The wilful eye, Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab (editors)
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 978 1 74237 440 6
(Ages 14+) Fantasy, Recommended. The first group of short stories in
the series, Tales from the Tower, promised much when reading that 6
authors were given the task of revamping a fairy tale to give it a more
up to date tweak. But unsurprisingly, looking at the talents of the
authors represented here, Carmody, Harland, Mahy, Murray, Lanagan and
Borelli, the stories are fresh and fantastic.
The reworking of stories by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian
Anderson give us a remarkable array of tales to provoke fear, wonder
and warnings. Catastrophic disruption of the head by Margo Lanagan is an
unsettling
take on Andersen's The tinderbox, one of the scariest fairy
tales of
all time. The story bludgeons the reader into thinking about warfare.
Eternity by Rosie Borella a reworking of The Snow Queen, tells
the tale
in a modern, drug-taking scene. Margaret Mahy's Wolf Night has
a gang
of Headloppers chasing her hero and heroine in suburban Woodlands,
changing the scene from known to the unknown, and getting under the
readers' skin. Richard Harland's Heart of the beast, was
fascinating with its take on Beauty and the beast, but this time
extolling the virtues of love and the family. I found the story by
Martine Murray disturbing with the boys kept as prisoners in the tower
in One window. And of course, Isobelle Carmody's take on
Rumpelstiltskin was original and frightening.
The book includes a fascinating introduction by Isobelle Carmody, and
an afterword follows each story with the thoughts of each author
outlining their writing process and inspiration. These tales are not
for the young. They are frightening but also challenge the readers with
their universal themes, black humour and parallels to known stories.
Volume 2 will be just as enjoyable. Other authors who write using
this method of reworking fairy stories include Shannon Hale, Laini
Taylor and Robin McKinley.
Fran Knight
Death in the Desert by Jim Eldridge
Egmont, 2011. ISBN 978140525194.
Recommended. Fast paced and action packed, Death in the
Desert is an absorbing read. Delta Unit, a group of 6 elite
soldiers,
travel to Afghanistan on a mission which takes them deep into Taliban
territory. Delta Unit which is led by Mitch, is a covert unit comprised
of UK and USA soldiers. Their mission is to escort a negotiator
to a meeting with an Afghan warlord. Under no circumstances can
they disclose their mission and under no circumstances can they ask for
help.
They enter Afghanistan under the guise of a group of renegade soldiers
who are now drug dealers. Their arrival is noted and they are
immediately under attack. No one wants them there, not the drug
dealers, not the Taliban and especially not the British soldiers
on deployment. Afghanistan is a dangerous place and they will
need their wits to not only complete the mission but to stay alive.
Mitch's team are resilient, tough and resourceful. They improvise, stay
focused and support one another. They must complete their
mission. Failure is not an option.
Sue Mann
Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop by Hazel Edwards
Ill. by Pat Reynolds. New Frontier, 2011.
ISBN:
9781921042706.
(Age: 9+) The life of Edward 'Weary' Dunlop gives a tremendous
history lesson of 20th century Australia. He rose from humble
beginnings in 1903 to be an iconic Australian war hero, surgeon,
sportsman, and community leader. In 1976 Dunlop was named as
Australian of the Year, and in 1986 his famous War Diaries of
World War
2 were published. He was held in such respect that when he passed away
in 1993 over 10,000 people lined the streets to farewell him.
This book is the second in a series of Aussie Heroes, with one
about Dame Nellie Melba already published and ones about Fred Hollows
and Mary MacKillop to appear later this year. Aimed at 9 years+
the small size of the book coupled with the large font size makes it
child friendly.
The text is broken up with colourful illustrations and a comprehensive
time line provides a good summary. I would have liked a
photograph or two of the subject, but that could well be an adult
perspective.
Modern day children will be astounded by the difficulties described in
the POW (prisoner of war) camps and the medical innovations that Sir
Edward created by his 'make do' attitude.
The fact that Edward and his wife Helen took 8 years to get married and
corresponded by mail will also intrigue those born in the electronic
age of immediacy.
The obvious discussion point of this book is just what makes a hero.
There is a geography lesson simply in mapping where Sir Edward went
during the war years. Other related curriculum study ideas
are in the teacher resources provided at New Frontier
and
on
the author's website.
Kay Haarsma
Count them while you can by Anne Bowman
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 9781921541605.
Highly recommended. Count them while you can is a superb
introduction
to endangered species
for young children and it is easy to see why it was listed as a Notable
Book for The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books for 2011.
