Piccadilly Press, 2017. ISBN 9781848125940
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Marge and the great train rescue
includes three short stories about Jemima and Jake and their rather
unusual babysitter, Marge. Marge is not your usual babysitter.
Besides being very short, Marge has bright rainbow hair and is a
duchess. She is always telling Jemima and Jake about her royal
escapades.
In 'Marge and the missing tooth', Jake has a loose tooth. Marge is
willing to try anything to get the tooth out. Unfortunately, once
the tooth is out, Jake forgets where he put it. Will they find the
tooth in time for the tooth fairy?
In 'Marge and the great train rescue', Marge, Jemima and Jake are
taking the train to the zoo. While dressed in disguises, Marge and
the children solve the problem that caused the train to stop. Who
knew you could talk to cows?
In 'Marge and the zany zoo day', Marge and the children explore the
zoo. Thanks to one of Marge's stories, Jake is determined to set his
favourite orangutan free. Can Jemima distract him?
The stories in Marge and the great train rescue are quick
and easy to read. The zaniness of Marge's stories will have readers
wondering what is an exaggeration and what is true. The vocabulary
is easy to read and this collection of stories will make a great
first novel for girls aged 7+. It would also be a great before
bedtime read, whether read out loud or silently. Parents could even
create their own versions for their children. This is highly
recommended for readers aged 5+.
Kylie Kempster
Free as a cloud by Bai Bing
Ill. by Yu Rong. Starfish Bay Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781760360351
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Sweetie is a myna bird who lives as a pet
with his loving family. He is well treated with juicy fruit, taken
out for rides and bought the most beautiful birdcage but Sweetie is
still unhappy. Although he loves his family he has no heart to sing
and doesn't know why. Eventually the reason is discovered, he needs
to return to his home jungle, where...
'I am so happy I want to sing out loud.
I want to sing to the other birds and sing to myself. I am a
beautiful myna as free as a cloud'.
The moral of the story is that freedom is essential to happiness, no
matter how wonderful the cage is. The family show true love to
Sweetie as they are pleased to set him free to ensure his
contentment and well being.
The illustrations are a combination of black paper cuts and free
form drawings, the main focus of the pictures being the dark cut out
shapes. They highlight Sweetie's personal story especially his
joyous expression as he flies home to the jungle.
This story was originally in Chinese and won the prestigious Golden
Apple Award from the Biennial of Illustration, Bratislava.
Recommended for 5 to 8 year olds.
Jane Moore
The legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Daywalt
Ill. by Adam Rex. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008252397
In the ancient and distant realm called the Kingdom of the
Backgarden lives the warrior Rock. He believes he is the greatest
because no one can give him a worthy challenge that will prove his
superiority. While his battle with the clothes peg and the apricot
entertain the backyard dwellers, he feels unsatisfied so he leaves
the garden in search of a worthy foe.
Meanwhile in the Empire of Mum's Study, Paper is feeling the same
way. No one can outwit him and so he, too, leaves to look for a
worthy opponent. At the same time, in the Kitchen Realm, Scissors
has beaten both Sticky Tape and Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets so she also
goes on a quest to find something better.
And in the great cavern of Two-Car Garage, the three meet for the
first time...
Children (and adults) everywhere play the traditional game of Rock
Paper Scissors to help them make decisions and reach compromises and
now the mastermind behind The day
the crayons quit has brought us their true story. Told in
narrative and speech bubbles which make the most of bold fonts and
imaginative layout, and accompanied by fantastic pictures that bring
the most mundane objects to life and emphasise the action, this is a
story that will be enjoyed again and again. Children will love the
boldness and loudness that oozes from the pages and you can just see
them swaggering around like the characters as they take on their
favourite.
'Dramatic', 'raucous', 'bombastic', 'energetic', 'outrageous' - all
have been used to describe this story. Apart from encapsulating it
perfectly, what fun students can have suggesting their own
adjectives for it and investigating what those ones mean. Further teachers'
notes are available.
A superhero origin story of a slightly different type!
