Ill. by Marc Brown. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780316348522
(Age: 5+) Horror. Humour. Monsters. Two children enter the little
shop of monsters and are taken for a tour of the monsters that
reside there. Each is deliciously illustrated in soft shades, but
with something which differentiates each from the others. The first
monster encountered is the Snacker, who snacks all day long,
littering his enclosure. The children are warned not to get too
close as the thing he loves to snack on most is hands. The next two
monsters are unnamed but children will love to work out their names
using the hideous pictures and the facts that their names rhyme with
jetty and pinky. Then there are the monsters called Yucky and Mucky,
Squeeze and Teaser, Sleeper and so on, until the last page is
reached and the children warned about the monsters, not that the
children will choose a monster, but often the monster chooses you.
A fun story to read aloud and ponder over the illustrations, this
book will be a welcome addition to a school library. The funny tale
turns on its head at the end, after encouraging the readers to use
words differently, use rhymes to understand what the name of the
monster might be, and then look closely at the illustrations which
reveal more, then look at again.
My favourite is Sneezy and you will need to look at the double page
illustrating this monster to get the full effect of his name and why
he is so named.
R L Stine gained notoriety some years ago as the author of the
highly popular Goosebumps series, which some parents and
teachers loved to hate, but not so the readers, as they sold 400
million copies worldwide.
Fran Knight
This little piggy went dancing by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Deborah Niland. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113438
(Ages: 0-4) Recommended. Board book. This is a board book edition of
the 2013 publication and is a companion book to This little
piggy went singing. It is a playful take on the rhyme This
little piggy went to market, with the market trip and the
roast beef being substituted by all sorts of activities and meals.
The emphasis is on the physical activity and play that the piggies
engage in; even the piggy that stays home is busy: dancing, watering
the garden, playing, exercising and painting. Rather than wee, wee,
weeing all the way home the piggy's zoom their aeroplane, run, skip,
stomp, jump, hop and hula hoop all the way home. The reasons why the
piggy had none provide scope for discussion, as the pictures tell
the story (no carrots growing in the garden, empty yoghurt
container, spilt porridge).
The five little piggies come to life across the pages of this book
and are distinguishable from each other by their colouring, markings
and clothing, each one moving through the stages of the rhyme, first
going out, then staying home, eating, having none and then going
home. The piggies are happy and enjoying having fun and being
creative. In this way, the book captures the simple joy of childhood
and encourages self-confidence, play and physical activity.
This title works perfectly in board book form; even the youngest
babies will enjoy looking at the piggies and listening to the
repetitive and bouncy text. Older children will enjoy talking about
the illustrations and reading along.
Nicole Nelson
Stick and stone by Beth Ferry
Koala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781742761671
Picture book. A stick and a stone! Friends? Unlikely! One is lonely,
the other all alone. But when Pinecone comes along, poking fun,
stick sticks up for his new friend, and a deep attachment develops... even if they are a stick and a stone.
Together they wander and explore, having lots of fun, until a
hurricane blows poor stick away. Stone is all alone again, searching
despondently for his friend. Will he find him? Will stick need
rescuing?
Will they ever get back together; stand together to become a perfect
10?
The simple, uncluttered illustrations in this warm-hearted
children's book, together with easy-to-read text, are sure to
delight all who venture here. After all... stones rock!
J Kerr-Smith
The truth about peacock blue by Rosanne Hawke
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743319949
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Pakistan Social justice, Religious
freedom, Imprisonment, Women's roles. South Australia's Rosanne
Hawke is an accomplished writer presenting points of view not often
heard in children's literature, engaging the reader with stories of
children in frighteningly real situations beyond our safe island,
presenting the perspective of people of other religions and
backgrounds. Her novels overflow with stories of oppressed children
in situations so dire that the reader cannot help but read through
to the end, comparing their safe life with that of the protagonist.
This is such a read: harrowing, confrontational, pulling no punches,
as Rosanne presents us with a fourteen year old girl incarcerated in
a Pakistani prison for the crime of blasphemy. Crowds are stirred up
outside her prison walls, calling for her death, while legal rights
activists and friends try to stir the world's conscience and support
this young girl.