It focuses on the mothers and babies of ten of the world's most
endangered creatures including the Californian sea otter, the
red-ruffed lemur, the kakapo and the numbat. Each creature has a
double-page spread that introduces the creature and their habitat in a
gentle counting rhyme (sung to the tune of Over in the Meadow)
and a
text box of simple but vital information that includes the threat and
current numbers, both against a backdrop of a soft, engaging
illustration of the species. Notes at the back explain how we
know if a creature is endangered and the various levels of threat that
they are under.
When our students think of extinct animals, they think of dinosaurs,
woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers, but the reality is that there
are over 50 species of Australian animals and over 60 species of
Australian plants that are extinct and about 240 species of native
animals and over 1160 species of native plants may become extinct in
the near future. (Green Kids Guide to Threatened Species). Those
figures are just for Australian species - the IUCN Red List has more
alarming figures for the world generally.
With students becoming more environmentally aware all the time,
introducing them to the concept of endangered species would seem to be
a natural part of the curriculum. So often we are hampered in finding
information at the level the younger child can manage but Count them
while you can fulfils this need very well. It develops an awareness
that 'extinct' and 'endangered' are very much concepts of our time and
the fate of the dinosaurs et al awaits creatures that we know today.
Because information literacy involves creating information as well as
just using it, using the book, its information and format as a
springboard for research and a model for a simple presentation of facts
makes sound educational sense.
Barbara Braxton
Why I love Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft
Little Hare, 2010. ISBN 9781921541780.
In her speech at the launch of this book, the Governor General, Her
Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, began by acknowledging 'the traditional
keepers of the land where we gather --- [and those] who work to
preserve
and shine light on our nation's ancient and contemporary cultures
through drawing, painting, print and paper, sculpture and
installation'. When you pick up this beautiful, illustrated journey
through Australia's awesome and unique landscapes you immediately
understand why Ms Bryce is so reverential.
As the reader travels from the ancient time of the Rainbow Serpent who
shaped the land to the 'modern city lights like a jewelled necklace
adorning an ancient landscape' via 'the soft edges of crusted salt pans
that create drawings on the land' and the 'shards of rainbow and
swaying tentacles of watery light in a coral reef' you begin to
get an inkling of the relationship that the indigenous people have with
their land. It is living and life-giving with the human spirit
intertwined and integrated in every image, just as it should be.
Every scene has a person holding a coolamon with curls of smoke rising
from it, representing the traditional smoking ceremonies that
Aboriginal people conduct to show their respect for those of other
language groups or countries and their Ancestors. In the notes at the
end Bancroft says, 'The person you can see on each page is the host to
each of the landscapes. He wishes you well as you visit his
country and make your acknowledgement to the Ancestors and Elders past
and present of each place.' Even without this explanation, the
reader has an emotional connection with this book and you find yourself
continually returning to the pages to almost inhale the trademark
colours, shapes, and patterns of the artistry. There is a depth, a
connection, an experience that even goes beyond actually visiting the
place. You can hear the 'suburban homes that chatter under a patchwork
of rooftops'; join in the 'bush cricket played on ants' nest pitches
with friends and family anytime, any town'; and feel the 'beams of
secret light and strong warrior trees of the rainforest.'
In her speech, the Governor General describes Bronwyn Bancroft as 'a
master craftswoman of vibrant, visual narratives' and 'Why I Love
Australia' is an exemplar of this. It totally encapsulates why we
all love Australia. It deserves that very rare honour of having the
Governor General launch it.
Barbara Braxton
The crossing by Mandy Hager
The blood of the lamb book 1. ISBN: 978-1869791506.
Random House New Zealand, 2009.
Coming to terms with reality is hard; dealing with that reality is
harder. The crossing is a story of well aimed rebellion. Marym otherwise
named
Nanona is one of those special characters that only come around once in
a while, you can really relate to her thoughts and feelings as they are
expressed in this novel. She grew up on a little atoll with all
the other Chosen, who were chosen because their blood doesn't clot when
mixed with Father Joshua's. They were told that they were chosen by the
Lamb to spread peace and happiness to the survivors of the Tribulation.
This is a complete and utter lie.
As Marym comes of age she begins to think outside of the box. She makes
the humiliating crossing to womanhood in full faith that she is moving
to a better place, but she soon finds out that she is dead wrong. The
Star of the Sea is nothing like she ever imagined. Rape and death are
daily companions to the servers. Marym knows that this is wrong; could
this really be the Lord's wish? She begins to question everything she
has ever known.
With the help of a kindly blind man she discovers the truth. The
Apostles of the Lamb want only blood. They use the blood to prolong
their divine lives at the cost of every 'Chosen' woman. The chosen are
as important to the Apostles as a single sheep to its Shepherd.