Barbara Braxton
Literature to support the Australian curriculum: Annotated lists of fiction and poetry Book 2 by Fran Knight and Pat Pledger
Pledger Consulting, 2017. ISBN 9781876678531
Recommended as a teacher reference for both Junior and Senior
School libraries and English faculties. This teacher resource book
makes the book selection work of Teacher Librarians and English
teachers much easier. It contains summaries of books organised under
themes consistent with the Australian curriculum: Asian themes;
indigenous themes, sustainability themes, poetry books, books
suitable for class sets and read alouds.
Within each heading, books are also grouped under 3 student year
level groupings: reception to year 3; years 4-6 and years 7-10.
Summaries indicate if teacher notes are available on the publisher
website.
Most titles have been published within the last 5 years and there is
a useful author index.
While the summaries are brief, there is sufficient for teachers to
decide whether to seek further information on a title. According to
Pat Pledger, Editor 'Most have been recommended by reviewers for
ReadPlus and reviews are available at
http://www.readplus.com.au/reviewsindex.html'
Ann Griffin
A bag and a bird by Pamela Allen
Penguin Viking, 2017. ISBN 9780143783909
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Birds, Sydney, Waste, Rubbish,
Environment, Responsibility. What begins as a simple tale of a boy
and his mother packing a sandwich and walking to the Botanic Gardens
in Sydney, becomes a plea for ensuring the safety of our
environment.
The boy and his mother makes their sandwiches, put them into plastic
bags, then into their backpacks and walk across Sydney Harbour
Bridge, past the Opera House to the gardens. There they eat their
sandwiches which of course attracts the attention of a group of
seabirds. With one sandwich left in the bag, a bird grabs it. After
the birds have had their fill one bird finds the plastic bag caught
around its neck. But as it tries to fly away the bag fills with air.
It impedes the bird's flight and it plummets down, the air filled
bag acting like a parachute until it reaches the bay. It then fills
with water and drags the bird down. Frantic, the bird struggles, but
it is only when a man wades into the water, that the bird is saved.
The elderly man does this at some risk to himself, his wife
reminding him that he cannot swim, but he goes in despite having to
go out beyond his depth. Coming back to shore he gently helps the
bird escape the plastic and the crowd which has now gathered cheers
the bird as it flies away. The boy puts the plastic bag into the
bin, making sure it is down as deeply as he can push it.
Stunningly illustrated the sights and scenes around one of the
world's most beautiful harbours is recreated by Allen. The birds are
wonderful, and I particularly love the drawing of the ibis trying to
fly with the bag behind it, eventually being dragged back down to
the sea. The illustrations sweep across the page, taking the eye and
heart with them. Children will be concerned about the trapped bird
and relieved when a rescuer appears from the crowd.
This is a cautionary tale of the dangers that plastic bags present
to our environment, encouraging children to see that the simple act
of binning these can be immensely helpful to our wildlife, while the
map of Sydney Harbour on the endpapers, encourages visual
recognition of places mentioned in the text.
Fran Knight
Further adventures of Pelle No-Tail by Gosta Knutsson
Schwartz Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781863959391
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Further Adventures of Pelle
No-Tail is the story of a very adventurous and well-loved cat.
His owner, Brigitta, treats Pelle like one of the family. Olle, her
brother, loves Pelle too but tends to get into a bit more mischief
where Pelle is concerned. Unfortunately, the other cats in Pelle's
life are very jealous of Pelle and are always trying to embarrass
him. Despite this, Pelle still tries to be friends with them all and
trusts them each and every time.
Each chapter in this novel is a new adventure starring Pelle.
Readers will find out how Pelle is a success at the Spring Fair, how
he beats the other cats at the quiz and how he is rescued from an
island. Further Adventures of Pelle No-Tail are lovely stories with
easy to read text. Even though they have been translated from
Swedish to English, the translations have kept the Swedish names as
well as the different ways the word 'yes' is used. Each story is
also an excellent lesson in pet care, friendship and accepting
others for who they are.
