The mozzie with a sharp snozzie by Irina Goundortseva
Big Sky, 2022. ISBN: 9781922615534. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
Mozzie the mosquito desperately wants to be friends with the beautiful and adored butterflies. However, they unkindly say that mosquitoes are ugly and boring. Poor old Mozzie creeps away very disheartened. Mozzie is not one to give up though, and an idea evolves. Very cleverly Mozzie borrows the petals of a beautiful flower and is in disguise. Mozzie joins the butterflies and is accepted into the group. However, disaster strikes and Mozzie and the butterflies are captured by a butterfly collector. Fortunately, Mozzie saves the day and learns that being a mosquito has its benefits as well as its place in the community of nature.
This delightful story with its simple and vibrant illustrations will appeal to young children. For educators and parents this is the perfect story to share with those children who struggle with confidence, fitting in and peer pressure to conform. It also has a lesson for those children who do not readily accept others who are different.
The Aussie STEM Stars series provides readers with incredible insights into the lives of ordinary often unknown Australians who excel in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and who have chosen to make a difference in the world. This latest release about the life of Creswell Eastman, ‘the man who saved a million brains’, is fascinating reading.
From a happy childhood that was not without its challenges to elements of his schooling which may have tested Creswell’s resilience, this book gives a wonderful snapshot of the life of an ordinary man who achieved so much. Creswell’s love of science and the desire to help others ultimately led him from medical school to worldwide research into Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) in China, Tibet and southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, as well as in Australia. His ground-breaking work on the need for sufficient levels of iodine in the body to enable the brain to function at peak performance has been life-changing for millions of people. Babies in particular were at risk of reduced mental capabilities as well as a lower IQ and other impairments. Creswell and his team developed tests for measuring iodine levels and implemented them all over the world. He also encouraged governments to enforce the use of iodised salt.
As well as reading an engaging story, the reader will gain an understanding of how at times, when Creswell felt discouraged or his health was suffering, he worked on solutions to overcome major obstacles. This newest book in the series is a welcome addition to both school and public libraries.
We are Australians by Duncan Smith & Nicole Godwin. Illus. by Jandamarra Cadd
Wild Dog Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781742036328. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
A shout out for everyone to treasure all voices, respect the land we live on, and listen to the stories, enabling us all to stand together as citizens of Australia is proclaimed in this arresting book.
Its brief words evoke deeper meanings, ones that will be conveyed through discussion and sharing of stories, as children learn of the First Nations people, here for over 65,000 years, living alongside other migrants to this country.
The spare words are enlarged by the luminous illustrations, offering large swathes of colour on each page, interspersed with dot paintings, images of many people of this country, working together, singing, dancing, painting and telling stories. The face on the front cover stares out at us, inviting us in, ready to share a story. And what a story there is to tell.
We may take Australian citizenship for granted but for 140,000 people from 200 countries in 2020-21 the ceremony to become an Australian citizen was precious. And what does this mean? The question is posed early in the book, and throughout the book we are encouraged to take the rights and responsibilities of being an Australian citizen to heart, thinking of all the others who have come to this place, ready to work together.
A wonderful grizzled face stares out at us at the end of the book, importing us to treasure our differences, and listen to the stories, so standing together as citizens of Australia.
Author, Duncan Smith OAM was born on Wiradjuri Country. He learnt his culture by being on the land, working with the Elders as they took him hunting and gathering, teaching him cultural dances.
Co author Nicole Godwin is an environmentalist, working on animals rights and social justice issues.
Illustrator, Jandamarra Cadd is a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Warung descendent. ‘Painting has been a way of life that has enabled him to express his creativity and story telling. Jandamarra uses a variety of styles and mediums; with his unique blend of traditional aboriginal art techniques along with his own signature contemporary portraiture.’
The images he has created or this book are stunning, reaching out from the pages, inviting readers to look more closely, impelling people to take note.
Themes Aboriginal themes, Australian citizenship, Australian history, Migration, Citizenship, Culture.