This story raises so many issues: the age of a prisoner, her
vulnerability to the sexual attentions of guards, her victimistion
by those inside prison who see her as a blasphemer, the ease with
which crowds become lynch mobs. In Pakistan the government and legal
system are not separate from religion, and because she is a
Christian in a strongly Muslim country she is especially vulnerable.
The internet proves to be a powerful tool in acquainting the word of
her plight. People rally to sign a petition, write letters, and
offer support, but when her social justice lawyer is shot and
killed, her fate seems sealed.
This is a engrossing story of one girl's plight, based upon a true
story and paralleling that of Malala, the young woman shot in
Pakistan in 2012, and is sure to raise gasps from those who read
with growing unease and incredulity at people's restrictions in this
modern age.
Fran Knight
Be brave, pink piglet! by Phil Cummings
Ill. by Sarah Davis. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734415929
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Determination, Bravery, Pigs, Humour.
When Pink Piglet is pushed away by mum to go exploring by himself
for the very first time, he is unsure. He meets a dog that barks at
him, a rooster that crows and a cow that moos. He trots off,
hurrying away from these scary creatures. Then he finds some worms,
later some berries and then some frogs, each meeting adding a little
more debris to his body. By the time he gets back to the farmyard he
is covered in dirt and berry juice and slime from the pool where the
frogs were hiding.
Unexpected results emanate from his appearance, but his mum sees him
underneath his new covering and welcomes him back home.
This is a charming story of bravery and determination, of setting
out to do something new, of being determined to have a go. The
repetition in the first section where he is frightened by the farm
animals will please younger readers and encourage them to predict
and read along with the increasingly familiar words. This repetition
occurs again as Pink Piglet adds to his finery, and again as he
reruns home.
Sarah Davis' artwork will thrill younger readers as they recognise
the farm animals and the antics they get up to, sympathising with
Pink Piglet's attempts at independence and the safety of his loving
mother waiting at home.
This is a delightful read a loud story for younger readers, one that
will encourage them to think about how brave they can be in
attempting something new.
Fran Knight
Making bombs for Hitler by Marsha Skrypuch
Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781760157234
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Captured by the Nazis during the
Second World War, two orphaned sisters are forced to take divergent
paths. Larissa's story was documented by Marsha Skrypuch in Stolen
Child (2010). In Making Bombs for Hitler (2015), the
author details the experiences of Larissa's older sister, Lida. This
companion novel is a testament to the legions of young Ostarbeiters,
mostly Ukrainian; who were captured, worked and starved, during the
war.
We learn in the Author's Note that adolescents abducted during raids
across the Soviet Union, were forced to work long hours in
laundries, hospitals, road works and munitions factories for the war
effort. At first, Lida's sewing skills gain her a position in the
camp laundry. Unfortunately, for the remainder of the war, her deft
hands are utilized in making explosive devices.
Eventually, as the Allies gain the upper hand, Lida & her fellow
prisoners become emboldened and sabotage the German bombs. But with
the Allied bombs raining down with increasing regularity, the
friends are forced to take different paths in order to weather their
liberation and its aftermath.
Riveting despite the horrors, Skrypuch has written convincingly in a
detached style - much like the mental state these children may have
employed to survive. This is an important piece of juvenile
literature given that few historians have told the story of these
enumerable Eastern European children, whose struggles and deaths
were hitherto largely unacknowledged during the darkest years in
human history. Though the subject matter breaks new ground, both
academic and public libraries have a duty to expound totalitarianism
of any kind for the improvement of mankind. Accordingly, Marsha
Skrypuch's factional history, describing the incarceration of
millions of young slave labourers, is highly recommended for
potential teaching moments or as a discussion starter.
