Reviews

Teddy took the train by Nicki Greenberg

Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760112134
(Age: 3-5) Recommended. Teddy bears. Poetry. Lost and found. Trains. The market place is bustling as Dot and Teddy are finishing the shopping, they race after Mum to catch the early train. The train is crowded, Dot squeezes in to get the window seat, whilst Mum sits beside her in her wheelchair. They see diggers, skyscrapers and a runaway balloon. Dot's excitement on arrival at the station, dancing and splashing in the puddles is suddenly marred by a realization. Did the train take Teddy, or did teddy take the train? Sitting on her mother's lap whilst the station attendant Peter (a quite dark figure) talks to them, Dot's imagination takes over and she can see Teddy enjoying a picnic with friends at Bear Bend. Ted's journey home is long and tricky, he's caught in a crowd, tumbled down a riverbank and left alone to watch cloud patterns in the sky. After Dot's tea and her bath, she becomes a little teary, Ted is lost, she's missing her her best friend.
The rhyming story builds momentum, like the rhythm of a train on the tracks, until we read the refrain - The train took Teddy... No! Teddy drove the train! Dot's in bed and Mum's reading to her when they hear the whistle blow, it is the seven-oh-two. Someone is there on the doorstep with a very special surprise.
Nicki Greenfield's illustrations combine the use of ink, pencil, acrylic with digital graphics and scanned objects. Cartoon sketches and caricatures fill the train carriage and market, with the backgrounds flooded with darker colours. As the story picks up speed, Dot's hair becomes wilder and more exuberant.
A delightful picture book, asking to be read aloud at home, preschool, kindergarten or school.
Rhyllis Bignell

Bears don't read by Emma Chichester Clark

HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780007425181
Bear is not like the other grizzly bears in the woods. While they are perfectly happy doing bear things like fishing, Bear is bored.
"Oh, life is lovely," he thought. "Tra-la-la and all that! But is this it?" he wondered. "Is this all there is?"
Then one day, Bear discovers a book. And inside it were pictures of bears just like him, but there were also a lot of words and even Bear knew that they meant something, even the tiny ones. But what? So he decides to go into the town to find out, to find someone who will teach him to read. But instead of being greeted by a band of willing helpers, he is met by people fleeing and the police riot squad! Until he meets Clementine.
As well as being a charming story, this book celebrates Bear's determination and acknowledges that reading is not an easy task, something the target audience will be able to empathise with. Clementine's patience mirrors that of the early childhood teacher and the ending is delightful. Even though bears are depicted as fierce and scary, the illustrations are soft and gentle supporting the words to show a different side of this species. Emma Chichester Clark has a distinctive style that has seen her win many awards for her illustrations and this is another superb example.
Barbara Braxton

Hanna: My Holocaust Story by Goldie Alexander

My Holocaust Story series. Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781743629673
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Poland, Holocaust, World War 11, Survival, Family Life, Courage. Only this afternoon Papa had warned us of the German threat to Poland. Now the Luftwaffe's bombs had succeeded in convincing us that everything was about to change.
Scholastic brings us a powerful and emotive new series, My Holocaust Story with strong girl protagonists, set against the horrors of World War II. Each book sold raises funds for the Courage to Care educational program, whose goal is to oppose injustice in the world.
Eleven years old Hanna Kaminsky enjoys her life in Warsaw, Poland, living in a large house with her mother, father, younger brother Adam and baby Ryzia. She loves gymnastics, spending time with her best friend Eva and reading. On one afternoon in September 1939 everything changes, as the Nazis invade Poland and all the Jewish families are pushed into ghettos.
Their loyal maid Elza risks her own life by hiding the family in her mother's farmhouse attic. With little food, freezing conditions and Mama and Ryzia forced to hide all the time, life is tough. Papa rises early to help with the farm work and Adam and Hannah help with the chickens and milk the cows. Goldie Alexander captures the hardships and realities of this life; she doesn't hide the difficult times. Hannah's love of reading, Adam's playing his imaginary violin and their secret forays into the forest lighten the mood.
Their capture and move to the ghetto are confronting and realistic, the stealing, gangs, fighting for food, underground schools, sickness and loss of life are presented openly and authentically. Hannah and Adam's final choices show their courage in adversity and present a hope for their future.
These stories need to be shared with a new generation of readers, they are powerful and confronting. They are important for older readers to develop an understanding of family life, courage and survival in times of war. Our political refugees in classrooms have similar stories to tell.
Rhyllis Bignell