Ross Montgomery, master storyteller, takes his readers into the realm of faeries, in this case, Hallowfall, in his latest page-turning fantasy novel for ages 8+. In The chime seekers, depths of horror, dangerous quests, wicked trickery and grotesque, evil creatures from the hinterland are faced down by the protagonists: Yanni, Amy and a changeling. Montgomery doesn't shrink from presenting the reader with vile characters and settings.Thankfully, humour and cleverness lightens the load.
Faeries spring from ancient folktales and myths of England and Ireland. They are otherworldly, unpredictable, evil, unfriendly and dangerous. From neolithic times, (Montgomery places a dolmen reeking with evil portent in the village) people have believed that faeries carry off children to worlds resembling pre-Christian abodes of the dead. Montgomery does not spare the reader the horror of such things as piles of bones, ghostly galleons, ghostly skeletons and rivers and oceans of blood. These worlds are made of all the nastiness and tears that fall from the human world. When Yanni, on All Hallow's Eve (when the veil is thin between the human and faerie world), says to his new baby sister, 'I hate you and I wish you were dead...' that's when everything changes. The room shifts, Lorde Renwin, the most powerful of all the evil faeries enters, takes baby Ari and substitutes her with a changeling. Yanni, the previously nasty, angry little boy who had been feeling unloved and unwanted is plummeted into a quest to enter Hallowfall and try to retrieve his sister before All Hallow's is over and the way back into the human world closes forever.
Yanni is set three tasks by Lord Renwin. Against all the odds, he and his increasingly close knit 2 friends achieve each task only to have Lord Renwin shift the goal posts. This most evil of all faeries has no moral compass and Yanni has to find all the courage that is within him plus practise a little trickery himself. On the way he learns how to discern what is worth fighting even to the death for and what has to be let go.
The chime seekers has the neat text structure of a quest. The cover and interior illustrations by David Dean (award-winning children's illustrator) perfectly match the timing, content and tone of the story. Detailed drawings of the gnarled trees, HallowFall, the twisted tower, the signpost, Gustiver, the raven, the toad, the faeries and goblins are beautifully depicted on the back and front cover together with the children and the changeling. Each major section of the quest is opened with a whole page illustration which cleverly signposts the coming events and, when viewed as a whole sequence, reveal the pattern of the story. Being a quest, the structure is circular and ultimately perfectly satisfactory.
Montgomery has given us, in The chime seekers, a contribution to children's literature beginning with a capital L. Perhaps the alert to that came right at the start with the quote from W. B Yeats 'The Stolen Child'...
Come away, O human child! To the water, and the wild With a faerie, hand in hand...
The chime seekers would work as a class novel as a highly engaging read aloud and as a springboard for delving into the ancient world of faery tales and mythology - an imaginative world that has been neglected for some time in the lives of our young people.
Daddy’s Rainbow is a beautifully written and illustrated book about love and loss. Erin’s Daddy is the person who saw colour all around. He and Erin explored their world along with Mum and the baby. They saw blues in summer, oranges and browns in autumn, greens in spring and whites in winter. They shared precious and happy memories in a scrapbook which they filled with colour, photographs and Erin’s pictures. Sadly Erin’s Daddy becomes ill and all the colours turn to greys. He passes away and Erin’s life is turned upside down. There is no joy or colour in her life and she and her Mum miss Daddy terribly. Erin remembers the scrapbook she and her Daddy made and she shares the memories with her mum. Colour begins to reappear as Erin and her Mum start to find joy in life again.
This is a sensitive and gentle story with gorgeous water colour images. A special book to share with children who may have suffered the loss of a parent in their family. The book acknowledges the deep sadness being felt but also promises a hope for happiness in the future with loving memories and the appearance of a beautiful rainbow.
Themes Family, Loss, Death, Seasons, Grief, Hope.
