Working Title Press, 2014. ISBN 9781921504693.
Highly recommended. Picture book. As I Grew Older
(first published in 1993 and recently republished in paperback by
Working Title Press) is a moving pictorial introduction to the life
of an Aboriginal family living along the River Murray during the
1950s and 60s. Ian Abdulla's wonderful paintings and simple text
descriptions record both the everyday activities and also special
events that were keenly anticipated all year, such as the night
rodeo held on Berri oval. The enchanting illustration of the rodeo,
my favourite in the book, has two cones of light illuminating a
daring bare-back rider and watched by an enthusiastic audience, both
brown and white skinned. Twinkling stars in a cloudless sky form a
backdrop to all. Other favourite childhood activities that are
lovingly recorded here are playing 'chicken' on the ferry going to
school, and cowboys and Indians, played using the materials to hand:
the jaw-bone of a sheep in place of a gun and a gum tree branch for
a horse.
But it is the River Murray that is the real star of this book.
Patiently winding its way through across the pages, the river
provides sustenance for the Abdulla family, giving them food,
income, shelter and entertainment through times that were hard for
everyone - but especially hard for Aboriginal people. There is a
strong sense that this family is completely at home on and in the
river and with the flora and fauna on its banks. The end-page of the
book helpfully provides a map of the district between
Kingston-on-Murray and Berri that helps to trace the Abdulla
family's movements as they catch fish, collect swans' eggs, and pick
grapes to make a living. The map also pinpoints the location of the
Gerard Mission, where Ian Abdulla is today buried alongside family
members. As I Grew Older does not directly talk about the policies
towards Aboriginal people at the time Abdulla was growing up in the
Riverland, but much can be inferred from the family's need to draw
so heavily on the resources of the river. As I Grow Older is
as quietly instructive for an adult audience as for children.
Teachers can use this book to consider changes that occurred in the
Riverland area in the century after white settlement and the extent
to which the Ngarrendjeri people were able to maintain their
connections with land and river. It is wonderful that the
republishing of this important book affords an opportunity to
introduce this important South Australian artist to a new
generation.
Francine Smith
Nine open arms by Benny Lindelauf
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743315859.
Fing and her siblings have a father who dreams incessantly but fails
miserably in every enterprise he undertakes. Perpetually struggling
to make ends meet, this austere Dutch family constantly has to move
home and their arrival at a strangely positioned, poorly maintained
house opens the narrative.
The children's Grandmother assumed the maternal role on the passing
of the mother and when occasion dictates, she tells a family tale,
accompanied by photographs from her special crocodile skin bag.
Stories within stories are a feature of this quirky novel and the
reader is soon captivated, wanting to understand the family's
history and that of connected village characters from previous
generations.
Being a translation, language and cultural features give this novel
a very different feel, yet this improves rather than hinders the
story which reveals the fears, difficulties and pain felt by family
members, as well as the shared love, protection and support.
Cleverly intertwined with the depiction of this family's present
circumstances and revelations about its past is the little known
story of Nienevee, a Romany traveller and Charlie, a furniture maker
in the town. In spite of brutal intolerance to the travelling folk
displayed by the town's inhabitants, the pair slowly develop a
romance over many years and this contributes a significant element
to the plot development.
Boldly drawn characters appear in this tale and they ring true,
showing kindness, tolerance and understanding towards the fragile
members of the family and wider community whilst demonstrating
perfectly normal human frailties at other times. When delicate
individuals respond unexpectedly, one can't stop reading to learn
how this micro community fares. This story celebrates its quirky
differences and at times tears the heart before making it brim with
warmth. Complex consideration of what constitutes "home" and
associated notions of security, belonging and memory are presented.
The opening explains that the year is 1937 and the location is on
the border with Germany. Interestingly, whilst this promotes a sense
of foreboding, it does not feature at all in the story. What it does
however is leave the reader ruminating upon the welfare of the
family following the invasion.
Rob Welsh
Jump by Sean Williams
Allen & Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743315866.
Clair lives in a world revolutionised by d-mat, a global teleport
system that allows people to transport themselves instantaneously
around the world. A coded note promises improvement - the chance to
change your body any way you want, making it stronger, taller, more
beautiful. Clair thinks it's too good to be true, but her best
friend, Libby, is determined to give it a try.