The stories are short, making them a good read out loud story for
classrooms as well as before bedtime reading at home. The theme of
trusting others is also very strong, making the events a good
discussion point for the Child Protection curriculum.
Kylie Kempster
The City of Secret Rivers by Jacob Sager Weinstein
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406368857
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Moving from Illinois to London was
hard enough but seeing her mother kidnapped has left Hyacinth in a
major predicament. On moving to London, Hyacinth's biggest issues
are a dad who is remarrying, a mum who seems to have no clue and
silly English taps that don't mix hot and cold water. Luckily,
Hyacinth has some plumbing experience but mixing hot and cold water
in England is huge no no! All of a sudden, Hyacinth is stuck in the
middle of magical waterways, her mum is kidnapped and Hyacinth is
chasing a glowing drop of water that could destroy civilisation. Her
grandmother told Hyacinth she would be well prepared so let's hope
so! The City of Secret Rivers is a quirky tale full of
descriptive vocabulary and exciting events. Readers will love the
mix of fantasy and real world while getting lost in this adventure
across London. It is a story of a strong girl who is determined to
find her mum and fix her mistake. Hyacinth's level of resilience is
extremely high, making her an excellent role model for girls.
Kylie Kempster
The Spectacular Spencer Gray by Deb Fitzpatrick
Fremantle Press, 2017. ISBN 9781925164671
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Endangered animals, Australia;
Potoroos, Animal Trafficking, Courage. A search for a lost soccer
ball at lunchtime leads twelve-year-old Spencer Gray into a
mysterious adventure when he sees a suspicious man running away in
the bush. Spence's decision to explore the BBO - the bush behind the
oval and investigate further leads him to find a camouflaged tent
hiding caged native animals. This discovery quickly takes him down a
dangerous path involving animal traffickers, midnight missions and a
frightening kidnapping.
Spence returns to the tent and chooses to rescue one of the caged
small rat like animals. Concealing the creature in his school
locker, smuggling it home and into his bedroom, means Spencer has to
lie to his friends and family. After a sleep disturbed night,
Spencer confides in his two best mates and they work together to
return 'Fluffnut' to his natural environment.
During personal learning time at school, Spence discovers his small
animal is a critically endangered Gilbert's potoroo whose natural
habitat is the nearby bushland. Spence, Leon and Charlie's first
mission involves a midnight bike ride to Arrow Beach but
unfortunately, some other people are hunting in the area. Spencer's
second attempt leads to his capture and he endures being tied up and
put in a cage. The thrilling ending shows Spence's courage, quick
thinking, resilience and determination. The Spectacular Spencer Gray is an action-packed story with
extremely relatable characters, a strong focus on the plight of
endangered animals and a dramatic plot filled with adventure. Deb
Fitzpatrick's second Spencer Gray story stands alone, a totally new
and self-contained story. As a class novel, this is perfectly suited
to Upper Primary classes, supporting the English and Environmental
Sciences curriculum.
Rhyllis Bignell
Morris Mole by Dan Yaccarino
Harper, 2017. ISBN 9780062411075
Morris Mole is the youngest of the eight mole brothers, and because
he is a little different - they go to work in their hard hats with
their shovels while he looks like the town dandy; they eat at a
communal bench while Morris prefers fine dining; and they share a
bed while he has his own - they tend to ignore him.
And so it is when the biggest brother announces that they have run
out of food. Even though Morris says he has an idea, he is ignored
and the brothers start to dig even deeper than before. Morris's idea
was to dig UPWARDS - and so he does. Even though it frightened him
he found his courage built on his belief that even though he was
small, nevertheless he could still do big things. And what a
wonderful world he discovered when he broke through the surface.
Full of treasures and treats until . . .
Young children will enjoy hearing this story where smart thinking
overcomes physical size but be prepared to answer their questions
about why the wolf left Morris alone. They might even be able to
predict answers - perhaps wolves don't have moles in their dietary
plan. The bold computer-generated illustrations are interesting,
contrasting the underground and above-ground worlds well and the
message of small things being able to achieve big things will
empower them.
