Eyes that speak to the stars is the companion volume to the acclaimed Eyes that kiss in the corners written by the New York Times best selling team Joanna Ho and Dung Ho. Joanna Ho, the author, resides in San Francisco and has Chinese/Taiwanese heritage. She is firmly committed to working towards anti-bias, anti-racism and equity in her writing. Dung Ho, the illustrator, is Vietnamese and lives in Ho Chi Minh city. Eyes that kiss in the cornersfollows the story of a young Asian girl as she learns through her family's support that she is beautiful and loved. Eyes that speak to the stars, follows a similar formula. A young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different to his peers in a friend's drawing. He learns that his eyes are like his father's and grandfather's and are part of a long, long heritage and that they can see the stars and glimpse trails of light from those who came before.
Eyes that speak to the stars is a delightful book that teaches about acceptance of difference, love for oneself and the loveliness of a supportive family. In the hands of a savvy teacher or parent, the book could be a springboard for discussion about how it feels to be different to the mainstream culture of where you are no matter what culture you represent. In addition the importance of family and heritage across all cultures should be the message.
Dung Ho's illustrations spead across double pages. They are detailed showing for example in the first interior Chinese porcelain lamps, dragons and charms. The faces are depicted full on and smiling with wide eyes and smiles. Dragons and kites swirl across the colourful pages. Joy and love spring from the simple words and colourful illustrations. Generations are shown through grandfather, father, son and baby brother and the vision goes all the way to the stars. Children will love this book especially when they can talk about their own fathers and grandfathers and be encouraged to think about that universal sense of self in relation to heritage and beyond.
Eyes that speak to the stars encourages children to celebrate their own culture and history even if it is not highlighted by the society in which they live.
Recommended as a library and classroom read aloud.
Themes Love of self, Family support, Heritage.
Wendy Jeffrey
The think-ups by Claire Alexander
Walker Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781406395051.
It's a rainy day, and Anna and Kiki are stuck indoors, wondering what to play next. Suddenly, Kiki has an idea for a new game. "All you have to do," she explains, "is think up a Think-Up and it will appear!" And she thinks up BUNNIES! Then they conjure up the most marvellous, magnificent MOOSE! And octopi! And nine HUNGRY koalas! - who discover the kitchen! Oh dear. Is it possible to UN-think a Think-Up?
This is a story that will appeal to both little ones and their parents because it offers a game they can play on the next rainy day. While they might not have such dramatic results, nevertheless, it would be fun imagining what might happen of your home was invaded by wandering wombats or a little can't-catch-me lion.
Half-cut pages that make for funny surprises at every turn build up anticipation and allow for predicting what might happen when the think-up comes true, enabling the child's imagination to roam free.
Different, engaging and offers a unique opportunity for the child to create an extra page or two. A case of dreaming with your eyes open...
Themes Imagination.
Barbara Braxton
Arabella's alphabet adventure by Suzy Zail. Illus. by Christopher Nielsen
On a library shelf in the section designated Especially for children, Arabella’s Alphabet Adventure is unhappy with her lot. Not for her the books around her that have a beginning, middle and end, not for her the stories to entrance children, nor any adult borrowers. Instead she must contend with only being borrowed by the youngest of borrowers, placing their jammy fingers on her pages, scribbling or even worse, tearing pages, while they read one letter at a time. Despite being the most borrowed book in the library, she is unhappy.
She decides to do something and one day while on the returns trolley, she slides herself into the book next to her, a travel guide book about Africa. Here she has the most amazing of adventures: watching lions, viewing crocodiles, sleeping under the twinkling night sky, crossing the river by raft. But not once is she read. What use is a book if no one reads the sentences. She comes to want the comfort of being held by a child, snuggled down in bed, sleeping with the toys and particularly back in the building where she is once again shelved in an area called Especially for children.
Everyone is pleased to see her back: the librarian unsure of where she has been, but pleased she is now in the right place.
Delightful mixed media illustrations show all the great things about books and take readers on an excursion through a library, showing them the shelves, return trolley, toys, sections within the library, especially the one just for younger readers, and seating arrangements. Books of all types take centre stage in Nielsen’s images, showing children the range of books they can expect to see in the library, and what is inside them, the alphabet book a firm favourite.
This wonderful book gives children an introduction to a library and the books held within; it shows what books are about, from alphabet to story books to travel guides. It helps younger readers understand some of the make up of a library, where things are held and why, who borrows and what happens when the books are returned. It shows how books are reshelved and it shows the fun that children can have at the library.
