Ill. by Nathaniel Ecjstrom. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743625323
(Age: 3+) Humour, Friends, Friendship, Family and School. A young
boy has a friend called, Moo. He does everything with him and the
reader is invited into their world, where Moo once slept beneath his
bed and fitted into his backpack, but no longer. Moo has grown to be
very big and the young boy's parents think it is time for some
rules. They devise three rules about their son's friend and these
are reiterated boldly, giving the child and his friend opportunities
to remain friends, but also allowing the family some leeway in their
house. So he remains a big chunky member of the family, one who
sleeps outside.
At school the young boy sees that other children have friends too,
and at a sleepover at his house they all come along and share the
evening together.
A warm story of friendship and the meaning of having friends, of
sharing and accommodating your friends, of devising rules to ensure
everyone is happy. Younger children will enjoy this tale of friends,
and enjoy the digitally enhanced pencil and oil illustrations which
add a level of humour to the story. There is much to discuss after
reading this tale and I am sure both parents and teachers will use
the book to do just that.
P. Crumble is a prolific writer for Scholastic, having such titles
as, There was an old lady who swallowed a meerkat, If
you're happy and you know it, Sheep on a beach, There
was an old bloke who swallowed a chook, to his credit.
Fran Knight
X, a novel by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon
Candlewick Books, 2015. ISBN 9780763669676
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Civil rights. Racism. Black
Muslims. Ilyasah Shabazz recreates in novel form the story of her
father Malcolm X's early adolescent life trying to survive in the
brutal times of the Ku Klux Klan lynchings and 'strange fruit'
hanging in trees. The early years of a poor but happy childhood,
surrounded by brothers and sisters growing up in family warmth and
strong in his parents' proud beliefs in learning, teaching and
leading, are marred by the pivotal moment when the school teacher
Malcolm so admires, casually crushes his aspirations and
self-belief. It is then that Malcolm loses connection with
everything that had kept his family strong and is plunged along a
path of drugs and scams continually trying to prove that he is
tougher and smarter than the rest in the backstreet underworld of
Boston, and then Harlem New York.
Shabazz captures perfectly the youthful self-talk and swagger of
Malcolm in his new identity of street hustler 'Red'; we live within
his world and share his thoughts and outlook, yet are aware at the
same time of the careless hurt he causes his family, his sister
Ella, his girlfriend Laura, and more than anything else the harm he
brings to himself.
It is only when Malcolm reaches his lowest point, in prison, that he
gradually comes to a reconnection with the memory of his father and
the principles and values his father stood for. He rediscovers in
Islam his faith in Allah, pride in his race and in himself as a
person and his potential to stand up for the rights of others - the
beginning of his path as a black leader and civil rights activist.
Not only is this book an evocative insight into African American
life in a historical period with the rise of civil rights campaigns,
it is a timely and relevant novel for today - about a lone
disengaged youth who comes to discover strength in the true
principles of Islam, not militancy and terrorism, but the power of
standing strong in non-violence, caring for his fellow man and
speaking out against oppression and injustice, speaking out with
words and with truth.
Helen Eddy
Fish jam by Kylie Howarth
Five-Mile Press, 2015. ISBN 9781760067045
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Limited-text picture
book. Fish. Jazz. Textural Art. Kylie Howarth's textural backgrounds
provide a perfect underwater platform for the bold, bright yellow
image of Toot the little fish who loves to sing. His tail and body
are guitar-like, his top fins - trumpet finger buttons and his mouth
shaped like a brass instrument's bell. Kylie painted these seascapes
in the backyard with her two young boys' help.
The text is simple, enjoyable and is easy to share with a toddler.
Toot loves to sing and make up music, but all the other sea
creatures just 'shhh' him and 'shoo' him away, that makes him very
unhappy. He can't find anyone to appreciate his tunes. When
something unexpected happens, he finds a special place with new
friends who all enjoy music. Just like Jonah, Toot is swallowed by a
whale; inside the stomach after a very dark journey, he hears
'Clickety-click, clickety click' then 'let's jam.' On the large
foldout page, he meets the clicking crab, a piano playing fish, an
eel strumming a guitar, the octopus drumming and a purple fish
blowing on a saxophone. The story ends happily with 'And he never
played solo again.'
This is a delightful picture book to share as a family, at childcare
or preschool and provides a great opportunity to listen to jazz
music and impromptu scatting. Take time to enjoy exploring painting
with natural objects using Kylie's art for inspiration.
