Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781666331059. (Age:6-10) Highly recommended.
This is the fourth installment in The Super Adventures of Ollie and Bea series (It's Owl Good, Squeals on Wheels, Wise Quackers), a sensational graphic novel series for young, independent readers or for readalouds. It will appeal to fans of the Duck, Duck, Porcupine series by Salina Yoon, the Elephant and Piggie series and Renee Treml's other graphic series, Sherlock Bones. While accessible to a younger audience, its content and format will be equally appealing and relevant to an older age group.
Ollie the owl is looking for his friend Bea, but instead he finds a bat called Kimmee. Before long they are firm friends, the relationship aided greatly by Kimmee's love of jokes and Owl's quiet confidence. But when Bea the bunny finally finds them he is little jealous that Ollie has a great new friend. Is it possible for them all to be friends?
Children will love the jokes and puns that come thick and fast and the story told exclusively through sharp, fast-paced dialogue. Renee Treml's (Sleep tight, Platypup) full-colour illustrations are crisp, clear and sparse with a superb focus on the changing emotions of Ollie, Bea and Kimmee.
This is such a wonderful read that explores the real problems children have within friendship partnerships and groups and the trepidation that comes with making new friends. There is a beautiful dialogue between Kimmee and Ollie about how hard it is to make new friends, but then Ollie points out that Kimmee told him a joke and that is how they became friends. They talk openly about their feelings and the characteristics of themselves and each other. It's a beautifully honest look at those emotions that most kids have but many find it tricky to talk about. It also models wonderfully positive and uplifting ways to be a friend (and the fun of friendships) without glossing over the times when it is hard or uncomfortable.
I really enjoyed this picture book, as did my 7 year old. She loved it as was easy for her to read independently and the images were very cute!
The book follows two friends Reddie and Archie and the mystery of the pizza! Each friend plays a part in the mystery, hiding something from the other. But in the end they realise that doing things together and being friends is the best. It is a simple, easy to follow story that has a few little twists then a nice ending - a good sequence to follow for younger and early readers.
I really loved the illustrations in this book, and when you read about the makers of the book Candy and James it is easy to see why they are so good. The husband and wife team are Australian toy, graphic and garden designers! What a great combination! The animals show emotion and have a spark that really draws you in to the story.
My 7 year old daughter also thought the book was very funny, using different voices for the 2 friends and re-reading it every night for a week!
After receiving this one to review I am now on the hunt for more Reddie and Archie books to see what other mischief they will get up to.
I give this book 5 stars with the hope that many more Reddie and Archie stories are written!
When a despot rules, the people suffer, truth suffers, and everyone feels powerless. Toward the end of 1989 the rule of Communist power under the despotic control of Nikolae Ceausescu in Romania led to an awful life for the ordinary folk. Survival was hard and everyone lived with the fear that someone else was spying on them. In this story, 17-year-old teenager, Cristian was still going to school, living with his grandfather, mother and father and his older sister in their tiny apartment, but even within the family it was hard to trust and speak out the truth about the awful regime that ruled their country. When Cristian gets recruited as an informer it is with great reluctance and incredible guilt and uncertainty. The insecurity of life is revealed with profound pathos through the eyes of this young man and the ultimate cry of ‘Freedom’ is so necessary for the whole country. But there is betrayal and violence before a future and hope can come alive.
This is a poignant tale that is compelling and worth recommending. Despite its recent history, the plight of the Romanian people under Ceausescu’s rule is probably relatively unknown for most Australian teenagers, so this engaging and powerful story is a wonderful tribute to those who suffered and spoke out for freedom despite the personal cost, and worthy of sharing to a new generation. The story is raw and painful, but brilliantly written, on the one hand highlighting the disparity between the life of a teenager in the USA (the son of the US Ambassador) and the awful circumstances of the Romanian teen and also revealing the pain of a forgotten country. Australian teenagers will be drawn too to the romance that blossoms amidst the pain of poverty. Highly recommended for mature teens aged 14+ to adult readers.
Themes Romanian history, Nikolae Ceausescu, Betrayal, Fear, Communism.
Carolyn Hull
What's new, Harper Drew? by Kathy Weeks
Hodder Children's Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781444961775. (Age:9-11) Highly recommended - Just for fun!.