A wholly satisfying look at the library and why it is there, younger readers will thrill at recognising the way books work. And along the way have a marvellous adventure with Arabella, who comes to see that life on the other side of the library is not what she wants after all, that she is happiest just the way she is. Activities are available in Walker Books Story Time kit. A book trailer is also available.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781529038835. (Age:Adult, young adult)
A list of the nuns and novices who live in the Convent of Santa Maria Magdalena and a plan of the convent in Florence in 1537 set the scene for a deposition about a naked dead man with stab wounds and a lot of blood, found in the convent. The deposition is written by Cesare Aldo, officer of the Otto di Guardia e Balina and the story begins with him reporting to his boss before the incident is uncovered. It then shifts to young constable Carlo Strocci taking his new wife to meet his mother at their village downstream from Florence. Here he learns a body had washed up some time ago, a body he believes may be Cerci, a missing officer of the Otto. As the dual threads of Aldo and Strocci’s investigations unfold, the workings of the convent are detailed. There is unrest, with some arguing the order needs to be enclosed to allow undisturbed contemplation and prayer but the Abbess supports its current work in helping the poor and educating girls. One of the girls is Isabella, the daughter of Aldo’s half-sister and he helps her avoid an arranged marriage by hiding in the convent. The many threads of the story take time to establish and there is lots of detail about Florence at that time, its politics and power struggles, places and personalities, (I did note that all the bad guys were depicted as fat which was a bit unnecessary). However, by half way through the over 400 pages it lost momentum and became repetitive. The resolution of the convoluted reasons behind the dead body in the convent lost credibility with every twist and other threads petered out.This is the second in a series and I may have enjoyed it more or been more invested in the characters if I had read City of Vengeance. Readers who can suspend disbelief and enjoy the smattering of Italian words and historical Florence detail might enjoy this.
Themes Historical fiction, Murder, Florence.
Sue Speck
The every baby book by Frann Preston-Gannon
Magic Cat, 2022. ISBN: 9781913520373. (Age:0 - 2)
With a subtitle, Families of every name Share a love that’s just the same, anyone opening this board book will know that inside will reveal a range of families and babies of all types, styles and characteristics, each sharing the one thing that makes them all unique - love.
Blended families, single parent families, a family with two women parents, or two men parents, families with parents from different backgrounds - families all mean the same thing, a baby that is loved and cared for.
Each double page shows a a large image of a family on one side and then a group of smaller images showing things that families do. Each double page is about a particular time in a family’s day: waking up, play time, sleeping and so on, and each page shows what the family does together on the facing page. By the time children have read all the pages they will have seen a whole array of things families do, ending with a birthday party in the park where all the families come together.
Babies reading the book with their parent will have their love reinforced, parents will get to see a range of other families where love is the most important thing, children will revel in the fact that their family is shown, one amongst many, all sharing love. This common thread runs through the whole book, promoting inclusivity, and extolling the virtue of love being at the heart of every family.
The illustrations are very cute, with humorous situations shown clearly. One child upends his meal on the floor, another squirts dad while a nappy is being changed.
Themes Babyhood, Board book, Inclusivity, Humour.
Fran Knight
The secret lives of mermaids : Expert guides to mythical creatures by Prof. Anuk Tola. Illus. by Anja Susanj
Flying Eye Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781911171874.
At the School of Merology (SoM), Professor Anuk Tola (aka Anja Susanj has been studying the lives, habits and habitats of merpeople for many years in an attempt to be able to communicate with them and those studies have revealed that:
The word "mermaid" is a misnomer because there is more than just one gender, their societies are large and varied, and each is a unique individual. Merpeople are "a highly complex, curious, social, fierce, intelligent and incredibly secretive" species and what little is known has taken hundreds of years to glean. Because the ocean is changing so are the merpeople and they and the merologists (those who study merpeople) have to find new ways to work together.
In the meantime, she has gathered all that is currently known into this highly informative book, a companion to The Secret Lives of Dragons and The Secret Lives of Unicorns. Beginning with a section entitled 'What is a merperson?' the reader is introduced to the species, visits the various kingdoms in the world's oceans and learns about their beliefs, language and so forth. But perhaps the most important section is the final one which examines how and why the oceans are changing, how that is affecting them and what we, as humans, can do to protect both them and their environment.
Mermaids (and unicorns) continue to be a source of fascination for many, particularly young girls, and this is a really imaginative way to introduce them to the concept of ocean conservation as well as non fiction generally. To build a complete world in this way, albeit one based on a fantasy, is a clever way to make the reader stop and think about what might live between the waves and pause before they chuck their plastic bag in the water or let their balloons go into the sky. Somehow it gives a whole new slant on this year's CBCA Book week theme, 'Dreaming with eyes open...'