Rhylls Bignell
Vanishing girls by Lauren Oliver
Hodder & Stoughton, 2015. ISBN 9781444786781
(Age: 16+) Mystery. Drug and alcohol abuse. Sisters Nick and Dara
had been best friends with each other and with Parker until Dara and
Parker start to go out and a terrible accident leaves Dara's face
scarred and the sisters estranged. When Dara goes missing on her
birthday, Nick thinks that she is just playing around but it is not
until she realises that little Madeline Snow has disappeared as well
that she starts to investigate.
This is a complex story narrated in two voices, with separate
chapters by Nick and Dara. The reader needs to be aware of the fact
that the story is not told in chronological order, rather there are
chapters set before and after the accident. There is also the
occasional important notice from the police, media and online
sources that give crucial information to the story.
I found that the suspense really ramped up in the last third of the
book as Nick finally starts to unravel what has been happening to
Dara, who has grown away from her sister, drinking, going to parties
and hooking up with older men. The first two thirds of the book
concentrated on the relationship between the two sisters and vividly
described the break in their closeness as Dara gets into parties,
alcohol and drug taking. Nick constantly covers up for her, but it
is Dara's relationship with her best friend Parker, that is most
distressing for Nick.
Although slow at first, Vanishing girls is a story that I
will remember, and it is sure to appeal to readers who have liked
other psychological thrillers by Oliver or the book We were
liars by E. Lockhart, mentioned on the front cover.
Pat Pledger
Farm rescue by Darrel Odgers and Sally Odgers
Pup patrol series. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743622995
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Working Dogs. Pets.
Floods. Farming. Border Collies. Rescues. Darrel and Sally Odgers
have written a new series, Pup patrol for newly independent
readers. Barnaby Station Stamp of Approval - Stamp the border collie
and his owner James are travelling around Australia in Fourby the
4WD. James is having a year off before starting university. In Farm
rescue James and Stamp take shelter at Pepper Plains Farm after the
heavy rain soaks their camping gear. James is damp, Fourby is muddy
and Stamp's wet dog smell is a problem.
The rain causes a flash flood and the farm animals, sheep and cows
need to be moved to higher land and fed hay dropped from the back of
the farm ute. Rusty the sheepdog welcomes Stamp and together they
help farmer Glen Pepper to move the animals. As the waters rise and
the farmland becomes flooded James, Glen, Rusty and Stamp are called
out to rescue the neighbour's sheep. The flood waters are fast and
fierce with huge trees floating by. Rusty leaps into the water and
swims to the sheep stranded on a small island. It is a tense night
of waiting before Stamp steps in to save the day.
Pawsitively an enjoyable story, filled with dog facts, paw puns,
definitions to end each easy-to-read chapter. Janine Dawson's
sketches support the text and add to the drama, the surging flood,
farm underwater and the rescue scenes.
This is a great start to a new Australian series. Where will Stamp
and James travel to next and what adventure awaits them?
Rhyllis Bignell
Stand up and cheer by Loretta Re
Wild Colonial Company, 2014. ISBN 9780992306922
(Age: 10-14) In 1934, an air race commemorating Melbourne's
centenary took place with a wide variety of aircraft piloted by men
and women from a range of countries flying from London to the
Australian city. We can barely imagine the excitement and interest
that this generated in a country so isolated from Europe where many
people struggled to survive the Great Depression. This carefully
researched novel accurately recounts the historical details whilst
depicting the events in an enjoyable narrative. I appreciated that
the author understood the magnificence of the factual details and
avoided embellishment or unnecessary literary addition.
The tale is structured around a family of Mum, Dad and two boys -
Arnie and Jack, who live in Albury. The father is employed as an ABC
announcer which is important because the family enjoys a standard of
living well above that of those who have been flung on to the
'Susso' or Sustenance queues as a consequence of unemployment. Radio
is also significant because families of the time relied upon it for
entertainment and information, due to the isolation of towns but
also the enormous distance between Great Britain and Australia which
made travel and communication terribly slow. Morse code radio
signals enabled the only means of communication with the air race
participants and when Arnie and his pal are given an obsolete set,
their obsession with all things aeronautical prompts them to learn
Morse.
The actual historical events provide ample drama and tension and the
author shows skill in presenting the events through her characters
who faithfully play the roles of the real life participants. The
story is packed with detail which helps set the scene and to some
extent there is a feeling that every crumb of research has been
laboriously included. However, I soon reconciled this when I noted
that many younger readers would have little or no understanding of
everyday life in this era and it was vital to help them appreciate
the setting. It is fair to say that modern readers may need to be
transported to a time and place where both frugality and contentment
had an influence on a world devoid of the excess present today. Stand up and cheer is the perfect title for this work which
recounts the amazing actions of simple people who eagerly took their
place in a momentous event. This is a wholesome belter of a story
which will be enjoyed by children from 10 years to teens.
