"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.
Barbara Braxton
Old Grandpa's Book of Practical Poems by Peter Macinnis (curator)
Amazon, 2021. ISBN: 9798583706266. Recommended.
Imagine having at your fingertips a comprehensive collection of the poems that are most often quoted, or pop up in allusions and crosswords.
This collection carefully curated by wordsmith Peter Macinnis includes rhymes, brief and not-so from Britain, North America and Australia and in his words, should be 'read aloud: adult to child; child to child; child to adult.' While he believes it is a collection that 'young people of all ages can benefit from encountering' it is, 'above all, a work of love, both of language and also of grandchildren, official and unofficial, everywhere.'
However, IMO, it is one that should be in the collection of all educators and school libraries because it provides such ready access to all those verses that we know snippets of but can't quite recall the whole thing. Grouped under these rough headings: Short, Sweet and Sour; Pieces to Get the Tongue Around; Parodies; Fun with words; Adventures; Stories; Travel; Myths and Other Animals; Books and the arts; Seasons; Love and beauty; Funny; Society and its oddities; Nature; Science; Sport and The game of war, it spans works such as The Elf and the Dormouse (particularly topical given the weather we are experiencing on the East Coast and that which is predicted for the summer) to Banjo of the Overflow, a parody of my favourite Clancy of the Overflow.
This is the third edition of this work, again as carefully and meticulously researched as any who know Peter expect, and for many has proven to be the turning point in their relationship to poetry. There is something special about sharing something so personal as poetry preferences with those you love, be they children, grandchildren or your students. How many times have I had fun with young ones exploring Southey's The Inchcape Rock (p59) and the inglorious fate of Sir Ralph the Rover? Sometimes words with no pictures to shape the imagination are exactly what is needed.
This anthology is the perfect vehicle for whenever you and yours need to just shut your eyes, listen and watch the images on the screens of your eyelids.
Orphan Rock is a single pillar of rock standing alone in the Blue Mountains, beautiful but largely inaccessible. For Bessie’s husband, Bertram, it represents a potential home and future prosperity. But perhaps it is more symbolic of the solitary un-won heart of the woman who stands beside him. We first discover Bessie as a child in the cold and harsh environment of the Protestant Orphan School, clinging to her older friend Lottie, and with no memory of her parents. The inscription on the opening pages of the novel reads ‘The truth is you can be orphaned again and again and again . . . And the secret is, this will hurt less and less each time until you can’t feel a thing.’
The theme of the orphan, or at least the child lost to its parents, recurs again and again in this story set initially in the 1800’s, and focusses particularly on the difficult lot of women whose only hope of financial security is to make an advantageous marriage. To have a child out of wedlock is a thing of great shame, and to be concealed from society at all cost.
Wilson has thoroughly researched the ideas and attitudes of the era she presents, and we discover the patriarchal society and the subjugation of women, the racism and hatred towards Chinese immigrants, the demonisation of the mentally ill, and the abhorrence of same sex relationships. Bessie is imbued with all these prejudices, ingrained by her upbringing and environment, but her intelligence and curiosity see her gradually reassess those attitudes and embrace the diversity of friendships that are offered to her.
The second half of the book is about Kathleen, Bessie’s daughter, born in Sydney, but who escapes to Paris, to avoid confronting a distressing secret, just prior to the first World War. In many ways, she is just as naive as Bessie was, and has to make her own journey towards open-mindedness and understanding.
Wilson’s novel is historical fiction but includes real characters, people that were significant and well-known at the time, characters such as the eminent Quong Tart, a Chinese immigrant and advocate, and Tilley Devine, queen of a powerful Sydney razor-gang. Wilson also incorporates details of the first world war, the gross injuries and waste of life, and medical issues such as small pox, syphilis, and Spanish flu. On the last topic, her blog on ‘COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu’ highlights similarities and differences between the two diseases, and the responses to the crises.
So many of the themes of Orphan Rock are still relevant today. On her website, Wilson writes that she is ‘interested in what history can teach us – both the good and the bad’, and issues of what makes a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person. The characters she presents are complex, human, grappling with finding their own values and their independence, and the issues they confront continue to be relevant to us all.
Hedgehog was feeling sad. As sad as a hedgehog can feel. So sad only one thing could help...
But no matter who he asked, everyone found something more important to do rather than hug this creature with all his prickly prickles.
Meanwhile, coming from the other end of the book...
Tortoise was feeling sad. As sad as a tortoise can feel. So sad only one thing could help...
But no matter who he asked, everyone found something more important to do rather than hug this creature with all his hard shell.
Will they ever find someone to give them the hug they need?