Barbara Braxton
Alex Rider: Never say die by Anthony Horowitz
ISBN: 9781406377040.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Alex Rider: Never Say Die is book 11 in the
series for which Anthony Horowitz said he'd never write an another
action-packed novel. After a 5 year hiatus, and now 15-years old,
Alex Rider, is an ex-MI6 agent currently living in the United States
with his friend, Sabrina. One day, Alex receives an email from his
old caretaker and close friend, Jack Starbright, whom he thought was
dead. Alex then travels to Cairo, Egypt, Jack's last known
whereabouts. As the book progresses, Alex travels to many locations
across the globe, slowly finding out where Jack is. He also
discovers a plot to kidnap the children of the world's richest
people.
Throughout the book, Anthony Horowitz uses incredible description
and storytelling to make a story that is not only intriguing and
thrilling, but also engaging and thought-provoking. This
unbelievable book constantly entertains and seems to surpass all
other books in the Alex Rider series. Alex Rider: Never Say Die will keep you on the edge of your seat and
wanting more.
Jackson Olds (student)
Great goal! marvellous mark! by Katrina Germein
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Ford St, 2017. ISBN 9781925272673
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Football, Alphabet. This most
appealing rendition of an alphabet book has each page showcasing
the next letter in the alphabet, moving along the game of football
played by the young teams. The opening page begins
'Aussie Rules is awesome, I always arrive on time' with each of the
a letters starting the word, highlighted.
We see the two teams running out onto the field, hopes high and
skills at the ready. From there Germein reveals to the reader the
range of skills needed to play a football game. From the centre
bounce, to handball, a great goal, skilfull kick, a marvellous mark,
perfect play, the final quarter comes along with an unbelievable
goal, all capture by a volunteer with a video. It is a great read,
readers predicting how the next letter in the alphabet will be
characterised within the story of the football game. Not only do
young readers get to see words beginning with that particular
letter, they see how those words are used, while learning more about
the game of football as they read.
The brightly coloured illustrations give another level of
information about the game and its participants. We see the dog
running on the field, the parents huddling under umbrellas,
volunteers at the edge, umpires with head to toe waterproof clothing
and gum boots, cars around the field, the train in the background. I
love the middle double page which shows the whole field for those
new to the game, showing the size and shape of the field, the
goalposts and the team numbers. All is informative, revealed inside
a lovely story about a group of kids playing football.
Fran Knight
The Bagthorpe Saga - Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell
Harper Collins Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780008211677
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. First published in 1977 this is the
introductory volume in a new modern classics series from Harper
Collins. The Bagthorpes are, to say the least, one of the most
eccentric families you will encounter in a book. It's very English
and very funny with overtones of the even older Nancy Mitford books
with a very middle to upper class family who are all pretty much
bonkers. Father, mother, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and a swag of
children who are all pretty much above average - and then there's
Jack who is quite ordinary and in his own mind, inferior. With the
help of his Uncle Parker, who is easily one of the maddest in the
family, Jack sets about to impress his family by becoming a prophet,
seeing visions and making predictions. As you can imagine this is
quite disconcerting for the family and is not the easiest of
deceptions to pull off successfully.
With a pyromaniac four year old cousin, an attractive but
non-English speaking Danish au pair, a crusty old daily who is as
useful as 'a hedgehog' according to Mr Bagthorpe and some crazy
antics, this is a laugh a minute.
Suffice to say that in spite of its age, it is every bit as funny as
any contemporary family story and will no doubt appeal to many
readers who are looking for a simple humorous read.
Highly recommended for readers both boys and girls from around 8
years upwards.
Sue Warren
Big picture book of general knowledge by James Maclaine
Ill. by Annie Carbo. Usborne, 2017. ISBN 9781474917889
Miss 6 is at that stage where she wants to know "stuff". Inspired by
a teacher who not only encourages her endless curiosity but also
being independent in her quest for answers, she is always looking
through her growing collection of "fact books". And now she is all
but an independent reader, the thrill and affirmation she gets when
she can find the answers for herself delights her and inspires her
even further.
