Ill. by Gemma Correll. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889503
(Age: 8+) Splat the Fake Fact is a puzzle activity book
filled with information that has escaped from popular author Adam
Frost's Amazing Fact series. He encourages you to splat
them, doodle on them or even lasso them! After the disclaimer is
signed, he asks that you take any measure needed to completely
obliterate the wrong facts. Which Barmy Beasts has Frost created, is
it the bone-eating zombie-worm, the Javanese Tree Sheep or the
Raspberry Crazy Ant. Luckily the answers are easy to find. For those
who love fart facts and gross jokes there are plenty. There is a
vast array of weird, wacky and unusual information on topics like
Mad Monarchs, Camel Claptrap, Killer Creatures and Leonardo's Lab.
Guess which Surreal Sports is an imposter! Is it Worm Charming,
Toilet Racing maybe Wife Carrying? There are disgusting facts about
snot, vomit, ridiculous rules and exploding underpants. Frost's fake
facts are fun to share, sometimes the most obvious answer is
incorrect!
Gemma Correll's cartons, doodles, diagrams and crazy characters add
to the humour of Frost's fact collection.
This is a fun activity book with plenty of opportunities to
embellish, lasso, draw, solve the codes, decipher hieroglyphics and
identify the truth.
Rhyllis Bignell
Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760631628
(Age: Older teens and young adults) Highly recommended. 9/10.
Themes: Crime, thriller, spiritual story. This is a book for those
who enjoy exciting fiction with twists and turns and those who have
an open mind. Nothing is quite as you start to think when working
through the novel through the minds, thoughts and experiences of
Beth Teller and Isobel Catching. Both young girls are Aboriginal and
they both have and share a spirituality which is beautifully
depicted. Their spirituality and those of the tribal women of the
past is very credible, strong and serene. It brings a sense of
another dimension which exists and can possibly be accepted by even
the most skeptical non-believer of anything that cannot be explained
by logic and science.
Beth struggles to stay in "the world of now" in order to support her
grieving father. She is a lost soul who is tied to the physical
dimension but realizes that she needs to move on to the world that
she belongs to. Her father is a detective who is in the midst of
solving a murder and the circumstances of a tragic fire in a
children's home. Only he can see and hear Beth (or is he??), but he
knows that this ghost and his need for the ghost is tormenting him
from accepting what cannot be changed and hence making the most of
his life and his instinct to reach out to his wonderful extended
family.
Isobel Catching has suffered more than most people can endure.
Throughout the novel she remains tough, elusive and a mystery, yet
it is Isobel who helps Beth's father find clues, seek answers about
the terrible and shocking circumstances that have been perpetuated
in the small rural country town. In the colonial past, recent past
and present time, the aboriginal community lack a voice to defend
themselves and seek justice, hence Isobel is the protagonist who
speaks out, who struggles to make the injustices experienced by
present and past aboriginal women heard, understood and fought for.
Isobel has paid a heavy price but she is strong - a strong young
woman who is descended from strong women who transfer their gentle
power and wisdom through spiritual connections and well-remembered
stories.
About the Author - Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina.
Brother and sister authors who are Aboriginal Palyku from the
Pilbara region, North Western Australia. This novel is their first
joint effort writing a young adult fiction. They have magically
woven fiction prose with story-telling in simple language and
artistically elegant poetry.
Maria Burford
Jacaranda Magic by Dannika Patterson
Ill. by Megan Forward. Ford St Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925804003
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Jacaranda, Playing,
Imagination, Friendship. When five friends loll about on a hot,
sticky summer's day beneath the Jacaranda tree, wishing for
something to do, the flowers from the tree fall around them, offering
a lifeline to their imaginations. They clamber up the tree,
imagining it to be a boat, one of them the captain, looking out for
mermaids, then the branch becomes a rocket taking them off into
space, the flowers become fairies for them to chase, butterflies to
set free.
The worlds created by the children using the tree as the stepping
off point to imagined possibilities will delight young readers as
they too see what can be made of the tree and its branches, leaves
and flowers. I can imagine them seeing the trees in their backyards,
schools and neighbourhoods with fresh eyes, willing the flowers to
fall upon them, initiating their imaginations just like the children
in the story. And then climbing the trees, practising their physical
prowess, encouraging outdoor activities.
