practice counting to 10.
The story also following a repetitive style with every second page
being the same text, allowing the reader to learn and join in with
the 'reading' of the book. My newly 5-year-old is just starting to
be interested in actual reading and this helped her begin to
identify words as she could predict what they were based on the
repetition of the book. I also liked how the author used some sounds
and noises associated with the animals they were creeping around.
This added interest and definitely increased engagement in the
story. We pretended to be reindeer who went cloppy, cloppy, clip and
birds who went chirpy, chirpy, cheep!
I really liked this book, as although it is a fairly simple story, I
was able to stretch that into the worlds of numeracy, literacy and
even some drama. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the illustrations
too, they are whimsical and free flowing and you can almost see the
freezing wind blowing across the landscape behind the rabbits!
I give We're going on an elf chase by Martha Mumford 4 out
5, a great Christmas book for children aged up to 6 years.
Lauren Fountain
Peppa's Christmas jumper day
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241371589.
Most parents of young children know the phenomenon that is Peppa
Pig, and probably can't help but sing the tune when it comes on the
TV! On top of the show, kids also have the ability to read about
Peppa and her friends!
This story is called Peppa's Christmas Jumper Day, and
follows the story of Peppa and her brother George who need Christmas
Jumpers for a special day at playgroup, but unfortunately theirs are
too small. It all ends with Daddy Pig coming to the rescue . . .
turning a normal jumper into a Christmas one with lots of baubles
and glitter.
Peppa Pig books follow the same predictable lines as the TV show,
and whilst reading it is easy to hear the characters' voices (if you
have had the privilege of hearing the shows over and over again!) in
your head. This will be comforting to young children who will feel
familiar with not only Peppa, her family and friends but also the
text.
The illustrations are exactly as they are seen on TV, bright
colourful and relatively simple.
I must admit that Peppa Pig was not one of my favourite TV or book
characters, however my daughter loved the show which meant that it
was a regular during quiet time at our house.
For children who love the Peppa Pig franchise, this Christmas
edition will be a fitting addition to their bookshelf. 3 out of 5
stars.
Lauren Fountain
The Underhills: a tooth fairy story by Bob Graham
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781536211122.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Teeth, Tooth fairies, Fairies,
Cupid, Angels, Airports, Immigration, Grandparents. With the
Underhill parents called to a job, the girls and their baby brother
go to their grandparents' house, a teapot by the airport, to stay.
Here a splendid time awaits: fairy cakes, pancakes for breakfast,
feather beds and chocolate. And the girls bring a jar of tadpoles
for Grandma. But an urgent call comes in: a tooth is arriving from
Ghana, and they are close to the airport. Grandpa is left reading
his poetry book in the garden with baby Vincent tied to him lest his
wings take him up like a balloon.
Grandma, Esme and April (seen first in April
Underhill: tooth fairy, 2010) fly to the terminal, there to
wait for the plane. Cupids and angels are there too, waiting to ply
their skills: cupids to help loving people greet each other, and the
angels to comfort those who are alone and sad, enfolding them with
their wings and helping to push their trolleys.
An announcement alerts the family to the plane's arrival and the
girls watch out for the Ghanan family and the young girl whose tooth
has fallen out. Grandma reminds the girls about where to find the
tooth and the girls fly to the young girl and climb into her pocket.
They retrieve the tooth, leaving a small coin behind, whispering in
Akuba's ear that she will not remember the event.
Grandma was worried about the girls doing their first extraction but
had confidence in them.
That night the girls sleep in the feather bed, the tooth safely
beside them, while Akuba sleeps on the other side of town with her
small coin, unsure of how it got there.
This charming story full of hope and love, shows the Underhill
family plying their trade. The girls are supported by their gran on
their first job at the airport, searching for the Ghanan family as
they come into England. They are successful and the Ghanan family is
at peace in their new home.
Graham's playful illustrations reveal the lure of staying with
grandparents, while the children take on a role usually done by the
parents. But his delightful micro world always pays homage to what
is happening around us. The endpapers have huge planes landing over
the tea pot house, wire fences and bright lights surrounding the
airfield, the outline of the plane overshadowing the nearby suburbs,
Gran has a mobile phone. In the airport, a soldier returns from
duty, older people come in alone, people arrive from other
countries, some heads covered by a hijab, but all hopeful and full
of anticipation. While outside the now quiet airport, some tadpoles
turn into frogs and slip away into the night.
Graham's work always leaves readers with a warm glow: recognition of
a familiar scene, reworked to reveal a different perspective.
Children will look again at the images presented here, not only the
loving family, but the background figures, those coming into the
airport for a variety of reasons, but all finding a safe haven.
