Well-known author David Walliams has written a powerful story about celebrating and accepting difference. Marmalade The Orange Panda is a picture book about a panda who is born white and orange rather than black and white. Called Marmalade by his mother, he is not accepted by the embarrassment of pandas. Yes, the humorous collective noun for pandas is an embarrassment. So, this baby orange panda is an embarrassment to the embarrassment! Sadly, Marmalade decides to leave his mum to search for where he might belong. Along his challenging and exciting journey he meets numerous animals in shades of orange, but he is just not quite the same as them. He eventually makes his way back to his mother after falling into some mud and changing colour to be more like the others. However, Marmalade and his mother come up with a fun and ingenious plan to surprise the rest of the pandas.
The large, glossy illustrations in this book are bright, colourful and engaging, and the clever use of different-sized text draws the reader’s attention to the action taking place on the page.
This is a wonderful book that will be enjoyed by all ages and is a must-have for all libraries.
Blob Fish lives on the bottom of the ocean and he is lonely. He tells himself jokes but they are not funny to him on his own. He sees the other sea creatures with a friend, and he decides to go on an adventure in search of friendship. Above Blob Fish on the land the humans are splashing, walking, chasing, whistling, swimming, playing talking, and eating. Unfortunately, they are also being careless and throwing plastic bags into the ocean. Blob Fish discovers a floating bag and immediately thinks he has found a friend. He grabs hold and begins to dance with the plastic bag which works out well to begin with but leads Blob Fish into terrible danger. He is spotted by a hermit crab who is unable to help initially but a human who is picking up rubbish removes the plastic bag, and the hermit crab saves Blob Fish. They become friends and “live blobbily ever after”.
This humorous and appealing story with bold and striking illustrations has a strong message for its readers about the danger to sea creatures of plastic in the ocean. A great book to share for World Oceans Day.
This delightful new release looks at diverse families living in a neighbourhood. Written by Byll and Beth Stephens, ABC TV musical stars known as the Teen Tiny Stevies, Family: All That You Dream it to Be, is a bright and colourful picture book which gives a snapshot of all kinds of family units. A young girl and her mum ride their bikes around the neighbourhood chatting with the families they know on their journey. There are families with two dads or two mums, a foster family, single parent families with either a dad or a mum, a family with a half sister who flies in from Mexico in her school holidays, a family where Grandma helps out as the mother has passed away, a stay-at-home dad family plus a huge extended family.
This is a joyful celebration of families and a visually appealing book to share with young children.
Themes Families, Diversity, Neighbourhoods.
Kathryn Beilby
Dreams bigger than heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders
Titan Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781789095449. (Age:16+) Recommended only for Sci-fi devotees.
This is one for Sci-Fi lovers! With the future of the galaxy in peril, a group of young people (and some young aliens) are compelled to set aside all that they desire in order to help rescue the galaxy itself. Rachael has lost the delight of her artistic skill since being overcome by an alien force and is living with the distress and the voices in her head that add further distress. Her relationships with others have been impacted and she feels like a shadow of her former self. Tina is a student at the Royal Space Academy learning amazing things to help save the universe from destruction, while also being an amazing friend to others. Elza has the opportunity to be schooled and selected as a Princess, but will it mean that she loses her connection to her friends and can she understand the appearance of someone that fills her with dread. The interesting mix of humanoid and alien creatures, technology and space logic creates a drama with Sci-fi glory.
I confess that I am not one who loves leaving earth to discover story and drama and that Sci-fi is not on my list of ‘must-reads’ especially when it is set in space, so this book did not really warm my heart and I found it difficult to finish. But despite that, I could see that those who enjoy space-themed Sci-fi will find this appealing. The embedded emotional drama of non-conventional relationships and overcoming opposition kept me going, in amongst the alien vagaries and political intrigues, and technological quirks of space life and travel. The author has included the complexities of gendered identity, with technology revealing preferred pronoun identification that may also include variable identity and even ‘fire’ as a gender, as well as more traditional he/him, she/her and they/their. This is Book 2 of a Trilogy so the characters’ back stories would have been easier to understand having read the first book, but still was introduced adequately. The story ends with an obvious link and hint of the direction of the final instalment. So those who are keen on a sci-fi adventure should start the Trilogy with Book 1: Victories Greater than Death. There is considerable complexity in the storyline of this book and the drama of the destruction, or saving, of the Universe has many avenues of concern.