With simple rhyming pairs of lines, Patterson has created a charming
storyline, one which will entice readers to predict the rhyme as
they listen to the story.
The watercolour illustrations, extol the colour purple, so well
known in Australian gardens, common to many suburbs with long
streets of these beautiful trees, people sharing photos in facebook
when they are in bloom. Using the purple flowers as a trigger for the
children's imaginations is sure to focus younger readers on the
beauty that surrounds them, encouraging them to take a moment to
look at things more closely.
Fran Knight
Digby and the Duck by Max Landrak
Hachette Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780734417770
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Have you ever had the feeling of
someone watching you but when you look no one is there? Digby feels
like that. He is sure someone or something is watching him when he
brushes his teeth and in his dreams. It is time to investigate.
Digby finds a clue and then another but he doesn't make assumptions.
Digby researches and investigates books. Upon the discovery of a
duck, Digby no longer feels like someone or something is watching
him. Digby and the Duck is an excellent story for making
predictions as well as using the skill of inference. Readers will
not find out why the duck might have been watching Digby or even if
it was the duck. This mystery will create discussions and
assumptions. Have children create lists of reasons for a duck to
watch someone or even rewrite the ending. Digby and the Duck is easy to read and is beautifully
illustrated. it is highly recommended for readers aged 6+.
Kylie Kempster
Gastronauts by James Foley
S. Tinker Inc. book 3. Fremantle Press, 2018. ISBN
9781925591682
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Brothers and Sisters, Robots, Inventions. Sally
Tinker "the world's foremost inventor under the age of twelve"
returns for another improbable venture in Gastronauts. James
Foley's graphic novel takes us into uncharted territory, and this is
perhaps Sally and her friend Charli's most disgusting journey to
date.
Sally's previous inventions include the Resizenator which
unfortunately "embiggenated" Dougie the dung beetle. Sally's newest
invention is the smartCHIP which Charli suggests could minimise
carbon dioxide emissions and reduce global warming, or shrink the
world's rubbish to minimise pollution. She's also created the
SMARTBOT designed to install, maintain and protect the chips. When
her baby brother Joe accidentally swallows a test-tube filled with
the tiny brain-enhancing little nanobots, Sally and Charlie must
save the day. Imagine a superbaby with super powers wreaking havoc!
Sally and Charlie travel in the Sub with its onboard Resizenator
inside Joe's body to stop him becoming a superbaby. Straight into
Joe's stomach where undigested strawberries and a shrunken rubber
ducky and boat float by. Unfortunately, Sally's super-tight security
means there is no remote control to stop the smartbots installing
the smartCHIP in the baby's brain.
While Ms Tinker Sally's Nan looks after Joe, the girls travel in the
Sub through his intestines and finally up to his brain. Joe's
superpowers become evident after he's eaten his Nan's prunes, he's
jet-propelled around the neighbourhood by his farts. How do Sally
and Charlie save the day?
James Foley's unique characters, crazy situations and unusual
adventures engage the young reader. His cartoons capture the
grossness of the girl's journey and of course their special re-entry
into the real world. Scientific experiments and inventions underpin
this humourous story and the key themes of family, being responsible
and supportive friendships are included.
Rhyllis Bignell
Yesterday you were here by Melissa Little
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743055205
Highly recommended. Themes: Bereavement, Grief. Loss is never easy
and this is a thought provoking book, written in a simple way that
makes it easy to read with children to help them understand
loss.
The illustrations in this book are bold and support the narrative.
They are done in a way that anyone could see themselves in the
story.
There is a page at the end of the story that talks about sharing
this book with your child and the importance of talking about
feelings and answering their questions, and letting children talk
about it in their own time. There are also some pages at the back of
the book where children can write or draw some memories of the
person lost to help them with the grieving process.
I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to explain loss to
their child.
Karen Colliver
The Prince and the witch and the thief and the bears by Alistair Chisolm
Ill. by Jez Tuya. Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406365139
(Age: 4-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Storytelling, Fairy tales,
Bedtime.
"What kind of story shall we have tonight? asked Dad . . . "A made up one!
said Jamie.
As Dad tuck his son into bed, they are ready to share a bedtime
story, a creative one filled with a cast of fairy tale characters.