This book has a solid story line, one that will never grow old, but I
have to say that I wouldn't be keen on recommending this book for
anyone younger than sixteen. There are some 'scenes' that I believe are
not for the squeamish and the descriptions used could be a little
unwelcome for most teenagers.
Kayla Gaskell (Student, aged15)
Editor's note: The crossing won the Young Adult Fiction
Category in the
New
Zealand Post Children's Book Award.
The Wings of Leo Spencer by Jerome Parisse
Sid Harta Publishers, 2010. ISBN: 1921642149.
(Ages: 12 +) Fourteen year old Leo Spencer goes to bed at the beginning
of this novel after saving a lost puppy from rough surf during the day;
he wakes up and he is dead. Having realised that he is dead, and there
is nothing that he or his family could do about bringing him back to
life, Leo sets out to discover the cause of his death. In doing so, he
discovers the 'great white light' and follows this to Heaven where is
reunited with his Guardian Angel, Jezeral. Leo discovers that he had
requested that his life as 'Leo Spencer' was short because he was due
to become an Angel soon after his death. Accordingly, Leo is given his
wings and becomes a Guardian Angel himself. In Heaven Leo discovers the
House of Records in which is recorded the preeminent disaster that was
due to befall his family on earth in a tragic house fire. He notices
that has been a recent alteration and as result Leo sets out to
discover who or what changed this record and what he might need to do
to save his family. In doing so, he discovers evil beings have
infiltrated the security of the Heaven's House of Records. The Wings of Leo Spencer is a unique fantasy story loosely based
on
concepts of Heaven, death, Guardian Angels and destiny. The story is a
bit slow moving in parts when the rules of Heaven and its hierarchy are
explained but becomes more engaging as it draws towards its climax.
This book is recommended for upper primary to lower secondary students,
with some caution taken with the religious themes of God, Angels and
Heaven.
Adam Fitzgerald
The glasshouse by Paul Collins and Jo Thompson
Ford St, 2010. ISBN 978 1921665045.
Highly recommended. This picture book is a modern parable about the
themes of obsessing with perfection; being a loner; friendship, and
being resistant to change. This is certainly a change of genre from
prolific Australian fantasy author Paul Collins, but he proves to be
multi-talented.
Clara, the central character, has bright orange hair, a freckled face
and sorrowful eyes and lives in isolation growing perfect pumpkins in
her perfect glasshouse. The vegetable growers, who initially
flocked to her door stopped doing so after she became obsessive about
keeping bugs or bad soil from the outside world out and thus made them
wear gloves and remove their shoes.
One dark haired boy kept returning and even showed Clare his pumpkin,
which she derided, saying 'It's not the perfect colour.' His
reply of, 'It's a different shade of orange, but it's still a pumpkin,'
had a moral to it. He went on to say that it must be lonely for
her in the glasshouse alone and that she should go to the market.
Eventually no buyers came to Clara's glasshouse anymore and her
pumpkins suffered and got blemishes. Clara thought more and more
about the boy and eventually went outside and picked up a stone.
The illustrations by Jo Thompson are stunning and very colourful and
this book will appeal to the very young child for this alone. The
storyline is easy to read but raises a variety of questions about how
to live one's life. Older primary students will be able to
evaluate and discuss these. More information is available
for
teachers on the Ford Street site.
Kay Haarsma (Salisbury East HS)
Underground by Chris Morphew
The Phoenix Files Book 4. Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. ISBN: 978
1921502422.
Highly recommended for ages 10 and up. There are now only 49 days left
until the end of the world. With Peter strapped to a bed in an
underground laboratory, Luke and Jordan's arrival is met in a most
intriguing way. Somehow, Kara and Soren appear to have been expecting
and waiting for Luke's arrival for many years. Although Luke and his
friends believed they knew all of their enemies in Phoenix, they now
need to comprehend the role of the new additions to the list. Managing
to escape and return to the town, Luke and Jordan realise that
Shackleton's rules seem to be changing. They need to help not only
their parents but Peter. Later, the revelation of a confronting secret
makes the heroes re-assess their plans yet again, as time continues to
be a constant threat.
Morphew has created a winning series in The Phoenix Files. With its
similarities to the adult program 24, he has his protagonists racing
against the clock to save humanity. There is never a dull moment and
the suspense continues to build. The large, clear, well spaced type and
the dated, diary style entries keep one eagerly reading to see how each
episode will be resolved. With the arrival of an important new
character, Luke's growth and development as an individual are
highlighted as he takes on more responsibility for tactical planning,
working together with the various adults. Relationships within the
group and the town change and develop, also contributing to the plot.
The fact that underground has a dual focus on action and relationships,
this book should hold equal appeal to both male and female readers.
