Random House Australia Children's, 2014. ISBN: 9780857982766.
(Age: Upper primary, lower secondary) Recommended. Michael Pryor
imagines a world where domestic machines take over the world and
gives us an exciting and amusing tale of courage, friendship and
adventure.
Bram comes home one day and realises that all is not right. His
house explodes and his vacuum cleaner is after him with murderous
intent. Soon he is on the run sought by rampaging and vindictive
domestic bots and drones. Luckily his parents have instilled in him
that this day would come, and he knows where to go. His mission
should he accept it is to buy his scientist mother time while she
sorts out the mystery of the robot insurrection.
Accompanied by Bob, his childhood toy duck, now a piece of
artificial intelligence and his best friend Stella, Bram seeks to
avoid the killer bots and survive for three weeks while his mother
finds a solution to the crisis.
Michael Pryor has written an excellent adventure which is also very
funny. Bram and Stella are interestingly drawn characters, nerdish
and delightful. The dialogue is natural and funny, I chuckled along
for most of the story. The themes are topical in the modern
surveillance state and our reliance on technology. There is good
satire here and great one liners. Bram is an everyman hero in the
Cary Grant mould, Stella is drawn as a Hitchcock heroine and their
smarts get them through an increasingly desperate situation as the
evil bots threaten world domination.
This is a very enjoyable read and a very easy sell to upper primary
and lower secondary students. A great book for boys.
Michael Jongen
Convict girl by Chrissie Michaels
Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781743620151.
(Age: 10 +) The title of this story does not do it justice. Mary
Beckwith's diary of her experiences give the reader so much more
than tales of mistreatment, irons, chains, floggings and the chain
gang.
The story begins with the transportation of Mary and her mother,
after having been convicted of stealing some cloth from Ball's Linen
Drapers. Mary reflects a little on her time at Newgate Gaol which
she describes as 'a fearful place where pickpockets, food snatchers
and cutpurses and all manner of felon ended up'. Then begins their
time in the colony where they are both eventually assigned to work
for Judge Atkins: Mary as the nursemaid to the Judge's two girls and
her mother as housekeeper. The story alternates between Parramatta
and Port Jackson where Michaels creates a clear sense of the life in
those places.
But the real story begins when Mary is invited to care for the
ailing Captain Baudin, the French explorer, on his attempted
circumnavigation around the Great Southern Land. Through Mary's eyes
we sympathise with Baudin as he struggles daily with his officers,
who being scientists, often refuse to do the work required to 'keep
the ship afloat'. We further see Baudin's passion for his task of
collecting a wide range of specimens from this new strange land.
Also of note is his relationship with Matthew Flinders and their
famous meeting at Encounter Bay which would resonate with South
Australian readers.
Such is the authenticity of this story that many of the names of
people and places can easily be confirmed and, as is the case with
this reader, it created a desire to know more. The historical notes
at the end go some way to satisfy this.
Even if she says 'Lawdy' much too often Mary is a lively and often
fearless character with whom the reader can engage. She is loyal to
her friends and has a propensity for trouble both in action and in
speech which endears her even more. Convict girl has its feet firmly based in historical accuracy
and would appeal to anyone with an interest in our early beginnings.
Barb Rye
Popular: Vintage wisdom for a modern geek (a memoir) by Maya Van Wagenen
Penguin Australia, 2014. ISBN 9780141353258.
Highly recommended for the laughs and the insights for girls 12
plus. Meet Maya Van Wegenen, self-proclaimed geek and lowest of
the low on her school's social ladder. In 8th grade at
Brownsville, a US town on the border of Mexico, where drug busts,
gang violence, illegal immigrants and pregnant teens are the norm,
Maya embarked on a remarkable social experiment.
When her dad bought a quirky 1950s style guide from a thrift shop
called Betty Cornell's Teen-age Popularity Guide, he never dreamed
his daughter would take on the challenge of transforming herself
with Betty's advice.
Maya is passionate about writing, a good student who not only
respects but likes her teachers, has a loving close family and no
friends - well, just one - another social outcast. She fitted into
her largely Hispanic school population like a square peg in a
round hole and sat even more squarely on the bottom rung of the
social ladder. At the suggestion of her mother, Maya chose to take
on ex-model Betty's tips for 1950s teens and then document her
progress in a journal for the duration of her 8th grade journey.
