Ethel the penguin by Ursula Dubosarsky and Christopher Nielsen
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761180880. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
An exuberant read aloud story of excitable Ethel, the class penguin will titillate fancies in every classroom. She is not allowed to sit next to the other students as her lawless behaviour will distract them from their work.
But Ethel is her best friend, hatched in the south but now living next door in an iceberg semi-detached.
The thought processes of all readers will be ignited as they think of all the fun that can be had with a friend living in an iceberg next door, going to school with you.
Four lined rhyming stanzas are on each page, carrying the tale along, lovely words highlighted in larger font and different colours, making the whole task easily accomplished by those new to reading. And of course laughing at the ingenious thymes, and predicting the rhyming words will also initiate lots of fun.
But what happens when Ethel decides to run away from home? And even worse, to find a Ferris Wheel. The family and Ethel’s parents trace her down to the local amusement park with a Ferris Wheel, and there she is, in her own little cab near the top of the Ferris Wheel. Ethel’s dad falls to the ground in a faint, while Ethel’s mum is overcome by tears.
Ethel is overcome by guilt, how could she be so bad? she asks. She decides to fly down to comfort her parents and gets her wings ready to fly, but as she jumps off the Ferris Wheel she remembers that penguins do not fly. Whoops. Smashing to the ground, her parents rush to her side as she promises not to be so silly again. But the reader knows that Ethel will not be down for long.
A wonderful story to read again and again, Ethel’s behaviour will remind readers that no matter what they do, parents will support them, but they must be sensible of the results of lawless behaviour.
Lots of laugh out loud humour, kids will love reading this book over and over, laughing at Ethel’s antics, and taken in with the hilarious rhymes that round of each stanza.
The illustrations are wonderful, lots of life, movement and colour, with Ethel’s eyes and eyebrows giving the nod to how she sees herself. The images of the families next door to each other will create mirth, as will the circus detail given in the last few pages. The endpapers show Ethel communing with a handful of seagulls, latching on to her and teaching her how to fly. Another Ethel book in the offing perhaps.
A gorgeous new picture book by South Australian author Beverley McWilliams is sure to be a must-have for all library shelves whether it be a home, school or public library. Beautifully illustrated by Hélène Magisson, this gentle, whimsical story tells of Willow and her much-loved red gumboots. These gumboots go wherever she goes and are a favourite part of her daily adventures.
Willow wears her boots to the beach, in the garden, when she is dancing, riding her bike, playing her violin, to parties and out in the rain. But what happens when Willow’s boots develop holes? When children laugh at her boots? Willow hides them. Until… one day Willow has a brilliant idea as she watches her mother in the garden planting in spring. Her gumboots will make the perfect new home for flowers.
Throughout this narrative each carefully constructed sentence perfectly conveys the story. With the striking illustrations to further complement the text, the reader is taken on an enchanting journey through the seasons to a new beginning. A clever use of rich language to describe how Willow moves in her boots enhances the natural flow of the story.
She twisted, twirled, whizzed and whirled. She bounced, hopped, ran and flopped.
As a brilliant addition to the book there is information about upcycling plus an excellent example of a procedural text for making your own gumboot plant pot which could provide a valuable teaching moment for Early Years teachers and their students.
A delightful picture book to read aloud, savour and share.
Themes Gumboots, Gardening, Nature, Upcycling.
Kathryn Beilby
Youngblood by Sasha Laurens
Penguin, 2023. ISBN: 9780241631232. (Age:13+)
Kat Finn is struggling, hiding her vampire life from her friends, paying the high price of Hema, the blood substitute that vampires live on after the Peril caused feeding off humans to be deadly, when she wins a fully paid scholarship and everything she needs paid for by an anonymous benefactor, allowing her to go to the exclusive vampire only high school Harcote. It's her dream, it will set her up for life (seeing as a Youngblood she'll have a very long one), then she gets tricked into a room swap - putting her with her ex-best friend, who betrayed her years ago.
Taylor Sanger has very little to care about, she's the school's out-and-proud lesbian who seems to be the 'tester' for many girls, but they never come back for anything serious, money is no issue at home and she doesn't care what the rest of the school thinks about her, though she is not looking forward to her allocated roommate for the year - until she walks into her room and sees Kath-er-ine Finn, her ex-best friend who suddenly vanished years ago.