So this latest offering from Usborne will be a welcome addition to
her collection. With its double-page spreads of the sorts of topics
its intended audience is interested in - animals, the body, food and
drink, music, space, sports and many more - each double page spread
is packed with a plethora of short facts accompanied by lots of
hand-drawn illustrations. Rather than being an in-depth
encyclopedia, it is designed for those who love to dip and delve
into non fiction to see where what they discover will take them. And
for those whose interest is ignited Usborne have a page of
quick
links for them to investigate further.
Perfect for Miss 6 and that group of boys that we all know who like
to gather around a table in the library with this sort of book to
share and explore and discuss what they discover.
Barbara Braxton
Her by Garry Disher
Hachette Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780733638541
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Australian history. Slavery. Child
abuse. Women. Poverty. Disher, a master of language, has written a
taut and highly disturbing story set in the early 1900's that will
linger in thoughts for a long time. One day a scrap man came to a
hut 'with his wife, who had cost him twelve shillings, once upon a
time, and a wispy girl, who had cost him ten' pg. ix. The
impoverished family had nothing to sell, but the scrap man went out
to the shed with the father of the eleven children and took away the
little girl, wearing a flour-bag dress, buying her for nine
shillings and sixpence.
She doesn't have a name, but is known as You; the scrap man is He or
Him, and there is Big Girl and Wife. She has much work to do,
tending the horse and the rabbit traps and hopes to run away one
day. The women are slaves, working tirelessly making toasting forks
and cushion covers from scraps and suffer dreadfully at the hands of
the scrap man. As You grows she is taken on the wagon with the scrap
man as he travels around country Victoria, selling his shoddy wares
and buying bits of metal and material. She learns to steal and lie
and when the Education man comes to see the family, she has to
pretend to be simple so that she doesn't have to go to school. As
she grows, the scrap man abuses her sexually, while spending any
money they make on women and alcohol.
This is a searing tale, shining a light on the terrible plight of
the helpless women, regarded so poorly that they didn't even have
names or any power at all. The background of the pioneers and
Australian bush, the small country towns and the push for men to
volunteer for the army in the Great War, give readers a solid taste
of Australian history at this time.
I read this book in one sitting, wondering what would happen to the
young child. Extensive reading group notes at the end of the book
also opened up many avenues of thought about the vivid language and
the occurrences in the novel. Suggested further reading gives a list
of Disher's historical works for children and some classic
Australian road stories.
Pat Pledger
The 91-storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths
Ill. by Terry Denton. Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781509839162
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton have
done it again with another book which is sure to enchant young
readers everywhere. The 91-storey treehouse is the seventh
book in their weird and wonderful treehouse adventures and they have
added another thirteen new levels, including the world's most
powerful whirlpool, a mashed-potato-and-gravy train and a human
pinball machine. Madam Know-it-all is there to tell the fortune of
anyone who asks her a question and when Andy and Terry are asked to
babysit their publisher's three children, they are all off to the
land of Banarnia after going through a wardrobe in a dump. Of course
Andy and Terry are not the best of babysitters and they all have
some amazing adventures, including flying down a cliff and being
stuck in a giant spider web. Not to mention that both Andy and Terry
lose their knowledge and have to have their minds retrained. At the
same time the big red button waits - will it be pushed or not and
what will be the result if it is pushed?
Readers will need no introduction to this fabulous series which is
hilarious. The illustrations are fabulous and children will spend
hours looking at them and laughing. I particularly loved the
alphabet that the children used to teach Andy and Terry how to read
and the number book was just as engaging.
The imaginations of Andy and Terry are wonderful and will stimulate
children to come up with their own weird and wacky storeys to add to
their own treehouses. Both text and illustrations will appeal to
people of all ages. Now wonder this series tops the best seller list
when a new book appears.
Pat Pledger