Rob Welsh
The true meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408859131
(Ages: 9-10) Recommended. Science Fiction.
Aliens. Friendship. Survival. Humorous Stories. Adventure. The true
meaning of Smekday is a humorous science fiction and adventure
story, republished for the release of Dreamworks movie Home based on
the novel. 'I've been living by myself since Mom left.'
Eleven-year-old African-American-Italian Gratuity 'Tip' Tucci
narrates the story of her survival after her mother was
abducted by the Boov, purple aliens who have invaded America. Tip's
a feisty protagonist who learns to drive their Chevy with cans of
corn attached to her church shoes. She needs to travel to Florida,
the state where the Boov have relocated all the people of the United
States. With her cat, Pig, and maps from the Internet, Tip sets out
for a three day drive to Florida to find her mother. Along the way,
she meets a Boov mechanic named J. Lo, who transforms her car into
Slushious, a hovering vehicle. Unfortunately J. Lo is on the run,
after mistakenly advertising the Boov's whereabouts to their
alien enemies - the Gorg.
The road trip is a wild ride. J. Lo and Tip's friendship grows as
they search for food - J. Lo enjoys toilet deodoriser blocks - find
shelter, meet new friends and avoid their enemies. They learn
resilience and resourcefulness, as they are forced to travel from
Florida to Arizona to the new home of the citizens of America.
The black-and-white illustrations include cartoon panels, drawings
and Tip's Polaroid photos; these explain the aliens' antics, their
transport, Boov history, the settings - Roswell, Florida and Happy
Mouse Kingdom.
For the confident reader who enjoys science fiction, aliens, road
trips and fictional alien dialogue, The true meaning of
Smekday is an exciting novel.
Rhyllis Bignell
The super amazing adventures of Me Pig by Emer Stamp
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781407155982
(Age: 7-9) Farm animals. Diaries. Pigs. Farm life. 'THIS IS
MY DIARY (I is Pig) You is NOT allowed to be reading it. Unless you
are nice!'
There are wimpy diaries and dorky diaries, sporting diaries and
historical diaries, so why not a diary written by a pig! Who knew
pigs could write! His English is fairly basic, he's a flatulent pig
who loves his food, his friend Duck and his life at the farm. Each
chapter is creatively titled - Bobbleday, Bonzerday and Chillyday
and Pig's simple diary entries describe the weather, food consumed
and hanging out with Duck. Mr and Mrs Sandal the new owners are
vegetarian and affectionately call Pig, Piggybin.
Unfortunately, Kitty comes with them to live on the farm. Kitty is
not all she seems on the surface, she befriends Pig even sleeping
next to him in the sty. Duck is wary and warns Pig about her real
motives. When the birds that sing early each morning and wake up Pig
disappear, Pig is happy. Pig discovers them in the kitchen, lying on
the floor not moving. Kitty lies and says she found them frozen on
the ground at night. Something's not right on the farm. Kitty is
very devious, she brings the keys to the huge organic vegetable
garden and invites Pig in to feast on all the tasty parsnips,
cauliflowers and broccoli.
The consequence is huge; Pig is off to the Old Farmer's Pie Factory,
along with all the sheep and cows on the farm. Luckily Duck comes up
with a plan and she calls the Phantom Bantams in to help with the
situation.
This a fun story. There are trotter prints and smudges on the pages,
Emer Stamp's diary entries are quirky, and his sketches add interest
to the story.
Rhyllis Bignell
Little Barry Bilby had a fly upon his nose by Colin Buchanan
Ill. by Roland Harvey. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743621899
(Age: 3+) Rhyme. Poetry. Australian animals. Song.
An Australian take on Little Petter Rabbit has a fly upon his
nose, will be a treat to read aloud, sing along with or listen
to the CD attached to the inside cover of the book. In a classroom
kids will love to be involved. At home too, kids will enjoy the
repetition and range of animals included.
Buchanan has made this into an Australian song with a bilby, possum,
cocky, wombat amongst many animals being bothered by a variety of
bush bugs. Alliteratively, each animal is paired with an insect, so
we have the bilby and a bush fly, the wombat annoyed by a bee on her
behind, and an echidna with a spider on his spike and so on. Each
line will create gales of laughter from the readers. They all do
amazing things to get rid of the bugs until they all jump into the
creek and cause an enormous splash. The infectious sing along CD
adds to the fun and the illustrations by the amazing Roland Harvey
will add another level of involvement.