Add all this together along with a death on campus, Youngbloods acting badly and a conspiracy underpinning all of Vampiredom, and Kat and Taylor may have to set their differences aside and join together to investigate what is going on at Harcote, and what is potentially happening between them...
Laurens brings new life to an age old fascination with vampires - by creating vampires who give birth to children who grow up the same as mortal children, but sometime after a pandemic essentially, so feeding off humans wasn't an option. In this version, vampires survive by drinking Hema, and humans might have a disease that kills the vampire or might not - why risk it. As with all good stories, there are traditionalist vs modernist - those that want the old ways to continue and those that want the new way to prevail. There are villains and heroes. There are bullies and victims. It's a high school. There are insecurities, learning, teachers, cliques and all the things you would expect (including instagram), but it's all done really well. Told in dual perspective, swapping between Kat and Taylor, the story is well rounded and evenly paced. Perfect for fans of vampires and fans of similar books such as Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe.
Olive Chen believes she is the most magnificent and brilliant artist in the whole wide world, and certainly, for one so young, her paintings are full of movement and colour. Her parents are also artists - serious artists - who live in prim and pristine monochromatic world while they paint prim, proper, and perfect shapes. They know Olive has the talent to follow in their footsteps. But Olive likes to smear, splatter, splash, and even lick. Painting squares and triangles is not her style and no matter how hard they and her teacher try, Olive cannot paint a shape, much to their disappointment and disapproval. But Olive's classmates love her riotous splashes of colour and she decides to teach them her technique. With a brush in each hand, Olive cascades through town with her friends in tow, painting what she wants to, what she feels - until she reaches her parents' pristine art museum.
The story of parents trying to mould their children in their own image, expecting them to be mini-mes, with the same likes and dislikes is a common one and so this story which celebrates individuality and creativity is probably as much for the adult who shares it as it is for the little one who hears it. Despite being a common trope in children's literature, Olive's ability to ignore the wishes of the adults in her life and be true to herself regardless, is one that many children would like to have - rather than being torn between who they are and who they are expected to be.
Older readers might like to draw comparisons between the endpages - the front being the monochromatic linear images of the town representing the rather dull version of ourselves that we might be if conformity and obedience to expectation become the driving force or the vibrant freeform version of the back images if we let our true selves shine through, identifying the details, differences in and demeanour of the various characters before and after Olive and her friends have swept through. They could also examine and track how line and colour are used throughout to depict the characters and their moods making them as integral to the story as the words themselves.
Quality picture books deliver more and more each time they are read, and this is one of those.
Themes Individuality, Creativity.
Barbara Braxton
Tardigrades: Nature’s toughest survivors by Anne Morgan. Illus. by Jennifer Falkner
It is always a great pleasure to read and learn new and incredible facts about our world. Having no knowledge at all of tardigrades (pronounced TAR-dee-grades), I was truly fascinated to read about these miniscule creatures that can live anywhere in the world and survive extreme temperatures and environments that no other creatures are able to do. A tardigrade is up to about 1 millimetre in length and has a snout, eight tiny legs with claws and a body that ‘looks like a caterpillar in a sleeping bag.’ Tardigrades also have a head and a brain and four body sections. Interestingly there are over 1300 tardigrade species. To see these tiny creatures scientists have had to use a microscope and magnify it up to 100 times. Young readers will enjoy hearing about the eating habits of the tardigrades as they do not have teeth but two sharp sword-shaped stylets that they push out of their mouths to spear their food and then slurp the juices from the cells of other microorganisms they are dining on!
This book provides some interesting and important facts in the final pages followed by a detailed glossary. The colourful front cover and endpapers are striking and throughout the book, the pages are filled with glorious images that complement the well-spaced out and highly accessible text. Scientists are continuing to study tardigrades to learn more about how they survive in remote places, recover from harm and their ability to use suspended animation so I am sure we will be hearing more about these amazing creatures.