This nonfiction book has already created such a following and been
such a sensation with other young teens that the screen rights
have been picked up and a film is being planned (Dreamworks
October 2013 news release) despite not yet being published.
As Maya works her way through Betty's chapters and follows to the
letter the instructions on dressing - pearls, white gloves,
girdles, polished shoes, make up - a little Vaseline on your eyes,
red or pink lipstick, posture - don't slouch, shoulders squared
and back straight, and more, her peers have no idea that she is
conducting a secret experiment but see a gradual transformation
from awkward shy caterpillar to happy confident butterfly.
It's certainly not every 13 year old girl who would be brave
enough to endure taunts and disbelief for an entire year but Maya
handles it all with an aplomb that is admirable and reflective.
Maya writes with candid humour, and witty insight - her style is
mature and engaging. Interspersed with Maya's own words are
snippets of Betty Cornell's wisdom, photos and some very funny
Maya-isms on the subject of popularity and its definition.
While there are possibly not many girls who would dare to follow
such an extreme 'makeover' this book has much to offer any girl
struggling to make sense of their turbulent teens. FaceBook page: Popular the Memoir News article
Sue Warren
The lost girl by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Leanne Tobin
Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781921529634.
(Age: 7+) Warmly recommended. Aboriginal themes. Family.
Environment. This beautifully produced hard cover book has a front
cover which will draw in the reader, seeing a child walking across a
desert landscape all alone, leaving only her footprints, her long
shadow stretched out behind. Readers will immediately want to know
what happens.
The girl has lost sight of her family. She calls and no one answers,
she eats food from the trees, drinks water from the creek and
huddles under a rock ledge where the sun's rays have been trapped. A
crow calls out and she follows it finding her way back home to the
warmth and safety of her family.
They ask her what happened and she explains that it was her mother
Earth who protected her, fed her, gave her water to drink, kept her
warm, and finally led her home.
The book not only shows an Aboriginal community and their
activities, but also the environment where they live, the flora and
fauna, the plants and animals, the broad scope of the desert, the
mountains and valleys. It reflects behaviour that people must show
in the bush, finding things to keep them alive, trusting their
surroundings to keep them safe, while waiting to be found. The
relationship between family members is also shown in talking of the
range of people involved, and all would be a great starting point
for classes looking at the themes of family, particularly Aboriginal
families, or the Australian environment.
Fran Knight
Winter's tales: Stories of winter from around the world by Lari Don
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408196908.
(Ages: 10+) Contains some graphic and violent content with some
supernatural themes.
A unique collection of 15 tales about winter from around the world,
told long ago, based on legends, myths and folk tales.
The Greek mythology story about 'The seeds of winter' tells of a
time when the gods were young, when there was no winter. And how the
goddess Demeter had the busy responsibility of encouraging all the
plants to grow. Demeter was married to the chief god Zeus and they
had a daughter named Persephone who grew into a beautiful young
woman, tall, slim and golden like the wheat in her mother's field.
One afternoon whilst picnicking with family and friends, everybody
had eaten so much that they decided to have a nap. However,
Persephone noticed something shining in the middle of the field.
Upon investigation she found a glorious plant covered with black
flowers with silver tips on each black petal. Being a plant she had
never seen in her mother's garden before, she thought she would pick
just one blossom to take back and show her mother.
As she tried to pick the flower her hand stuck to the plant and she
was dragged underground into the underworld with Hades and Hades
offers Persephone the black plant as a wedding bouquet.
The story continues to unfold the events leading up to the
development of the seasons and in particular winter.
The story about 'The last sun' is a Chinese myth about ten beautiful
suns, each glowing in different colours - red, blue, purple, silver,
pink, orange, lilac, green, yellow and gold. The suns danced in the
air, making the sky above the new land of China gloriously bright.
However, the heat from the tens suns made the earth below too hot.
It was too hot for rain to fall, too hot for plants to grow and too
hot for people to work so the great warrior Houyi decided to save
the plants and people by shooting down all the suns one by one.
As he shot the suns down one by one, they would explode with
thousands of spectacular sparks like fireworks. As Houyi reached for
his final arrow, the last sun dived out of the sky towards the earth
and hid in a cave. Houyi goes in search of the last sun to shoot it
down. However, this last sun is so frightened it stays in hiding and
the earth becomes very cold. The people and animals want the winter
to end. The story continues to tell the events that led up to the
development of all the seasons we enjoy today.
