This is the first in a new early chapter book series about PD McPem and her problem solving (another already published is The Puzzling Pet Parade). It's the school holidays and Penelope Delores (PD for short) is spending the day with her grandparents, who are busy doing their annual clean out. When her recorder mysteriously vanishes, PD is worried she will never 'fweet' again but luckily her and grandpa had already decided to start a detective agency so it's fortuitous that there is a mystery to solve! Some beautiful imagery sees clues 'itching' PD and the relationships between PD, Grandma and Grandpa are rich and laden with wonderful dialogue. The theme of memory is strong, both with Grandma seeming to forget things and Grandpa's reminiscing about the past as he sorts through old mementos. There are wonderful inside jokes about the dreaded recorder that parents will enjoy and the hint of a secret that Grandma might just be keeping! Super short paragraphs (maximum of about 5 lines), oodles of white space and a smattering of black and white illustrations make this perfect for newly independent readers, especially those having trouble making the transition to mostly text chapter books but it's also a fabulous read aloud. This is a cleverly put together story, with multiple layers of meaning making it great for inference. Children will have great fun trying to put together the clues themselves to solve the mystery and with a second read they might pick up on some new meanings. There is also a wonderful freedom of childhood depicted here, as PD enjoys her day at her grandparents as they go about daily tasks like cooking, cleaning and gardening while she potters alongside them and makes her own fun.
Themes Mystery Stories, Family, Memory.
Nicole Nelson
Far away Granny by Harriet Cuming. Illus. by Angela Perrini
Little Steps, 2022. ISBN: 9781922358417. (Age:4+) Recommended.
In these times of Covid, many Grans and Grandads are far away, if not in the literal sense, then behind masks and regulations, unable to visit their grandchildren. But in this story, the child and her gran become adept at using their iPads to stay in touch, an electronic device that brings many together, even those for whom the machine was once a mystery.
But sometimes the girl slips through the screen and sends time with Far Away Granny, eats ice cream, particularly chocolate and mint green.
This charming picture book underscores the value of grandparents in children’s lives, concentrating on the communication between them even though far distant from each other. They are pictured using the computer, iPad, mobile phone and postcards, but now and again imagination reigns supreme as she slips through the screen and into Granny’s life.
The rich illustrations take us to the heart of the connection with grandparents, doing things together: visiting art galleries, flying in hot air ballooning, playing together in the playground and on a roller coaster, swimming, going to the theatre and cinema. But in this story many of these activities are done using social media, with Far Away Granny just too far away to do things together. Readers will enjoy deciding which are events done together or in the fantasy world the girl creates.
When they cannot visit each other they can do some facetime on their iPad, showing each other what they are eating or drawing or doing. In this way they keep in touch, but best of all is when the girl slips through the screen.
Readers will love the image of the child slipping through the screen, seeing her Granny and being with her, knowing the her Gran is never really far away.
Courage is an essential skill, and who knew it had so many facets! Magnolia Moon shares all, in the most wonderful adventures ever!
The Courage of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt is the third book in the Magnolia Moon novels. A heart-warming tale that shares bravery, tenacity, reflection and love. It is a delight to have Magnolia Moon back again sharing her vulnerabilities, and observations of life through her eyes.
Magnolia Moon is a ten (well, almost eleven) year old girl who is sweet, kind and thoughtful. Throughout the novel she explores the courage required to admit mistakes, stand up to bullies and work through many other situations in everyday life, and show how to build and develop the courage required. The reader feels a strong sense of connection and understanding as to how Magnolia is feeling, while she tackles day to day life in a seemingly almost magical, yet completely realistic world.
Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of courage, but they are each interwoven as the reader meanders through life with Magnolia. The whimsical tales, almost melodical in their gentleness, are a calming and soothing read, with metaphors and similes easily conjuring pictures and emotions in a most refreshing and entertaining manner.
Edwina Wyatt has cleverly created another beautiful story to keep her audience captivated and enchanted by sweet Magnolia Moon. The novel gives the audience the opportunity to see the world through Magnolia’s eyes and make endearing connections. Delving into emotions and situations that are real and refreshing, readers are given the opportunity to reflect and gain strength in their own interactions with family and friends. A captivating novel that gives the audience the opportunities to reflect on the courage and bravery they display in their own life or aspire to do so next time.