Clair's world is amazing; technology has completely revolutionised
the planet. By using d-mat you can travel around the world in a
heartbeat. Only Abstainers don't use it. They distrust and
disbelieve that any good will come from using it but, no one listens
to them as they are perceived as crazy and dangerous by the common
people. Jump didn't really engage me as it might other readers. It
felt boring and slow when I like things fast and intense. To
thoroughly enjoy this book I had to put myself in someone else's
shoes. I then started to really appreciate what Sean has done. The
book was engaging and shows a high level of romance. It also shows
the difference between the privileged and the poor. I would
recommend this book to those who love romance but would like a bit
of action in their lives.
Reece Barnett (Yr 9 Student)
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
(Anniversary Edition)Allen & Unwin 2014. ISBN 9781743317679.
When an anonymous Japanese donor decided that Japanese children
should learn more about the Holocaust in an effort to contribute to
global peace and understanding, it is unlikely that they had any
idea of the impact of their philanthropy. The foundation of the
Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Centre set off a chain of events
which spans three continents, seventy years and continues to educate
and enlighten well beyond Tokyo, or even Japan.
The focal piece of that museum is a very ordinary brown suitcase
which sits in a glass case but which is taken out for the visiting
children to wonder at. For even though it is empty, it has a
remarkable story to tell. Painted on the outside are the words,
'Hana Brady. May 16, 1931, Waisenkind'. Words that spark questions
like 'Who was Hana Brady?' 'Where did she come from?' 'Where was she
going?' 'How did she become an orphan?' 'How did this suitcase get
to Tokyo?' 'Why is it so important?' Hana's Suitcase provides the answers to those questions and
more, and gives a little girl, who wanted to be a teacher, not only
a voice but the ability to teach children the world over, an
accomplishment beyond her wildest dreams. It is the story of how the
director of the museum, Fumiko Ishioka, felt that she would need
actual objects from the Holocaust if she was to reach and teach
Japanese children about it in a way that would engage them. For
months she wrote letters to everywhere she thought might be able to
offer her something until, at last, she was rewarded with a parcel
from the Auschwitz Museum which contained a child's sock and shoe, a
child's sweater, a can of Zyklon B poisonous gas and a suitcase.
Inspired, she started a quest to find out who owned the suitcase, a
quest which eventually leads her to Hana's brother, George who had
survived and was living in Canada. This book is the story of that
quest, interwoven with Hana's story and photos because the family
photo album was the one thing that George had managed to save and
preserve over the years. It is that story which touches and teaches
so powerfully.
While it is realistic and sad, it is written with a light hand that
realises that its audience does not want to be frightened or
terrified by explicit details - but, nevertheless, it paints a
picture of racism, marginalisation and segregation and what happens
when it is taken to the extreme. It is written in a way that those
who read it and recognise its events in their own lives -
particularly the marginalisation of being different - and respond to
it in that way.
In this anniversary edition, as well as the original story we learn
about its impact on the author, George Brady, Fumiko Ishioka and
children around the world during the years since its original
publication. It has been published in 45 countries, produced as a
play, crafted into several television documentaries, inspired
quilts, drawings, writings . . . George continues a website which has so much
more than a book can contain. Hana is truly a teacher.
A search for Hana's Suitcase will bring up a host of ideas
of how it can be used within the curriculum (Australian publisher
Allen & Unwin have teachers'
notes ) and across the years so even though it is very
suitable for a primary school library (I'm very comfortable giving
it to Miss 9 to read), it also has a place in secondary supporting
the history curriculum. An essential acquisition.
Barbara Braxton
The debt: Yamashita's gold by Phillip Gwynne
Allen & Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781742378619.
(Age: 13-18) Highly recommended. 'The Debt was the worst
thing to have come into my life. It had almost killed me about a
dozen times in a dozen different ways. But here I was wanting,
willing, it to contact me. To give me the next instalment.'
Dominic receives a mysterious note in Latin. He then goes on a
difficult and a quest of intelligence just trying to find who sent
the note. He then goes on to find the treasure and the have someone
take it from him. But the question is who does that person turn out
to be?