This is the paperback version of A-Z of Australian animals. Here is the original review:
Cossins is a Tasmanian author and artist with a passion for all things animal. Her previous titles, all published within the last few years, include 101 Collective Nouns and The Baby Animal Book. This title uses her signature illustrative style and is formatted and organised in the same way as her previous book A-Z of Endangered Animals. It includes a contents page listed by alphabet letter rather than page number (e.g., A-Azure Kingfisher) which is great for helping young children understand alphabet sequence. It contains many well-known native Aussie animals (koala, platypus, wombat, etc.) as well as many that children may not have heard of (imperial jezebel, variegated fairy-wren, etc.). There is a lovely two-page introduction (probably more suited to adult readers than children) that explains Australia's native fauna and her choices for inclusion. Each animal is given two pages (one with text and one illustration of the animal). The illustrations are shiny, realistic representations of each animal without much background except to give a basic indication of their habitat. The information on the opposite page includes scientific name, height or length, three paragraphs detailing the animal's unique features, behaviours and habitat and one interesting fact. The book as a whole is probably too long for children to take in during a single sitting but is definitely one they will like dipping in and out of or could be used as a reference book. It is not a comprehensive compendium of Australian animals, nor does it comprehensively cover the 26 animals it features. However, it is visually appealing (especially because it is minimal) and beautifully written with plain but not simplified English. It doesn't shy away from using big words or technical language (monogamous, incubate, etc.), nor does it feel the need to explain them all, and is all the richer for it. This also means it will resonate with a very wide audience, from the very young to adult. The illustrations (for those not familiar with Cossins' work) lie very flat on the page but use line and colour to create texture and intricate detail.
Themes Australian animals, Alphabet.
Nicole Nelson
Those kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458506. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
Those kids from Fawn Creek is set in a fictitious small, rural town (Fawn Creek) in America. More specifically the story is set squarely in the lives of a seventh grade class of twelve students - in their school, their town and their home lives.
New York times best-seller writer and Newbery prize winner, Filipina-American Erin Entrada Kelly knows how to portray the friendships, the dramas, the concerns and the lives of young people of Middle School age. Her writing breathes realism in a contemporary Middle school environment. The classroom, lunch time and outside school activities of these young people mirror the small town social structure, values and attitudes of the parents and people of Fawn Creek. Kelly creates well-rounded characters; the reader views the unfolding social interaction within the year seven class from the perspective of four main characters.
In Fawn Creek, social structures are set in concrete. The young people have been in the same class for seven years: one character has been mercilessly bullied for ever, another character has always been a manipulative bully, controlling the friendship groups and setting the tone and behaviour code, another student is unhappy within his family as he is sensitive and different in a macho environment. These characters and their interactions are a familiar trope in middle school/young adult coming of age fiction but Kelly manages to keep them fresh so they speak to the concerns of contemporary Middle School readers. Many of the worries and problems of this age group are reflected in the characters that Kelly brings to like in Those kids from Fawn Creek. This is comforting for young readers as it is always good to be able to relate to characters and situations that are close to your own experience.
An extraordinary thing happens. A new girl arrives at school. So as not to spoil the story, the result of this unprecendated arrival cannot be revealed in this review. Did it have an effect? The whole story hangs around the arrival of Orchid Mason in this town. Will friendships shift? Will wrongs be righted? Who is Orchid Mason?
Those kids from Fawn Creek is a moving story. There is deception, there is raw honesty, there is growth, acceptance and rejection. There is learning. There is a powerful ending.
'Be nice. The world is a small town' is a quote from Austin Kleon and Erin Entrada Kelly chooses this quote to place in the front matter of her book along with a dedication 'To anyone with dreams bigger than their hometowns.' This is an interesting, wise, relatable and instructive book for young people who are navigating the Middle Years of schooling. It is easy to imagine that it could, like other Erin Estrada Kelly's books, be adapted to stage and/or Netflix. Teacher's notes are available.
Highly recommended.
Themes Middle school friendships, Self acceptance, Life lessons.
Wendy Jeffrey
Shakespeare for everyone by Emma Roberts. Illus. by Sarah Tanat Jones
Shakespeare for Everyone is a colourful and visually appealing hardcover book that will provide readers with a snapshot of all things Shakespearean. Also of added interest in the book is the consideration given to the social and historical aspects of the period. The Contents page lists 29 double page chapters beginning with Shakespeare’s early life with the final chapter being Shakespeare’s future. The book ends with a Glossary and a Timeline of the Great Works of Shakespeare.