Havoc by Jane Higgins

Text, 2015. ISBN: 9781922147295
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. This dystopian novel is the sequel to Bridge (winner of the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing in 2010) and has the reader urgently turning the page to see what happens next.
Nick Stais and Pathmaker Lanya, are skilfully drawn main characters who share their inner world with the reader as they grapple with betrayal and conflict. They are caught in a war between two cities, Cityside (rich and powerful) and Southside (portrayed as disadvantaged). A more sinister plan involving biological warfare is discovered. Nick and Lanya must find Nick's father (across the river in Cityside) in order to establish collaborations that will reveal the conspiracy of the governments involved. The writing that explains the actions and thoughts of the characters is intelligent. The reader is often held in suspense as the intrigue and power games threaten to overcome the main characters.
This novel provides opportunities to examine and discuss contemporary issues such as border security, asylum seekers, conflict, loyalty and trust in government.
Excellent teaching notes are available and these are aligned with the Australian Curriculum.
Linda Guthrie

Akarnae by Lynette Noni

Pantera Press, 2015. ISBN: 9781921997501
Recommended. Much to her dismay, Alexandra Jennings is being shipped off to boarding school while her archaeologist parents make their next big discovery. But Alex is taken by surprise when she walks into the principal's office on her first day and instead finds herself in Medora, a futuristic other world, where she must remain until the missing Professor Marselle can send her home. Surrounded by advanced technology and students with special gifts, Alex embraces the wonder that the Akarnae Academy has to offer, and forms some unlikely friendships along the way. Alex may be from another world but she is far from normal, and little does she know that the fate of Medora and those she has grown to care for, may very well rest in her hands.
Noni's debut novel is a fantasy whirlwind filled with loveable and charismatic characters. Her writing is simplistic yet beautiful, and she constructs the world of Medora so eloquently that the reader is pulled in from the first page, experiencing all that Akarnae has to offer. Although this is primarily a fantasy novel, readers of dystopian and science fiction are sure to take pleasure in the fast-paced action and futuristic technology that Noni describes. Akarnae is the first in a series and the cliff-hanger ending will leave readers needing to know what happens next. This story of adventure, friendship, wonder, and sacrifice is sure to entice middle school students and all readers with a wandering imagination.
Emma Gay

Big Digger ABC by Margaret Mayo

For the forest of a bird by Sue Saliba

Penguin, 2015. ISBN 9780143571780
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Change. Perception. Divorce. Environment. Nella has a secret vigil. She waits by the creek for the return of the swallows in spring, believing that her father, like the swallows, will return home. At home, her mother's mental illness has become worse since the divorce and Nella and her older brother have found it very difficult to cope. When her father has a heart attack, Nella is convinced that this is the right time for him to return home and prepares a room for him. But life has unexpected twists and turns, as Nella discovers.
Sue Saliba's writing is beautiful. Each page is a lyrical journey into the feelings of a teen who desperately believes that her father wouldn't abandon her. The reader discovers the bleakness of her home life with a mother who can't cope at all and a brother who is angry and doesn't communicate. It is easy to empathize with Nella as she journeys to Phillip Island where her father has been living and uncovers the life that he now lives. The reader gains a deep insight into the nature of perception and change and how people can have a very different slant on the same thing. This is a message that is important for the reader as well as Nella to uncover.
The beauty of Phillip Island rings out with the descriptions of the wildlife and forests and people aspiring to help the environment will be inspired by the actions of the girl that Nella meets on the island. It is this friendship that ultimately helps Nella to understand about loss and abandonment.
This is a lyrical coming of age story, beautifully and evocatively written. It is not very long, but it covers many themes in a unique way that I have found impossible to describe in a review. I believe that it would be a wonderful class novel or book for a literature circle to explore.
Pat Pledger