Jamie's level of excitement increases as he constantly adds another
person and creature, changes the plot and questions then redirects
the actions. Dad's enthusiasm and his willingness to accommodate his
son adds to the delight of this story. The youngster even questions
his father's choice of the prince riding off to rescue the princess
trapped in the dark tower. They decide that the prince can do it,
this time. They often digress: How evil is the witch?
Can she turn you into stone or even jelly? When the villain falls to
her death, Jamie's a little hesitant. Dad's imagination changes the
fairy tale again because the former princess really a jewel thief
uses her grappling hook to catch the falling evil witch-ninja.
Jez Tuya's vibrant digital illustrations imbue each character with
attitude and make Alistair Chisolm's cumulative fairy tale comical.
Inside a star-filled border, a handsome prince rides his dappled
grey stallion whilst an ugly witch, a beautiful princess and a
flying fire breathing dragon wait ready for the story to begin. Atop
the tall mountain is a lofty castle and there's a large brown bear
lurking at the edge of the forest. The stallion sits back on his
hind legs, helps with the map and waits for the prince to work out
how far away is his kingdom. When Dad mentions the fierce bears and
dragons, Jamie needs a clear definition on their ferocity, so the
illustrator adds enormous shaggy coats and vicious claws. Each
double-page spread is filled with big, bold pictures that
delightfully express Jamie and Dad's dramatic fairy tale.
Alistair Chisolm's fast-paced story is a perfect read aloud with
many twists and turns. Jez Tuya completely captures the humour and
builds the drama through his energetic and colourful visual
storytelling. The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears is an
enchanting narrative for Junior Primary classes to engage with plot,
setting and characterisation, stereotypes and the structure of fairy
tales.
Rhyllis Bignell
Just a girl by Jackie French
Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN 9781460753095
(Age: 12 - 16) Highly recommended. Themes: Historical fiction. Roman
history. Survival. Persecution. Courage. Siblings. Jewish people.
Mary (mother of Jesus). Jackie French is a master of storytelling
and in this book she immerses us in the daily life of a Jewish girl
in Judea in 71AD. Judith's daily life has changed since the men from
her village have gone to fight in Jerusalem and she must take up
tasks normally not allowed by girls - minding sheep and using a
sling-shot to kill small animals for her family. Little does she
realise how much different it will become when two Roman chariots
pass her small village.
As predicted by Rabba, (Judith's great, great grandmother) the
village is looted and destroyed by the Romans the following day.
Judith is saved when Rabba tells Judith to take her, her little
sister and the goat away from the village during the night to a very
well-stocked cave nearby. When a Roman slave comes close to the cave
Judith uses her sling-shot to protect them and he falls over a
cliff. He is left for dead by his Roman masters and is rescued by
Judith and joins the others in the cave for the long winter. The
slave is a Christian and is curious to find out about a special
woman Rabba mentions as she tells them stories of her life. The girl
is Maryiam from Nazareth (the mother of Jesus) but Rabba is
reluctant to talk too freely about the relationship she may have had
with Mary who she describes as "just a girl" from her village.
Mary's story is slowly revealed as a life of someone with the
courage to overcome the humiliation of her unexplained pregnancy and
the loss of her son in such violent circumstances. This account from
the Jewish point of view makes it a very interesting novel.
At the end of the book there are comprehensive author's notes about
the history behind this story. It also explains some of the
language, food and other customs.
Gabrielle Anderson
The Bulldog Track by Peter Phelps
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733639777
(Age: 14+) Recommended. When the Japanese Army invaded New Guinea in
1942, Australian civilians working as gold miners in the Highland
region of Bulolo fled on foot after the company's aircraft were
strafed and destroyed. Not to be confused with the more legendary
Kokoda track to the East, the Bulldog offered their only means of
escape. However its terrain was more extreme and weather more
appalling than even the almost insufferable conditions endured by
the Australian and Japanese soldiers as they later fought each other
and the landscape.
Peter Phelps' Grandfather Tom was one of the miners who survived.
The author conveys evident and justifiable pride telling this
remarkable story, not just for the man's superhuman effort to endure
the ordeal but equally for his mettle and decency as a human being
throughout his life. Considered unfit for military service due to
age and a massive leg injury, Tom Phelps made the difficult decision
to take work as a carpenter and miner in New Guinea to provide for
his family after financial hardship caused by the Great Depression.
Peter Phelps presents the perspective of his father George, his
sisters and their mother as they are tormented by the absence of
their father and husband for years on end. Whilst Tom missed his
family dearly, living in extreme isolation, complex and lasting
suffering was felt at home, including resentment felt by George.
