Larrikin House publishers are committed to publishing... "quirky, edgy, original, funny, kid-focused books...and "engaging readers at an early age"...and they believe in fun. Otto's Ink-redible first day of school fits the bill on all of these counts. It also fits the bill on being a warm and helpful story to read when it comes to helping children face their fears (in this case-the first day of school) and helping children to recognise that fear can make you do embarrassing things like... release ink by mistake! It's always comforting to know that other people (in this case Otto the octopus) have similar fears to you. If you feel shy and you hope other people don't know and you don't want to give yourself away by blushing or something else embarrassing - so does Otto. Otto has an even worse problem than you because when he is scared and shy he releases ink and there is no hiding it! Poor Otto!
Toowoomba-based author, Rory H. Mather, is a best-selling author of over 15 picture books. Otto's Ink-redible first day of school, in Mather's signature style, is brimming with humour and heart. Otto's Ink-redible first day of school, follows a strong poetic rhythm. Each stanza follows the pattern A, B,C,B. Wonderful alliteration accompanies the verse..." Underneath the wobbly waves, hiding in his grotto, is where you'll find a smart and friendly Octopus named Otto." Of course he is hiding. He doesn't want to come out for fear of embarrassment. But he has to...it's the first day of school! He looks so worried! Otto has had ink accidents before. He overthinks, he gets to school, things happen, he learns and sometimes little accidents continue to happen. Children will learn some wonderful new sea related vocabulary...just a few words like "grotto" and "mollusc". They wiill read many different emotions on the faces of the characters. They will experience suspense and opportunities to predict the next word when pages are turned based on rhyme and storyline.
This book is set in the depths of the deep ocean where octopuses go to school. Brisbane-based author Rebel Challenger has created a wonderful underwater world for Otto complete with the real sea creatures that you might see - angler fish, wword fish, star fish, sea horses, rays, sharks and clams - they all display individual characters. Their emotions shine through in Challenger's drawings. Otto is full of personality and goes through a range of feelings that are clearly expressed on his face and in his behaviour. He does a lot of hiding. Eight tentacles are very helpful when it comes to self-expression! The characters are very sweet in all their busyness: swimming around, responding to Otto, purposefully and cheerfully carrying their school bags, wearing glasses and doing paperwork at their undersea school desks. Challenger has created a lot of fun for the young reader through the presentation of the cast of fishy characters who share Otto's first day at school. She says that her artwork is..."colourful, a bit silly and most of the characters... seem to be a bit confused and wondering how they got there..." This applies to the delightful characters in Otto's Ink-redible first day of school.
Otto's Ink-redible first day of school is a delightful story, populated with joyous sea creatures and sharing the message about not overthinking and worrying about being shy. Every pre-school setting and library could do with a copy or two for reading as children prepare for their transition to school. It is a fun and comforting shared reading experience for children, teachers and parents alike. Delightful!
Themes Having courage, Resilience, Starting school, Friends, Shyness.
Wendy Jeffrey
The experiment by Rebecca Stead
Text Publishing, 2025. ISBN: 9781923058576. (Age:9-13) Highly recommended.
Nathan lives with family secrets. He also has an interest in the Calvin and Hobbes comics and a close school friend called Victor (who is a bit like Calvin - the mischievous one, to Nathan’s Hobbes - the more pensive soul). Nathan’s family are mostly like other families, except for their strict adherence to certain ‘pink’ toothbrushing regimes and critical analysis of everything that Nathan eats, plus strange connections via Zoom meetings with other isolated children across America. When Izzy, one of his Zoom friends (and first crush), raises queries about their life and possible origins, it sparks a mysterious search for explanations. The growth of a Hobbes-like tail on Nathan creates all sorts of crises in the family with the likelihood of alien origins a real possibility. Nathan feels compelled to investigate the alien backstory for his unusual family demeanour and finds an experimental explanation that both distresses and confounds him. Have his parents really arrived on earth via spacecraft or is there an evil explanation? An unfolding mystery and possible alien rescue (or is that a rescue from aliens?) ensues. Mystery, aliens and adventure wound together with friendship and even a centuries-old spaceship are a winning combination.