A curious tale about friendship and personal space, about being together and being alone, about things you can’t avoid and things you do not understand, Klassen’s latest book will have readers of all ages thinking about the imperfections of life while laughing out loud at the absurdity of the three friends seemingly playing out a scene reminiscent of Waiting for Godot.
The trio: Turtle, Armadillo and Snake all have a space they like to occupy. Their spot is the best and they offer their spot to their friends to come and join them. Each sings the praises of their own spot. But Armadillo is uneasy about Turtles' spot and is happy to remain where he is. Turtle after a while, joins him. Just in time as a huge rock falls onto his spot.
Chapter two, The Fall sees them looking at the rock, this interloper. Turtle defends the rock that has fallen, giving a reason for it being there, offering its shade to the others.
Chapter three, The Future, sees them imagining what the future may be like. They conjure up plants and trees around the space and are happy with what the future my hold. But into this space coms a creature that they do not understand. As it goes they decide not to try to see into the future.
Chapter four, Sunset has two watching a sunset as the sun disappears beyond the horizon. Turtle is intrigued and calls out to see what they are doing, but he cannot hear the answer and so must come closer to see what is happening. By the time he reaches them the sun has gone.
The fifth chapter, No More Room, is where Turtle is cross that the other two are sleeping comfortably by the rock. He cannot hear them and keeps moving closer until another rock falls on the place where he has been. Laughter will light up any class that reads this book, soaking up the absurdity of the situation, the incidents which occur and the responses that each displays. Readers will laugh at the discussion of who has the best spot, their discussion stopped by a falling rock, and laugh again at the conversations between them: illogical, nonsensical and going nowhere. Parallels will be recalled and shared, situations discussed and life lessons drawn out amidst the laughter.
And did I mention the illustrations! Wow.
To see Jon Klassen reading his story go here. And another about his book in which he talks about the influence of Alfred Hitchcock on his work can be found here.
Themes Humour, Future, Friendship, Imagination, Hitchcock, Theatre of the Absurd.
The cute little wombat of Swim, Little Wombat, swim! and Little Wombat's Easter surprise returns in another adventure that is sure to delight his fans. Little Wombat and his friends Rabbit and Koala are playing explorers when he suggests that they go hunting for a bunyip by the creek. His friends laugh and tell him that there is no such thing as a bunyip. When he cannot find one he decides to make his own to fool his friends. He piles up mud and adds pinecones for tusks and reeds for whiskers, but when his friends scare him with a great roar, he goes headfirst into his mud monster. Then to their shock a giant crocodile appears, but Wombat saves the day.
Young children will enjoy the humour of Watch out, Little Wombat and will love finding out about the mythic bunyip and producing a description or drawings for themselves. The text flows along smoothly and the colourful illustrations are delightful. The friends are all very distinctive with cute, happy faces until they are scared by the crocodile and then their fear is really expressed on their faces and body language. I loved Little Wombat’s version of a bunyip and the happy conclusion of the three friends rushing back to Mrs Wombat will leave young children with a sense of security. Minute details of things like a butterfly, a ring tail possum and little lizards appear in the drawings and will be fun to follow.
The book introduces the Australian legend of the existence of bunyips who live in rivers and swamps and will be an enjoyable read aloud for young children.
Andrew, seriously injured after falling into a bear trap in the woods struggles towards a dark cabin, desperately seeking food and rest. It is there that he meets Jamie, another solitary survivor of the drastic Superflu pandemic that has wiped out the world as we know it. Most of the world’s population has died, with bodies abandoned in the open, and the last survivors reduced to looting and pillage to find food and other necessities.
The budding friendship between Andrew and Jamie is jeopardised by Andrew’s reluctance to share a shameful secret, and while trust gradually builds between the two of them, Jamie is aware that there is always something held back. This is the story of a tentative LGBTQI relationship, set within a dystopian world. In an author’s note, Erik J Brown tells of how he was tired of not seeing ‘queer representations in post-apocalyptic stories’. So this novel is it – a post-apocalyptic novel with a love story at its heart.