Fish out of water by Natalie Whipple

Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404306
(Age: 16+) "People like to think fish don't have feelings - it's easier that way - but as I watch the last guppy squirm in his bag, his eyes seem to plead with me. I get the sense that it knows just as well as I do that bad things are on the horizon."
Mika loves fish but her plans for the summer holidays come awry when her estranged grandmother arrives unannounced. This sets the scene for a difficult family reunion as old grievances resurface and conflict ensues. The characters are lightly drawn, yet the reader can relate to the complications life presents them.
The characters in this novel are all fish out of water. Alzheimers, cultural differences, socioeconomic differences, and educational differences are all explored in this novel. While it lacks complexity, and can be predictable at times, this novel does show the power of forgiveness in resolving difficulties in relationships.
While there is, of course, a love interest in this book, the most nuanced relationship is that between Mika and her grandmother. It is these segments that bring the book to life and allow the reader to experience the complexities of Alzheimers.
Linda Guthrie

This is a ball by Beck and Matt Stanton

ABC Books, 2015. ISBN 9780733334351
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Humourous stories. Beck and Matt Stanton's picture book This is a ball is similar in style to BJ Novak's bestseller The book with no pictures. From the greeting and questions at the beginning through to the range of simple statements and totally different illustrations - ball and cube, dog and elephant, the reader is drawn in. If an adult is reading, the audience is immediately involved, laughing and commenting, pointing out their mistakes.
The bold black outlines, simple stylised illustrations, strong use of colour placed on white backgrounds make this visually appealing. The text begins simply, adding characters and actions as it builds the story from simple statements - this is a kite, to the monster telling the story of the princess flying her kite at the beach with her dog. A conversation with the reader continues in smaller font, questioning what is really being seen on each page. This book stretches the imagination and causes the reader not to take the book at face value. An entertaining story to share, one that will be loved by children more than adults!
Rhyllis Bignell

A bed for Bear by Clive McFarland

HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780062237057
(Age: Preschool - Yr 2) Winter is coming and it is time for bears to hibernate. But Bernard Bear did not want to sleep in the bear cave. It was too noisy, too big and too crowded. But he must find somewhere . . . and soon. So he sets out to find a bed that is just right for him.
Frog's lilypad looks nice but it is not made for a bear and wet is not comfortable. And Bird's bed is too windy and Rabbit's is too small. Will Bear ever find a bed that is just right for bears? And how will a teeny, tiny mouse help a big bear find a bed?
Even though the theme of creatures looking for that which is just right for them and trying all sorts of options is common, this is a charming tale that has a sense of newness and novelty about it. Illustrated with no extraneous detail apart from the focus of the text, the characters take centre stage, each one original and quirky. The text has a repetitive element that young children will join in with and they will delight in trying to find Mouse in the pictures. It could be a great introduction to investigating where animals live as well as challenging them to think of the characteristics that a bear's bed should have before Mouse solves the problem.
There is also the issue of Bear destroying all the beds he tries without apologising or helping to fix them which could set up some discussion about ethical behaviour at the child's level.
An intriguing debut for this author/illustrator that, like good picture books do, offers more than initially meets the eye.
Barbara Braxton

Hooray! It's a new royal baby! by Martha Mumford

Ill. by Ada Grey. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 97814088 65712
(Age: 4-7) Royal family, Children, Siblings, Humour. The third book in the series of stories following the royal offspring born in the United Kingdom, is full of fun and promise just as the other two, with a parallel theme of how an older child will deal with the birth of a sibling.
The palace is in heightened anticipation, the nursery is being readied, with the mobile being hung, the teddies all put in order and the bassinet rocking horse polished. Royal Baby George helps his aunt and uncle hang balloons on the royal gate but he begins to wonder about the New Royal Baby playing with his toys. He is not so sure that he wants someone else playing with his dinosaur and when the New Royal Baby arrives home, George is a little underwhelmed. His mother gives him a goldfish of his very own, but the changes in the New Royal Baby begin to interest him as well. This book gently leads the readers to see just how the two children will get along, underlining the ways they can play together, and the role of the parents in facilitating this. By the end of the book George is happy to play with the New Royal Baby as it is much more interesting than the goldfish. The last few pages will have parents laughing as well.
Boldly illustrated the fun of being parents is very much apparent with a few side issues being gently dealt with. The euphoria of the birth of a royal baby is infectious and this book will be just as popular in Australia as in the UK, along with the other two, Shhh! Don't wake the royal baby, and Happy birthday, royal baby!
Fran Knight