This is a book like few others. Forget aliens that are green with winking antennas (goodbye to Hollywood representation!), this is a creative alien rescue story that defies stereotypes. The gentle charm of Nathan (in Year 6) and his ‘alien’ family, wrapped with a hint of ET (the movie) and an impossible transformation via alien ‘invasion’ creates an altogether different sci-fi adventure. There is warmth in the relationships, an element of confusion in the trajectory of ‘The Experiment’ and a few twists and turns along the way. It has a naive quality (Calvin and Hobbes gentleness), and also a hint of early romance interest, but an almost growth-to-independence quality. Otherwise, the fear factor is low … just intriguing drama. Rebecca Stead has created an eminently readable tale for younger sci-fi fans aged 9-13. I enjoyed every part of this unusual story, and I am sure younger readers will also be captivated by the uniqueness of the plot.
The little book of mining by Kate Harvey. Illus. by Mel Corrigan
Little Steps, 2025. ISBN: 9781923306264. (Age:3-6 years)
The little book of mining is written by Kate Harvey (a mum and FIFO worker) who recognises the importance of children (especially children of FIFO workers) knowing a bit about what their parents do when they are at work. Kate is a mining engineer herself, having grown up in Australia's Pilbara region and now working FIFO (Fly in Fly out) back in the iron ore mine sites. Melbourne based illustrator Mel Corrigan has created a sweeping red landscape that captures a 24 hour time picture of two shifts on a mining site. Artistic focus is on the yellow machines that are introduced in the book and these machines sit within the sandy backdrop under skies of different colours. The landscapes have the feel of watercolour with the machinery in sharper relief. Wildlife look on from vantage points and from the periphery on most pages. Perhaps there is a question there. What are you people doing to our land? A wedgetail eagle hovers during the day and bats take over during the night.
Harvey has chosen a familiar rhyming pattern using the well-known "The wheels on the bus.." tune. Words from the original song are substituted so we begin with, "The boss of the shift says, 'Please be safe, please be safe, please be safe...' " The book is therefore in song format. Each vehicle introduced receives the attention of a double page spread.
Females are visible in all work situations on the mines and always in leadership at the beginning and end of shifts. This reader would have preferred a balance of male and females in leadership positions so that both little boys and little girls can see themselves taking those roles.
As an introduction to mining machinery and the mining industry this interactive picture book works well. The reading process lends itself to a shared fun experience being a song. Questions at the back are closed but may be useful for a parent or teacher to ask a child to go back and count, look at colours and name machines etc. It would be nice if children have access to these machines in toy model form to play with in a sand pit to accompany this book and consolidate learning with hands on activity.
Themes Mining industry workers, Australian Pilbara desert animals, Mining machinery.
Wendy Jeffrey
Detective Galileo: The dogfather by Pete Helliar. Illus. by Andrew Joyner
Australian comedian and television personality Pete Helliar is no newcomer to the world of children's fiction, having released six Frankie Fish books, a picture book and now two books in the new Detective Galileo series. The Dogfather is the second in the series, the first being Detective Galileo and a third, Chaos at the Cat Cafe, to be released soon. Unsurprisingly, Andrew Joyner's illustrations are perfect and the series is aimed at a slighly younger audience than Frankie Fish. Larger text, less pages and black-and-white illustrations on each page provide a perfect segue series for young readers who love graphic novels but are ready for the challenge of larger blocks of text. Varied text adds interest and relatively simple vocabulary makes the read achievable for young readers.
Galileo is a horse who, in the first instalment of the series, captured a 'cat' burglar. His newly established detective agency runs on the grounds of Happy Valley Farm, home to a motley assortment of anthropomorphic animals, but there are also humans. Wonderful figurative language abounds throughout and adds most of the dry humour: 'trembling like a plant in the shadow of a dog's lifted hind leg', 'as confused as a hand puppet on the hand of a statue'.