The story about 'The hero with hairy trousers' is a Norse Legend
about a Viking hero called Ragnar Lodbrok, literally meaning hairy
trousers. This legend tells about a Viking princess who was given a
pet dragon as a child. As this dragon grew, so did its appetite to
the point where villagers working in the field and fishing began
disappearing, filling the appetite of the hungry dragon. The dragon
was banished and built a lair in the highest point of the nearby
mountains and would fly down into the village to select his meals.
Eventually, with the people hungry and afraid, the king made a
proclamation that whoever would rid them of the dragon would win
half the kingdom and the right to ask for the princess' hand in
marriage.
The legend tells about those who bravely attempted to slay the
dragon and how eventually Ragnar Lodbrok succeeds. This story has a
lot of blood and guts to it with graphic descriptions about the
slaying of the dragon.
Christina Sapio
The duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard
Ill. by Stephen Michael King. Allen & Unwin, 2014.
ISBN 9781743312612.
In a hole built with care and lit with love, deep underground in the
land of Dark, live Peterboy and his Grandpapa. In the
post-apocalyptic world, Dark was a sorry, spoiled place; a broken
and battered place and had been so for so long that everything about
a different world, a world of sunups and sundowns, yesterdays and
tomorrows had been disremembered by everyone except Grandpapa.
Peterboy and the other Darklings only venture beyond their holes and
burrows at the dead of night when they go to the finding fields to
see what they could scavenge. They know nothing of the sights and
sounds and smells that Grandpapa can recall and no one speaks about.
When Peterboy came home he would tell Grandpapa of the things he had
seen... 'There are holes in the dark, Grandpapa, and light leaks
through! It slides down the steeps, puddles in the deeps and
glimmers on the trickle'. And as he told his stories to Grandpapa he
noticed his eyes light up as Grandpapa remembered things lost and
longed for. Peterboy wanted to keep that light in Grandpapa's eyes
so when he ventured out into the night, he looked for more than
crumbs and crusts. He wished for a scrap of wonderfulness. And one
night, he found what he was looking for - Idaduck, broken and spent
but with hope beating in her downy heart. So Peterboy picked her up... and changed his life, the life of Grandpapa and the lives of
the Darklings for ever.
This is the most extraordinary book - it is a tale of hope, and
triumph and resilience; of love and friendship and family; of
connection and belonging. But what sets it apart is the most
magnificent language that Glenda Millard has used - language that is
so evocative and imaginative and expressive that you are just
absorbed into the story as it wraps around you. Every word is
perfectly chosen and paints the most amazing mind-pictures.
Accompanied by the iconic illustrations of Stephen Michael King, who
uses black and blocks of colour to depict the mood so well and
contrasts the oppressiveness of the landscape with the feelings of
futility of the Darklings who are represented in his characteristic
line-drawing style, this is the epitome of a picture book where text
and illustration are in perfect harmony.
The publisher recommends this book for 4-8 year-olds but it is for a
much broader audience than that. Apart from the context of the world
as we know it having ended and the suggestion of the resurrection of
life, older readers will gain much by examining the imagery,
atmosphere and emotion evoked by the language and how this is
interpreted by the illustrator. There are so many layers to this
book that it should prove once and for all that picture books are
for everyone.
I may just be looking at the CBC Award winner for 2015.
Barbara Braxton
Boa's bad birthday by Jeanne Willis
Ill. by Tony Ross. Koala Books, 2014. ISBN 9781742760957.
(Age: 4-6) Animals. Snakes. Birthdays. This odd little story of a
boa waiting impatiently for the presents his friends will bring to
him, offers a rather negative perspective about friendship and
birthdays.
He is incredulous when the orangutan brings a piano as he has no
fingers with which to play. He smarts when monkey brings sunglasses
when he hasn't any ears or nose to hold them up. He is disappointed
when the jaguar brings him mittens as he has no hands, and is happy
when the sloth appears. Surely he will bring something nice. But no,
the gift is a hairbrush. And so on, until the dung beetle brings a
piece of dung which grows into a beautiful tree for the boa to sleep
in. The last pages have a twist which will intrigue younger readers,
and perhaps initiate discussions about what you do when someone
gives you an unwanted present.