There is uncertainty surrounding the actual birth date of Shakespeare, but his birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23. It is assumed that as he was born to a prominent council member he would have been educated at a local grammar school in Stratford. His father’s council position would have afforded a young William access to theatre and travelling troupes that many other boys of his age would have been unable to experience. This would have aroused his interest in play writing and acting.
Author Emma Roberts who studied Classics at Cambridge University and has a passion for acting has skilfully cross-referenced lines from Shakespeare’s plays with the topic under discussion. Each page has different coloured text boxes and background colours to differentiate between the information shared.
The chapters on Shakespeare’s Comedies, Tragedies, Histories and Romances and the corresponding chapters discussing Spotlight on… Comedies, Tragedies, Histories and Romances provide an in-depth look at his plays. For those upper primary to older secondary students who are new to the study of William Shakespeare or adults who have perhaps a limited understanding or knowledge may find this book a worthwhile resource.
Themes Shakespeare, English History, Playwrights, Drama.
"The term 'crocodile' or 'crocodilian' is used to describe the roughly 26 species of the order Crocodilia. This order includes species known as 'true crocodiles' as well as alligators, gharials and caimans." And to demonstrate the difference the first page of this fascinating book shows profiles of the differing heads of each species so before a page is turned something new has been learned.
Did you know that crocodiles can live to be over 100 years old, and can climb trees to sunbathe? They can even sense the vibrations from a single drop of water falling from the mouth of a drinking wildebeest over twenty metres away.
While crocodiles traditionally evoke some degree of fear, the likes of Steve Irwin and Matt Wright, and perhaps even the early Crocodile Dundee, have taken them out of the swamps and the estuaries and given them a profile which means young readers are fascinated by them. So this book with its clear explanations and multitude of diagrams is a great starting point for answering all those questions that little ones invariably have.
After years of experience working with little ones and watching their reading habits, I know that the boys, particularly, like to borrow books about the scariest, fiercest, largest creatures - perhaps as some kind of personal armour - and so this one not only fits perfectly into that category but offers them much to investigate, learn and share in a very accessible format.
Based on the real story of Anita Hemmings – the first Afro-American student to graduate from the prestigious Vassar College, this is an insight into the class, gender and race history of education and the American college system of the late 19th century. The irony of the story is that Anita was able to enrol at this college because she could pass for white, and needed to keep her mixed-race background a secret, because they did not accept ‘coloured’ students. Into this world of privilege and wealth, Anita is initially just an incredibly able and focused student, excelling in Greek, Latin and other languages; she is also admired for her incredible beauty and quiet decorum, and she can also sing. She becomes a well-respected College participant… and her family background remains a mystery. In her final year she rooms with an extremely wealthy and exuberant girl, full of personality and verve. She comes from the New York elite and Anita’s life gains a spark of charismatic possibility by being near her. But still she must keep her humble origins from the attention of all, as attitudes are steeped in racism, and if they knew that she was ‘coloured’, even though she looked ‘white’, her academic dreams would crumble. The guilt of casting off her own black history and passing as a white woman to make her own dreams possible is part of the conflict of her life. ‘Passing’ has a different connotation in this educational setting.
This story is soon to be the basis for a major film, and it is confronting as it deals with the power and seduction of money, the historical awfulness of racism towards the Afro-American community, and the poverty of educational opportunities that followed. All the way through the book there is a tension that Anita will be ‘found out’, and that her innocent and hard-working family will suffer too. The friendships that are forged in the strange land of College life and the educational headiness of the elite world that they move in, with its social connections with Yale and Harvard, and potential romance links, are all intriguing and fraught. Can Anita thrive in this environment or will her life of lies tumble around her? What will happen for all these educated women at the turn of the century, will they just become wives and mothers and lose their dreams for the future? The final chapter reveals Anita’s daughter beginning her own journey at Vassar College. Has anything changed in a generation at the start of the 20th century? This book is worthy of recommendation and I will look forward to the movie’s interpretation of this part of US history.
Note: The Author has fictionalised some of the history, basing the scaffold of the story on the real history of Anita Love (nee Hemmings).
Themes Afro-American history, Race relations, USA – 19th Century, Education, Class, Gender opportunities – History, College education – History, New York, Racism.
A little green thing is in the mouth of a bird flying to a warmer climate. The little green thing drops from the bird’s mouth onto the back of a bear. The little green thing is cold and tries to make the bear understand that it would like to stay in its warmth until it has grown enough to move on at its own volition. Over the season it looks after the bear in return for his warmth: he frightens away a beee, fans the bear when it is hot, guards him when he sleeps. Over the months a friendship develops and when it is time for the little green thing to depart, becoming a big green tree somewhere else, the two part as friends, the tree forever held in the bear’s heart.