This series would work well as a classroom or home read aloud, but it falls a little flat in terms of added pizzazz that could have been achieved considering the potential of the setting and characters. The mystery plot itself (the Dogfather is protecting the sheep and chickens by stopping them giving up their milk and eggs to the farm collective) seems like an odd choice and while there is an attempt to make the characters unique and interesting, they all seem lacking. The Dogfather reference will also only be relevant to an adult, leaving children confused or unmoved.
Themes Humour, Mystery.
Nicole Nelson
The hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens
St Martin's Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781250424464. (Age:16+, Adult) Recommended.
It’s 1976, American couple Alice and Tom are setting off together on a long road-trip holiday across Canada, heading for the Montreal Olympics. They are trying to repair their fractured relationship following the still-birth of their much longed-for child. Along the way, they pick up two young hitchhikers obviously doing it tough. Tom’s eager friendliness sees the four of them travelling together much longer than Alice would have wished. There are hints that the two youngsters, Simon and Jenny, have not had a good start to their lives, they are on the run from their pasts, and Jenny is pregnant. However when Alice reads in the news that the two hitchhikers are wanted for a horrific stabbing murder, things start turning nightmarish. Tables are turned and Alice and Tom become the unwilling captives in an out-of-control scenario which sees them also fugitives from the law.
Both female characters are dependent on their partners. For Alice, Tom has always been the solid and stable support in their relationship. It is only when he is incapacitated that she has to step up and use her wits to work out how they can survive. Equally, the young Jenny, timid and subdued, relies on Simon to keep her safe. The problem is that Simon is wildly unpredictable and violent, and at each turn, there is more brutality, something she seems naively able to shut off, as long as he says he’ll take care of her.
The tension is high in this thriller written in short chapters largely from Alice’s point of view, but occasional chapters from Jenny reveal a backstory that becomes increasingly darker. The four characters are trapped together, Alice and Tom are held hostage in fear for their lives and there is no way to get help, no mobile phones, and Simon always has a gun to their heads. It is up to the women in this story to find their inner strength and take action. There is a twist, as in all good thrillers, but no spoilers from me, you’ll have to read the book. Chevy Steven's earlier novel Still missing is a bestseller and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel, so you know you will be in for a scary ride.
Pan Macmillan, 2025. ISBN: 9781035011438. (Age:Adult, Young adult)
Sociologist Dr Sloane Hartley has a distinguished academic career but that means nothing to 18-month-old Isla, the daughter she loves so entirely that she feels she will never be a good enough mother, a feeling reinforced by her scrolling the social media sites touting the cult of perfect motherhood. Husband Max is logical, condescending and patronising about her concerns, pointing out that Isla needs to start daycare so Sloane can join him at the university, enhancing his position. Sophomore Nina on the other hand is quite clear about her abilities, however as a female she needs not only achievements but connections for success, as well as being beautiful and participating in acceptable philanthropy. Not being white is an extra hurdle but joining a prestigious sorority at a prestigious college should give her the career edge she needs. At the fall recruitment Nina sets her sights on ‘The House” the most exclusive of the campus sororities and uses her frequent calls to her dismissive twin sister, Jas, to explain her decision to join and find an all-female cohort that is supportive and connected to success. Nina’s first year was marred by trauma, and she needs this safe space. The rituals on joining involve initiation followed by the indulgent Monday night dinners where women eat together “unencumbered by shame” p99. Once Sloane has Isla at childcare she starts work at the college and is befriended by Alex, who appears to be a prefect mother to 3-year-old Theo and seems to understand Sloane’s anxieties. Alex is an alumni advocate for The House sorority, and she asks Sloane to become a volunteer faculty advisor.