I liked the illustrations, they are funny and quirky, but I found
some of the words, for example, rubbish and stink, as applied to
unwelcome presents a little sad. But if this initiates discussion
about the necessity of having the right words for the wrong present,
then it will be useful.
The illustrations of the range of animals give the reader the
opportunity of looking at animals not often seen in children's
books, and recognising that most come from South America.
Fran Knight
Funny faces by Dr Mark Norman
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179968
(Age: 6+) Warmly recommended. Animals. Non fiction. Fourteen double
pages will attract the attentions of younger readers, as they smile,
giggle and laugh their way through the range of faces presented by
scientist Mark Norman. Introduced with a double page called
Different Faces, the reader is given a brief taste of what is to
come. Turning the page the biggest animal noses are shown, sure to
cause a ripple of mirth. The funny noses of the bat and dolphin
follow, then the large eyes of the glider and dragonfly. Each page
has a little information, enough for younger readers to see what the
animal is called, and perhaps learn a little about why they have
such distinctive attributes. The information is enough to whet their
appetites and impel them to go looking for more information or
pester a teacher or parent to take them to the zoo. Big ears, beaks
and bills follow, with a few more scary animals towards the end of
the book. The pictures of the dragonfish and walrus will cause a
hidden chuckle, while the next page shows a cicada and mosquito with
needle mouths in close up.
A double page at the end of the book gives more serious information,
while there is a brief glossary and short index. The photography is
stunning, the close-ups of the animals shown are breathtaking in
their clarity.
All is combined well to introduce, inform and entertain the younger
reader.
Fran Knight
You choose (series) by George Ivanoff
Random House, 2014. The treasure of Dead Man's Cove. ISBN 9780857983831. Mayhem at Magic School. ISBN 9780857983848.
Part of the appeal of computer games is that the player has control
of what happens to the characters driven by the decisions he/she
makes about the decisions the characters make. Imagine if that power
could be in book form, propelled not by graphics and a controller
but by words, reading and understanding. Harking back to a very
popular format of about 20 years ago, where the reader chose their
own adventure by making a choice about what action to take and
therefore where to move next in the story, this series You
choose puts the power back in the reader's hands, rather than
the author's predetermined storyline. And each time the book is read
a different choice can be made and a new story created.
In The treasure of Dead Man's Cove the reader finds an old
map supposedly belonging to One-Eyed William, a fierce pirate who
was buried with his treasure. So the first decision has to be made -
to follow the clues in case it's real or hand it in to a museum
curator. In Mayhem at Magic School the reader suddenly
discovers magic powers which cause strange things to happen so a
decision has to be made about whether to visit a therapist and seek
help or keep them secret and use them? Is the outcome a place in
Magic School, a spy for the government or something else?
Written by an author who, himself, was a devotee of this sort of
format and only became an avid reader after he discovered it -
something I found happened frequently when I offered them to my
reluctant readers of both genders - this is a series that not only
combines interactivity and reading, but also enables the reader to
think about cause and effect, to consider the options, to take the
time to make a decision, and to take risks in a safe environment.
The appeal and importance of gaming within the formal education
setting is becoming the focus of a lot of research and literature
and this series provides a great foundation to actively engage and
explore options. Map the story, its choices and consequences on a
flow chart; have students add a few twists of their own and discuss
how these can have an exponential effect on the outcomes; perhaps
even venture down the Technologies strand of the Australian
Curriculum and let your budding programmers start to design the
coding. Then set a new scenario and start to explore the pathways and
fun of 'what if... ', encouraging the students to let their
imaginations go, push the boundaries, think beyond the usual as they
draw on all they've seen and experienced. Use these two books, and The
Maze of Doom and The haunting of Spook House as models
for an engaging, integrated project that draws in your writers, your
illustrators, your mathematicians, your computer experts to create
something new that accentuates the need for a team, encourages
negotiation and compromise as well as the skills of seeing things
from another perspective and looking for alternatives, and perhaps,
even, the concept of empathy.
So glad this format is back on the reading agenda of the young
readers in my life.
Barbara Braxton
Opening the windows to catch the sea breeze by Geoff Goodfellow
Wakefield Press, 2014. ISBN 9781743052952.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for mature readers. Poetry. Working-class
life. The marginalised. Mental illness. Work. Cancer. A biographical
poetry collection in blue-collar attire.