As heartwarming as Guess How Much I Love You, this is a story that shows that no matter how hard or prickly we may seem, everyone needs a hug now and then and an elbow bump, a pretend high-five or a stand-off cuddle just won't cut it! One for the little ones in your life.
Barbara Braxton
Australian Backyard Naturalist by Peter Macinnis
Amazon, 2021. ISBN: 9798495706415. Recommended.
Anyone who knows Peter Macinnis, either personally or through his writing, knows that he is passionate about connecting young children with science and in this re-creation and complete update of this 2012 award winner he combines his skills in science, history and teaching to bring the reader's backyard beasties alive and accessible.
In his words, 'Here you will meet springtails, pseudoscorpions, onychophorans, leeches, ticks, engaging spiders, mummified lizards. giant worms, some curious plants and even a few rocks. You will learn new ways of catching animals, keeping strange pets that will frighten adults, different ways of looking at them and more. You don't need a microscope for this, but if you have one, you will have a great deal more fun from this book.'... 'The science you find here is stuff that young people can see and do in the class, and then take home and do again and again-and improve on. They can share the methods-and the wonder-with parents, grandparents and neighbours.'
While on the surface this appears to be a book for older readers, it is one for all children who have an interest in what is living and growing literally in their own backyard and Peter has regularly shared photos of his preschool grandchildren exploring their curiosity. While he can probably answer their questions on the spot or suggest activities that will lead them further, this book is a must-have for any adults with curious littlies but not Peter's expertise and knowledge. They ask a question and the adult can show them how to find the answer in a book!
And if you want to inspire their curiosity, start by marking a square metre of lawn, give them a magnifying glass and challenge them to count all the living things they can see!
Demonstrating that the backyard is more than a stretch of grass to play on, the following chapters are included showing the diversity of life at our fingertips: Mammals, Birds, Amphibians and reptiles, Spiders, Butterflies and moths, Flies and mosquitoes, Ants and ant lions, Other stingers, biters and nasties, Leaf litter animals, Snails slugs and their relatives, Earthworms and leeches, Other insects, Plants, Making your own equipment.
As well as being an historian, scientist and teacher, Peter is also a wordsmith and so his writing is entertaining and accessible and the multitude of photographs, diagrams and other illustrations this is a book for anyone who wants to explore and anyone who needs to explain. This is my review of the original which demonstrates in greater detail how Peter not only educates the reader but engages them so they want to know more and discover further.
If this is not in your collection, if you have a child with even a smidge of curiosity and interest, it should be.
Caleb Quinn escapes capture when his mother is taken by three tough and suspicious people, then follows his mum's secret instructions to get to his school, where he needs to find Professor Clay. Unable to find her, he instead searches for his best friend Zen in the dorms, but is unable to find her either. With the aid of Beetlebat, one of Zen's more advanced robots, and the aid of Flex, Caleb's own creation, similar to a smartphone but with much more capacity, Caleb finds his way to Zen. There, Professor Clay informs them that both their families have been taken, and they are targeted by the same people. She gives them a mission of finding out what happened, and hastily inducts them into the Mobius Programme, the rumoured elite of the school. They become Swift and Hawk, and they are following any lead they can to find their families.
Swift and Hawk: Cyberspies is the start of a new teen spy series by Logan Macx. Following the two teenagers who are technologically advanced, readers who are familiar with new technology and technology advancements will find the story easy to follow. Others might struggle with terminology, but still find the novel an enjoyable read. Great for fans of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, this series has more of a gender balance with Zen being present as the rational, clever and skilled fighter of the pair, bringing some strong girl vibes. A slightly older version of Kensy and Max by Jacqueline Harvey, which fans could move to upon completion of that series.
Emergency! Emergency! Vehicles to the rescue by Rhian Williams. Illus. by Tom Jellett
Wild Dog Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781742036106. (Age:2+) Highly recommended.
Emergency! Emergency! is a stunning picture book that is sure to delight all the children who read or listen to the story. Written in rhyming verse, Rhian Williams has created a narrative that reads aloud beautifully, with each double page spread having complementary pictures by Jellett. On the first double page spread the reader is introduced to vehicles that may be familiar:
Fire trucks, police cars and ambulances too! Here come the vehicles to rescue you!
There is a multitude of detail in the illustrations concentrating on each of the vehicles, with the people in them initially more in shadow. Turn the page and there is a huge fire truck showing the firefighters in their protective gear with their hoses putting out a car fire. Turn the next page and there are police cars racing to the rescue of a little boy who is lost in the city, with sympathetic police trying to help. Other rescue vehicles include an ambulance, a water bomber, a helicopter, a jetski, coast guard boat, dinghies in floods, a rescue drone, flying doctor plane and mobile command post vehicle. Then readers are given the 000 number to call in an emergency – and it is quite evident from the story and pictures just what an emergency is!