The family had no knowledge of Tom's welfare or progress beyond the
fact that miners deemed too sick or old to join the New Guinea
Volunteer Rifles had abandoned Bulolo to make their way to New
Guinea's Southern coast. They were however only too aware of the
extreme brutality of the invaders and naturally feared the worst
whilst waiting for any scraps of information.
The trekkers were unsupplied and faced gruelling hardship including
starvation and countless medical problems caused by disease and
mishap. These men would not have survived without the guidance and
physical aid of local New Guinea villagers who had formerly been
employed by the mine but who assumed responsibility for ensuring the
welfare of the escaping miners of Australian and sundry nationality.
It must be emphasised that their own villages and families faced
great danger from the advancing Japanese. Una Beel was a local
highlander assigned as assistant to Tom Phelps in his role as
carpenter and the two developed a close relationship which must have
been pivotal to Tom's survival. I found the description of the
pair's parting after they had been delivered to European
missionaries on the coast to be curiously understated. These
villagers risked their lives sharing the arduous journey and as the
author notes, they were essentially in foreign lands themselves,
having left their own territory. The journey demanded that they
communicate with fearsome, potentially lethal villagers along the
way and it is difficult to imagine the miners' survival without
their efforts.
The author has undertaken tremendously detailed research to give
voice and description to both the plight of his grandfather and the
daily trials of his family waiting at home. The amazing feat of his
indomitable grandfather and his ragged but resilient companions has
been presented in an exciting story demonstrating great family pride
and affection. There is no doubt that Tom Phelps earned this respect
but I was disappointed that Una Beel and his companions were not
acknowledged in the conclusion and epilogue.
Recommended for 14 years +
Rob Welsh
Twinkle twinkle, little bat: Beastly bedtime stories for all kinds of kids
Pan Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781760557263
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Short stories. Once upon a time,
there were 9 beastly bedtime stories. Stories with vampires and
bats, and a sleepover of doom: of a pirate dance party and a zoo in
a room. There were bears who were scared, and three bags of wool.
Kids who ate pasta till their tummies were full. And if things go
splat in the night... hold tight. The dreamo-machino will help
you sleep deep.
We are frequently asked for scary stories in the library and I am
not sure this will fit the bill. Featuring short stories from some
of Australia's most successful authors including Andy Griffiths,
Morris Gleitzman, R. A. Spratt and Judith Rossell - there are 9
included in the anthology, this book is filled to the brim with
stories bursting with humour and terrifying twists. These stories
are sure to have the children shaking in their beds - with laughter
not fear!
Each story is beautifully written which you would expect from these
successful writers. I particularly enjoyed Andy Griffith's choose
your own adventure - this genre of books is becoming more and more
popular with our children. At the end of the book each author is
featured with a short biography and all are asked the question
"What are your favourite beastly bedtime stories?" I always love
these insights into an author.
This book will be great to hand to teachers when they ask for
something short to read to their students.
Suitable for children aged 7 and up. A welcome addition to the short
story collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
The brave knight by Sally Gould and Celeste Hulme
New Frontier, 2018. ISBN 9781925594119
(Age: 2-5) Themes: Imagination. Play. Knights and Castles. The
brave knight is a charming story, a celebration of imaginative
play. With simple craft items the young boy arms himself with a
cardboard sword and shield and wears a painted silver tunic. He's
ready to be brave and bold, standing in front of his castle
treehouse surveying the surrounding countryside - his backyard. He
proudly declares "I guard the castle. Enemies BEWARE!"
From the castle turret, he spies three enemy knights dressed in
helmets, one holding a sword. Using trickery, he disguises himself
as a peasant and lures his monkey, teddy bear and dog into the
fortress with promises of gold. He is a brave knight who uses his
imagination to protect the castle and help his baby brother escape
from his playpen enclosure. Thankfully, all is well in the kingdom
and his creativity has saved the day!
Celeste Hulme's whimsical paintings enliven Sally Gould's simple
story. From the end covers detailing the creation of the knight's
armour and sword through to the fun of the castle treehouse there is
much to explore with a toddler or preschooler. They will be
captivated by the details of the castle and the actions of the young
boy as he leads his toys joined together up the stairs and into his
fortress. The brave knight is a wonderful example of imaginative play
and graphic storytelling.