A truly beautiful, comforting yet thought-provoking read. Magnolia Moon is a little gem!
Themes Courage, Feelings, Relationships.
Michelle O'Connell
Koko and the coconut by Turia Pitt and Celestine Vaite. Illus. by Emilie Tavaearii
A story of guts and determination follows the trials of Koko, newly emerged from his shell, looking for his first coconut to eat. Koko is nervous, the world outside his shell looks formidable, he must eat the meat on the inside of the coconut if he is to survive but the palm trees are very tall. All around him others support and encourage him, but all he cam hear is the boom boom beating of his heart. But his fear is squashed as he climbs that tree, thinking of the coconut meat waiting for him. At the top he must cut the coconut from its moorings and allow it to fall to the ground. He holds onto a leaf with one claw while he snips through the stalk with the other claw. Scooting down the tree he has another problem, getting the coconut open to eat its meat. He tries several methods over a few days until he finds that throwing stones at it forms a crack in the shell. (Coconut Crabs usually use their very sharp pincers.) Success at last.
A wonderful read about never giving up, the story tells a lot about the author, Turia Pitt, who when competing in an Ironman competition in 2011, was caught in a grassfire causing burns to most of her body. It is a testament to her fortitude and courage that she made it back to inspire others with her determination. Co-authored with her mother, Celesine Vaite, both women are of Tahitian heritage which is celebrated in this wonderful tale. Illustrations by Emilie reflect the beautiful island where she was born. Spending many years in France she returned to Tahiti developing her skills as an illustrator before returning to France where she now lives and works. Her stunning images reflect the island of Tahiti and all of its splendour, and the images of the little crab will endear it to younger readers. How she is able to get Koko’s expressions and feelings with his eyes out on stalks is amazing, and I love the point of view illustrations where the reader sees the height of the tree from Koko’s vantage point, and they are scared with him as he hangs onto a leaf while chopping at the stalk.
More information about the coconut crab can be found here. (Wikipedia and others had pages of information, but the Australian Geographic site is brief and to the point with some photographs paralleling the illustrations in the book). And there are some amazing images on Google, one crab almost covering a black plastic rubbish bin. A YouTube clip can be found here. But watch it yourself before showing to younger children.
Did you watch the six o'clock news last week? There were stories and pictures of people ravaged by a cyclone in Burma and rescued from an earthquake in China. There was a policeman shot, a motorcyclist killed and a young lady who did not know CFCs were banned 20 years ago, crowned as the Australian entrant for the Miss Universe pageant. For most of us, the news will remain just what it was - a regular bulletin of the events of the world in the last 24 hours. Few, unless they are personally involved, will give many of the items a second thought and we will move on to tomorrow after a good night's sleep.
But what of our children who saw the same news? To them, the images can be very confronting and powerful and they don't yet have the experience and maturity to let them go, or to see them in their historical or geographical context. They linger on, forming fears, causing nightmares and starting what-ifs. There are many stories of children afraid to go to their own school because they have seen images of a school massacre on the news, or who won't fly in a plane after seeing the footage of an aircraft crash.
Mark Macleod wrote Tomorrow to counteract the world of gloom and doom that our children can see every evening. He wanted them to know that the world will keep spinning, the sun will keep rising, the birds will keep singing and the plants will keep growing despite all these horrific events.
And so we have what appears to be a simple story with simple line drawings about a child going to sleep at night after sharing a bedtime story, and waking in the morning and getting all the way through the next day with none of those terrible fears eventuating. But it is not just a story for the next day, it is a story for life - of hope and affirmation and inspiration that each of us will be strong enough to survive whatever might befall us. "Tomorrow" becomes "today" and even "yesterday" without our scarcely realising it.
This is a book that deserves a place on library shelves. Parents can share it with their little ones in the comfort and security of the bedtime story, and the astute teacher can use it to begin a conversation about fears and how we can confront them - "Turn, look them in the eye and say you're off to find tomorrow."