With the next books unavailable until February and September of next
year, there will be many readers eagerly waiting in suspense! This is a
fantastic series!
Jo Schenkel
Daisy plays hide-and-seek by Ellie Sandall
Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781405254571 (pbk).
Jake decides to have a game of hide-and-seek with Daisy, the cow.
On the surface, it would seem that Jake would always be a winner
because, really, how can you hide if you are a cow? But Daisy is
no ordinary cow. She is a strange magical colourful kind of cow
and no matter how hard Jake looks, he cannot find her. He looks in high
places and low places, muddy places and clean places, even sunny places
and spooky places but he cannot see her. He even thinks she might have
tricked him and hidden with her friends in the cow paddock! He is
so sad and is about to give up when something magical happens!
The ending is just as it should be for this age group.
This is another story from the author of Birdsong
which I reviewed in
April after Kindergarten had so much fun performing it. I'm
delighted to say that it is just as engaging. Experience has
shown me that children love to search for hidden objects in stories,
often focusing on that rather than the story itself, so that this story
which relies on them looking for Daisy is guaranteed to attract and
intrigue and help them learn about the intrinsic entertainment of
stories. There were shouts of pleasure as they tried to be the
first to find Daisy, and Jayden introduced us to the word 'camouflage',
which gave an alternative little boy some very positive kudos from his
peers. We had lots of fun thinking about where else on the farm
Daisy could hide, bringing the language of the country to the city, and
then, of course, we had to have a game of our own.
Ellie Sandall knows just how to connect with the very young through her
words and her pictures. Hopefully, there will be more titles from
her soon.
Barbara Braxton
Family forest by Kim Kane and Lucia Masciullo
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2010. ISBN 9781921564703. Family forest has been nominated for the CBCA Picture Book of
the Year
Awards for 2011 and it truly fits this year's Children's Book Week
theme of 'One world, many stories.'
Its dedication to the author's 'pre-cooked' and 'home-baked' children
gives an indication of its theme of blended families, step-sisters and
brothers, step-dads and mums and all the connotations that children
find themselves living in today. Through its hilarious
illustrations, it explores what is meant by terms like 'half-sister',
and step-mum (and she's not an evil witch as the fairytales portray),
and shows that whatever its configuration, a family is just a group of
people with very special bonds built on love. The connections are more
than biological birth details. Instead of having a family tree, this
little girl is lucky enough to have a family forest!
As teachers of our time, we know that traditional topics like 'Who's in
your family?', Mother's Day and Father's Day, and 'Construct your
family
tree' have to be undertaken with a certain sensitivity because, despite
what some would want us to believe, the notion of a family being a
mother, father and their offspring is not the reality for many of our
students.' This beautiful book offers an opportunity for the
children to explore all the different structures that can constitute a
family and that their particular situation, while special, is not
unique.' It opens the door for discussions about circumstances
that might help them feel a part of the group rather than isolated from
it.' It also allows those who are in a 'traditional' environment
to understand that there are all sorts of arrangements that can be
called a family and that just because a mummy and daddy don't love each
other, it doesn't mean they don't love their children.
This is a true example of a picture book - the text and illustrations
are so closely and beautifully interwoven that neither can stand alone
as richly without the other, rather like family members.' The text
is simple, but with a strong message brought to life by the humorous
pencil and watercolour pictures.
While its initial appeal is the younger market, it is often the older
primary student who is starting to examine, compare and question what
is beyond their immediate situation and so this book has an important
place in the collection.
Barbara Braxton
Hope: the everyday and imaginary life of young people on the margins by Simon Robb et al.
Wakefield Press, Adelaide; 2010.
This publication came about as a result of a University of Adelaide
Research Project from 2006-8 titled Doing Social Sustainability:
the
utopian image of youth on the margins in schools.
The material was collected using a variety of methodologies including
visual anthropology. Photo-elicitation was used with subjects
being given disposable cameras to record aspects of their life, so the
book has many photographs and drawings.
The book is roughly divided into three sections, with the young people
telling their stories, then teachers working in their schools give
their opinions, and finally the four researchers give summaries from
their viewpoints.
The preface talks about the complexities of hope and states 'some of
this material might confront the reader, assault our gentle
sensibilities '. The young people certainly do that with
statements such as 'I don't trust anyone,' 'I don't reckon the world is
going to be around much longer,' and 'when I think about hope I think
about dope plants.' However there are alternate
views expressed, such as 'hope is a new beginning' and 'I want a home
and an everyday life like you see in an f--- movie.'