Fran Knight
Have you seen Mr Robinson? by Arwen Huang
Starfish Bay Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760360818.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Loss, Shyness, Isolation, Friendship. Anna makes
friends easily with the characters in her beloved books. The pages
are illustrated with the many characters that she likes: a unicorn,
Red Riding Hood and William Shakespeare to name a few. Her love of
books sees her going to the library with her grandfather to get even
more books and he suggests she might to go outside to play. She
watches the other children at play but cannot join them. Looking
into the pond a small boy appears asking if she has seen his cat, Mr
Robinson. He describes the animal to her and together they go off
looking for the cat. They hunt high and low in the streets, even
asking a police officer who suggests that they need to get a higher
view over the town. They climb the tower and using binoculars, spy
the cat high in a tree.
The boy climbs the tree to retrieve his cat and together they wander
off to look for the next adventure together.
A sweet tale of two children finding friends, this book will be
loved by many children who pick it up. The clear illustrations will
delight the readers as they spot the characters Anna so loves, at
the same time noting the activities undertaken by the children in
the park.
A charming tale, well told.
Born in Taiwan, author illustrator Arwen Huang studied at Taipei
National University of Arts before studying for a masters in the UK.
Fran Knight
The wishing bones by Michelle Lovric
Orion Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781444009972.
(Ages 14+) Recommended. A magical and mysterious adventure novel
that follows a young orphan named Lily who has been raised in a
cruel and lonesome convent at the inhumane hands of the badessa.
Upon accidentally setting the convent aflame, Lily is sent to work
in the Hotel of What You Want. Here she meets Ivo Peruch, the
hotel's mysterious Boy-of-All-Trades who is cold and tight-lipped
and makes her an accomplice in a dark act before she realises what
she is partaking in. As the dark secrets of the hotel come to her
attention, Lily's desperation to leave is only exacerbated with the
arrival of a new guest, Deidre 'Darling' Dearworthy, who has a
direct connection to the dark act still haunting Lily. As Darling
quickly becomes Lily's first and best friend, she will do anything
to keep her from suffering a deadly fate at the hands of the
Signorina, the manager of the hotel. After the bones of Saint Lucy
are stolen, Lily, Ivo and Darling band together to save Venice;
facing countless dangers and adventures and meeting some magical
allies along the way.
Lovric creates a vivid and historically detailed Venice with rich
characters that provide a powerful message to the reader that you
are not your past and that you can still be a good person if you've
done things you regret. A powerful ode to resilience and the
importance of the family that you make for yourself. It should be
noted that this book is very grim and dark at times, with warnings
for substantial themes of death, grief, loss, murder, supernatural
themes and graphic discussion of dismemberment. Recommended for
children aged 14+ for these reasons.
Daniella Chiarolli
Footprints in the clouds by Zhiwei Xing
Starfish Bay Children's Books, 2019. ISBN 9781760360559.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fantasy, Imagination, Adventure. Tom is an
adventurous young boy, donning his red socks which take him to
places he wants to go. His magical socks allow him to climb onto
rooftops and high mountains, swim in the deep rivers, play hide and
seek in the clouds. But one day an animal tells him that his socks
are not on his feet. Bereft, Tom then retraces his steps, swimming
the deep rivers, climbing the high mountains, sitting on rooftops
and talking to the animals, asking the same question, 'Have you see
my magical red socks?'
But one animal takes him to see Zebra, the clever animal who points
out that Tom has no need of his red socks as he has done all the
work himself.
This is a witty look at imagination and how it comes from inside,
reinforcing the idea that everyone has an imagination to be
nourished and used.
Starfish Bay Children's Books is an independent publishing house
located in Adelaide, South Australia. It aims to publish quality
picture books for children primarily aged 3 to 8, from international
and national sources, with first-rate literary and artistic content.
Established in 2014, by Luke Hau, this philosophy continues as his
company breaks into the USA market.
While some of the publications offer an imaginative exploration of
the world, some of the Starfish Bay books need to be looked at more
closely to see what the book offers your school.
With Footsteps in the clouds, although I liked the idea of
the book, the layout left the boy half hidden in the fold in the
centre of the book several times, and I found the busy-ness of the
pages somewhat overwhelming.
Fran Knight
The surprising power of a good dumpling by Wai Chim
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760631581. 400p; p/b.
Anna Chiu tries to support her younger siblings as her parents fail
the family. For a story as personal as this, the writing of the
characters is absolutely crucial, and Chim gets it spot on. It's
immediately clear what kind of person each character is, largely
without relying on shallow archetypes. The plot is one of personal
dramas, about how characters react in different situations in their
lives. The pacing is somewhat uneven, with quite an extended period
of setting things up before the major incident that changes the
characters' lives, followed by the consequences feeling rather
rushed and abridged.