A Goodreads choice Award nominee for Best Fantasy 2022, A river enchanted in the first in a fantasy duology by Rebecca Ross (Queen's rising and Queen’s resistance). Set on the island of Cadence, where spirits of fire, water, earth and wind rule, live two warring clans, the Tamerlaines in the east and the Breccans in the west. Adaira is the heiress in the east and when three young girls disappear, she summons Jack Tamerlaine home from university where he has been studying and teaching music. She hopes that his music can reach the spirits and help find the missing girls. Jack has never known his father and has been brought up by his mother Mirin, always feeling isolated and unwanted. When he returns, he discovers he has a sister, Frea, and that Adaira wants him to become the Bard of the west, bringing music and song back to the people. Will Adaira and Jack manage to put aside old injuries and work together to solve the mystery of the disappearing children?
Ross has succeeded in building a rich fantasy world where the wind carries gossip across the hills, and where the people wear enchanted plaids and carry strange dirks. The two clans are kept apart by The Clan Line, the Breccans suffering terribly in the cold winters, but having the ability to weave magic plaids, while those in the west have plenty to eat but magic is difficult to come by. Adaira believes that peace could come to the island and that each clan could help each other, but first the children must be found. Will Jack’s music lure the spirits to give the pair information?
The characters are well developed and easy to relate to. Jack’s music as the Bard of the west helps him to accept that he does have a place on Cadence and his growing feelings and trust for Adaira feel authentic. Torin, the captain of the Guard and his wife Sidra, a healer, also are strong people, who must overcome trials and begin to understand each other when Torin’s daughter Maisie is kidnapped.
Ross’ juggling of the two main themes of the story, that of the mystery of the missing children and the hope for peace between the warring clans, kept me rivetted and I immediately ordered the next in the duology, A Fire Endless, after a cliff-hanger ending. Readers who enjoyed the music in the story may like to move onto the Warrior Bards series by Juliet Marillier, beginning with Harp of kings and those who enjoyed the magical aspects may like Spells for forgetting by Adrienne Young.
A treatise on the concept of time for the very young, this brightly illustrated book gives readers an insight into an array of platitudes and sayings that have to do with time. With parents too busy to give their son, Emit, some of their time, he goes off to try and figure out time for himself. His name, time spelt backwards is a clue to the varieties of time related words and phrases that will be encountered as this book is devoured. And certainly forms part of the underlying humour.
His parents and siblings are always busy: so busy they have no time for Emit, and are always running out of it, losing track of it or letting it run through their fingers. Searching for more hours in the day, Emit has a go at solving their problem. He remembers ‘time flies’ and tries to capture it with his net, but to no avail. He has been told that ‘time passes you by’ and so seeks it out without success. He has been told that ‘time is precious’ so checks out the museum, art galleries and banks to find it without finding it at all.
Several more sayings complete this wonderful picture book, capturing the things we say with interest and humour. It is when Emit goes into a shop to ‘’buy some time’ that the shopkeeper tell is him a simple truth, ‘you have to make it’. So he gets his family together to make some ‘quality time’. Time is what you make it after all and how you use it is up to you.
Children will laugh out loud as sayings such as ‘time flies’ and ‘quality time’ are illustrated, giving an understanding of the meaning behind that saying, but also a humorous look at its application furthering the hunt for time.
The ink and pencil illustrations are stunning, capturing the frantic way that Emit’s parents and siblings spend their time, the humour behind his searches, and finally putting by quality time with his family. I love the sketchy way in which the images are drawn, underlining the speed at which time flies, contrasting Emit with his family with their scarves at right angles to their faces, and always involved with a huge array of things to do. Each of the first few pages is exhausting, covered as they are by the ways in which the family uses up its time. Readers will recognise some of the ways in which their own families use their time. Dad for example is surrounded by technology, paper overflowing from his computer table from the various printers while Mum is a whirlwind in the kitchen, using her wok there as a foil to spending time with Emit. And his siblings are stuck to their screens. Colourful illustrations cover most pages and full of wit and humour, will keep eager eyes searching the detail and talking about the sayings with their classmates.
The endpapers offer another level of humour with puns on the names of business owners and shops, all to do with time. Readers will love working out the pun and enjoy making up some of their own. Teacher's notes and an activity are available from the publisher.
Themes Humour, Time, Puns, Family, Quality time, Relationships.