A wonderful story of the meaning of friendship, of being together even though you are apart, of the depth of feeling between two friends, this book will appeal to children who like to think more deeply about the vicissitudes of life and all that it offers.
Shortlisted for the 2021 World Illustration Award, this story will appeal to thoughtful and design-conscious picture book buyers. The illustrations are magical, drawing the eye across pages of colour, little suspecting at first what the eye is seeing. Cunningly, the bear is revealed, and we view the spectacle of long dark nights and bright days roll around the pages. Using a small range of colour heightens the intensity of the background, the sweep of browns giving the clue to a long semi dark night, and I loved the image of the trees, saplings still, inhabiting the green hills all around. The small sapling is forever in the bear’s heart, even after the little green thing has moved onto its place in the world.
Cat & Cat adventures: The quest for snacks by Susie Yi
HarperCollins, 2022. ISBN: 9780063083806.
One day when their human leaves for work, Squash and Ginny find themselves in the most unfortunate predicament: without snacks. With a little help from a magical portal, the two cats embark on a quest to find ingredients for a potion that will produce unlimited goodies.
At first, their mission doesn't seem so tough. It takes them on a boat race across Mewmaid Ocean and a hot air balloon ride over Mount Lava. But when the cats reach the Enchanted Rain Forest to gather enchanted rainwater, the last item on their list, their mission runs dry. . . It turns out it hasn't rained in the Enchanted Rain Forest in weeks!
Can Squash and Ginny get to the bottom of what's causing this dry spell and secure the final ingredient they need Or have Squash and Ginny taken their last bite . . . for good?
Ever since comics, and their more sophisticated cousins, graphic novels, have been readily available there has been debate about their validity as reading material, particularly in schools. Despite their popularity with students, there is controversy over whether they are 'real reading' and so to offer a story in graphic novel format that is clearly aimed at young readers may spark discussion, if not debate. While I, as teacher, reviewer, parent and grandparent, have no qualms about the format being one who believes that anything that includes text is available to read, the dichotomy is whether those who have the skills to bring all that is necessary to reading this story, will be engaged by a plot most suited for young readers. Obviously, there are those who are very young who will be able to manage it, but to me, there is a disconnect between the target audience of the narrative and those with the wherewithal to get the most out of it. So while there is clearly a demand for graphic novels, could the story have been presented in a different format and thus reach more readers?
Readers of all ages will laugh uproariously at the dogs in their various disguises, trying to sneak into human confines where no dogs are allowed. From the inviting front cover with a group of dogs making up a handsome looking fellow to the back cover with its heavily moustachioed dog sitting eating a sausage, children will love this tale. Starting with 'Dogs come in all kinds of shapes and disguises, but when no one’s looking they put on disguises’, children will love being involved with the rhyming text, predicting the rhyming word at the end of each refrain. They will laugh at the antics of the dogs trying to look human and laugh with glee at the disguises used. Each word rhymes with a breed of dog, another level of interest and fascination for younger and older readers. Young readers’ favourite will be the two pages about Barney the beagle who cleverly disguises himself as a tree to enable him to get closer to the barbecue in order to steal some meat. But he forgets that other dogs also like trees and the look on his face is just priceless as he gets very wet feet.
The illustrations by John Bond are cleverly entwined with the text, giving another level of humour to an already funny story. Children will love looking at the detail of each dog’s disguise, working out how they could get themselves into those clothes, and working out some disguises for themselves. Dress up is always a favourite time with kids and this story parallels those times at home and at school. Kids will love looking at the expressions on each of the dogs’ faces, working out what they feel and may be thinking, supporting emotional intelligence.
While we can't hug by Eoin McLaughlin Polly Dunbar
Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9780571369133.
Hedgehog and Tortoise are the best of friends. They met when each was trying to find someone to give them a hug but now this nasty disease has hit the world, they are not allowed to hug each other any more. And that makes them sad. But then Wise Owl shows them that there are many ways to show your love even if you can't actually touch each other.
This is the sequel to The Hug, and is equally as heart-warming. Even though it was published a year or so ago it is a timely then as it was then with similar social distancing still being in place, although the pandemic is not mentioned because there are many reasons why friends might be separated and unable to hug each other. And while Hedgehog and Tortoise offer a number of suggestions for connections, no doubt the children can offer more and can have fun doing so, putting them into practice so they can catch up with many different unseen people. Remember when people put teddies in their windows so little ones could see them on their daily walk? If not then, why not now? It all goes to telling each other we are seen and loved and thus, protecting and promoting our mental health.