This book had me from the start. All the way from when he was
yelling at his treadmill to finding the gold and even to the end
when a shocking secret is revealed. I really like books and believe
me I've read some bad books but The debt, Yamashita's gold
is not boring. It is thrilling, breath taking, jaw dropping and in
some ways motivating.
I have not read the previous books but I already want all of them.
This book made several references to the previous books so I could
already guess the plot of them that doesn't stop me from wanting to
read them though!
In my opinion Phillip Gwynne has done an extremely outstanding job
in this book and I am sure in the previous and future books as well.
I rate the book 9/10 and I recommend it to 13-18 year olds.
Reece Barnett (Student)
The Lost Child by Suzanne McCourt
Text Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781922147783.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Five year old Sylvie, growing up in
a small coastal town south of the Coorong in the 50's, has a lot to
contend with. The family is breaking up, her distant father is
violent when drunk and her mentally fragile mother copes by
obsessively cleaning. The good times are when her older brother Dunc
and his friend Pardie let Sylvie join them fishing, collecting birds
eggs or just reading superhero comics. Over the next ten years the
family situation gets worse; her parents divorce, her home is burnt
down and Dunc mysteriously goes missing. Sylvie endures trauma,
bullying, rejection and self-blame yet she largely manages to
channel her energy into positives like creative photography and
excelling at school. She is a survivor. The landscape framed between
the lagoon and the sea is a constant to draw strength from and as
she negotiates puberty some of the pain from the past is resolved.
This story will resonate with older South Australians familiar with
the South East issues around draining the landscape and cray fishing
and with events like the Queen's visit and oil exploration but as
the narrative seeks to document the slow development of a child from
first awareness to independence it can sometimes lose impetus.
Connected with Hartnett's Thursday's Child or Dettman's Henry's
Daughter it could be useful for senior students looking for
texts about family trauma or small town issues.
Sue Speck
My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald
Ill. by Freya Blackwood. Little Hare, 2014. ISBN 978921714764.
Picture book. In the beginning she was a very happy little girl in
her home village - so happy, her aunty called her Cartwheel. But
then came the war and she finds herself in a new country where
everything, even the wind, feels strange. But strangest of all was
the language. Nobody spoke like she did - 'it was like standing
under a waterfall of strange sounds. The waterfall was cold. It made
me feel alone. I felt like I wasn't me any more.'
So, at home, she wrapped herself in a blanket of familiar words and
sounds and memories - a blanket that was warm and soft and covered
her all over, letting her feel safe. Until one day she goes to a
park and a girl smiles at her and waves . . . and a new blanket is
woven, one that is different but which becomes just as familiar and
comfortable so she has the luxury of choosing the one she wants at
the time.
This is a poignant story deliberately set in Any Place, Anywhere
because its message is not confined by boundaries or borders. It's a
universal story of anyone who has experienced change, even those for
whom the change is to a different circumstance not setting and while
the language may be familiar, it is different. We don't need to know
the girl's name, where she came from or went to - this is a story to
fit the globe.
Illustrated by the amazing Freya Blackwood, you can read about how
she interpreted the concepts into what are the perfect
accompaniments to this story on her blog
.
If you are looking for titles which fit such themes as Belonging,
Identity, Refugees and particularly the Australian Curriculum
cross-curriculum priority Intercultural Understanding, this would be
a perfect addition.
Barbara Braxton
12 by James Phelen
The Last Thirteen Book 2. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN
9781742831855.
When we last saw Sam he was mano-a-mano with Solaris. Both Solaris
and the Enterprise, you will remember, are battling the Agency for
world domination - or worse. In Chapter one, Solaris turns out to be
an Enterprise Agent in disguise, leaving Sam to continue his search
for the Last Thirteen dreamers. In a parallel story arc, Alex has
been captured and is being groomed to work for the Enterprise. The
Star of Egypt, prompts Xavier to fly Sam to Egypt for more answers
before Sam's dreams find him socializing with an Italian pop star in
Rome - No 12. Together Gabriella and Sam escape Solaris only to end
Book 2 on another cliffhanger. 12 - The Last Thirteen is a fast read for tweens, teens, boys
and reluctant readers who will always choose action and dialogue to
escape the realities and restrictions of adolescence.
Deborah Robins
Editor's note: 11 (ISBN 9781742831862) and 10 (ISBN
9781742831879 ) have also been published.
