Illus. by Alissa Dinallo. Macmillan Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781760784393.
(Age: 3-8 years) Recommended. Themes: Mothers, Father's Day, Family,
Interactive book, Shared reading. What a fun, happy book for a young
child to fill in and give to Dad because he is loved! Following on
from I
love my Mum because, James has come up with a book
filled with interactive activities that include drawing a picture
of 'Me and' 'my dad', filling in a height chart, telling a
story about dad and tracing a fish and colouring in scales on it and
its friend. Other pages describe the activities that Dad does like
showing beautiful fireworks and telling the bed bugs not to bite.
Then there are games that can be played with Dad like noughts and
crosses.
The illustrations by Dinallo are bright and busy and will appeal to
young children, while the opportunity to illustrate pages in a real
book will be a real incentive for children to carefully draw, write
and colour. And Dad is sure to appreciate a special book that will
remain a momento of his child's love and achievements.
This is a very appealing idea that is perfect as a gift from a child
for Father's Day or indeed any special day, showing the love that
the child has for Dad.
Pat Pledger
Ella and the ocean by Lian Tanner
Illus. by Jonathan Bentley. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760633691. (Age: 4+) Highly highly recommended. Themes: Drought, Families, Farm life, The sea, Dreams, Future. Now and again a book makes me hold my breath, amazed at the way the story is told, astonished at how the illustrations and text coalesce, dazzled by the aptness of the illustrations, drawing me into the power of its theme. And this is such a one. From the red hot dirt of the land surrounding the farm on the cover and first endpaper to the warm choppy blue of the ocean on the last endpaper, this book held me fast. About drought and its affect on one family, the book is positive, taking the family to the ocean where they are rejuvenated, ready to go back home and wait for the rain to come. Ella dreams of the ocean and asks each member of her family in turn about their recollections of the ocean. Each has a different response, tempered by their situation and the dire position the farm is in. Gran has never seen the ocean and determines that they should all go, so they drive and fly to greet this vastness of blue. They frolic and swim, scream and laugh, the water washing away their anguish. Returning they find the farm is the same but different. Reenergised they turn to face whatever comes with a positive outlook, Tanner's words at the beginning of the tale repeated in a way that shows hope and determination. Bentley's watercolour and pencil illustrations reveal a harsh, drought ravaged expanse of country, red hot and dry, trees stand withered in the background, father staring vacantly into a bleak future, mum battling the neverending dirt which seeps into the house, Ella's brother rolling out the expensive hay to hand feed the cows, with all the family's faces reflecting the hardships they are experiencing. Ella's dreams form a sharp contrast with the reality of the farm, and when the family reaches the ocean, their mood is decidedly changed. Bentley shows a family in distress: staring eyes, going about their chores with resignation, set against a red, bare landscape. The ocean calms them, changing their perspective, their eyes are larger, their mouths upturned, their shoulders held high, their stance positive and courageous, ready to tackle whatever comes. Fran Knight
Kulinmaya! Keep listening everybody by Mumu Mike Williams
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760524425.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Non-fiction. Kulinmaya! tells
of the life and work of Mumu Mike Williams, Anangu elder, healer,
pastor, activist and artist, reminding everyone that the culture of
the Anangu is and always has been strong. Fortunately when he was
sent as a child to school at Ernabella his teachers insisted on his
learning in his own language first, so he grew up reading and
writing in Pitjantjatjara as well as English. His book Kulinmaya!
is written in both languages, with Pitjantjatjara paragraphs
interleaved with English translations, a wonderful treasure for
Pitjantjatjara language speakers and students of the language.
As custodian of Tjukurpa Law, the cultural traditions and rules of
his Country, he was determined to protect his people's knowledge and
sacred sites, and was active in the APY land rights movement that
led to the signing of the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act in 1981 and
the return of land to the Anangu.