School's out for the summer and Pearl Li is planning to spend the time hanging out with her best friends, Cindy and Priya, and going to her favourite boba café to visit the wise Auntie Cha who Pearl believes is the only adult who understands her and her need to create her traditional Taiwanese amigurumi dolls. Both her parents and big sister are immersed in the world of technology, computing and coding and at a recent science fair her mother openly scoffed at her model while praising one made by rival Kendall on a 3D printer. Pearl fells like an outsider in her own family, and all she really wants is for her mother, particularly, to understand and value physical things made by hand as much as she values those made by machines and mechanics.
So when Pearl discovers that Boba Time is facing closure because Auntie Cha doesn't have the money to fix its fridge, she decides she will raise the money by selling her dolls. But the business world can be a tricky place for a 12-year-old to navigate especially when you have to lie about your age and keep things secret and even with the best intentions, secrecy can have all sorts of unforeseen consequences including risking your relationships with those you love most.
This is an original story that has all sorts of real-life twists and turns that will make the reader think about their own family dynamics and friendships. With characters of Taiwanese, Chinese, Indian and American descent each bringing their personal perspectives to the narrative and each of them having that perspective challenged as events unfold, it has a depth and complexity that can be appreciated at the adult level but is also an absorbing read for younger independent readers who not only enjoy a good story but also understand the simple joy of creating something from virtually nothing, and the joy that the something can give to others. Whether it's considering how we might unwittingly leave someone feeling isolated because they don't have the same language or experiences that we take for granted, or discovering that our classmates have talents we have not discovered, or navigating the tricky path of being a tweenager, this book has something for so many. Maybe it's even time to plan a Kids' Creativity Fair of your own! Here is a milk tea recipe, and Amigurumi Basics for Beginners.
Themes Friendship, Family, Creativity.
Barbara Braxton
The heart of the world by Amie Kaufman
Allen & Unwin, 2024. ISBN: 9781761067389. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
Fans of The Isles of the Gods will be thrilled to see the sequel The heart of the world and discover what has happened after the exciting conclusion to the first book. Leander is now the Messenger of the goddess Barrica and is filled with her magic. It could easily consume him, but Selly can draw the magic away and keep him alive. Meanwhile, Macean, the God of Risk, is awakening and Laskia is his Messenger, using her sister Ruby to stay alive. Selly and Leander return to the palace and face the arduous task of trying to prevent war. They are ably helped by Keegan who uses all his scholarly skills to find a solution, and Kiki who aids Selly to manoeuvre through the political machinations of the royal court.
The Heart of the World is told in the voices of the different protagonists (Selly, Leander, Keegan, Jude and Laskia), which means that the reader becomes involved in their fears and hopes while often being left on a cliff-hanger at the end of their chapter which ensures that the reader continues with the story. Kaufman keeps the reader glued to the page as everyone wants a war. Preventing this seems an overwhelming task for Selly and Keegan, who must keep their wits about them and produce peaceful solutions before the countryside is devastated.
The romance between Selly and Leander is slow-burning and beautifully handled, while Jude’s feelings for Tom will tug at the reader’s emotions. The complex interactions of the characters and the way they had to make sacrifices for the good of their world gives a richness to the narrative, making it difficult to leave their world.
I will always pick up books written by Amie Kaufman and look forward to more in the future. Older readers who enjoy books featuring gods may like to try books in the World of the five gods by Lois McMaster Bujold and Threads that bind by Kika Hatzopoulou.
Themes Princes, Magic, Gods and goddesses, Sailing.
Pat Pledger
Our world full of wonder by Jevita Nilson. Illus. by Jess Racklyeft
Our World Full of Wonder is a glorious picture book that celebrates some of the magnificent natural wonders of our world. Each double-page spread showcases a range of natural landscapes including snowcapped mountains, volcanic cliffs, ancient trees, mysterious caves, thundering waterfalls and glowing tides at night.
The book begins and ends with two young astronauts floating in space looking down at Earth. The question is asked ‘Shall we go explore?’ And explore they do. They visit twelve places all over the world and see some amazing sights. The beautifully written lyrical text by Jevita Nilson is perfectly complemented by Jess Racklyeft’s stunning full-page illustrations that bring the written words to life:
There is a place where ocean creatures roam a multicoloured maze, where giant rays glide through gleaming waters, and turtles paddle past wavering coral.