In a land in Europe that does not really exist, Ludrovia, there is the potential for a great disaster - disguised as a great opportunity. In a small caravan in Australia lives a young girl named Hadley and her widowed father. Hadley’s father is full of whimsy and dad jokes and their pet budgie, Mr Beaks, has significant skills in making decisions. Is he the infamous birdbrain? Hadley herself is a smart, self-educated wonder and perhaps the brains of the caravan dwellers. Their life is not easy, but there is love despite their penury. Unexpectedly, Hadley and her father are whisked away to Ludrovia as the surviving royals. A terrible explosion has wiped out Hadley’s grandmother, the queen, and the entire royal family. In Ludrovia they discover a President who is strangely bizarre and uncover a plot by a Texan billionaire to take over the country. The idiocy of Ludrovia includes an annual Goat Day, fondue and cheese in abundance and strange idioms that are twisted and amusing. Hadley seems to be the only one not besotted by the cheese-loving billionaire’s plans for the future and she convinces her friends to help her prevent the unfolding devious disaster.
This is a fanciful and humorous adventure and is just delightful. I loved every page! The quirks of the characters and the far-fetched land of Ludrovia, plus the multiple dad jokes and wordplay woven through the story make this a funny journey into a non-existent but whimsical land. The main character is the only one with wisdom and this will appeal to children who will recognise that all the adults are far from insightful and clever. This is a book that will appeal to young readers aged 8-11 who enjoy light-hearted adventure. There is nothing offensive in it… but with characters who variously collect back scratchers and mannequins, invent strange useless objects, consider cloning as a way to create a master race, or train goats to dance, or twist common idioms in ridiculous directions, there are certainly many routes to enjoyment in the book. Highly recommended as an entertaining escape.
Festival of shadows: A Japanese ghost story by Atelier Sento
Tuttle, 2022. ISBN: 9784805317242. (Age:Middle school, Young adult) Highly recommended.
Naoko lives in a small village in the Japanese countryside where the locals are caretakers for shadows, spirits who need to find out their identities and come to terms with their death before moving on to the next world. They can be seen and talk to their carer but appear as shadows to the other villagers. Regular meetings are held to try and discover the identities of the spirits before the annual Festival of Shadows when they might be lost. Naoko’s first shadow, a little girl, disappeared before she found out who she was so when another attaches himself to her she is not confident of success. Gradually, with the help of her friend Katsu, the identity of the young man, a handsome, talented artist named Yukito becomes clear but there is something terrible troubling the spirit so Naoko travels to Tokyo where he lived and becomes involved to the point of risking her own life.
Infused with wonderful watercolour artwork the Japanese countryside and way of life is beautifully realised in the subtle and engaging images. Shadows are rendered in soft shades without outline, the black abandoned souls, scarily nightmarish and the living characters have wide ranging emotional expressions. The story, while about death and spirits, also has warmth and some humour; Naoko gets her spirit to carry her up the nearly 1000 steps to the shrine. At the beginning of each season the full page illustration is of the Japanese character with a symbol of the season like cherry blossom for spring and there are cut away illustrations of Naoko’s house and Yukito’s apartment in Tokyo.
This is a complex story, subtly told, beautifully illustrated and infused with Japanese culture that can be enjoyed by a wide range of readers. There is an animated excerpt from the book online and a sequel not yet translated.
Themes Japanese culture, Ghosts, Relationships, Folklore.
An area the size of Belgium is covered by the lone police officer at Tiverton in South Australia’s mid north with an eye that records every detail. Hirsch sees things at Dryden Station that just don’t seem right, he spies a ute coming over a blind corner then hightailing it the other way spotting the police vehicle, he is aware that Steph the cultural officer at the Ngadjuri cultural centre at Redruth feels anxious about the wedge tail eagle graded into the earth over the ranges on Fanning’s station where he has noticed the antagonism between Ross and his son after the death of his wife. And then there is the hard waste scam, the house of blowins, the theft of the detonators at the Redruth Motel. Each is filed away and becomes connected in this tightly plotted story of the things that go on in the deeply hidden parts of the bush, where prying eyes might be shot from the sky.
When footage of Aunty Steph falling down in an epileptic fit emerges he knows that an investigation team from Adelaide will be sent to gauge the level of racism which may infest the police unit at Redruth. He has seen it all before, is scarred by an investigation several years ago that saw him posted in this single officer police station as far from Adelaide as could be managed.