Healthy Home Cooking for Kids by Emily Rose Brott
Ebury Press, Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN 9781742759999.
As the new school year rolls out, media focus on childhood obesity
and parents think about school lunchboxes so this is an ideal time
to draw attention to a new recipe book by a Melbourne mother of
four. Tired of telling her children that they couldn't eat this,
that or the other, she focused on creating snacks, main meals and
treats which have no added sugar, no white flour and no butter. Her
aim was to teach her children that they could still have delicious
meals and yummy treats that use healthy ingredients that are high in
fibre, low in sugars and fats and don't have lots of preservatives,
additives and artificial flavours and colours.
There is a growing realisation that if we want kids to eat
healthily, one of the most successful strategies is to have them
involved in the preparation of their food and this book is a perfect
starting point.
Starting with a pantry list of staples and cooking tips, each recipe
is set out in the traditional format with clear, easy to read
instructions, perfect for the budding cook, and accompanied by a
clear, enticing photograph. There are recipes for things like tuna
wrap rolls, hamburgers, vegetable fritters, mango sorbet, strawberry
cupcakes, even a birthday cake. Each looks delicious and each easy
enough for even a young child to create with some supervision!
There's even a sample
.
There is scope for a huge range of activities using this book as a
focus from looking at nutrition and diet, investigating seasonal
foods, understanding 'food miles', following procedures and so on.
It's also a way to reach out to parents and taking your library into
the community. I'm envisaging a display of fresh fruits and veges
and so forth, some photos from the book and a sign, 'You can make
these with these!' Maybe if your school has a kitchen garden some of
the ingredients could be home-grown, or the products part of the
school's canteen menu.
Miss 9 and Mr 7 saw this on my to-review pile at Christmas time and
immediately claimed it for their own! Don't expect it to stay on
your shelves for long stretches!
Barbara Braxton
Tigers on the beach by Doug MacLeod
Penguin, 2014. ISBN 9780143568520.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Humour. Family relations.
Adolescents. Adam is devastated when his Grandfather dies. He was
the one who told funny jokes and who laughed at Adam's sense of
humour. Adam is interested in Samantha but after making the first
tentative approaches starts to wonder if she is the one for him. Her
joke about two tigers on the beach is not one that he would laugh
at, and she is not impressed when he finds her fall off her seat at
a concert hilarious. To make matters worse Grandma has come to live
with them and is constantly angry, his parents are fighting about
her and his little brother Xander doesn't understand about danger or
what is appropriate.
There are jokes galore in this book, some of which made me laugh and
some made me cringe. But that was what was so good about it. I
realised along with Adam that people can have an entirely different
approach to humour but still be tolerant about another person's
attitude to comedy and in fact manage to live with it, as did
Grandma who affectionately told Grandpa he was 'a total nong' after
he teased her about nearly hitting a pedestrian.
The characters in the book shone out. Adam is a caring boy who
really wants to sort out his parents' problems and help his
grandmother's grief and anger. He works through whether humour needs
to divide him from Samantha, and also comes to grip with the evil
Stanley Krongold's plans to take over his home, often with hilarious
actions. Adam's parents are portrayed sympathetically and
realistically as is Xander who sometimes doesn't act appropriately.
The introduction of Siggy and Amber in a very minor way at the end
of the book will take readers on a journey to read their story if
they haven't already.
I loved Tigers on the beach and the way that it made me
think about comedy and its role in relationships. The sensitive
handling of death and the way Adam's family coped with it and Adam's
growing relationship with Samantha also left me with feel-good
thoughts.
This book will appeal to a younger audience than The shiny guys
and The life of a teenage body-snatcher, and would make an
excellent literature circle book.
Pat Pledger
The Magic Bojabi Tree by Dianne Hofmeyr
Ill. by Piet Grobler. Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2013. ISBN
9781847802958.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Cultures. Africa. Animals. What a
wonderful book to read aloud. It has all the magic ingredients to
make it a classic favourite - a flowing story that paints fabulous
images in the reader's mind and vibrant illustrations that bring the
African landscape alive.