Kathryn Beilby
Rules for vampires by Alex Foulkes. Illus. by Sara Ogilvie
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781471199554. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
Rules for Vampires is a debut novel for Alex Foulkes. Filled with spooky and ghoulish adventure, it is sure to keep many readers entertained. Creatively illustrated by Sara Oglivie this story is full of suspense, and at times horridness. However, the underlying thread of friendship, determination and teamwork, leaves this story with a lot of merit. If you enjoyed Wizards of Once, by Cressida Cowell, and don’t mind some vampires, bats and ghosts, this book is sure winner for you!
Protagonist Leo is one hundred and eleven-years undead and is learning how to be a good vampire. Now being a vampire can be pretty cool, but it does come with strict rules. Leo is still coming to grips with the whole thing, and she hasn’t had the best of luck so far! So, she is a little nervous with the immense pressure she is put under by her mother, Lady Sieglinde Von Motteberg, a formidable and intimidating vampire. She must uphold the family name and complete her first successful mission; to hunt a human and complete her Waxing Moon on her birthnight.
Leo sets off with a great idea to target the local orphanage and find her victim. Unfortunately, all her carefully thought-out plans go off course when she runs into the Orphanmaster; the nastiest and most horrid man you will ever meet! Now everything is turned upside down. Not only has she broken so many vampire rules in one night, she has also created two very angry ghosts. A vampire’s true enemy!
When orphan target, Minna turns up and demands Leo help her avenge the Orphanmaster, Leo doesn’t know what to do. How can she possibly work with a ghost? What will she tell her mum about the unsuccessful Hunt? And how can she possibly rid the town of the grisly ghosts she has created?
With more twists and turns than you can imagine, this book has great suspense and thrill. The chaotic and catastrophic ending will leave any reader gasping for breath. Undead vs Undead, how can they compete and who will be the winner?
Themes Adventure, Problem solving, Friendship, Gothic.
Michelle O'Connell
The witchling's wish by Lu Fraser and Sarah Massini
Little Witchling is all alone, she longs for a friend and searches her spell book for a solution. The only problem is she needs one special ingredient that means she has to leave her home and find it.
This beautiful story that is told in rhyme is an absolute delight and will become a childhood favourite. Little Witchling’s search for the fur from a one-eyed teddy bear and the kindness that Lilly, the owner of said bear shows, allows for conversations about friendship, kindness and how to make friends, but also the importance of our special things and sharing to be introduced.
The Witchling’s wish is a wonderful story with amazing illustrations that really brings the story to life and engages the reader no matter the age.
This is a book that is sure to become a class favourite as it is wonderful for reading aloud and has so many conversation points. It will also be a bedtime favourite as it is a true feel-good book. I absolutely loved this book and have read it to a large number of students since receiving it. I would highly recommend adding this to a school, classroom, and home library.
Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.
These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They've all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up -Valentine's Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they've all been stood up by the same man.
Once they've each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go....
Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?
This book is a tale of love, friendship and heartache with an element of mystery. Each of our three leading ladies, Siobhan, Miranda and Jane are incredibly unique and I never felt myself wanting to hear from one character more than another. Each with their own quirks and individuality, I loved their journeys and how they evolved throughout the novel. My feelings about Joseph however were up in the air until the very end. Do I love him, or do I want to punch him? There is an answer to that question, but I cannot say without spoilers.
I will say the twist had me reaching for the tissues and my heart to the point of shattering. The plot was so perfectly written, I’ve never read anything like it. Many are saying this is Beth’s best work. Laughing, crying, utter shock, this book is a roller coaster of emotions and I cannot recommend it enough!
There is certainly nothing quite like a cat - all shapes and sizes, all personalities (usually big), a vast range of characteristics and always very self assured. In this engaging book Jacqueline Harvey takes a tongue in cheek look at a variety of cats. In rhyming lines she talks of fat cats, rat cats and bat cats. Then she offers a flat cat, a drat cat and a scat cat. Each cat is quite different and readers will delight in recalling the things which make that particular cat so definitive. Who has not seen a scat cat or a bat cat. Some will have sadly seen a flat cat and talk of their sorrow, while others will know the batman superhero well and relate to the bat cat. Some will have seen the destruction caused by a cat in their house and know all about the dreaded drat cat or scat cat. Rat cat gives readers the opportunity to retell the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, while mat cat parodies the popularity of exercise classes. All varieties of cat will cause smiles and laughter, sharing of stories and involving discussions, winning the audience over completely to this book of whimsy and playfulness.