The novel has a bit of a complicated relationship with its themes.
Initially, Anna is dealing with her erratic, neglectful and abusive
mother, and her passive acceptance and normalisation of that puts
her younger siblings and her own mental health at risk. The novel
seems to be building up to the point that she can't accept it and
needs to change the situation, when suddenly her mother has a
psychotic episode and the focus shifts entirely on the mother's
mental health. Now the message has suddenly changed to one of duty,
saying that, yes, Anna does need to look after her poor mother, and
any condemnation of the abuse is forgotten. This mixed messaging is
extremely strange and undermines both points presented.
The setting is well established in modern day Sydney, with
characters communicating by online messaging apps regularly. The
novel is full of Romanised Cantonese, which as an English-speaking
reader, increases the sense of being an outsider, causing sympathy
with Anna as she feels further alienated from her family. Teacher's
tips and author's discussion notes are available from the publisher's
website.
Vincent Hermann
The good, the bad and the silly : Stories of our past by John Dickson
Illus. by Bern Emmerichs. Berbay Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9780648397373.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: History, Australian history, Humour.
Especially for those kids who love tidbits of information, facts and
unusual stories, this volume of tales of people and events of
Australia's colonial past, half hidden by more mundane historical
accounts of early settlement, will intrigue and entertain as they
delve into the more shadowy aspects of our past.
Kids will thrill with the story of the amazing Mary Wade, the
youngest convict sent to Norfolk Island, who had two babies while
residing there. Returning to New South Wales in 1806, she proceeded
to have sixteen more, making her truly the 'mother of Australia'.
And the accompanying very funny illustration shows her descendants -
all of them. And they will love the tale of the hulks, not only
jails in England, housing convicts on the River Thames but also
moored off the coast of Victoria and South Australia to house
inmates, first of a jail in Melbourne, and of a reform school in
Adelaide, the illustrations allowing no doubt about the quality of
the accommodation in both cases.
Quirky stories are given to entice the readers: 1932 saw the
government of Western Australia declare war upon the bands of emu
destroying crops to no avail, while in 1840, explorer John Horrocks
atop his camel after expeditions into the north of South Australia,
was shot by his own gun when the animal lurched. And in 1860,
another explorer, equally ill fated, set off from Melbourne with so
much luggage that it took hours to get the pack horses moving. The
story of Robert O'Hara Burke is as funny as it is cautionary, and
will intrigue younger readers.
The tale of early sightings of the platypus, a brief look at child
labour in Britain at the time, the story the convict belief that
China was a short walk north of the convict settlement, or the tale
of the early Chinese immigrants to Australia, seeking their fortunes
in the gold fields in the 1850's, each is fascinating and supported
with illuminating illustrations designed to entice and entertain. I
loved rereading stories read long ago, but also new stories added to
interest me gave me new slant on the history of the past and
especially the way it is presented.
This is another in a series of books using the same format, telling
of our past: books about Bennelong, Lachlan Macquarie and William
Bligh were followed by M is
for Mutiny in 2018.
Fran Knight
The days of in between by Peter Valentine Fenton
Omnibus, 2019. ISBN: 9781760662523.
(Age: 10-13) Recommended. Toby decides to leave the family home, his
Mum, brother and sister to live with his father and new stepmother
Judy. He does this out of a strong feeling of loyalty to his Dad but
is sad to leave his family behind. He is to have a holiday with his
Dad and Judy in the family caravan in that gap summer in between
leaving primary school and starting high school. Although he has
looked forward to time at the beach with his Dad, nothing goes right
from the moment they arrive at the caravan site. Judy and his Dad
argue and leave, so Toby is left alone to find something to eat and
to fend for himself.
He meets Tara who lives nearby and a new friendship develops.
Tara has issues with her own family, having lost her mother in an
accident and she has to deal with her overprotective father.
Tara's father is a shark fisherman and a pivotal part of the novel
is the incident on the wharf with a newly captured shark, which
starts a series of events that have repercussions for everyone
involved.
This novel is set in the late 1970's and for all of us who remember
that time, Peter Fenton has captured many aspects of the era. The
'slip and slides', plastic strip curtaining and the latest game Space
Invaders are all reminders of the time.
This is Peter Fenton's first novel and is an insightful look into
growing up, family relationships and dealing with past 'ghosts'.
Toby's Dad carries a huge burden from his time in the Vietnam War
and Tara's Dad has to deal with the death of his wife.
Peter Fenton is best known for his past as a member of the band Crow
and as an actor.
The cover painting of Toby and Tara looking out towards the sea is
instantly recognisable as David Bromley's work.
I recommend this novel to 10 to 13-year-old readers.
Jane Moore