The Drew family have taken ‘catastrophe’ and ‘disaster’ to award-winning levels. Every member of the family (except perhaps young James, aka Prune) manages to rate highly on the disaster rating at every step. Harper’s mother is a compulsive Supermarket shopper, and hopelessly disorganised; her father seems to have no idea about how to avoid life-threatening situations in his attempts to entertain and solve problems; Harper’s older brother Troy is just insanely focussed on his hair, and his latest attempt at avoiding anything that resembles work. Harper herself seems to be a great friend, a great organiser and perhaps the most useful family member, however even she can slip-up often. This very funny journal recounting Harper’s family life, her catastrophic family holiday to France, her attempts to win favour of the ‘cool’ girl at school and her endeavours to raise money to support her good friend Edward are all documented with a disarming candour.
This is just a very funny story with lots of eccentric characters, bizarre happenings, accidents and extremely wacky events. Children aged 9+ will chuckle all the way through. This is the kind of story where if something can go wrong… it will. And it is all child-friendly and easy to recommend to all children. Harper is loveable and her family are cringe-worthy in their attempts to live life to the full! She is a good friend to her neighbour Priya and wheelchair-bound, Edward. This is not unlike Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries, catering specifically for 9-11 year olds.
One bright morning in February 1942, Japanese fighter planes machine-gunned the streets of Darwin, destroying ships, buildings and infrastructure. Scarfe's heroine, Zeny Havillland, had already experienced the exodus from Kuala Lumpur as the Japanese advanced towards Singapore. It was only by lucky chance that she managed to escape, disguised in mud cream aboard a camouflaged fishing vessel crewed by similarly disguised Australians, Bill and Joe. Kuala Lumpur was invaded by the Japanese defeating the jungle barrier on bicycles, Darwin's sea barrier looked set to be similarly overcome by Japanese in aircraft bombers.
With a minimum of words, Scarfe brings to life the varied experiences of the time, the alarm and anxiety at the unpreparedness for attack, the smouldering antagonism between Australian wharfies and blustering American troops, the pacifist anti-war view as embodied by the kindly Olive, and the trauma of a battle-scarred survivor of previous conflicts.
I particularly appreciated the depiction of Zeny, young and adventurous, whose every interaction with the individuals she meets is fresh and open; there are touches of romance, but no jealousy between the men whose company she enjoys. Her relationship with the traumatised Robert is trusting and authentic, as they gradually draw closer together.
It’s a story that is easy to read, but at the same time brings to life the little known record of the Japanese World War II attack on the north of Australia. This publication is a timely reminder just before the 80th anniversary of the Darwin bombing, on the 19th February, and would be an excellent entree to the study of another aspect of Australia’s involvement in World War II.
Themes Darwin, WWII, War in the Pacific, Post traumatic stress disorder, Multiculturalism.
Reluctant readers, fans of Captain Underpants, Dog Man and Bad Guys will be instantly hooked on this hillariously witty, fast-paced graphic novel. Unlike some other comic strip style novels, these black and white panels are large with big text. The book is also separated into two main stories (as well as a brief intermission story) as well as into short chapters, making it perfect for those who struggle to read for longer bursts.
Fans of Rob Harrell's previous book Winkmay recognise the main character Garry Yorkshire. He's a perfectly average pink pig who loves eating sandwiches, playing video games and hanging out with his mates Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat. But as we see in the first and self-proclaimed 'origin story' Garry develops super powers after being bitten by Brooklyn. Suddenly he is giving himself wedgies with his super strength, floating in air, eating ten sandwiches in one sitting and seeing through walls (pity it's Mrs. Hawley's giant collection of cat hairballs he can see!). Some fun adventures follow, from defeating giant lizards to bringing down an evil butcher with a curious list of demands.
There are witty little details thrown into every panel and the trio of friends have wonderfully well-drawn personalities with diaglogue that absolutely explodes off the page. Admittedly there is a lot of icky toilet humour but there are also clever one-liners and a funny interplay between dialogue and narration. The story also touches a lot on friendship and appreciating each others unique qualities. This is super-readable and brilliantly executed. The ending refers to 'the next book' so hopefully there is another installment to follow.
Ruby’s Worry is a brightly coloured board book that discusses childhood worries in a perceptive and thoughtful manner. Ruby is a happy child who loves to live life. However, one day she notices a worry. It is very small at first, but then it grows bigger and is aways hovering around Ruby; whether she is at home, at school, in the playground, wherever she goes. Ruby feels as though it will stay with her forever. Until one day she sees a boy sitting by himself and she notices something hovering about him. It’s a worry! She is not alone. Other children have worries too. She begins to talk with the boy about what is bothering him and as he talks, she notices his worry begin to shrink. Ruby learns that by talking about her worry she can cause it to shrink.