Packing a punch the illustrations give a deeper level of humour to the spare words, allowing the readers to visualise the word used to describe each cat. Detail on every page will garb the reader as they laugh, recognising different cats’ traits. The detail pokes fun at the human parallels of each cat’s background. The cafe society for example shows a couple seated outside the cafe, check tablecloth, being offered fish and chips by the flamboyant waiter.
Working in the animation industry over the world, more can be found about Scott on her website. Harvey was Scott’s teacher at kindergarten a meeting which has resulted in this winning book, sure to please all kids young and old. Jacqueline Harvey wrote the Alice Miranda books amongst many others, That cat being her 49th publication.
Themes Friendship, Cats, Humour.
Fran Knight
The echidna near my place by Sue Whiting. Illus. by Cate James
Through the story of the echidna that lives nearby we are given an informative easy to absorb, thrilling tale of survival. ‘Every word is true’; the back cover reminds us when presenting another in the wonderful Nature Storybooks offered by Walker Books.
Near the mountain where the hang gliders jump off the cliff, a girl and her grandma walk in the scrubby bushland on its slope. Here they sometimes see an echidna, one of the oldest surviving mammals on this planet.
Through her story of an amazing encounter with the echidna, we see what an echidna eats, how it survives, where it lives and what it looks like. All of these facts are part of the story, and given support from the differently fonted paragraphs on each page which read more like an information text. Both sets of text intertwine, giving readers a non fiction text alongside a story, each adding facts and substance to the fictional tale of the encounter.
This stunning story, brimful of information which readers will absorb without effort, adding to their knowledge of Australian mammals and our environment is beautifully supported with digital illustrations giving a stunning panorama of the bush in which the child and the echidna live, begging readers to point out the detail of what the echidna eats and where it lives, and what things are in its environment. The rich illustrations actively involve the readers in spotting other Australian animals living in the scrubby bushland, while the diet of the echidna is reprised on the endpapers.
The girl talks to her grandma about what she sees: the strange ambling walk, the long nose, the pointy spikes while the text underneath tells us more about each thing that she notices, giving it a more scientific basis. So we learn that the snout is about eight centimetres long, useful for burrowing in termite mounds and foraging for food. We learn that the backwards facing feet are used for moving soil out of the way when the echidna digs with its very strong front claws. We learn that the female has one egg at a time and that it is kept in her pouch while it feeds on her milk.
An index at the end of the book will help younger readers learn the way to find information in a non fiction book, while a page of information is given adding to that of the text. A brief note about the author and illustrator rounds out the book
I found all the information fascinating, written in such a way as to entreat younger readers, allowing them to see themselves walking along a bush track and spying an animal too, and given information about how to respect the animal in its habitat. Classroom ideas are available.
Themes Australian bush, Echidnas, Australian animals, Environment, Bush, Grandparents.
Fran Knight
Moth in a fancy cardigan by Charlotte Lance and David Booth
Moth in a Fancy Cardigan, written by Charlotte Lance is a unique and charming story about individuality and expressing yourself. Sharing personal perspectives from both main characters, the reader will find relatability, connection and understanding. The fundamental idea that is interwoven throughout the story is about being able to express and feel comfortable with who you are. An important lesson for us all!
Meet Gary, he is just your average quiet grey moth, who is inconspicuous and blends in with the crowd. He follows rules and get things done on time but is told that he can over think situations. His life is full of grey! Grey clothes, grey furniture, grey lunch…the works, but he desperately would love some colour in is life.