It is also an adventure story, where the two set out in hope of reaching a rescue destination providing aid from EU nations that have overcome the pandemic. There is danger all along the way, with ruthless marauding gangs that loot and kill. But there are also kind people that offer help; for while some descend to savagery, others aspire to a better way of being. Love and friendship offer hope.
The description of the developing relationship between Andrew and Jamie is as tender as the friendships and relationships in the LGBQTI+ romance Here’s to us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, but Brown’s novel places its characters in a whole other world in a dark future. The combination of romance and adventure makes it a bold new novel for young adult readers.
Themes Dystopia, LGBQTI+, Quest, Pandemic.
Helen Eddy
Young Precious: The collected adventures by Alexander McCall Smith
BC Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781780277417. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
Anyone in the know, that is anyone who has read any of the international bestseller series from the late 1990's The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, on seeing another book written by Alexander McCall Smith, would snatch it up eagerly as I did. What is the expectation? Why warmth and humour of course, more clever little adventures in Africa and more of that wonderful Mma Ramotswe hopefully...
This beautiful hardbacked omnibus edition of Young Precious The Collected Adventures, first published in 2021, contains three stories: Precious and the monkeys, Precious and the mystery of Meercat Hall and Precious and the zebra necklace. Who is Precious? Why Mma Ramotswe when she was a child, the same age as you, asking so many questions and getting tangled up in so many adventures and escapades amongst the people and animals of Botswana. Precious is not only smart, observant and very alert, she is also very kind. She is a champion of the bullied and a rescuer of animals. She solves little problems and each of these books contains a separate problem in need of a solution.
Iain McIntosh's illustrations accompany the stories perfectly. Only red, black and white are used and the page designs are so varied that in themselves they make reading a pleasure. On turning each page the question might be - where will the illustration be... will it be a wrap around, above or below the text, whole page, tiny etc... Meercats, Hippopotamuses, lions, cobras, elephants and ostriches abound.
I did not know that Alexander McCall Smith had written books for children but I can now vouch for the fact that children love the stories included in Young Precious The Collected Adventures. There is something very warm and comforting about McCall Smith's narrative style and authorial voice and the lovely messages that shine through. And of course who does not want to hear stories from Africa (particularly Botswana) and who doesn't want to go on a safari one day!
If you have enjoyed Rudyard Kipling's How the elephant got his trunk, here is another delightful read from Africa. Look out also for McCall Smith's acclaimed School Ship Tobermory adventures (for middle years readers.)
Highly recommended.
Themes Africa, Detective work, Adventure.
Wendy Jeffrey
Treehouse tales by Andy Griffiths. Illus. by Terry Denton
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781760987275. (Age:6+) Highly recommended.
Treehouse Tales, written by world renown creators Andy Griffiths and his partner in crime, Terry Denton, have been entertaining their audience for years. This new novel is crammed full with 13 fun filled, action packed short stories to keep you enthralled and entertained. Griffiths and Denton have again combined together with amazing wittiness and jest. This latest book is, without a shadow of a doubt, another side-splitting sensation. And if you are unfamiliar with their Treehouse series, then you are certainly missing out on some fun, laughter and mayhem! All are a must read for anyone that loves a good laugh!
Featuring the same goofy characters, Andy, Terry and Jill, Treehouse Tales contains 13 chapters, each comprising of a short story. Each one is hilariously funny and will keep the audience captivatedly reading and wanting more. Who could have thought that after 11 novels in the Treehouse series you could find anything funnier than those, but I think Treehouse Tales beats them all! Packing a quick punch with every chapter, there are indeed gigantic laughs to be had. From magic wands, to chairs on noses, toilet capers to piano fiascos, you never know what Terry and Andy are going to get up to next. What other adventures could Andy, Terry and Jill possibly have…. and more to the point, what else could possibly go wrong?