This satire looks at power and lust in an eat or be eaten world where women need to take drastic steps to succeed in a world based on the patriarchy. The increasingly relevant social media successes like that of “The Country Wife” point to a disruptor in some of the usual pathways. Olivie Blake’s writing on motherhood feels genuine and timeless, like the feeling that there will come a time “when Isla would be less dependent on her, and Sloane would no longer be desperate to be left alone for two fucking seconds – unlike the current state of being, where a toddler was constantly tugging her clothes down for something, a less (more?) demoralizing version of a randy husband.” p107. Blake's sharp observations on the American campus life and what it takes to succeed were interesting and quite foreign to Australia. I wasn't convinced by the cannibalism, I would have been more willing to entertain a conjuring of magic in the sorority than the idea of wellness being associated with human flesh. Like Blake's other works I enjoyed the insightful writing and the wry look at where we find ourselves in today’s world.
Themes Women's fiction, Satirical social commentary, Power and ambition.
Sue Speck
Playtime with Dad by Shen Shixi. Illus. by Zhang Yue
Little Steps, 2025. ISBN: 9781923306479. (Age:3-6 years)
Author Shen Shixi, born in Shanghai, has served on many prestigious literary committees including the Children's Literature Committee of Chinese Writer's Association. Shen's work has received numerous accolades. Illustrator Zhang He is a teacher at the Tianjin Acacdemy of Fine Arts whose work has likewise received many awards. Playtime with Dad (released in December 2025 by Little Steps Publishing, NSW) is a picture book for 6-9 year olds that is the delightful result of the collaboration of author and illustrator.
Playtime with Dad is a warm and cheerful story. Mao Mao introduces herself on the first page... " My name is Mao Mao and I'm four years old. I LOVE playing games with my Dad." From then on one sentence repeats throughout..."When I want to... Dad becomes..." Children will enjoy the repetition and the prompting of the question...what next and what will Dad do? The book finishes with sleep, a new day and the question... can we do this all again? Dad transforms from a beleagured business man in blue to a vibrant, happy, playful Dad.
The double page images blend perfectly with the text. Soft, crayon wash style pictures bring out the joyfulness of Mao Mao and her dad. Each drawing contains considerable detail for the young reader to spot with real life tied up in the stream of Mao Mao's swirling imagination. There are two other little characters who make regular appearances on most pages- a little tan and white dog and its puppy. They enter into the various role plays with great gusto and are another parallel storyline to look out for.
Playtime with Dad, through the use of the refrain, encourages children to build rhythm, memorisation, vocabulary and sentence structure. It invites participation and observation of elements through its engaging text and illustrations. The predictability promotes calm and a feeling of mastery in young readers and the recurring sentence anchors the plot.
Playtime with Dad is a charming picture book that will leave readers smiling.
Themes Role play with dad, Imagination, Adventure.
Wendy Jeffrey
Amity by Nathan Harris
Tinder Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781035404681. (Age:Adult, young adult)
In 1864 Wyatt Harper, once deputy surveyor for the Confederate government, left to seek opportunities across the border in Mexico after the civil war loss. Mrs. Harper, and their daughter Florence were sent to family in Baton Rouge, New Orleans with their servant, formerly enslaved, nineteen-year-old Coleman. He and his older sister, June, had been wedding presents from Mrs. Harper’s parents when they were just ten and twelve, and growing up in the house together Florence and June had been like sisters. With slavery abolished they stayed on as family servants, but June became a favourite with Mr. Harper, and when he left for Mexico he took her with him. Two years later, after having heard nothing, Amos Turlow arrives with a letter from Mr Harper resulting in Mrs Harper, Florence and Coleman, with the dog, Oliver, setting out for Mexico to be reunited, Coleman seizing the only chance he will have to find June, Florence resolved to reclaim her father. After departing from New Orleans on a steamer with Turlow as escort the women enjoy the luxury and social life on board, but it is not long before disaster strikes, changing the quest to a struggle for survival.