A Small Madness by Dianne Touchell

Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760110789
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. This book is impossible to put down. This novel tackles the issues of teen pregnancy and the power of denial. Each character in this novel is etched in detail - being both believable and raw.
Rose and Michael are in love. Their families think the best of them. They are regarded as the 'good kids'. Liv (Rose's friend from the first day of school) comes from a more permissive family. Liv called Rose a late starter.
'Rose didn't tell anyone about it. She wondered if it showed. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned this way and then that way.'
Be prepared for an emotional journey as the powerful writing has you confronted by the ways Rose, Michael and Rose's mother deny the undeniable.
'Liv's mother had a saying: no good deed goes unpunished.' Liv, in trying to help Rose and Michael face the reality of their situation, becomes ostracised and yet is the person able to manage a tragic and life threatening situation at the end of the novel.
This novel deals with shade of grey in relationships. It challenges the reader to consider if Rose is indeed a monster or is experiencing a small kind of madness. Is Rose's mother (Violet) also experiencing this madness or is she negligent as a parent?
Linda Guthrie

The Reign by Lynne Stringer

Verindon bk 3. Wombat Book, 2014. ISBN 9781921632709
In the third and final book of the Verindon series Lynne Stringer keeps the action ramped as star-crossed lovers, Keridan and Sarah finally get together, but for how long?
The book opens with Overlord, Lady Sarah, reluctantly choosing her consort. Sarah has begun to accept her responsibilities as Overlord though still with anger and resentment at being denied the man she loves. It is not until a near successful attempt on her life, which Sarah herself, in the most unexpected way foils, that she is able to be with her true love.
Yet nothing is simple on Verindon. Even as Sarah's hopes and dreams are fulfilled, the machinations of Denzik continue to plague her and soon she, Keridan, their friends and those that they are sworn to protect confront danger on every front. Even Sarah's newly discovered abilities don't promise safety.
Though the ultimate outcome is positive, the reader must bid farewell to two familiar characters, which in one case was surprisingly sad. However, at the very end, in the midst of an idyllic picnic, the reader is left wondering if Stringer has just laid the background for a future series on Verindon.
Stringer has provided and managed many resolutions in this final book with an adroitness that promises continued success.
R. Lange

Any questions? by Marie-Louise Gay

Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113179
(Age: 6+) Writing, Imagination. The process of writing is given a wildly funny and unusual outing in this heavily illustrated book by Canadian author, Marie-Louise Gay. She tells of the amazing range of questions asked by a class of children, and leads them through the process of writing a book. From the blank page she adds colour and characters, asking the children for their ideas and suggestions. Each suggestion leads to a page of illustrations suggesting a story, so the white paper and the questions about polar bears may lead to a story of a polar bear in a snowstorm, or the purple paper may lead the children in another direction entirely. The colour of the paper is important in pushing ideas forward. From there different ways of adding words to the paper are exposed. Some write down a series of words, some phrases, these are added to the paper as ideas spawn and the story develops. Illustrations fill the pages adding to the excitement of the developing story as Gay encourages children to write.
This colour filled picture book encourages teachers and students to write, giving them a scaffold to do it, while being an entertaining read as well. The story which this class develops is told at the end with all the additions by each child involved. As a model for use in the classroom, it has merit, and may encourage members in the classroom to try their hand at writing.
Fran Knight

Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop

Tombquest series, Book 1. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743629246
(Age: 10+) Themes: Egyptology, Adventure stories, Good & Evil, Museums. Another series from Scholastic where the reader has to wait patiently for the next instalment to be published. This is a dark story more suited to readers over 10 than the recommended Year 3 audience. Over five novels the two young protagonists are caught in a dark adventure, as an ancient Egyptian evil is unleashed, mummies are awakened and a plague of scarabs invades the underground tunnels.
Alex Sennefer's suffering from a fatal illness, nothing can help him. He leaves the hospital and very quickly is embroiled in the mysteries at his mother's work place, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is an Egyptologist, involved in a secret society, who carries a powerful magic amulet at all times. She knows that the answers to Alex's getting better is hidden in the Lost Spells of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Alex and his best friend Ren are drawn in to fight a Death Walker, who has 3000 years to plan his revenge. There is a real darkness to this story, as they fight evil, are confronted by a thousands of stinging scarabs killing the animals in Central Park and engage in a battle in abandoned underground railway tunnels.
This a confronting story, the bad guys are violent and scary and Alex and Ren are so caught up in the battle, the reader knows little about their characters and their friendship.
For readers over 10 years.
Rhyllis Bignell