Australia’s famously funny author Andy Griffiths and illustrator Terry Denton are both hilariously witty and compelling creators. They have again worked together to develop another fast paced and highly entertaining selection of material that always keeps the audience wanting more. The written format of the book is cleverly interwoven with cartoon style illustrations and gives the reader plenty to be captivated by. The layout of the book makes for an easy and extremely engaging read for all ages. If you love a good laugh, enjoy a little fun and shenanigans then this story is not to be missed!
Fans of the Harry Potter books and the Harry Potter films will be thrilled with this movie scrapbook that shows friends and foes as well as some characters that could fit into either category.
The Contents page gives an introduction, and then the three categories: Friends, Foes and Friend or foe? Fans will immediately recognise the friends, starting with Ron Weasley. There is a profile, some background on the real-life friendship of Harry and Ron and some photographs from scenes from the films. This format is repeated throughout the book. The Friends pages contain information about Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and many others, while the foes include Voldemort, Dolores Umbridge, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. Severus Snape and Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody are among the friend or foe group.
As well as the fascinating information and gorgeous photographs, readers will get a glimpse of how the characters developed over the series, with interesting little sections that make for great reading. In addition, there are stickers, posters, and postcards that fans and collectors will love.
Beautifully produced, this hard back book will be a boon for fans and a perfect gift for lovers of the Harry Potter books and films. It is a perfect companion to Harry Potter - Magical creatures: A Movie Scrapbook.
Aquatic scientist and environmental science teacher, Tracey Gray, has written a very important book about the earth’s oceans, the crucial role they play in our lives and the damage being done to them through our usage of plastic. This very appealing and strikingly presented book contains glossy pages in tones of blues, greens and purples, filled with stunning photographs, labelled diagrams and graphic style images.
The book begins with the contents page followed by a thought-provoking introduction, a page on how to use the book and ten interesting and varied chapters beginning with Chapter One discussing the role of our oceans, and the final Chapter looking at action for our oceans. The detailed information is accessible for children from middle grade through to high school readers, as well as the adults in their lives. In addition to the factual content, through the clever use of well-presented diagrams, the reader is given visualise explanations of scientific occurrences such as the water cycle, gravitational spin, ocean gyres, and the ocean currents.
As the reader delves further into the chapters on plastic, the information shared is quite alarming. The page titled ‘Can you outlive your lunchbox?’ is a wakeup call for all school children and their families. Common food items such as chip packets, squeezy yoghurts and muesli bar wrappers will take over 100+ years to break down. The final chapter gives manageable ideas and recommendations for ways in which all readers can make a difference to the wellbeing of the ocean. This is followed by further online sources, a comprehensive glossary, and an index. Teacher's notes are available.
Oceans of Plastic is a wonderful resource that will be a worthwhile addition to any school, both primary and secondary, or public library.
Themes Global Issues, Oceans, Plastic, Sea Creatures.
Award winning author and activist, Onjali Q. Rauf, has written an engaging and practical book about helping the younger generation tackle issues of concern. Growing up in today’s fast paced and digitalised world, young people are constantly bombarded with so much information that they often lose focus on what really counts in their own lives. This book explains, with honesty and humour, how they can go about making a difference and become a change maker when they feel something is unjust.
Hope on the Horizon begins with a very personal note to the reader about some issues discussed in the book which could cause concern and may need a trusted and understanding adult to be supportive as topics related to discrimination, injustice and prejudice are raised. Following this is the introduction, where the author asks the reader to answer some questions about themselves. Once this is completed, Onjali shares all kinds of information about herself which is enlightening and refreshing to read. Above all else, Onjali believes kindness is the most important of all things to be considered.
Throughout this non-fiction handbook are stories and suggestions from a variety of different places. Each of the ten chapters is based on one or more of the attributes of kindness: empathy, compassion, offering friendship and hope, and creating change. There are discussions, ideas presented and the opportunity for the reader to learn valuable skills in making a difference, however big or small. Included are graphic images throughout, text bubbles, highlighted words and sayings plus the chance for self-reflection. The final pages include an excellent reading and viewing list, a detailed glossary and links to resources and charities including Australian organisations, Kids Helpline and headspace.
This new release could be used as a valuable class discussion text when looking at life skills or well-being concerns.
A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery. Penguin, 2018. ISBN: 9780141373782. (Age:10+) Highly recommended.