Through sustained, reflective storytelling Harris develops the central characters gradually revealing what drives them. The enslaved June and Coleman might have been freed but a lifetime of servitude has robbed them of the ability to control their own lives. For June, having to rise to “the obligations of the day” has given her stamina and resilience while Coleman’s gentle nature, determined innocence and love of learning make the courage he must find, facing his fear of the unknown, quite remarkable. Florence and Coleman find themselves unwilling companions, relying on each other for survival, stripped of all support, Florence’s determined pragmatism is able to push them forward at the worst of times and the dog becomes their wild card, a go between whose unconditional affection gets them out of some sticky situations without violence. The unfamiliar desert setting of the Mexican borderlands, contested, each with their own agenda, by the French, Americans, Indians, Mexicans and those escaping the fallout of enslavement, makes an interesting backdrop to a little-known aspect of history.
Themes Historical fiction, American Civil War era, Mexican borderlands, Courage, Freedom, Adventure.
Sue Speck
Emmie builds something new by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall
Emmie is an inventor, one who tackles every problem head on. She lives in an attic where all the unwanted things are stored, and she cleverly fashions them into something else more useful. And she is tiny, a little mouse living amongst a pile of throwaways.
All is good until the day she sees a known shape against the curtain and cowers when a pair of very alert eyes peer through her window.
She thinks about the problem, then collects all the things she may need. She makes an inventive lion which springs into action. But it does not keep together and the cat is still there, menacing. So Emma tries again. She makes a dog like creature and they swoop upon their enemy, but again without success.
So she thinks and thinks, realising that she will have to think bigger. And this she does. A huge creations stamps, stomps and splashes its way to the cat. The cat is so scared that we only see its back end jumping off the page. But as it sits damp and scrawny beneath a chair, Emma can see it is not scary at all. She has another idea, she smooches up to the cat, making an automatic comb for its fur and a bell collar. Together they live in the attic where they are now the best of friends.
This lovely story of two enemies becoming friends will have the readers searching each page for the incredible detail.
This story about friendship and kindness, is beautifully illustrated with detailed, involved images. Each page is a study in itself, as readers follow the steps Emmie takes to develop her inventions. Each of her three animals is an absolute treat, as readers check out the rejected detritus and how it is recycled to make a ferocious creature.
A lovely story of friendship and kindness, as Emma changes her mind when she sees the helpless kitten, a far cry from the ferocious animal she spied through the curtain. Children will laugh along with Emma as she builds things to terrify the cat, and sing her praises when she takes the kitten into the attic as her friend. A disarming tale of friendship.
Gone before goodbye by Harlan Coben & Reese Witherspoon
Century, 2025. ISBN: 9781529956887. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary)
I have enjoyed many of Harlan Coben’s novels, like Run away and Don’t let go so I couldn’t resist picking up Gone before goodbye to see what the collaboration between Witherspoon and Coben produced. It turned out to be a gripping thriller, and one that kept my interest because of the description of the role of AI in coping with grief and the dilemmas of medical ethics which are strong themes. Opening with a suspenseful chapter where Dr Marc Adams is performing heart surgery in a North African refugee camp under attack by militants, the novel then swings to a chapter where Maggie McCabe, disgraced combat surgeon, and still mourning the death of Adams, is at a ceremony to honour her mother. Maggie may have lost her licence to practise medicine, but not her passion for it, and when she is offered a job by a colleague there, treating a mega-rich Russian, Oleg Ragoravich, and his mistress, Nadia, she jumps at the chance. Not only will she be performing surgery again, but she and her sister will be free of debt. Maggie is then plunged into the world of the mega-rich, travelling on private jets, working in a palace with its own medical centre and confronting danger at every turn. Who can she trust? Is Trace her husband’s partner still alive? Why has Nadia an identical tattoo to the one that Marc had on his thigh? Why has Oleg Ragoravich disappeared?
There is pathos with Maggie’s attempt to manage her grief using a ‘griefbot’ that has been designed by Sharon her sister-in-law, and the role of cosmetic surgery in augmenting the beauty of the young women that the very rich men want is disturbing. Her father-in-law, Porkchop is an intriguing character, an old bikie with many friends, and is there to guard her when she performs an illegal heart transplantation.