There is a drought in the plains of Africa and Elephant, Giraffe,
Zebra, Monkey and Tortoise are desperate for something to eat. They
find a magic tree that is covered with ripe red fruit but Python has
wrapped himself around it and won't share unless the animals can
tell him the tree's name. Each animal goes off to ask the Lion, the
King its name, but each animal forgets the name when it returns to
the tree until Tortoise the slowest of them all, sings a special
song to help him remember.
The prose is beautifully written and the traditional story is so
gripping. Each animal has a separate personality, amplified by
Grobler's illustration, and the reader and listener will have fun
following its path to the King, who is also portrayed magnificently.
The repetition in the story will delight young readers, and it will
be fun for them to see if they can remember the name of the tree
when the animals forget. The detail in the illustrations make them a
joy to look at again and there is lots of humour as well.
Both Hofmeyr and Grobler have been on the IBBY Honours list for
their work and The magic bojabi tree will add to their
illustrious reputations. This is a book to treasure both at home and
in any library.
Pat Pledger
Boy vs Beast series by Mac Park
Pop & Fizz Media, 2014. Water mutant. ISBN 9781921931710 (Previously published as Aquaterros)
Air mutant. ISBN 9781921931697 (Previously published as
Flamatoraq) Storm mutant. ISBN 9781921931703 (Previously published as Stormasaurix)
(Age: 6-9) With brand new covers and new titles these 3 books in the
Boys Vs beast series will appeal to newly independent readers
especially boys. The print is large, each book has 8 chapters and
the final battle scene is vividly described in a 4 page comic style
scenario. Each book can be read independently, with an introduction
at the beginning which sets the scene for the adventure that Kai
Masters will undergo. And what adventures he has! There are plenty
of thrills and spills and action galore to engage the attention of
the intended audience as Kai battles the mutant beasts. A website for the series
allows the young reader to make their own beast.
Pat Pledger
Meet the ANZACs by Claire Saxby
Ill. by Max Berry. Meet series. Random House, 2014. ISBN
9780857981943. ebk ISBN 9780857981943
Most of our students know the story of what happened at what is now
Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915 and the days that followed. But
how did the Australian and New Zealand troops get there?
Surely they didn't just sign up, get on a ship and arrive in the
Dardanelles. In this new book, Claire Saxby explains what
happened between the outbreak of war and that fateful day. In
simple, straightforward text accompanied by appealing, muted
illustrations which evoke the moods of the time, the reader learns
of the growing fervour of patriotism as men rush to sign on for what
was seen to be a great adventure, a way to see the world, or simply
rescue a family from poverty. But instead of leaving immediately,
'training camps for soldiers popped up like mushrooms after rain'
and eagerness turned to impatience as time went on and the feeling
that the war would be over before they got there grew. And
impatience turned to frustration as instead of going directly to the
front line, they went to Egypt for yet more training and waiting.
Until the wait was finally over and they embarked for an unknown
destination . . . but 'war was like nothing they could have
imagined.' Frustration becomes fear, and on that note, Saxby
leaves the story to be told in other books and formats.
This is the 5th book in this series and it's my favourite, probably
because it reminds us of where the NZ in ANZAC comes from. It
tells the story not often told before and shows how the camaraderie
between the two nations that continues today began. Rather than a
narrow narration of the facts, it provides an insight into these men
with a clever juxtaposition of facts and then speech so there is a
sense that these are real people, not faceless, anonymous
participants.
With the centenary of ANZAC Day just over a year away, it is an
ideal starting point for beginning to learn about this key element
in our history and the inclusion of a timeline of the war itself
puts the events in context. A must-have for your collection
about this topic.
Barbara Braxton
Racing the Moon by Michelle Morgan
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316351.
It is the year that Donald Bradman scored 334 runs against England
in the third Test; the year that Par Lap won the Melbourne Cup; the
year that each end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge met and the year
that Australia was thrown further and further into the Depression
after the collapse of Wall Street and the world's economic woes were
widespread. Growing up in those times was hard, pleasures were few
and struggles persistent.
But nevertheless, 12-year-old Joe Riley still thinks the world is
his oyster. Living in Glebe in Sydney, he's got a couple of thriving
businesses going with his mate that make him enough pocket money to
get by, while his father makes his living a step in front of the law
as a bookie. Even though his father gets drunk and bashes Joe's
mother, and is quick to take off his belt and deliver corporal
punishment whenever he thinks Joe has stepped over the line, that's
an accepted way of life in these times and while he steps in to save
his mum, Joe takes the rest of it in his stride. It is what it is
and it's no different for his mates.