The sixth mystery from the bestselling, award-winning author of Murder Most Unladylike is a must read for lovers of the series and the mystery genre.
When Hazel’s grandfather passes away, she and Daisy set sail for Hong Kong. When they arrive, Hazel is astonished to find that she has a new baby brother, and it seems as if she is now passed over as less important in the family. When Hazel is framed for a murder, the two girls must use all their ingenuity and intelligence to find out who is threatening Hazel’s family and who kidnapped Teddy her baby brother.
The setting of Hong Kong in the 1930’s makes this stand out from the others in the series. It is fascinating to see Hazel in her own milieu and to see the differences between her standing in her Hong Kong family and how she is treated in England. It is a shock for Daisy to find that she comes second in Hong Kong, and the fact that she an Honourable is not very important. Hazel comes into her own, with her knowledge of customs and people while Daisy must come to grips with the fact that Hazel’s father has two wives, and that family life is very different.
The book is very well written, and readers will be captivated not only with the descriptions of Hong Kong but with the notion of gangsters, private detectives, British parties, and a very sinister murder. This is an outstanding series and A spoonful of murder is a wonderful read.
Themes Murder, Hong Kong.
Pat Pledger
Take a breath by Sujean Rim
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761066597. (Age:3+) Recommended.
Through the image of a young bird attempting to fly, flapping its wings ferociously and not getting anywhere, Rim presents the reader with a scenario that all of us can identify with - that of life getting just too hard. The little bird flaps its wings in vain. It tries again, and again, saddened by the thought that it may never learn to fly. Readers will laugh out loud at the many attempts the bird takes to get into the sky. But a passing crow shows it how to get over its despondency, and it learns to fly with the other birds.
But first it must learn to breathe. Illustrations show the crow teaching the younger to breathe correctly and deeply, expelling all of its worries and fears. Once the little bird masters this skill, it is ready to take another shot at flying, and it does, getting better and better with each attempt.
The wonderful pencil and watercolour drawings create an image in the readers’ minds of a despondent bird, frustrated after many failed attempts to fly, scrunched on the ground. Anyone seeing the bird and its situation would recognise a moment in their own lives. But the intervention of someone probably older and wiser saves the day and the illustrations show clearly the way to breathe. Just as taking a breath could simply mean to take a little time out, so too it means breathing correctly, and in doing so, being able to do things that before seemed too difficult.
Carnegie Medal-winner Kevin Crossley-Holland and former Children's Laureate Chris Riddell have collaborated in a breathtaking retelling of the Arthurian legends, from Arthur’s early childhood, the sword in the stone, the Knights of the Round Table, the quest for the Holy Grail, the love of Sir Lancelot and Guinevere and Merlin in his house of glass. The contents page sets out eleven key chronological events commencing with Arthur’s childhood and continuing to last of the legends. It also contains portraits of the twelve knights of the Round Table, each with distinct features and having a shield with an emblem behind.
Crossley-Holland’s language is lyrical and beautifully descriptive: “Arthur! called the knight across the dark and shining water, “You will live, and live for ever. Our always king.” The pageantry, the castles, the magic, and the chivalry all come alive for the reader. The author’s retellings are not simple stories for young children and will appeal to an older audience. They could well become a valued part of an adult’s collection.
Each legend is complemented by Riddell’s wonderful illustrations. Many are stunning full page or double page drawings, all in vivid colours, giving the reader an insight into the characters in the stories as well as a background of the castles, clothing, and happenings. Other drawings form borders, some in full colour, others in black and white and the horses in particular stand out. Readers will want to flick through the pages repeatedly to look at particular illustrations, each time finding more details to marvel at: beautiful castles, blood and gore, a fierce Green Knight and a Fisher King in agony.
Arthur: The always king is a sumptuous production and a must for fans of the King Arthur legends. It is one that will be treasured by those who are lucky enough to own it and will be sought after in libraries for its outstanding retelling. Readers interested in Arthurian legends may enjoy The sword in the stone by T.H. White or the Merlin series by Mary Stewart.
Themes King Arthur, Legends, Folklore, Middle Ages.