This is a delightful exploration of the beauty of simple words and
the power of poetry to patrol the parapets surrounding other worlds,
and to open the gates for us to enter. Geoff Goodfellow is earthy
and connected to the world of the working class worker. His words
bring to life the ordinary and the extraordinary as the child of a
war veteran with alcohol-infused memories. He travels as paid poet
into the workplace and speaks for the people who make big business
wealthy, and who give their health as payment for their right to a
wage. He tells his own struggles with relationships, work and jack
dancer (Cancer). He sees the world with the eyes of a wordsmith with
the opportunity to forge a different understanding from the raw
materials of humanity.
One of the powerful elements of this anthology is the detailed
explanation given at the beginning of each chapter. This places the
poetry within the historical context of the life and experience of
Goodfellow himself. This opens the reader to his world, and the
historical Adelaide that he is describing, and also gives us a
glimpse into the life of a poet, and not one that lives in the
hallowed halls of academia.
Note: For those considering this text within a school context, it
does contain some down-to-earth and colourful language (some words
of four-letter origin!), which is not surprising given its context,
but may require some care. Despite this, the opportunity of hearing
the voice of the marginalised, the 'blue-singlet' worker, the jail
inmate, the Semaphore-hostel dweller, the struggling single mother
or the public hospital patient is potent.
Carolyn Hull
Kelsey and the Quest of the Porcelain Doll by Rosanne Hawke
University of Queensland Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780702253317.
Highly recommended for ages 7+. Kelsey is made to travel to Pakistan
with her aid worker parents after a flood. She is resentful and
wishes she could have remained at home with Nanna Rose, able to
celebrate her ninth birthday at her friend Chantelle's pool.
Instead, she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings with people
she doesn't know and with whom she certainly doesn't want to spend
time! Gradually she is encouraged to make friends with a girl of her
own age and visit her home. As often as she can, Kelsey skypes Nanna
Rose who obliges by telling her stories about a porcelain doll and
its adventures. Over time, Kelsey learns to appreciate her new
friend Shakila and her family and their way of life and enjoys her
visits to the local school. When an accident occurs, Kelsey is able
to show her true nature. Will everything turn out for the best or
not and will Amy Jo, the porcelain doll, ever find her 'happy ever
after'?
Having begun its life as a story told by the author to her daughter
while they were living in Pakistan, the story highlights Hawke's
affinity with both the people and place of her tale. With each
chapter's focus alternating between the story of Kelsey and her
experiences and the tale of Amy Jo, the porcelain doll, this story
is accessible to younger readers but would also make a great read
aloud. The print is double spaced, there are illustrations directly
related to each chapter on its first page and blank pages between
each chapter, hence, the text is probably only around one hundred
pages in length. This all serves to make Kelsey a title which would
be perfect to use with a class. One could focus on children from
other countries, differences between families, natural disasters,
aid work and practical responses students could make in the way of
support. As stated on the blurb on the back cover, it is a
'captivating story of adversity, adventure and love.' Each of these
aspects is dealt with and could be teased out, even with young
children. I can imagine this book being paired with any of the
Sarindi titles to compare and contrast the information found in
each.
Jo Schenkel
Tales from the Half-Continent by D.M. Cornish
Scholastic, 2014. ISBN: 9781742990255.
(Ages: 12-15) Recommended. Themes: Monsters, Fantasy,
Body-snatching, Detectives, Mythical creatures, Criminal
investigation.
In this novella, D. M. Cornish adds two more dark fantasy stories.
These are separate from the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy introducing
new characters. These books are mainly for the fans as prior
knowledge of this world is assumed with the unique language, jobs
and terminology are presented without a glossary.
In The Corser's Hinge, Bunting Faukes is a grave robber or
corser and a wayfarer who has become destitute and has a debt to
repay. Fortuitously, he mets Atticus Wells a mysterious sleuth who
is on the case to find a missing young woman Viola Grey. The search
by the sleuth and his team is hazardous and involves cult
worshippers, travel across the continent, fights with monsters and
battles in some of the darker landscapes of the Half-Continent. With
much daring force they fight with the cult followers and the monster
Shilemoth.