Finding a body in a suitcase sees the involvement of the Federal Police. Hirsch’s interest is piqued. But when he calls on a house of newcomers to ask questions about their part in the hard waste scam, the scene before him shocks him to his core. With flashbacks, concern over the families, worries about Aunty Steph and his partner’s daughter, the subset of on line bullying, he is seized by panic attacks. But he cannot stop himself continuing his investigations of the crashed ultralight sent to photograph the wedge tail eagle. Despite being warned off, his investigation takes him into the goings on at remote Dryden Station, piecing together the body, the newcomers to town, the increasing racism and the disappearance of a young backpacker, whose mother is doing her own investigating.
A spell binding story of seemingly unconnected events tunnels towards a tight conclusion out in the bush where Hirsch makes life and death decisions trying to protect the lives of the backpacker’s mother and the undercover federal police officer he finds there.
The sense of place is intoxicating. Disher has recreated the small hamlets of the mid north, those windswept places on the Barrier Highway that are no more than whistle-stops, with few services and a receding population. And overlaid with this is the stolid doggedness of Paul Hirschhausen, made a scapegoat for his team’s incompetence he is forever under suspicion, seeing wariness in others who deal with him, mulling over their reticence with him.
I loved Aunty Steph, blunt, sensing a like mind in Hirsch, a world weariness that she can empathise with. And Wendy and her daughter too make a credible backdrop to Hirsch’s life, with their own problems partly growing out of their relationship with Hirsch, but also from things that have happened at school, Redruth High.
Disher packs many issues of rural life into this book: rural poverty, lack of rental accommodation, loneliness, distance, few amenities and of course Covid and its allied problem, anti vaxers, to name a few. All are part of the atmosphere created by Disher, a tantalising and sometimes confronting panorama of life outside the city.
Colonial Settlement: France vs Britain by Craig Cormick and Cheri Hughes
Big Sky, 2022. ISBN: 9781922615763.
While the dust begins to settle on the media coverage of the controversy over the date, events and perceptions of Australia Day, as the debate and vote on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice referendum gathers momentum, it will flare up again and again.
But had Captain Cook not landed here in 1770 and claimed this land for the British, would it have been left untouched by all except the First Nations people until now? What if Captain Cook's ship sank when it hit the Great Barrier Reef in 1770? And what if the French settled Australia first? And what if King Louis 16th and Napoleon both ended up here, fighting over who was the rightful ruler in exile? And then the British arrived.
This is a new series (the second focuses on the gold rush) that looks at Australia's history through a different lens, posing those alternative questions that we encourage students to ask as they delve deeper into common topics and start to form their own opinions. As well as posing the questions, it also explores the possible answers such as what if John Batman's treaty with the indigenous peoples of what is now Melbourne was legitimate and other treaties were initiated because of it. What if La Perouse had beaten the First Fleet into Port Jackson, would the aristocrats fleeing the French Revolution have settled here, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
While it is intended as a humorous look at times past, nevertheless it provides a lot of information not usually found in more traditional historical texts, and its value in encouraging our students to pose alternative questions and consider what might occur if there were a different outcome has value across all branches of the curriculum. If we are to encourage them to be creative and critical learners then they must have access to model texts that do this. While it is more for those who are mentally mature enough to put themselves in the shoes of others and consider different points of view, it definitely has a place in both the primary and secondary school libraries.
Themes Australia - History, Land settlement - Australia, Explorers, Captain Cook.
Barbara Braxton
My monkeys my circus: A collection of mindful stories by Toni Adams
Little Steps, 2022. ISBN: 9781922678812. Highly recommended.
This book has a selection of characters that each have their own negative inner voice that they need to overcome. Princess Perfect learns that she doesn’t have to be perfect; she is still liked anyway. Colonel Conrad learns that it is ok to ask for help, everything does not have to be done his way. There are other ways to get things done and that is ok. Alex the Amazing feels invisible and learns to be seen by your friends; you just need to be heard. Nimble Nikki learns to overcome her fears. You have got this; you just have to start. Madam Gina I’m not good enough, nice enough, brave bold or fun is what the voice in her head keeps telling her, you're just a big fake. True friends see through the disguises and remind her that her brilliance just shines. Red-Nosed Robbie feels that saying no to friends is hard to do, he fears, what if they don’t like you no more. But he realises that it is ok to say no, the sky won't fall, the earth won't shake. True friends will always understand. JB the Juggler learns that sharing your feelings can help with the problems and fears and help draw strength to stand up tall.