As Maggie is plunged into death defying chases and escapes, the reader is swept along into the world of billionaires, with luxury apartments in Dubai, trendy night clubs and lush vineyards in Bordeaux. Then there is that stunning conclusion!
Gone Before Goodbye held my attention – it is recommended as an easy-to-read escapist thriller with thought provoking themes of medical ethics and AI.
Themes Thriller, Billionaires, Grief, Medical ethics, AI.
Pat Pledger
How to go to big school by Sarah Ayoub & Mimi Purnell
This warm and gentle look at a child going to the big school, is positive in its outlook and text, making it a wonderful book to share with younger readers. The story starts and finishes with the positive values of going to school, from getting ready in the morning to being greeted by the teacher when arriving at school. At school there will be some rules to follow: asking to go to the toilet, washing hands, picking up rubbish.
Before school a bag is to be packed, with a bottle of water to last all day, a lunchbox containing cubed fruit and vegetable pieces along with a sandwich. And a hat to wear outside.
In verse form, the stanzas are easy to read out loud, and children will be able to see all the good things about going to school. One page however talks about being wary and school possibly scary, which may prompt some children to share their trepidation at going to school.
But most of the book is positive in its attitude, asking the children to put up their hands to ask questions, be respectful and take their turn. At school they will learn lots of things and make friends who will be their friends to play with at recess and lunch. The end of the day will come around quickly, but as they return home, they will be reminded that it will all be repeated tomorrow.
Supported by warm, reassuring images, readers will identify with the smiling young girl on the cover and watch her closely as the story unfolds. They will take notice of the warm, loving family, the supportive teacher and the happy laughing groups at school.
Themes Family, School, Friendship.
Fran Knight
Ultra Violet: Escape from Uranus by Cristy Burne and Rebel Challenger
Ultra Violet: Escape from Uranus, created by Cristy Burne and Rebel Challenger, is a wildly energetic, laugh out loud second instalment in the Ultra Violet graphic novel series. Young readers will be hooked from the first panel. Fast, funny and bursting with facts, this book proves that learning and laughter make a brilliant team.
The story reunites readers with Violet Butt, her talking pet hermit crab, Leonardo Da Pinchi, and her best friend Izzy Kelly. Burne cleverly includes a recap of previous mayhem, making it easy for new readers to jump straight in, which is great because the unfinished alien problem reappears, and it needs fixing pronto!
As the trio are launched into another chaotic adventure, this time heading into space, this extremely fast pace story is relentless in the best possible way. There is always something happening, and readers will feel as though their heads are spinning as they race through panels packed with action, jokes and clever visual details.
The humour is shamelessly silly, with plenty of fart-based comedy, but it’s balanced with genuinely impressive educational content. Readers absorb fascinating facts about space, biology and chemistry almost without realising they’re learning.
Rebel Challenger’s illustrations are a standout feature. The bold, cartoon-style artwork is expressive and packed with visual gags. Challenger even includes side notes directly to the reader, commenting on how or why certain things have been drawn, which adds another layer of comedy and makes the reading experience feel interactive and playful.
Cristy Burne keeps the story moving at top speed, expertly juggling humour, science and adventure. There is certainly a lot going on, but it never feels overwhelming - instead, it creates a joyful sense of controlled chaos that perfectly suits the tone.
Ultra Violet: Escape from Uranus is ideal for reluctant or enthusiastic readers alike, especially those who love graphic novels, science, and humour that’s a little bit cheeky. It’s non-stop entertainment that proves books can be both smart and silly - sometimes at the same time!