Each natural wonder visited is a real place on Earth and includes the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Cave of the Crystals in Mexico and the Valley of Flowers in India. The author has thoughtfully shared a comprehensive list with further information of the twelve natural wonders along with a map of the world with the sights clearly numbered. A glossary is also provided.
This is a highly engaging and picturesque book that offers children the opportunity to learn about and visit places in the world that may be unfamiliar to them.
To stir with love by Kate Mildenhall and Jess Racklyeft
Simon & Schuster, 2024. ISBN: 9781761426391. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
A loving, heartwarming story of a day at Grandma’s, a day spent cooking together and so preserving generations of women’s work, is combined with the idea of change, as Grandma shows signs of memory loss, and her granddaughter sees herself as having family memories passed on to her. Stirring with love is a homage to older generations keeping memories alive and passing them on to younger generations.
The granddaughter goes to Grandma’s house, something she regularly does. Grandma might not be skilled at the computer or sending emails, but the girl can help her with those. Grandma has a host of recipes passed on to her by her grandmother and grandmothers before, keeping aspects of their culture alive. She loves getting all her old implements out to make the cake, one she makes for her neighbours and her family. They get the ingredients together, but Grandma stops and has a little lapse of memory. But the girl is there to support her. They combine the ingredients in the bowl and stir three times before putting it into the oven. They drink a whole pot of tea in the garden waiting for the cake to cook. When it does, it is left to cool and then iced. All the while, Grandma is passing on not only the recipes, but hints about how to put the cake together, hints that are passed on from one person to another, usually spread by word of mouth, rather than written within the recipe.
The refrain, My little and Grandma’s old hand, wrinkled and sure, is used several times in the story, again underlining the link between generations.
The wonderful watercolour illustrations sweep across every page, showing a Grandma’s garden with fruit trees, vegetable garden, and lots of different colours. Jess paints her garden with style, allowing readers to check out the many details included. I had a lovely time looking at the various older pieces of equipment used in Grandma’s kitchen: a whisk, flour sifter, hand beater, aprons, oven mitts, milk jug, tea pot etc., and was struck by the pictures on the wall, and the wonderful endpapers, which will entice young eyes to see how much they can see that reminds them of their Grandma’s house. Each of these will show readers how things have changed, and reinforce the idea of ageing and change, of generations, of support between generations.
Walk the Plank, the third novel in the Shower Land series, written by Australian author Nat Amoore and cleverly illustrated by James Hart will once again entertain and enthral young readers. Filled with humour, mayhem and adventure this book is another winner to compliment the series.
After two stints of crazy teleporting or 'shower-porting' already, Felix is feeling more confident to approach the daily task of cleaning himself. He has just experienced an awesome weekend with his family; surfing, enjoying the amazing weather and even picking up a furry friend from the local pound. Felix is actually feeling excited about his next shower journey, and this time he intends to talk to the mystery girl he always sees when he is there.
After having a yoghurt and grabbing a supply of muesli bars, Felix layers himself in clothing for any type of weather and adventure he could possibly envisage. Packing a backpack so large he can barely carry it; Felix is fully prepared. So, what could possibly go wrong this time?!?!
Amoore weaves a plot that is engaging and full of twists; keeping young readers on the edge of their seats. The easy-to-read font and well-organized layout make the book very 'reader friendly' and engaging. The fast-paced narrative maintains excitement and suspense throughout, and leaves you wondering how this could possibly end.
Walk the Plank is both humorous and entertaining. With wit and frivolity, the audience continues to be entertained and Hart's cool black and white illustrations compliment the storyline perfectly. Ammore has created another fantastic addition to the Shower Land series, but I would suggest reading them in order of succession. So, if you haven’t read Break the Curse and Feel the Freeze, do yourself a favour and check them out first. Readers will not be disappointed, if they love fun, adventure and a little bit of silliness!
Themes Humour, Time travel, Pirates, Friendship, Portals, Problem solving, Communication, Family.