Rhyllis Bignell
Eve and the rebel fairies by Jess Black
Keeper of the Crystals series, book 7, New Frontier, 2018
ISBN 9781925594218
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Fairies. Fantasy. Jess Black's Eve and the
rebel fairies is a magical adventure written for young readers
just starting junior novels. Friends Eve and Oscar have uncovered
the special secret power of crystals and in each story, they travel
into a different and dangerous world to help save the community.
Eve and Oscar are enjoying their school holidays, playing with
Ingvar Eve's dragon and sleeping over at Eve's grandma's house. The
discovery of a tiny pink fairy-sized door leads them into a new
adventure. With a miniature fairy crystal in her hand, Eve with
Oscar and Ingvar holding on, they shrink down to fairy size and
enter a new kingdom. Summoned by Orla the Golden Queen of the
Fairies, Eve and her friends are needed to stop two rebel fairies.
They have stolen pixie dust from the Tree of life and are using it
to upset the balance of nature. Creating a hot pink river that
poisoned the fish, causing rockfalls and floods, they are
troublemakers.
Lilith and Azura wreak havoc in the human world too turning sharks
vegetarian, melting a glacier and turning a flock of sheep green!
Eve must use her special skills to cross the troll bridge and stop
the rebel fairies.
Jess Black's environmental messages are woven throughout her series,
making the young reader thinks about the consequences of climate
change and upsetting the natural balance. Her fairy fantasy world
and the characters are beautifully described. Celeste Homes'
sketches are delightful chapter headings. Eve and the rebel fairies is a charming novel for young
chapter book readers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Tales from the inner city by Shaun Tan
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523534
(Age: middle school to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Design,
Cities, Animals. Twenty five stories about the relationship between
humans and animals is explored in this richly illustrated book from
Tan, a companion volume to Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008)
and one Tan has been working on ever since. Every page has something
startlingly new, making the reader pause and read again, then pore
over the illustrations, making sure they have absorbed every nuance,
before starting again.
His last chapter begins, "We tell each other the same story" but the
details of Shaun Tan's stories are entrancing. His sometimes
dystopian view of the city and its relationship with animals is
highly individual, placing animals in the oddest of settings:
crocodiles living on the eighty seventh floor, an eagle in an
airport, deer peering out of an office window, making us question.
One of the first sequences in the book, "Once we were strangers",
devotes forty pages to a dog, at first wary of the human with a
spear in one hand, but over time becoming a companion, ending as a
dog on a lead walking with its human. The illustrations reflect the
passage of time. The broad strip between the human and the dog
begins as a wide black expanse, the void of the early cosmos
perhaps, then it becomes a track, changing to a bridge, a railway
line, a road, and finally the double page is fully paved. Time has
passed, reflecting the changes in our environment as well as the
changed relationship between humans and animals.
Shaun Tan talks
about his work providing insight into his book as he provokes, prods
and perplexes his readers.
Each of his works in this volume initiates a response, the richly
illuminated and detailed images giving more as the reader looks,
ponders and talks about what they see. The almost poetic text forces
the reader to read it again, viewing the illustration with new
ideas, evaluating the links between the two.
People and animals may live in each other's shadow, but they are
still very visible in Tan's work, from the tiger strolling by the
similarly coloured wall on the last endpaper, or the rhino watching
over the traffic or the killer whale in the night sky.
Light in various forms is shown to advantage: city lights on the
front cover, the coloured light of the crowds of butterflies, the
light behind the snails on the bridge, the light pouring in through
the classroom windows, the light coming out of the high rise flats,
contrasting with the many dark and gloomy images redolent of a
dystopian landscape, stressing the tension within the city, leading
to the last page of the book with its apocalyptic image.
The inner city is shown in images of crumbling high rise buildings,
homeless people, train tracks, telegraph poles and animals, all
giving a different perspective than the one expected. The teacher in
the classroom is hugging a sheep, the boy on the cover holding a
glass fish, owl's eyes peer out at the reader from the hospital
ceiling, a bear is led up the steps, a shark rises up out of the
landscape, but unlike the lonely vistas of Jeffrey Smart's cities,
Tan's images of the concrete structures force the reader to
reevaluate the connection between human and beast.