Williams' writings and his art are fierce with indignation that
there should be any doubt about his people's ongoing connection to
the land. He documented his cultural life in his paintings, and
seized upon the idea of painting on Australia Post mailbags sending
out messages on their journey, overlaying the warnings on the bags
to say 'theft or misuse of this land and culture is a criminal
offence. Penalties apply.' He also incorporated in his art the idea
of a fence of traditional Aboriginal spears surrounding and
protecting culture and country. The book includes a wonderful
collection of coloured photographs of his artworks, including a
fold-out 3-page spread of the huge 'Kamantaku Tjukurpa wiya' (The
government doesn't have Tjukurpa), 2018. Kulinmaya!, the completed draft approved just before he died,
is the realisation of Williams' determination to pass on knowledge
about Anangu culture, and a warning against mining and nuclear waste
dumps on Anangu land. He hoped that all school children would see
his paintings filled with stories. This book is an invaluable
resource for schools, providing insight into Anangu beliefs and way
of life and also an inspiring example in the history of Aboriginal
land rights activism.
Helen Eddy
As happy as here by Jane Goodwin
Lothian, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419231.
(Age: Younger teens) Themes: Friendship, Coming-of-age, Courage,
Identity, Trauma. When 13 year old Evie is hit by a runaway piano
while crossing a Melbourne street she ends up in a hospital ward
with two other girls, Lucy, who has pneumonia and leukaemia, and
Jemma who has had an emergency appendectomy. The girls are very
different but thrust together in hospital where nothing is private
and they are divorced from their normal lives, they learn to rub
along and support one another as they work through their various
issues. Evie, whose badly broken leg may prevent her resuming
running training, is worried about disappointing her dad. Lucy, who
has had many hospitalisations, is very self-contained and
thoughtful. 'Sometimes Lucy reminded Evie of an adult, someone who
had learnt not to cry or tell people how she felt.' p. 73. Jemma is
selfish and inconsiderate, curious about the other girls' lives, but
lies about herself. For a long time she has no visitors and it soon
becomes clear that she has no family, just a foster mother, Paulie,
and her dodgy boyfriend Steve. When the girls witness some
suspicious behaviour in the park below their ward window Evie and
Lucy want to tell the police but Jemma is afraid of them so the
girls investigate on their own. Accepting their differences and
working together they develop as individuals. They see Jemma's
disadvantage and how she copes - 'she looked up at them, her face
defiant, as if she couldn't bear for anyone to feel sorry for her'
p. 18, and Jemma for once has the support of friends. She is able to
contribute in a positive way when Evie gets her first period. When
the girls leave the hospital to go and stop the crime things go very
badly. Lucy and Evie wonder about life and chance and how they can
move forward. Is it really random what happens to us as Lucy's dad
suggests? 'We have to be here, as happy as here, and do our best to
deal with whatever comes along' p. 258. Evie settles on changing the
question from 'why' to asking herself 'what she would do now that
they had'. p. 260.
A thoughtful book for younger teens about friendship, kindness and
courage contributing to personal growth. The girls' voices sound
authentic even if the mystery is a bit convoluted.
Sue Speck
The returns by Philip Salom
Transit Lounge, 2019. ISBN: 9781925760262.
(Age: Adult) This is a book to be savoured, not read in a rush. It
is full of the minutiae of daily life, intersections of people,
conversations with strangers, and thoughts about books, reading and
art. Trevor is a bookshop owner; he and his wife have drifted apart
and she has just asked him to move out of their house. And by
chance, Elizabeth, a face-blind book editor, has a room to let,
though she had in mind a young woman as a lodger, not a middle-aged
man who seems to want to reinvent himself as an artist. Gradually we
learn more about these two unusual people - Trevor, as a boy was
abandoned by his father, missing presumed dead; Elizabeth was
largely neglected by her mother, wrapped up in the excesses of a
Rajneesh cult. Now, strangely each finds themselves at the beck of a
returned demanding parent.