The Whispering Night concludes the gripping Luminaries trilogy, following The Luminaries and The hunting moon. Winnie Wednesday is beginning to feel happier - she and Ericia Thursday are talking again, and Jay Friday is no longer being hunted as a werewolf. They join as a group, trying to collect clues about the disappearance of Winnie’s father and Erica’s late sister Jenna. Winnie is no longer ostracized, instead she is welcomed by her peer group and her romance with Jay is growing. This all falls apart when she is confronted by a formidable Diana who gives her a short deadline to perform an impossible task, one that threatens not only the people she loves but all of Hemlock Falls.
Readers are brought up to speed about events in the previous two books by Dennard with some non-intrusive background facts and the often-dark narrative is broken up with cultural references, memos about the Midnight Masquerade and fasinating illustrations of the monsters of the forest. While there is nonstop action and suspense that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, it is Winnie’s wonderful character that kept the story alive for me. She is a nerd, curious and determined, desperately wanting to find out what happened to her father and a person who finds it hard to overcome the guilt she suffers because of the deaths in The hunting moon. Her inner monologue is often humorous and lightens some of the darker episodes as she fights age old enemies from the forest.
The trilogy is brought to a heart-stopping and satisfying conclusion with troubling questions answered and friendships renewed. I look forward to more books by Dennard, while older readers may like to try The Witchlands series by this talented author.
Themes Fantasy, Monsters, Coming of age, Friendship.
Pat Pledger
How to have the best school year ever by Jess Sanders. Illus. by Andrea Onishi
Jess Sanders, author of The Five Rules of Friendship, has once again included friendship in her latest picture book How to have the Best School Year Ever. Set to be released in time for the 2026 school year, this engaging narrative attempts to ease the anxiety many children feel when the new school year begins.
With the catchy phrase ‘Best School Year Ever’ this book explains ways that this can be achieved. School can look different for each individual child. Not everyone can connect with a friend straight way, or complete the work easily, maybe they struggle with words or numbers, or even an activity in the playground. The author believes that by setting goals, taking small steps to learn something, practising over and over again, even doing extra learning - all of these might help to enable school to be a positive experience.
Friendship is of vital importance and there are ideas to encourage this to happen: find someone with similar interests, start a conversation with a child who is left out, someone who believes in you, and it is ok to have safe disagreements. There is also the friendship you have within. The kind thoughts you have about yourself rather than the negative self-talk. In the final pages is a valuable and important opportunity for self-reflection on the school year that has passed.
The delightful illustrations throughout this text are clear and colourful and it is wonderful to see such a diverse and inclusive school yard.
Themes New School Year, Friends, Goals, Resilience, Reflection, Inclusivity, Diversity.
Kathryn Beilby
The adventures of Pongo and Stink by Lisa Nicol. Illus. by Karen Blair
Pongo and Stink are two endearing pet pigs who live in a barn owned by Farmer Nic. They both long for a better life, one that involves being fed and treated as well as the farm dog Rollo. Pongo comes up with a plan for them both to disguise themselves as dogs. To do this they need to go into town and find some dog suits. Sure enough this plan goes well, and they get the taste of a dog’s life. They successfully fool humans, including Farmer Nic. He feeds them all sorts of delicious things, and they can sleep inside by the fire. However their efforts to behave as real dogs can’t be sustained. A fox and the farm dog, Rollo, see through their pretence. And their innate pig behaviours, such as their love of food and mud, can’t be restrained and soon put an end to their life as dogs.
This delightful fun story by Lisa Nicol is nicely illustrated by Karen Blair. Pongo is a pretentious, confident risk-taker while Stink is more stuck in his ways and nervous about Pongo’s outlandish plans. They are great friends who support each other despite their quite different personalities. The Adventures of Pongo and Stink will make a great read aloud for a family or an early years class, as well as being suitable for young independent readers. There’s plenty to laugh about with “pigs being pigs” and fart jokes in abundance. I enjoyed the many parts where the pigs realise they need to behave like dogs, such as how to wee like a dog or the need to shake after being drenched. Readers who enjoy the rural setting and feel-good qualities of this story may like to follow up with the classic The Sheep-Pig (Babe) by Dick King-Smith.