But one night, Joe's father drops a bombshell - instead of going to
the local high school, Joe will go to boarding school at St
Bartholomew's on the other side of the harbour. Clearly his form of
discipline hasn't prevented Joe from getting into trouble - trouble
that comes too close to home for his father's liking. Alone,
friendless and in trouble with prefects and brothers for the
slightest indiscretion, St Barts turns out to be the epitome of the
tough, brutal, unforgiving Catholic boys' school that have been the
subject of news headlines and government inquiries lately, and
includes Brother Felix who takes a greater interest in Joe than he
should. Protecting himself, Joe lashes out and finds himself on the
train to The Farm - an isolated reformatory school with no escape
options. And it is here that Joe discovers joy through hard work and
responsibility, and an inner strength that he didn't know he had.
While this is her first novel, Michelle Morgan, a teacher librarian
from the NSW Southern Highlands, is an experienced writer having had
four of her plays produced and performed. The story of Joe is the
result of the stories her uncle told her about growing up in
suburban Sydney in the 30s and if you looked up 'larrikin' in a
dictionary you might see the definition as 'Joe Riley'. He's that
rough-and-tumble, knockabout, free-spirited lad that we think of in
those times - old enough to be independent but not yet an adult of
14 and expected to work to support the family. This story is a great
insight into life in those times, great background for the history
focus for Year 6. Certainly a great vehicle for comparing and
contrasting childhood then and now. I loved the uplifting and
reaffirming way that Joe rises above challenges to triumph - his
burning of the hated St Barts uniform is a mirror of what I did on
my last day of school. Joe, indeed, races the moon both literally
and figuratively.
This story is skilfully written, the pace is swift and it kept me so
engaged I finished it in two sittings. As I was reading it,
particularly the section about St Barts, I kept asking myself if
this would be suitable for a primary school audience, because
although it is not explicit, there is a clear allusion to Brother
Felix's intentions and I wondered if parents might feel confronted
if their child asked them about this. But I've decided that I'm
reading it from an adult perspective, one that has more information
than that of a child, and so maybe it won't be such an issue. I
believe it is essential that such things should not be neglected
especially as they are an integral part of the story, but you need
to be aware that it could cause questions to be asked. If I were
still in my primary library, it would be on the shelf with a Senior
Fiction sticker on it (probably more to protect me than the
student).
Nevertheless, this is an auspicious start to what could be a lengthy
career as a writer for the YA market and I look forward to reading
more of Michelle's work. Her website is here. Notes
for teachers by Fran Knight are here.
Barbara Braxton
The Bush Book Club by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Ben Wood. Omnibus, 2014. ISBN 9781742990149.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Books and reading. Australian animals.
All the animals belonged to the Bush Book Club. They loved to read
and would meet in their club house tree and discuss and swap books.
But Bilby didn't like to read. He couldn't sit still long enough to
get through a book and why read when he could do handstands and skip
and hop? What will it take to get Bilby to read a book?
Margaret Wild has written a delightful book about the joy of reading
using rhyming verse and the dexterous use of alliteration. The
animal characters are brought alive with subtle humour that children
will love: Echnida reads in bed, with 'platters of ants and buttered
bread', while 'Crocodile loved stories that made him cry. He
sniffled and snuffled, sobbed and sighed.' The energetic little
Bilby when locked in the club room, finds ways to use up all the
books building a tower, a fort, a great wall, and three houses.
Eventually he is bored and decides to open the pages of The
terrifying adventures of big brave Bilby and discovers that words
and stories can be exciting too.
Ben Wood's illustrations are lots of fun. On his website
he describes the process of how he locates the headquarters of the
Bush Book Club in a gumtree on an island in the middle of the river.
The club house is filled with books and comfortable armchairs and
sofas and even better, the animals can climb out and sit on the
tree's limbs and read. Young readers will enjoy the happy
expressions on the animals' faces and love the illustrations of
Bilby as he discovers a book that keeps him spellbound.
With a beautifully written story that could become a read aloud
favourite and soft, humorous illustrations, this book is a keeper.
Pat Pledger