The story is one of two people gradually learning more about each
other and becoming more comfortable with each other. The developing
friendship seems fragile at first, but maybe they might actually be
good for each other . . .
This book is a delight to read, with its insights into friendship
and loneliness, and way that people build better understanding
through conversation and time together.
Helen Eddy
Arab, Australian, Other edited by Randa Abdel-Fattah and Sara Saleh
Picador, 2019. ISBN: 9781760785017.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. Non-fiction.
Subtitled Stories on race and identity, this book is a
collection of different writings, including poems, on the experience
of being of Arab heritage in Australia, in a post 9/11 world. The
stories reveal the common experience of racism, schoolyard bullying,
police profiling, demonisation as a refugee, and stereotyping as a
terrorist or a 'Leb' or 'of Middle-Eastern appearance'.
They are also stories of struggles and adjustments within families -
a son coming out as gay, a girl wanting to perform in a dance
leotard, a daughter remaining a single woman, another marrying
outside her culture, another speaking out, rebelling against
parental expectation, engaging in online dating.
The stories reveal that the so-called Arabs are not one homogenous
group of people, they may not speak Arabic, they may be migrants or
descendants of migrants from 22 different nations, or they may
actually have been here since 1897.
The stories also reveal a strong current of love and pride in family
and community, respect for Indigenous culture, and empathy for
others. Each writer is forging their identity within an intersection
of cultures. The collection truly reflects 'the collective strength
of their divergent voices'.
This anthology is one in which most readers would find at least one
story that draws them in, evoking empathy or provoking a new
perspective on the lived experience of fellow Australians.
Helen Eddy
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780733642517.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Themes: Thriller, Kidnapping, Murder,
Mystery and suspense. What a roller-coaster of a ride is The chain,
which has a thrilling and unique plot line: Listen carefully . . .
Your child has been kidnapped.
You must abduct someone else's child to save your own.
Disobey. Break the rules. Go to the cops. Your child will die.
Your victim's parents must kidnap another child before yours is
released.
You are now part of the chain. (Publisher).
Rachel Klien is recovering from cancer and a divorce when she is
told that her 13 year old daughter Kylie, has been kidnapped and she
is now part of The Chain. Unless she finds the ransom and kidnaps
another child Kylie will be killed and dreadful things will happen
to anyone she loves. Can she survive the recurrence of her breast
cancer and rescue Kylie?
McKinty has written a riveting and unique plot that will keep any
reader on the edge of the seat through the tense machinations of the
evil people who operate The Chain. Many readers will be familiar
with the idea of a chain letter from their youth, and the belief
that bad luck will follow if the chain is broken, and this idea
translates well into an unusual plot. It is very difficult to
predict what is going to happen next with McKinty adding many
unexpected twists and turns into the story.
McKinty's characters are very relatable. Rachel's hard time with
cancer and a divorce are easy to identify with, and the strength
that she has is great when she does decide that she will have to
break The chain. Her daughter Kylie is strong and feisty as well and
Pete, a recovering drug addict, proves that he can help out when he
has to.
A very compulsive and enjoyable crime story that lovers of mystery
and suspense are sure to enjoy.
Pat Pledger
How to save the whole stinkin' planet by Lee Constable
Illus. by James Hart. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760890261.
(Age: 7-11) Recommended. Themes: Recycling; Garbage; Waste
management. Written as an instruction manual for young
'Garbologists' or waste warriors, this is a light-hearted and
educational journey into the world of waste. The author encourages
young readers to consider how earth would benefit from a much wiser
approach to all things 'waste'. With short quizzes, small
eco-experiments and imagined journeys into stinking heaps of rubbish
or along recycling conveyor belts, this is a simple but effective
educational approach which utilises humour that would appeal to
young readers.
The cartoon style illustrations by James Hart are simple and
immediately reveal the comical approach to this significant topic.