I found this book totally captivating, sometimes unsure that I had
missed something, but always satisfied at the myriad of references,
allusions and journeys down unexpected pathways that Tan takes his
readers. Teacher
notes can be found on the Allen and Unwin site.
Fran Knight
Just flesh and blood by Jane Caro
University of Queensland Press, 2018. ISBN 9780702260018
(Age: Children - Young adult) Recommended. Themes: Historical
Fiction (1500-1600 England Royalty). Just Flesh and Blood is
the last novel in the Trilogy which include Just
A Girl and Just a Queen which depicts the life
of the very famous and long reigning Queen Elizabeth 1, Protestant
Queen of England and Ireland. The story is told from the perspective
of the Queen as a flesh and blood person with emotions, love,
intellect and daily personal and political struggles.
Queen Elizabeth 1 is a woman in a man's world who had accomplished
much more than was ever expected for any Royal during an extremely
long period of 44 years of reign. Her main concern was always for
the welfare of her people and country and as such she became as a
mother to them all. But, she still craved loving attention and
acknowledgment from her father (Henry VIII) and although she was a
young child when her beautiful mother Anne Boleyn died, Elizabeth
never resolved her grief and guilt. Her loving mother was beheaded,
sentenced to death by a husband King. Elizabeth was always well
aware that if she had been born a boy, a successor to the Tudor
throne, her mother would have been in the King's favor and she would
not have met such a terrible fate. Elizabeth was born a princess and
through political motives she was declared as 'illegitimate', hence
unimportant and mostly unseen by those in the majesty's court.
As Queen Elizabeth 1, lies on the floor and then on her death bed,
she drifts in and out of sleep. She is reflecting on her life and
she is assessing herself and her path of destiny which she
diligently worked hard throughout. Has she done enough? Would her
father and mother be proud of her? Has she failed them, made a
mistake, by remaining a maiden Queen and not marrying or bearing
children to carry on the Tudor family reign? Who would be the first
person that she meets in the afterlife?
Although I came across this last book in the trilogy and have not
read the previous two, Jane Caro does a marvelous job in summarizing
the Queen's life during her final days, hence, the storyline flows
well and the reader is not left feeling confused or as though parts
of the story are missing. In fact, it leaves the reader wanting to
read/re-read the trilogy set without pause and the writing skill of
Jane Caro is such that the reader will find it difficult to put down
the books.
This book is a marvelous way to learn some history of the Royals of
England. It motivates the reader to delve into further research
about the era and come to know Queen Elizabeth 1 not only as a great
ruler, stern and at times merciless Queen - but as a child, young
girl and woman living an exceptional life in a difficult time.
About the Author - Jane Caro Jane Caro is often a guest on the
Channel 9's Weekend Sunrise and Gruen Planet. A busy 60 something
year old who keeps herself busy as a novelist, columnist and
novelist. Jane has won awards for her ability to write outstanding,
"to the point" and relatable advertising material.
Maria Burford
How did I get here? by Philip Bunting
Omnibus, 2018. ISBN 9781742769684
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes; Life, Evolution, Big bang,
Universe, Solar system, STEM. Young readers will find this
straightforward presentation of life on earth enlightening and
informative, as Bunting explains how life began, encouraging them to
question as they read of these big issues. I found it riveting, from
the Big Bang to the development of sea creatures and then animals as
a fish came up on the land, leading to humans. It is told in such a
matter of fact way that young readers will be able to understand the
basics of how life life began, making it more personal with the
story leading to their birth and life on earth.
Questions bigger than our solar system are presented in a way that
is very readable, while at the same time, posing questions that
require further research.
The Big Bang and other evolutionary ideas are so big they can
overwhelm, but this seemingly simplistic explanation will satisfy
those looking for the words to explain the idea but intrigue them
enough to ask questions and seek out more answers.
Bunting is an avid believer in dialogic reading, which means that
reading should be interactive. The more interactive, playful and
entertaining the better the book is for young readers. An
explanation of his ideas behind what he writes can be found here and is well worth a
read.
He goes on to say that good books, those that encourage interaction,
particularly within a family setting, will increase a child's love
of books and reading and so a love of learning. Good picture books
will do this, and so he aims to write picture books that will be
read with carers and parents, an interaction with positive outcomes.
Consequently How did I get here? is produced to encourage
interaction between the carer and the child, begging them to ask
questions, to discuss, to talk about what they are reading.
Fran Knight