Michelle O'Connell
Liar's test by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790873. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
Liar’s test looks to be the first in a new series by Palyku woman Ambelin Kwaymullina, author of the dystopian The Tribe series: The interrogation of Ashala Wolf (2012) and The Disappearance of Ember Crow (2013). The new series, The Silverleaf Chronicles, is more mythology/fantasy than dystopian and may draw in a new cohort of readers.
Bell is descendent of the Treesingers, a people connected to the trees and the natural world, a people overruled by the arrival of the Risen, ‘enlightened’ followers of foreign gods, suppressing the original inhabitants and setting up a structured class system of knights at the top, traders, crafters then workers, with Treesingers without any status at all. This is where readers may draw parallels with colonial history and the oppression of Aboriginal people, but the world that Kwaymullina creates is not one for easy comparisons, and veers into a completely fantastical world of magic and ordeals, a new voice in the speculative fiction genre.
Bell becomes one of seven girls to undertake the Queen’s Test, a quest that includes a Treesinger for the first time, each girl vying in challenges to determine the next ruler of the Risen Kingdom. Bell has to hide her inner thoughts and emotions, maintaining a deception, in order to succeed. In the process she learns more about herself and her ancestors, and has to step up as a leader.
The world-building is rapid and complex, and sometimes it feels like one just has to trust that it will come together eventually. There are many amazing adventures, changing identities and multiple realms of experience. It is a complex and changing world, that fantasy readers will probably revel in. Note that this is Book 1, so for readers who enjoy this book, there will be more to look forward to.
All the animals have had fun at Mini the elephant's birthday and now it is time to open the presents. She deliberately saved opening her best friend Mila's present until last because Milo always gave the best presents and this one, wrapped in her favourite shade of pink was very big and bulky.
But she was SO disappointed when she opened it because it was a trampoline and while all the others could have fun, Milo should have known the elephants can't jump! So what use was the present to her? And she was so angry with Milo she stopped talking to him. And she got angrier and angrier as Milo suggested other games like hopscotch and hide-and-seek that were no fun for elephants, and so she decided to have nothing to do with Milo, even running away from him. The final straw came when she went to Milo's place on Friday afternoon (because Milo always had the most scrumptious food) and all her other friends were having fun on a jumping castle. Will the two ever resolve their differences and be friends again?
The tag on this book is 'Big Skills for Mini People' and it is a series written for our youngest readers to not only help them manage their emotions but help them navigate their way through relationships as they venture into the world of friendships beyond family and have to learn about competitiveness, managing inner voices, learning to listen, and communicating effectively. Learning to negotiate, compromise and consider others as they emerge from that egocentric world of toddlerhood can be tricky and so books like these, read with sensitive adults who can ask questions like 'What could Mini have done instead of getting angry?' can help develop skills and strategies that will provide well for the future.
One for the mindfulness collection that will help young people learning about the issues associated with assuming things.
The ward witch is an easy-to-read cosy fantasy/mystery, the first in the Unholy Island series. Esme Gray, a young woman hiding from a violent past, runs a guest house on an isolated island in the North Sea. She also protects the wards that guard the island, the wards that ensure that visitors only remain for a couple of days and forget the island when they return to the mainland. When Luke Taylor arrives on the island looking for his missing twin, the island allows him to stay but the residents are very suspicious especially when a body is found on the shore. Esme is drawn to Luke but her past experiences have left her lacking confidence in her judgment. What connection has Luke to the murder? What secrets are the islanders hiding?
The mysterious setting of the island, with its ruins, cliffs and rocky shorelines is vividly described. I enjoyed the idea of tourists and the police arriving but only staying for a brief time and then forgetting what they done. It is easy to imagine the guest house that Esme runs, the magical bookstore and the storms that rage in. The main characters are well developed. The reader can guess some things about Esme’s past and relate to her fears and lack of self-esteem. Luke’s search for his brother and his need to find him is also relatable.
The combination of cosy fantasy with a mystery plus a slow burning romance is likely to appeal to fans who enjoy an escape from reality. The book keeper is the next in the series.
Themes Murder, Islands, Supernatural, Fantasy.