Now meet Florence, she is a beautiful butterfly with amazing rainbow colours and grand beauty. She is one of the popular ones, but constantly feels the pressures to come up to everyone’s expectations; especially as she can be quite forgetful and sporadic, as well as a little bit clumsy and careless at times.
So, when a chance meeting between Gary and Florence comes along, their lives are turned upside down. Who would have thought losing a cardigan could help them discover who they really are and who they want to be.
Charlotte Lance has cleverly created an engaging and emotive novel with endearing characters. A cheerful and refreshing story with insightful perspectives shared by a moth and butterfly. The easy to follow story structure, along with delightful tricoloured illustrations by David Booth will make this story a popular choice!
The love that grew is a very gently written picture book about the love a mother has for her growing family. Each new addition is loved just as much as the other children who came before. The story begins with the following verse:
“Let me tell you of a power that can never be tamed, of how I promise to love you all the same. Something so special you must never forget, no matter how big our family may get…”
Each beautifully illustrated double page has four simple rhyming lines describing a mother’s love that will draw the reader in. Her love is “Protective like the toughest shield, with the kind of strength that will never yield.” Two of the final pages show diverse families floating in heart-shaped hot air balloons with the words:
“Like an expanding balloon that flies up high, powered by magic you cannot buy, that down the track might once more soar to love another, and maybe more!”
This book would be a perfect gift for a mother-to-be or family with a new baby as well as a great Mother’s Day present.
A beautifully crafted historical novel, The wearing of the green, by well-known author Claire Saxby, is a heart-warming and heart-wrenching story about the arrival of Irish famine orphan girls in Melbourne in 1850. The arrival of our heroine Biddy Blackwell on the Eliza Caroline sits against the backdrop of early colonial Melbourne just after Victoria's separation from New South Wales. This period of history was a time of social and political upheaval with the arrival of overwhelming numbers of immigrants to the new colony of Victoria, the discovery of gold, the opening up of pastoral land and the very real hope of building a new and prosperous life.
The story of Biddy's quest to start a new life and find her brother Ewen is cleverly interwoven with the action, characters and settings shining a light onto aspects of the times including racism, classism and gender expectations. This historical detail is brushstroked across the storyline in an uncontrived manner resulting in a very rich and authentic portrait of the times.
Biddy is a thoroughly likeable, smart and resourceful girl. The third person narrative allows the reader to see the world of the Immigration depot in Williamstown, the miserable farm of the cruel Mr Morrison, the country of the Waddawurrung people west of Melbourne and the markets, streets, canvas-town settlement, courthouse and the beginnings of the suburbs of Melbourne to the then boundary - Richmond through Biddy's observant eyes. The cast of characters include Biddy's fellow Irish girls, Miss Carmichael, their benevolent caretaker, the abusive farmer Mr Morrison, his two miserable wives, the beautiful but doomed child Annie, Kanyul, the aboriginal girl, various minor characters from the market, river and courthouse, Mr Owen, an Irish journalist who becomes her employer and possible future and her brother, the hot tempered Irish activist and his new family.
Fittingly, the cover of The wearing of the green features a photograph, reminiscent of a classic painting in its lights and shadows, of a young girl in the dress of the period with a green ribbon in her hair - a portrait of innocence, serenity and vulnerability. Within the front matter Saxby quotes AJP Taylor, The Trouble Makers: Dissent over Foreign Policy, 1792-1939 , 'All change in history, all advance comes from non-conformity. If there had been no troublemakers, no dissenters, we should still be living in caves.' Biddy is the daughter of a dreamer and a realist. She is a solid combination of both - a rock. Ewen her brother is the activist, who fled Ireland when pursued by bailiffs and continued to be active in Irish civil disobedience and rebellion in Australia. The shamrock and wattle (both full of symbolic meaning) make appearances as breaks within the text. A copy of the lyrics of The wearing of the green, a traditional Irish folksong dating back to the Irish rebellion of 1898, is included in the endpages.