Remember when the voice in your head is chitter-chattering and making you feel quite drained you also have the choice to stand up tall, to be real strong and find a brand new voice.
This is a great book that is simple to read with a powerful message for any age.
Sticking out by Terri Owlbridge. Illus. by Emma Stuart
Little Steps, 2022. ISBN: 9781922358356. (Age:3-6) Highly recommended.
This is a beautifully written book. The text is uncluttered and the illustrations add an extra element that supports the story well.
Simon the stick insect is really very shy, but when he ends up pink he learns to overcome his fears as he learns that his fears are nowhere near as bad as he imagines. He learns that often what we are scared of rarely ends up happening, but it can stop us doing what we love.
This story has a powerful message delivered in a lovely story. Just as we are kind to others, we must be kind to ourselves too.
Magali has a loving family, parents who are both psychologists and a clever, confident big sister Ames. The start of middle school was to be an exciting new start but Magali is soon overwhelmed by the expectations, noise and pressure of the new school and develops crippling anxiety, cleverly represented by the oversize school bag she feels she is carrying. Increasingly she develops magical thinking and compulsive habits to compensate for her anxiety at school and she can’t wait to escape into the safety of home. When Magali hears The Beatles’ music for the first time, she is transported to a colourful, happy place and spends the term break immersed. When school starts again her anxiety is worse and she develops some psychosomatic illnesses. Eventually she is diagnosed with school phobia and home schooling is recommended. Staying at home helps Magali with her school anxiety but her obsession with the Beatles grows. She escapes into vibrant imaginary worlds inspired by the music and learns tiny details about their lives, taking every opportunity to regale her friends with Beatle trivia. As she reaches puberty her anxiety transfers to her body changes. Gradually, with the help of her supportive sister, therapy and activities such as dance, art and acting, where she can escape into performance, Magali learns to cope and eventually re-join mainstream life but she never lets go of her passion for the Beatles.
This graphic memoir explores the challenges of leaving childhood behind in the 1990’s and the overwhelming changes that can be experienced at puberty. The largely monochrome daily life scenes are contrasted by the energetic vibrant colours when Magali escapes into her magical imaginary world of the Beatles, including famous album covers and the whimsical lyrics of songs like Yellow Submarine. The text is very small, cursive in often quite crammed space, possibly a result of the translation from French, and makes for difficult reading but the story is engaging and might give those suffering from similar anxieties affirmation that some coping mechanisms can be comforting and there is a path forward with help. There are activity sheets and a blog on the Nobrow publishers' website.
Themes Anxiety, Mental health, The Beatles.
Sue Speck
If I were the world by Mark Sperring and Natelle Quek
In strong rhyming text Sperring asks questions about the planet we all live on. 'If I were the world', is stated on every page begging the reader to think about what the world should be like. Each time a child turns the page they will see another darker space on our planet, a vista to question and discuss. Initially bright and cheerful, the pages become littered with the plastics clogging the seas, wheezing children, smoking factory chimneys, extinction of flora and fauna, homeless animals, fish caught by the ton in trawlers, a sun which has become a killer, rising oceans and flooded lands. It is all very concerning until one page is turned and there is a call to action. People are called to take a stand and clean up the oceans, stop deforestation, plant some seeds and trees in the cities and stop pollution.
A celebration of our environment and an expose of what it has become, this book calls children to take action. And there are many things they can do which will be discussed and worked on in class or at home.
This book is a stark reminder of just who is responsible for taking care of the world, reinforced by the last pair of lines:
If I were the world Would YOU look after ME?
The illustrator Natelle Quek, Malaysian born now living in England, reveals a connection with the environment as she contrasts the parlous state of our planet in the first dozen pages with what it could be like in the last dozen pages of the book. She shows in detail some of the problems of our planet and its ill health, similarly showing a rejuvenated planet in the past pages, a world full of colour and growth, trees and flowers, happy dancing children. Readers will be actively voting for the latter as they wrestle with how to save the day.
The illustration of the planet with children and adults linking hands completes this book with a joyful view of the future.