His illustrations represent the Australian fauna and flora to
perfection, and readers will love picking out the animals they know
and learning the names of even more. The rocky landscape with its
gums and grass trees will also endear the readers to the environment
presented. For city kids the evocation of bush life is wonderful and
I'm sure overseas kids will be equally enthralled learning about the
Australian bush.
Fran Knight
Those pesky rabbits by Ciara Flood
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781742761442
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Rabbits. Bears. Neighbours. Friendship. Bear
loves his own company, and children reading the book or joining in
when someone reads it to them, will eagerly point out the clues to
his taciturn nature: 'Go Away' written on his doormat, the look on
his face, the binoculars to watch his new neighbours in case they
call, his Home Sweet Home panel with just one bear embroidered into
the picture, and his less that welcoming demeanour when the rabbits
do come to call. Readers will love watching his face as it becomes
more aggressive with the rabbits knocking on his door, and will
laugh at the turned down ears of the rabbits as they learn that
their new neighbour is not very receptive.
They want to borrow some honey and he lies about having any; they
try to borrow some wood, and he sends them away; they want to swap
some books, but again he tells them to go. Each time, the lovely
illustrations show the reality of Bear's house and the things he
could have given them.
When the rabbits leave something for him, he suddenly feels lonely
and so must go about redeeming himself to his neighbours, finding
out that perhaps there is more to life than being alone. Children
will love following the antics of Bear and the ways the rabbits try
to be friends, being rebuffed at all attempts, and will follow the
little mouse as it appears, and marvel at the landscapes presented
on each page.
There are many standout pages: the blue of the day Bear realises
what he is missing out on; the pages filled with the activities they
do together; the pages where he pulls his sled across to their
place, and all the wonderful interior scenes. I loved them all, and
kids will too.
Fran Knight
Alice's food A-Z by Alice Zaslavsky
Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781922179388
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Alice's food A-Z is full of
interesting facts about food and simple recipes. It is set out in
alphabetical order and offers up to 8 pages of information for each
food chosen. Alice's food A-Z is highly recommended for readers aged 9+ -
especially if they have an interest in cooking at home. The text is
set out in a variety of interesting layouts so readers can read
small amounts of text or larger amounts depending on reading level
and engagement. The recipes are simple to follow and introduce
children to different foods as well as how to make more common ones
such as honeycomb and pesto.
Kylie Kempster
Slug needs a hug by Jeanne Willis
Ill. by Tony Ross. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781742761428
(Age: 0-5) Love, Comfort, Family. When Slug becomes aware that his
mother does not hug him, he goes off to ask what other animals do.
He thinks that he is not pretty enough, and Kitten suggests that he
make himself more like her. He needs to be furry, purry and fluffy,
so Slug adds these things to his sluggy body. Bird suggests he needs
a beak and a few feathers, and he adds those. Pig suggests he needs
trotters, a tail and a squeak, and he dutifully adds these as well.
After visiting a goat, a moth and fox and a bug, he adds a range of
things as well, ending up being very top heavy and very colourful.
Presenting himself to his mother he gets the assurances he needs,
which have nothing to do with the extra baggage he is carrying.
A warm tale of reassurance of love, of the unconditional mother's
love that is given, of the warmth of that love, this tale will
assure young children that they do not need to change who they are
to gain affection. Children will laugh out loud at the measures to
which Slug goes to make himself attractive, and the rhyming stanzas
will endear children even more. They will love predicting the
rhyming words on each page and love the additions Slug makes to his
body. The team of Willis and Ross have already successfully written
Big bad bun, I hate school and Sticky ends
amongst others.
Fran Knight
An Aussie year by Tania McCartney
Ill. by Tina Snerling. EK Books, 2013. ISBN 9781921966248
(Age: K-3) Meet Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kirri and Matilda - five Aussie
kids from different
backgrounds who lead the reader on a journey through twelve months
of the
Australian year. Comprising cartoon-like vignettes with captions,
we follow the
children through the months and seasons as they celebrate what is
unique to them
and also what is common to all Australian children. From the slip,
slap, slop
of summer to back to school to the beginning of Ramadan the
enormous range of
cultures and ethnic backgrounds of our students are showcased
providing a dozen
different talking points on each double spread.