The second story The Fuller and the Bogle is an easier read
and one which showcases life in this fantasy world. After her
father's death, Virtue Bland is sent to work as a scullery and
laundry maid in the house of her father's past employer. Hidden in
her hatcarry is her pa's olfactologue that allows Virtue to see
monsters. This story has all the elements readers expect of the
author, adventure, fantasy, fighting monsters and the detailed daily
life of the citizens of Brandenbrass.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781406348088.
A debut novel, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
follows the lives of Ava Lavender and the two previous generations
of her family. The family begins in France, and migrates to America
in 1912, when Emilienne is eight. It is a story of the loves, losses
and obsessions of Ava, her mother Viviane Lavender, and her
grandmother Emilienne Roux.
The genre is magic realism. Ava is born with wings, ghosts are part
of the family's everyday life, and portents abound. The novel could
be one to include in a school library and might prove useful for Yr
12 English students who would like to use it as a comparative text
with other novels of the magic realism genre, or as an exploration
of the theme of love, including a number of strong examples of
unrequited love. It could also be an interesting story to discuss
independence - Ava is cloistered in the family home in order to be
protected from the world at large, with serious consequences when
she ventures forth.
The book is written in lyrical prose and would appeal to a
sophisticated reader.
Anne Veitch
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie's Underwater Adventure by May Gibbs
Scholastic, 2014. ISBN: 9781742839288.
One hot day, when the Gumnut Babies are bored and looking for
adventure, they follow Mrs Kookaburra's advice and head to 'where
the land meets the sea.' There, whilst sheltering in an empty shell,
they meet Mr Hermit who offers to take them into the deep, blue
water. On their adventures, they become acquainted with a clownfish,
coral, and an octopus and are introduced to Little Obelia, Princess
of the Fish Folk. After being carried home on the backs of several
sea dragons, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie are left, dreaming about their
wonderful adventures.
The lovely large square format of this picture book, the watery
endpapers and the pastel toned illustrations make this book a trip
down memory lane for lovers of Gibbs' work who will be keen to share
the story with their children and grandchildren. With its simple
storyline and familiar characters, this is a charming book with a
true Australian flavour, just right for a new generation of readers.
Jo Schenkel
What happens next? by Tull Suwannakit
Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922077561.
(Ages: 4-6) Highly recommended. Grandparents. Imagination. When
Granny takes her granddaughter, Little Ellie for a walk, she tells
her of the bear family, also going for a walk. Little Ellie asks
questions of her Granny, questioning her on the bears' habits and
practices. All the while, Little Ellie watches the bear family as
they walk behind, following their every move, and as each part of
the story continues, Little Ellie asks, 'what happens next?', a
refrain repeated on each double page. But when Granny looks behind
and sees the bear family for herself, it is her turn to ask of
Little Ellie, 'what happens next?' as she backs away from the bears,
ready to flee.
Unfazed, Little Ellie and Granny go into the woods with the bear
family where they meet a number of other animals, even an ogre, and
have a dinner of icecream, cakes and honey, before Little Ellie and
Granny go home, where the child is tucked into bed.
The transposing of ideas is wonderful, with Little Ellie imagining
the family behind her as Granny tells her the story, and then taking
shape as Granny and the girl follow the bears after Granny's initial
fear, to going to the woods and then back home. The shift from
imagination to reality occurs all through the story, encouraging the
reader to ponder over which is real and which is not. But over all
is the sense of the care and safety of the family unit.
The stunning watercolour illustrations are a treat to read and
reread. From the enticing front cover to the alluring endpapers to
the inside illustrations of the story itself, the two families are
paralleled. The hats of the two Grannies, the handbags and shoes of
each participant, the small animals that keep peeping through on
most pages, to the wonderful display in the shop, then the dinner at
the bear's house, each page is meticulous in its presentation of the
story, keeping the reader's interest. I loved the image of the two
Grannies with their noses in the air, while their offspring talked
to each other. The little images of frogs, rabbits, the birds on the
bus stop sign, the sleeping fox on the bus, the animals at dinner,
all will elicit a laugh from the audience, while the last endpaper
with the group standing together is a lovely contrast to the front
cover.
An astute teacher will use this to remind children of other stories
of bears, of other tales of ogres and stories which have an element
of 'what happens next?' as they proceed. And they could even be
encouraged to write their own.
Fran Knight