The author Lee Constable is a Science Communicator and host of a
Children's television Science show and has effectively used the
language of 'disgusting stuff' that would appeal to kids (but in an
appropriate way). Poop, rot, fungi, bacteria all get discussed and
potential solutions to waste management that could be employed by
young people are unpacked in an easy-to-read format.
Recommended for eco-interested readers aged 7-11. Teacher's
notes are available.
Carolyn Hull
Where are the five frogs, Spot?: A numbers book by Eric Hill
Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241383964.
(Age:1-4) Recommended. Boardbook. Themes: Counting, Numbers. With
the addition of felt flaps for little hands, this numbers book is a
bright addition to counting books for the very young. Spot has lost
his five friends the frogs, and is trying to find them. He looks
behind the gate, but there is 1 duck with 2 ducklings, behind the
log are 3 nibbling rabbits, 4 chirping birds behind the bush to
finally 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 frogs splashing in the pond.
The left page contains simple text in large, bold black print asking
who is hiding and the right side of the page has a felt flap that
lifts up or across to show what is behind it. The felt is easy to
manoeuvre for little fingers and is coloured in rich tones, giving
the reader an opportunity to learn colours as well as have fun
lifting the flap. The pages are painted in scenes of purples and
lilac, orange and brown, tones of greens and blues giving lots of
occasions for the young child to learn that there are different
shades of colours and perhaps learn new names for them (aqua blue
and emerald green).
Young readers will also be introduced to new vocabulary, 'nibbling
ribbbeting' rabbits, 'chirping birds' and 'splish, splashing' frogs.
This is a brilliant boardbook, robust and strong, which is ideal for
learning both counting and colours and will be appreciated by fans
of Spot and those new to the character. Sure to become a favourite
with the young child.
Pat Pledger
The giant moth mummy by Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts
Bab Sharkey and the Animal Mummies. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781760650018.
(Age: 10+) Recommended, Mummies, Egypt, Humour. The second in the
series, Bab Sharkey and the animal mummies has boy pharaoh,
Bab return to the Egyptian city of Memphis to confront the mummy
with an upside down head, ready to save the city from this monster,
one amongst many. The first of this singularly funny stories, The
weird beard appeared in 2018, penned by The Chaser's Andrew Hansen,
and co author, Jessica Roberts who developed the idea for these
stories after her trip to Egypt where she saw mummified animals in a
museum.
The first in the series introduced the hero Bab and his encounters
with the pharaoh's strange beard amongst the city of Animal Mummies
brought oddly to life. Magic and fantasy meld in these books, and
with lashings of an off beat humour will appeal to mid to upper
primary people.
The second novel, The giant moth mummy has a giant moth
which causes havoc with only Bab able to pacify it along with the
help of the other odd animal mummies in the city. I was intrigued
with the amount of information given about Egyptian history as the
stories unfold, blended in between the magic and adventure, enough
for readers to develop some ideas about Ancient Egypt and perhaps
have them look further. A third outing of this fine series, The
spongy void, is also available.
Fran Knight
The seven keys by Allison Rushby
Walker, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650797.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Cemeteries, Magnificent
Seven, London, Victorian age, Death, Supernatural, Foundling
Hospital. Standing at the gates of Kensal Green Cemetery, Flossie
knows that something is wrong. The Turnkey, Hugo Howsham, worked
with her to prevent a Nazi takeover of Great Britain seven years
before, the two combining the power of their keys to destroy the
skull that allowed the dead to communicate with the living. Hugo had
made her promise to keep this secret and Flossie had not told any of
the other Turnkeys about the power contained within their keys when
they are united. But when he steals Flossie's second key she knows
that he is amassing the keys to gain power over the Magnificent
Seven, the seven cemeteries within Greater London. But to what end?
She tries to elicit the help of the Turnkeys of the other
cemeteries, but they are so disappointed with her that they repel
her, forcing her to work on the problem herself. Surprisingly Hugo
allows her to summon Daisy, her former maid and the two investigate,
all the while keeping watch on Hugo.