But the overwhelming theme is that of unity rather than diversity,
of similarity
rather than difference. Regardless of who your family is or where
they come
from, everyone enjoys fishing off the jetty in summer, going to
the footy in
winter, or getting ready for Christmas in December. This is a book
focusing on
our inclusivity and how our nation has melded together into a
multicultural one
in which the celebrations, food, and languages of others enriches
our lives and
adds extra layers to them. Each page offers the opportunity to
explore and find
out more - do huntsman spiders really grow as big as tennis
balls?; how can you
have a yacht race in Alice Springs?; what is daylight savings
time?; how do
other children celebrate Easter?
Apart from being a pictorial almanac of the things that Ned, Zoe,
Lily, Kirri
and Matilda do throughout the year, An Aussie Year lends itself to
a personal
interpretation as its theme and style could be the springboard for
a class
calendar as each student contributes something that is important
to them for
each month. Imagine how it engaging it would be if each child's
birthday was
featured on a page rather than a string of cardboard cakes with
candles that
loses its appeal very quickly. Imagine how much the children would
learn about
each other if each shared the things they liked to do or the
events that are
important to their family in a way that became an engaging read.
Imagine the
sense of belonging that each child would have as their heritage is
acknowledged
and celebrated and their classmates understood them a bit better.
Each month a
particular country could be highlighted with food and stories and
other
lifestyle elements as national days are celebrated. (There's a
list at
http://protocol.dfat.gov.au/NationalDay/list.rails)
Barbara Braxton
Kin: A tale of beauty and madness by Lili St. Crow
Tales of beauty and madness, bk 3. Razorbill, 2015. ISBN
9781595146212
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. In this retelling of Little Red
Riding Hood, Ruby de Varrehas has to think about settling down and
becoming responsible instead of running freely in the woods with
Hunter and Thorne. When handsome Conrad is introduced into her
family circle, her life is turned upside down. Then the murders
begin and dark secrets emerge.
Following Nameless, a retelling of Snow White, and Wayfarer,
a retelling of Cinderella, comes this haunting version of Little
Red Riding Hood. Ruby has always been wild, loving to run in
the woods with her good friends Hunter and Thorne. Then her
grandmother, the clanmother of the Rootkin in New Haven, tells her
that it is time she settled down. She had asked Conrad a boy from
the Waste to visit in view of a future marriage. Ruby knows that she
will have to obey her grandmother on this occasion, especially since
she might end up being Collared, with her freedom severely curtailed
and her punishment being made public to the kin community if she
persists in her wild ways.
Ruby doesn't feel able to confide in her friends and becomes
increasingly isolated as Conrad begins to invade her life. At first
he seems gorgeous but she realises that something is off about him.
Then the murders begin, with her dear friend Hunter being the first,
and girls with red hair like her own beginning to disappear.
This is fantasy at its best - a beautifully written and very
original retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. St. Crow adds
to the suspense as the reader follows the incidents involving Ruby
and Conrad, whose violent behaviour begins to escalate, first with
irritability when she is late, but later bruises when he grabs her
or hits her with his bag. The author has portrayed how young women
can get sucked into a situation of domestic violence, without
realising what is happening to them and making excuses for the
abuser. It is not until something happens to her grandmother that
Ruby is able to see what is happening and take some action. While
following Ruby's trials, the reader has no problem seeing how it is
important to keep the lines of communication with friends and family
open.
Lili St Crow's series will enthrall readers who enjoy tales of girls
who have to find their inner strength to win out against the
monsters they confront.
Pat Pledger
Bush rescue by Darrel and Sally Odgers
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Pup Patrol series. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN
9781743623008
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Pets. Bushfires. Dogs. Animals.
Rescue. Barnaby Station Stamp of Approval is a clever, handsome
border collie and the narrator of the Pup Patrol series. Stamp and
his nineteen year old owner James travel across the country in their
four-wheel drive Fourby. James wants to train as a vet and in this
adventure, he's adopted a young untrained dog named Ace.
After a stop at the Post Office to collect a new CB radio, James
contacts his dad who warns him of bushfires in the local area. Just
as James begins to wind up the jeep's windows a Major Mitchell
cockatoo, Daisy Ado, flies in and lands on the back seat. Stamp
talks to the bird and finds out she's lost her owner because of the
fires approaching the town of Jasper. This leads to James helping
the local vet to find and care for the town and farm pets. Rabbits,
dogs, cats, goats and a pony all need a temporary home. James and
Stamp are also involved in the last minute rescue of old Bob Dean
and his aging black Labrador.
Janine Dawson's lively animal sketches are engaging. This new junior
novel from the popular writing team of Darrel and Sally Odgers
is just right for pet lovers from 6-8 years.
Rhyllis Bignell