Deborah Robins
Kid Glovz by Julie Hunt
Ill. by Dale Newman. Allen and Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781742378527
Themes: fable, magic, music, friendship, resilience. The lavishly
produced cover of this Australian graphic fable with its embossed
musical notes invites the reader to pick it up. Inside Hunt's epic
tale with Newman's pencil rendered drawings, reminiscent of Brian
Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret, tell a dark story
about a boy with a musical gift. His mother sewed her song with a
magical thread into his gloves before she died and they are the
source of his musical genius. Brought up by a mean guardian Kid
Glovz is exploited as a child prodigy: 'at two years of age he
played the minute waltz in thirteen seconds' p5. At concert halls
and competitions, for a fee, he plays the piano. 'Tonight this
brilliant child prodigy will play Rackhoven's Symphony No.3 in E
minor with his left hand while playing Fekonhoff's Sonata No. 563
with his right' p6. There is no joy in the music and Kid Glovz is
not allowed to play his own compositions. To keep him small he is
underfed and made to rehearse all day. One night a thief, called
Shoestring, tightrope walks into his room and offers friendship and
a way to escape. The ensuing action is complex and involves a gang
of thieves, giant goatherds, a hermit oracle and Splitworld Sam, a
central character, condemned to live between worlds for robbing the
dead, who lures the boys into the underworld. At times the story is
a little confusing with a prelude and dream sequences that are not
immediately obvious but generally the graphics add another dimension
to the story and the characters are particularly expressive and
beautifully rendered. Additional readings will reward as subtleties
are revealed. The friendship between the boys develops, though each
starts out pursuing self-interest in the end looking after each
other becomes more important.
Upper primary to middle school students, especially boys, will enjoy
the developing friendship but all ages can enjoy the graphics and in
spite of the scary bits, like most fables, it would be a good book
to read aloud to younger children.
Sue Speck
The Star of the Week by Sally Rippin
Hey Jack series. Hardie Grant Egmont, 2015. ISBN
9781760124410
This is the final in the very popular Hey Jack series
written for those very young readers who are stepping between "home
readers" and "chapter books." The best friend of Billie B. Brown now
has a 20-book series deliberately written for boys who don't
identify with action heroes or spies.
As with the others in the series, Rippin takes a situation that her
target audience can relate to and explores it in an imaginative and
engaging read. This time, Jack is named "Star of the Week", a much
sought-after accolade but he's not sure he can carry the
responsibilities of the role particularly as his primary duty will
be to introduce soccer star Tim Little at the impending school
assembly and he is full of nerves and excitement. But then he
discovers Aaron crying in the boys' bathroom because his dog has
died and he has a brainwave that might cheer his friend up. It means
he won't get to meet the famous sportsman but . . .
Rippin says she was inspired by Dr Seuss, Richard Scarry and Joyce
Lancaster Brisley (Milly-Molly-Mandy series) when it came to
writing both Hey Jack and Billie B. Brown and she was determined
they "would begin in second person, contain the language of a school
reader and stick to the simplest day to day occurrences of a six to
eight year old," so they would be accessible and appeal to the
reluctant reader. She tried them out on her own son, massaging them
based on his responses and eventually bringing two series that have
been the starting point for so many to fruition. In an interview,
she says that she wanted her readers to be someone "who is ready to
try their first chapter book. Someone who wants to read about a
character they can relate to and who could, very possibly, become
their very best friend."
Having watched both family members and students immerse themselves
in both Hey Jack and Billie B. Brown and make
enormous steps in their competence and confidence, I think she has
hit the mark.
Barbara Braxton
Belinda the ninja ballerina by Candida Baker
Ill. by Mitch Vane. Ford St Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781925272048
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Humour, ballet, Individuality, Difference.
Belinda, enrolled in ballet classes against her wishes strives to
tell her mother and her teacher what she really wants to do. Dressed
in her tutu with slippers and leotard, but with a ninja belt and
headband, she practices her ninja moves on the bar, next to the row
of very pretty pink clad girls doing exactly what they are told. Her
teacher is not helpful, insisting on the moves for ballet classes,
but every Tuesday Belinda says the same thing, that she wants to be
a ninja. Towards the end of the term the class is organised for a
special performance, and Belinda is dressed in the costume the same
as the other girls, but doing handstands across the floor, sees a
germ of an idea develop with the teacher.
She uses Belinda's skills in a different aspect of the performance,
and while the other girls dance, Belinda is the spider, using her
ninja skills to great effect.
This is a glorious little story of one girl sticking to her idea of
being different, of not doing what is expected of her, but striving
to do what she wants to do. The illustrations perfectly reflect her
cheeky grin, her determination and courage to stand up for what she
wants. I love the humour in Mitch Vane's pen and ink illustrations,
revealing the movement of Belinda's ninja moves and the array of
girls within the ballet class. Her drawings underscore the idea of
being active, of sticking up for what you want to do and being an
individual.