Pat Pledger
Jerry's Window by Y. K. Willemse
Wombat Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781761111402. (Age:8+)
Ten-year-old Jerry Ronden is convinced his parents don't love him and so to get their attention, he sets off firecrackers in his parents' bed, deploys stink bombs in his own house, and soaps the aisle of the school bus. Jerry knows his behaviour is unacceptable and his parents don't know what to do about it, but he seems unable to help himself especially as his imaginary friend Willy tells him he is okay just as he is. But Jerry's mischief making days are numbered when he discovers a window beneath his mum's washing line. Eyes glitter behind the window, and a voice calls to Jerry. He doesn't have to wonder long who could be speaking to him.
After a day full of his antics at school, the monsters climb out of the window and try to kidnap Jerry and drag him underground. Terrified, Jerry screams he will be good forever. The monsters run away, unable to stand being around a good child. Jerry now knows the monsters only come after children who behave like monsters themselves. They only kidnap misbehaving kids and pull them underground, locking them in cages and feeding them until they decide the little troublemakers are ready to be eaten. This doesn't sound like a bright future to Jerry, so he tries very hard to improve his behaviour. Eventually, he just can't do it anymore. In a relapse, he steals a lollipop.
As the monsters drag him to the window in the ground, Jerry believes it is all over - he doesn't deserve to be saved, and as his parents don't love him, there is little hope. But Jerry is in for a surprise...
So many familiar themes weave their way through this story as Jerry tries to navigate his relationships with his adoptive parents, accept himself for who he is without having to resort to anti-social behaviour and find his place as he emerges from childhood into the wider world that expects better of young boys. Although the monsters add an element of fantasy, this is contemporary realistic fiction which will mirror the lives of many as they begin to understand that there is no perfect, storybook family - just those muddling along as best they can, all making choices and decisions that might not be the best in the long run but are the best at the time. It's also a reminder to look beyond the behaviour to the cause because, for all his misbehaviour, Jerry just wants to fit in and be loved.
A different style of book, with unusual illustrations and a story that isn’t really a story will greet those who pick up this book. It is imaginative and provocative, gathering readers to its core as they see how one family spends its summer holidays.
Waiting for the mandatory half an hour after lunch to allow their stomachs to settle, a girl and boy and their dog peer out over the blue sea. Poetically, each page evokes summertime as the two children involve themselves in the adventures offered. They avoid the magpie as it swoops, it is the end of spring, and she is protecting her nest. The rotary fan plays a cooling place in the heat of summer, and the children have measured the time it takes for the fan to rotate, drying their damp hair. At the pool, the day is so hot that your skin dries the instant you lie on the concert edge. After swimming, taking a shower means remembering again that the water will never get hot. It takes a week to eat a whole tray of mangoes, and a month is spent at the pool as your hair turns green with the chlorine. The season pass is used well. The Neapolitan ice cream is in the fridge, the chocolate and vanilla eaten, but the strawberry stays for yonks.
The whole is a wonderful look at summer, evoking memories of all the times children spend at the beach, each set of four lines offering another look at the time things take. From a few minutes to an hour, then an afternoon, and later in the book the bigger pieces of time are offered: ages, seasons, yonks, year, forever then eternity. Each wonderful illustration reflects the few words on the page, giving readers a focus for their thoughts. The page for ‘week’ for example, tells us of the days spent at a holiday home, illustrated for us in all its dingy peppermint green, above ground, spare garden with a kangaroo nibbling the grass, overhead wire, aluminium windows. The illustration will evoke many memories for the readers.
This book is a loving homage to the customs and rituals of an Australian summer at the beach, viewed by Pesenti and Bell. Pesenti’s architect’s eye can be seen on a number of pages. There is something for everyone here, not only a wonderful evocation of summer in Australia, but I can imagine readers focusing on one or two pages, taking the image and words as a reflection of their summer.
Looking back is suggested by the old fibre holiday house, the Neapolitan ice-cream and then the purchase of school shoes along with the metal foot measure.
Further information about Pesenti, can be found here.
I enjoyed recollecting the Australian summer through the images and text. The images showcase so many aspects of children at the beach, and the spare words reflect the emphasis on time during a long hot summer. And I love the last few pages, child getting his school shoes, bringing the summer to a close, and looking into the night sky is the dark emu, there for eternity. A wonderful culmination to this book about time.