Rhian Williams’ Ten little figs was a CBCA Notable book, and her knowledge about emergency vehicles from her work in her local Bush Fire Brigade is evident in this impressive picture book. Tom Jellett, illustrator of My dad thinks he’s funny, has drawn pictures that are a joy to examine as always. The Facts section at the back of the book gives more interesting information about each of the vehicles and how they are used.
Children who are lucky enough to be exposed to this outstanding picture book will learn about the vehicles and people who keep them safe, while those children who are fascinated by vehicles will really have fun examining them all.
Themes Emergencies, Emergency vehicles.
Pat Pledger
Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760528270. (Age:13+) Highly recommended.
In his conclusion to the Imposters series Westerfeld brings together Frey and Tally Youngblood from the Uglies series. Frey has spent her life as a stand-in for her sister, facing attacks from assassins, while Tally’s reputation as a rebel leader is well known. Frey is finally free to make her own choices about the family in which she was raised and her sister Rafia who killed the love of her life. Meanwhile Tally has allowed her image to grow while keeping out of the limelight but when an AI threatens to take over the world, they join forces.
The action is breathtaking as the Youngbloods, who are expert riders of their hoverboards, skim over the earth. They face risk after risk as they try and contain the danger that confronts them, and readers are in for a thrilling ride. There are challenging twists and turns, and readers will need to have read the previous books in the series for a full picture of the setting and characters.
People who have not read the Uglies series will want to immediately find those books, as Tally Youngblood is a character that you want to know, while those who are familiar with the series will be thrilled to see how she has developed as a leader. Leadership and ethical behaviour are major themes in the story and both Shay and then Frey are the ones who put the brakes onto their leaders’ behaviour.
This was a fitting end to the Imposters series and an exciting blend of that and the Uglies series. A great read for fans of dystopian adventure stories.
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760630799. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
In an interview with #LoveOzYA Astrid Scholte describes League of liars as ‘a crime fantasy mashup, and it's set in a world where magic can be lured from any shadow to alter time.’ Readers are in for a suspenseful time as Cayder Broduck becomes an apprentice under a public defender in a country that is riddled with magic. He is not prepared for the three young criminals that he is supposed to help defend. One is supposed to be the instigator of the deaths of a whole community, and two other teens have been accused of murder. All three are incarcerated in Vardean, the deadly prison where the most notorious prisoners are kept by the Regency. All have been involved in the illegal use of a strange magic centring around shadows that appear from a tear in the veil in another dimension.
The story is told in alternating short chapters from four points of view, that of Cayder, his sister Leta, Jey and Princess Elenora. Each has a distinct voice, and the reader is drawn to their different characters and plights. Then their stories begin to overlap and as Cayder gets to know more about their cases, he is confronted with disparities and similarities in the evidence that has been collected. Leta has described a giant winged creature, beautifully illustrated in the book, and this description tallies with others that have been discounted. Princess Elenora believes that her brother just disappeared and that she has been unjustly accused of his murder, while Jey is prepared to confess to the murder of his father.
There are twists and turns as the reader tries to work out what is happening, with many surprises on the way. Suspense builds up to a wonderful and unexpected climax when all is revealed, leaving the reading satisfied with the love, courage, and determination that the four teenagers have demonstrated.
Readers who enjoy a thrilling crime fantasy with some enticing illustrations, or who liked Scholte’s previous two books, Four dead queens and The vanishing deep, are in for a treat. Teacher's notes, A Special Message to Teachers and Librarians from the Author and a book trailer are all available from the publisher.
Themes Trials, Magic, Fantasy, Crime.
Pat Pledger
Kangaroo Beach: Sandy's surf school
Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781760989309. (Age:3+)
Kangaroo Beach: Sandy’s Surf School is the fourth book in the Kangaroo Beach series. The stories are based on a children’s television show where the Australian animals are cadet lifeguards. This colourful board book with ‘lift the flaps’ tells the story of cadets Gemma, Pounce, Neville and Frizzy who in this story are learning to surf with Sandy the kangaroo instructor. Before the excited cadets can race into the water there are several skill and safety steps they need to go through. The first one is choosing the right board, followed by practising on the sand. After that they are ready to hit the waves. Poor old Neville does not find surfing in the water easy so his friends decide to help him by practising in the sand dunes. Unfortunately Neville does not excel at sand surfing either but he does comes up with a clever but sneaky solution to his water surfing problem. During the Kangaroo Beach Surfing Carnival, Neville comes unstuck again but manages to safely make it back to shore and even win a medallion.
Those children who are familiar with the TV series may find this book version appealing.
Themes Australian animals, Beach life, Lifeguards, Surfing, Friendship, Water Safety.