Fran Knight
Seagull by Danny Snell
Working Title Press, 2015. ISBN 9781921504815
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Environment, Marine animals, Rubbish,
Pollution. When Seagull's legs become entwined in an old discarded
fishing line on the shore, she can no longer do the things she
loves: soaring in the blue sky above and floating in the strong
winds, hovering over the beach. Children will be dismayed at her
plight and hope, as I did, that she finds some relief from her
predicament as they turn the pages.
She attempts to disentangle herself, but finds it is stuck fast. As
she moves over the sand the line catches on other pieces of rubbish
left on the beach and her burden increases. She asks other animals
along the shore for help, and each; a mullet, crab and pelican only
succeed in loosening the attachment. Worn out she settles down into
the sand to rest and a boy comes along to help her.
This is a wonderful allegory for our misuse of our environment and
the story will intrigue readers making them both aware of the
dangers lurking on the beach for animals and encourage them to take
some responsibility for the rubbish left around. Involvement in the
plight of Seagull is instantaneous as the gentle words pull the
readers into her story, the illustrations reflecting her position.
Snell gives us a seagull with character, her eye peering out at the
reader on the cover, then looking more and more worried as the story
proceeds. The background of the small sand dunes, dotted with
tussocks contrasts vividly with the scattering of rubbish left
behind by human activity, and children will love noting the
different things Snell includes. I love the endpapers with their
small clutter of rubbish, the tyre covered in bird poo, the
depiction of the seagull as she tries to extricate the burden on her
legs.
This is a wonderful picture book, full of meaning, impelling lots of
discussion between children, in classrooms and at home, encouraging
a closer look at the rubbish thrown away by our society and the
impact it has on the animals we see every day.
Fran Knight
Outback rescue by Darrel and Sally Odgers
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Pup patrol series. Scholastic, 2015.
ISBN 9781743623022
(Age: 6-8) Highly recommended. Australian stories, Outback Life,
Dogs, Rescue Animals, Search and Rescue. The Pup Patrol
series are positively fun Australian stories narrated by Stamp the
loveable Border Collie. James his nineteen year old owner is
exploring the country in the Fourby the 4WD, with mixed breed
terrier Ace. They are in Far North Queensland ready to venture into
the outback off to Normanton and The Gulf. Cyclone Julia has caused
flooding on some of the roads and when James is forced to detour,
they meet some great new friends along the way.
They spend some time with Bobby Corella and his family at Camp
Billabong. Ace, of course is ready to get into the action while
Stamp knows he needs to be a good example, even though he really
wants to herd the free range hens. When Stamp and Ace encounter
Burnu and Girra the camp dogs, they are introduced to new
perspectives and dog understandings. After farewelling their new
friends, they travel down dusty tracks for several days and when Ace
needs a break they discover an abandoned car. A real bush search and
rescue mission follows.
Darryl and Sally's attention to detail with the dogs' behaviour and
their actions, as well as their true accounts of the dangers of the
outback create another great Pup Patrol adventure. Telling
the narrative from Stamp's point of view engages the reader's
interest and the abundance of doggy puns makes this a great book to
read aloud to a class. Janine Dawson's pen and ink illustrations,
especially the camp dogs singing in the moonlight and Stamp and
Ace's interactions and range of expressions add excitement to the
story.
Rhyllis Bignell
The cat with the coloured tail by Gillian Mears
Ill. Dinalie Dabarera. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781922077400
(Ages: 6+) Recommended. Gillian Mears is known for her previous
fiction for adults, in particular the award-winning Foal's Bread.
The jacket tells us that Mears was inspired to tell this story while
travelling through the South Australian mallee country in her
converted 'ambo camper'. From the opening page, the reader is
fascinated by the ice-cream truck; its shape, and the type of ice
creams on offer - Moon Creams. The cat with the coloured tail is
especially intriguing - he senses the distress of others and can see
when the world is in danger, indeed his tail changes colour.
Together Mr Hooper and the cat change lives as they journey with the
ice cream van - this story is a fable, magical and lyrical. There
are all the ingredients of a fairy tale, given extra liveliness with
the gentle and evocative illustrations of muted and coloured shades,
some wonderful verse and the song-like descriptions. This is a
joyful, lovely little book, beautifully designed in hardback and
offering a rewarding environmental message. This would work well as
a family or classroom read aloud.