The wearing of the green is highly recommended as a class novel and excellent model text for teaching the genre of historical narrative. It is recommended for Year 5 level as the subject matter is early colonial history as studied in year 5 ACARA. Comprehensive teacher notes are available.
Pax : Journey Home is the sequel to Pax, a story about a boy and his fox who are torn apart by the circumstances and betrayal that come from living through a war. In Journey Home, a year has gone by, the war is over, but the impacts remain, not just to the environment but to the people who are still alive.
Peter is 13 and struggling with the loss of his father and his betrayal of Pax and is determined to not feel every again. In his quest to isolate himself from the world and those who are willing to support him, he joins a group of volunteers who are cleaning up the toxic mess created during the war. Meanwhile Pax and his mate Bristle are new parents with a litter of kits to protect. However, they need to find a new home that is safer for all of them, and Pax leaves his family behind to do this.
One of the kits follows Pax and ironically falls ill while playing and drinking the water that Peter is working so hard to clean. Pax realizes that he needs help and when his journey crosses the path of Peter, he knows what he must do.
This is the sequel that was never meant to be, Sara Pennypacker never intended for there to be a second book, but I am so glad that she did. This is a brilliant story about Peter and Pax and the characters that we first met in Pax. Peter is trying to isolate himself, but the world will not let him, Vola continues to support him and accept his need to be alone but still ensures a connection with his grandfather, the volunteers accept his solitary needs while still drawing him into their lives through their stories and shared environmental interest and Pax knows that the only human who can save his daughter is the one person who left him behind.
The broadest theme of this book is that love will always find a way in. However, the other themes of environmental responsibility and animal protection are also there along with survival and family. This is a fabulous series and one that I would recommend highly, however, Journey Home does need to be read after Pax for it to make sense and for the reader to get the full impact of the complexity and richness of the characters and the story.
The author has created a story that readers will want to revisit and engage with again and again as they discover the relationships that bind us to certain places and people and the impact that leaving can have, both through death and by choice. Pax has learnt to be a wild fox but still holds the memories of the love Peter gave him and this comforts and guides him through his struggles. Peter is trying to outrun his memories and the consequences of trying to isolate himself as an escape from the things he has seen and done during the years that the war raged.
I believe that this book could be used as a class novel or as a read aloud in class but also will be one that is passed around as people read and discover the beauty that Sara Pennypacker has created with her story that is enriched by Jon Klassen’s illustrations. I highly recommend adding this to your reading pile and library shelves.
Themes Environmental Issues, Animal-human relationships, Family, War, Loss, Death, Survival.
Mhairi Alcorn
Only a monster by Vanessa Len
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760878313. (Age:Young adult) Recommended.
Joan Chang-Hunt is a self-confessed rule-following history nerd who spends every summer living with her deceased mother’s eclectic and eccentric family in London. This summer, she is volunteering at a local museum where she meets Nick, handsome, dreamy, and almost too good to be true. On her way to their first date, Joan falls and hits her head and when she wakes up, twelve hours have passed. Upset and confused, she rushes home to find her grandmother waiting for her, ready to tell Joan about her birthright…that she and her family are monsters and that they can travel through time by stealing the time left on the lives of the mortals around them. This revelation leads to a series of unexpected and tragic events that will pit Joan against her new crush and force her to work with those her family has always considered enemies.
Australian author Vanessa Len’s debut novel is a clever subversion of a typical young adult fantasy trope. Joan, a kind, caring and ethical teenager, is not some helpless heroine fighting for good. Although she does not want to admit or accept it, she is (technically) on the side of evil. Only a Monster is a very interesting take on what can often be a tired concept – Len manages to shake her audience’s view about what makes us good and what makes us bad.
The novel is an extremely fast-paced fantasy thriller, the first of a planned trilogy. Joan is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist, the worldbuilding is interesting and realistic and there is the requisite hint of a doomed love story – what’s not to love?
Themes Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Historical, Supernatural Beings, Time Travel, Family, Romance, Identity, Good vs Evil.