A glittering sequel to The
Turnkey (2017), the ghostly Flossie is an admirable character,
keeping watch over the interred in her cemetery, Highgate. It is her
job to keep everyone at rest, but when the interred in several
cemeteries seem disturbed, she must act.
She is dismayed when she sees Hugo march the interred to Kensal
Green and even more upset when she realises that his possession of
three keys makes him almost visible to the living.
She and Daisy go to his former house and there search his archives
to find the reason for his removing the interred from their place of
rest. As an architect he proposed the building of an enormous
pyramid to house all the dead, rather than waste space in the city
of London on the seven cemeteries. Flossie realises that he is
putting this plan into operation using the dead as his slaves.
Wonderfully evocative of nineteenth century London and its seven
cemeteries, the storyline is captivating, the main character,
Flossie an engaging young girl, working hard to ensure her interred
remain happily at rest.
Daisy, a new character in this book is from the Foundling Hospital,
a London charity begun in the late eighteenth century, which takes
in children. Now open to visitors, it is a salutary reminder of the
numbers of vulnerable children with nowhere to go in the times
described so well in this novel. Add it to your list of places to
visit when next in London.
This fine historical novel, is an engaging and spirited sequel which
will leave readers wanting more.
Fran Knight
Shepherd by Catherine Jinks
Text, 2019. ISBN: 9781925773835.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Catherine Jinks has won many awards for her
writing for Young Adults, including being four times the winner of
the Australian Children's Book Council Book of the Year. This latest
novel, Shepherd, is set in early New South Wales at the time
of convict transportation. The main character and first person
narrator is Tom Clay, the only survivor of a notorious poaching
family, who has been transported for his crime. The reader is first
introduced to Tom on a remote and small sheep property where he
guards the sheep by day and sleeps at night in a small hut with
another transportee. Tom is quickly established as a patient and
careful shepherd despite his past history of poaching. The sheep are
named and accounted for at the end of each day and Tom has special
rapport with the sheep dogs. Tom is interested in his surroundings,
the plants and the animals, and learns the topography of the area
quickly despite its alien, to him, qualities. He regrets not having
the kind of deep understanding of the natural world that he had in
his home county. The action begins quickly with the arrival of a new
shepherd, Rowdy, and the reappearance of a brutal convict escapee
who has earlier attempted to kill Tom before disappearing, presumed
dead. Carver, however, is far from dead and is determined to destroy
the shepherds and the farm itself. The action is like that of a
nightmare in which whatever Tom and his co-workers do to protect
themselves and however badly Carver is injured he always reappears
vengeful and sadistic. It becomes clear that Tom is the only one
alive on the farm apart from Carver, but still Carver pursues him,
forcing Tom to eventually make a brutal choice.
The descriptions of life on the farm and the desperate struggle
against Carver are interspersed with Tom's memories of his
upbringing in England. After his mother's early death he is loved
only by his dogs. His father is a hard, violent man who is
eventually hanged for murder, and Tom, a desperate twelve year old,
survives by living off the land. He is caught, sentenced and
transported, but seems to regret leaving only the land that he
understood so well. He lives by several precepts; silence is
preferable to speech (Rowdy doesn't agree) and that animals' loyalty
must be respected. The reader is prepared for the final scene in
which a young indigenous boy saves Tom, by the frequent mentions of
the 'blacks' whose fires can be seen in the distance, by Tom's
realisation that Carver is responsible for the acts of savagery that
they have been blamed for and by his expressed longing to understand
this new natural world.
The action is frequently brutal, dramatic and fast-paced. The
descriptions of life on the farm are detailed and precise. A strong
picture is established of the hut, the farmhouse, the cookhouse and
the home paddock, all places where Tom and Rowdy must try to escape
from Carver, and of the weapons that are available (muskets,
pistols, carbines and their idiosyncrasies). The thorough research
is reflected in the authenticity of the descriptions of place and
characters. The language is simple, engaging and vivid.