Julie Wells
Herman's holiday by Tom Percival
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408852088
(Ages: 4-8) In this follow-up to Herman's Letter, Herman the
bear and his best friend Henry are off on a camping adventure. They
would have liked to go somewhere fabulous, like a luxurious beach or
Cake World, but they all cost much more money than Henry and Herman
can afford. While Herman has a wonderful time camping, nothing seems
to be going right for Henry - camping is just not his thing! Herman,
not wanting to see his friend sad any longer, puts into action a
plan that will turn the camping trip into Henry's dream holiday. The
matte illustrations provide much of the humour and detail of the
story, with funny signs, and pictures showing Henry's camping
misfortunes (being attacked by fish, struggling to pitch his tent,
the bridge collapsing under him). Creative touches like a black
cloud raining on Henry when he is upset as well as varied structural
elements (thought bubbles, multiple scenes on a page) all help to
make this an aesthetically pleasing, and engaging book. The
lift-the-flap postcards that Herman and Henry write provide another
element of fun that children will enjoy for their sensory appeal as
well as their humour. Tom Percival's wittiness here will appeal to
children and adults alike, especially fans of his other Herman
story.
Nicole Nelson
Bamboozled by David Legge
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743620212
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Award winner. Grandparents. Wit and
Humour. When a young girl visits her grandfather, she feels that
something is odd but cannot quite figure it out, and this contrasts
amazingly with what the reader sees on every page. Readers will
smile broadly at the topsy-turvey nature of the house in which her
grandfather lives. No ordinary place, there is lawn instead of
carpet, animals in the most unusual places, people seem to lean out
of the picture frames on the walls, the inside of the house
sometimes feels like the outside, but she still cannot see what is
different.
They do the things people do when they visit. They have morning tea
with freshly baked cakes and play cards; she helps with the
housework and does some gardening with her grandfather. The
watercolour illustrations are filled with things for the readers to
look at and laugh about, sharing what they see with others in the
group. They will laugh out loud turning the pages eagerly to see
what else Legge has added to this topsy-turvey place.
This edition republished for its twentyfirst year, will intrigue and
delight a new generation of readers as they find all the differences
in grandpa's house and ponder over the one difference the
granddaughter can see.
A welcome addition is a note from David Legge outlining where his
ideas for the book came from, and showing some of his drawings as
the ideas developed, including photographs of the people he used as
the models for his characters and a photo of himself at work.
Children will simply love this house and the gentle relationship
between the grandfather and his granddaughter, culminating in her
realsising what the one difference is. Along the way, readers will
see grandfather looking after himself doing most of the work around
the house, a child visiting and helping and the sorts of things
people do when visiting. This book contains a lovely image of
day-to-day activities set against an improbably hilarious house, one
that will keep children chuckling for a long time after the book is
read.
Fran Knight
Emu's Halloween by Anne Mangan
Ill. by David Cornish. Harper Collins, 2015. ISBN 9780732298906
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Halloween. Australian animals. Rhyming story.
Emu is worried because he has a Halloween party coming up but he
feels it is not scary enough. So his friends, Cockatoo, Kangaroo,
Koala, Tasmanian Devil, Red-back Spider, Echidna and Fruit Bat come
to the rescue. Each brings along its own invention designed to make
things scary. Kangaroo dresses as a zombie, while Tassie Devil is
resplendent in angelic white, Koala has nuts and bolts in his neck
like Frankenstein's monster, while Red-back Spider doesn't need to
dress up at all! Echidna comes as Dracula, and Cockatoo uses a sheet
to make him appear as a ghost. When October 31 comes around
everything is just as scary as Emu had hoped. Everyone has dressed
up, he tells lots of ghost stories, and Fruit Bat bobs for apples.
Everyone has a truly scary time celebrating the evening.
Told in rhyming couplets, children will love reading it aloud,
predicting the rhyme that matches the first line, and marvelling at
how the animals fit into the tale. The story includes many known
Australian animals and readers will adore looking at David Cornish's
wonderful illustrations of the animals at play.
As the tale proceeds, children will learn many things about
Halloween, its date, what children do on the night, how they scare
each other, and learn about Frankenstein and Dracula, as well as how
to use things close at hand to dress up for the celebration. Not
only a wonderful story well told, and sumptuously illustrated, but a
model for classrooms to celebrate an Australian Halloween.
Fran Knight