Teachers talk of the difficulty of educating in schools in poorer
socio-economic areas, with one saying; 'You had a persona that you've
had for 20 odd years, and you've got to drop it because it doesn't work
here and it's very confronting.' The importance of relationships
for young people is a constant and the hopefulness of teaching is based
around 'relationships of openness, friendship and caring.'
This would be a useful book for new teachers to read, so as to have
some understanding of what the world looks like to students growing up
on the margins of society. The book or even just chapters
of it could also be used in personal development lessons with older
secondary students.
Kay Haarsma
Taj and the great camel trek by Rosanne Hawke
UQP, 2011. ISBN 9780702238772.
Highly recommended. Historical. When Taj rides his camel, Mustara hard
against Tommy, the boy from the coast, in a camel race at Beltana, he
longs to win to show the men that he and his camel are ready to join
their expedition across the Australian continent to Perth. But it is
not to be, Mr Giles chooses his camels from the experienced and older
animals, but later, after Mustara brings Taj and Emmeline back after a
dust storm has obliterated their tracks, he changes his mind. So begins
the journey that will change things for Taj and his father, as well as
the finding of a land route to Perth in the new colonies.
Taj, raised by his father in the Afghan tradition, initially struggles
to find his place in the land of his birth. He must work out what lies
beyond the smiles and the words of the 7 other men on the expedition,
and accepting friendship when it is offered from people vastly
different from himself. He learns the forbearance of his father in
coming to a new country for work, only to have his wife die and who,
through songs and stories of his homeland, passes on the attitudes of
his culture needed by Taj as he matures.
Forget the dry dusty lessons about Australia's early explorers, this
story of Ernest Giles' expedition across the continent is mesmerising,
as Hawke uses Giles' journals and accounts meticulously. In her capable
hands the story, embellished only by the inclusion of the 13 year old
boy to make the tale accessible to a younger audience, comes to life. A
new generation of readers will learn of Giles' expedition as they dive
into the story of Taj and his camel, Mustara crossing Australia's
desert from Port Augusta to Perth in 1875. And what a journey they will
have!
An historical novel that stands out, Taj and the great camel trek,
informs
as
well as entertains. No long descriptions or afterwords are
necessary as Hawke includes all the detail the reader needs to know as
part of the story. We learn of the days without water, the search for
waterholes, the brushes with indigenous groups, and above all the
camels, the group becoming almost a character within the story. The
reader soaks up the facts, woven subtly into the fabric of the story,
making the whole fascinating and involving.
Fran Knight
The aunties three by Nick Bland
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9781741697919.
(Ages 5+) Highly recommended. When the three aunties are about to come
visiting, the house is in an uproar. Things must be put away, games
disassembled, manners remembered and voices calmed down. The three
children are reminded to get the women a cup of tea, offer biscuits,
and be on their best behaviour for the visit. Of course things do not
turn out well: the cat eats one auntie's hat and so she leaves, the
second aunt sits on the broken chair and so she leaves. When the
children try and cook something for the last aunt, they are all covered
in baked beans. A funny and appealing story with a laugh on every page
will have immediate appeal to younger readers, while the twist in the
end will cause more laughter.
The illustrations are fantastic, colourful and full of fun. On each
page is a variety of things to watch out for, adding another level of
humour to an already laugh out loud story. The wallpaper, the
children's clothes, the aunties, even the fridge are triggers for a
smile.
With a large dose of whimsy, this book is an ideal read-a-loud,
inviting the children to add their voices to those of the aunts and the
children in the story.
Fran Knight
Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan
Ill. by Mike Lowery. Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408814413.
Picture book. Frog and Bunny are best friends. They do everything
together. They go swimming, eat peanut butter sandwiches and even fight
monsters. But sometimes they don't get along and they have to work out
how to stay friends.
In an original and unusual picture book, Ryan has written a
rhyming story that will appeal to boys who like mechanical toys and
robots. The repetition of the words 'Ribbit, rabbit' with variations
following it like 'Zip it, zap it' and 'Trip it, trap it' make it a fun
book to read aloud. It is a story that will make the young listener and
reader become aware of the intricate patterns of words and want to try
out new rhymes for themselves.
The ups and downs of friendship are effortlessly included in the
story as they fight over little and big things but realise what they
have to do to make up. Ryan manages to convey in very few words how
lonely it can be when you have had a fight with your best friend and
also how difficult it is to make up.
The quirky drawings by Mike Lowery are cartoon like, and Frog and Bunny
are endearing characters, their facial expressions bringing the meaning
of the text to life. The young reader is challenged to follow the
illustrations as they show what is happening to the two main characters
and are an integral part of the story.
This is an intriguing picture book that I will keep for my young
grandson.
Pat Pledger