The novel is recommended for readers older than thirteen and is
perhaps one that boys may enjoy.
Jenny Hamilton
Dolores by Lauren Aimee Curtis
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781474611930.
(Age: 16+) Recommended.Themes: Identity, Sexuality,
Convent life, Suffering. Dolores is written by an
Australian author but the book has a distinctly European feel to
it. It tells the story of a young girl who turns up at a convent
in Spain with a lace tablecloth pinned to her head and a Bible in
her hands, then faints at the gates. This is the beginning of the
story, but as the nuns take her in, and she adjusts to the austere
life, we gradually learn about her past and how she has come to
this point.
It is a tale told with a strange detachment as though recounted
from the outside - almost cinematic, as Dolores describes the
scenes and where people stood and what they did. We guess at the
emotions that are suppressed, of the yearning of unrequited love,
and the loss of a sense of self.
Yet Dolores is a strong person - she changes from being the person
who seems to drift with whatever happens to her, and finds a way
to shape her own life.
It is an unusual story, the language spare but poetic, and the
reader is drawn in, intrigued to find where it leads. It is not
much more than a short story, a novella - Curtis has previously
written short stories - but it is intense and stays in the mind
long after reading. I am sure that readers of this work will be
searching out more from this author.
Helen Eddy
Pippa by Dimity Powell
Illus. by Andrew Plant. Ford St Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925804270.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Pigeons, Family, Independence,
Predators, Cautionary tale. Pippa the young pigeon dearly wants to
fly. She sidles to the edge of the branch and looks out over the
fields, only to have her parents, Percy and Peg, call her back with
stories of what might happen when venturing out alone. They snuggle
their baby in close at night, telling her that she is still young.
She keeps exercising her wings until they are strong. One day when
Percy and Peg are out foraging, she flaps her wings and leaps off
the branch and flies above the paddocks and the river and the trees,
feeling free.
But a blur shoots past her in the form of a falcon. Together they
weave and dodge across the sky, Poppa's heart racing, as she tumbles
into a barn. Here she is still not safe, a fox lies in waiting. She
takes to the air once again, this time looking for the safety and
comfort of home, and she flies across the night sky until a familiar
smell rises to meet her. She is home.
This beautiful story resonates with the comfort offered by home, but
also allows the small pigeon leeway enough to go out exploring for
herself, albeit beset by predators.
The dangers of the outside world are obvious but with cunning and
fortitude she makes it back home.
Andrew Plant's illustrations show the little pigeon, Pippa, with
immediate appeal. Her small face and staring eyes are hungry for
adventure and seeing what is beyond her domain. She soars above the
fields, swirling and twirling, the images moving across the page.
When the falcon pursues her the images and the words roll across the
page paralleling the ducking and weaving being undertaken by Pippa
as she tries to elude the falcon. I love the image of the fox in the
barn, the falcon coming out across the page, the night skies as
Pippa tries to find her way back home.
Everything about this book will intrigue and delight the readers,
and they will go back as I did to look again at the way the text and
images fit together creating a subtle cautionary tale about leaving
home.
Fran Knight
First Maths glossary by DK Australia
Senior Editor: Beth Patch. Australian Edition. Dorling Kindersley,
2019. ISBN: 9780143795001.
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Mathematics, Arithmetic, Counting.
Dorling Kindersley have again produced a beautiful and
well-presented book with an explanation of very simple mathematical
concepts. The clarity of information and the presentation make this
a suitable book for young students up to Year 2 at school or could
be used to support students who are a little older if they have
missed the 'basics' or are young ESL students. The topics covered
begin with counting, then number operations, and also includes,
time, measurement and representation of data. Everything is defined
using a 'concrete' illustration and is exceptionally clear with one
to two sentence descriptions.
This would make a good library addition or a great book to have
within a classroom.
Carolyn Hull