This charming story is the first board book from author Tom Percival’s bestselling Big Bright Feelings series. The diverse characters and appealing illustrations with the worries represented by yellow and blue splodges will attract its young audience. It is an excellent book to share at home, in a childcare or early learning centre as well as kindergarten and junior primary classrooms.
The astonishing chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty. Illus. by Kelly Canby
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526368. (Age:10+) Highly recommended.
The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is the fourth book in the Kingdoms and Empires series. Although the novels are linked together with related or repeated characters, they can be read as stand-alone stories.
The opening chapter introduces Oscar, a boy not from the Magical Kingdoms, who is in the principal’s office explaining why he has been absent from school for the past week. This novel is his and Imogen’s account (alternate chapters) of everything that happened in the past 5 days.
Skateboarding Oscar found himself transported into a magical world where he joined a quest with Imogen and five other children to save the elf kingdom of Dun-sorey-lo-vay-lo-hey and all its inhabitants from being crushed under a silver covering. To fulfill this quest, the children must find nine pieces of a key by the deadline of Friday 12:00 pm to protect all the elves and allow Oscar to return to his own world.
This is a charming novel with plenty of action and detailed storylines. Some of the characters have appeared before such as the Radish Gnomes, Silver Foxes and witches but Jaclyn has introduced many new characters as well.
Oscar and the ‘Kingdom’ children are from different worlds but they’re able to work together and help each other in their mission and they develop into a strong friendship group. Oscar as the outsider, has to deal with an unusual old-fashioned magical world. He grows as a character and it is often his insights and perspectives that help solve many of the problems.
The ending has a few surprises and solves many of the puzzles attentive readers would have discovered throughout the story. I totally missed the Gruffudd the elf twist so that was a fun reveal for me.
Kelly Canby has illustrated all the ‘Kingdom’ books and her wonderful images are scattered throughout the novel.
The ’Kingdom and Empires’ books are not a short read and The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is over 400 pages long. Fantasy fans will love these longer texts full of adventure and magical action.
I highly recommend this novel to children 10 years and over.
Jane Moore
You matter: Be your own best friend by Sue Lawson and Sue Hindle
Wild Dog Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781742036144. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
Children’s author Sue Lawson and wellness practitioner Sue Hindle have collaborated to present a practical book to help children of all ages navigate the feelings and emotions that can have an impact on their daily life. This hardcover book is a very handy size 18cm x 21cm and is perfect to carry anywhere. The appealing illustrations by Prue Pittock are bright and colourful and showcase a diverse range of characters. The information is clearly displayed with lots of white space and visuals.
The book begins with the statement “There is no one else in the world like you. It’s true you are unique.” Followed by “Sometimes you might feel great. Other days you could feel worried, worn out, or just not quite right.” This is the start of a journey through the book where younger children with adult support or teenagers on their own can learn how to manage these feelings. The authors encourage the reader to create a toolbox with tools to help with support when things are not feeling right. The book asks the important question of the reader, "How are you feeling?"
It then provides helpful suggestions on deep breathing, tuning in and creating a peaceful place. Talking with friends, creating a circle of trust, connecting with nature, using affirmations, eating well, exercising, meditating, practising mindfulness are all discussed in this book. At the very end is a ‘Reach Out’ page with phone numbers and website addresses for organisations that can provide support. A simple glossary follows with the final page stating, “You Are Loved”. Parents, carers and teachers will find this book an invaluable resource as it enables children to learn skills to manage their feelings and the readability of the book will allow them to return to it time and time again.
A note to adults appears on the publication page, hunting at the topsy turvey things which may be inside. A suggestion that dreaming about being hungry does not always mean dreaming about food will set minds racing with possibilities. In rhyming pairs of lines, the squirrel tells us what he eats when hungry. A bread roll, pop corn in a bowl, slices of cheese and a hundred peas. Just when the reader is becoming accustomed to predicting a rhyming phrase that is about food, the story changes and some fried fish is rhymed with a birthday wish. Children will be intrigued as a birthday wish is always associated with cake, and the illustrations support this. And after the birthday cake, he gets a tummy ache. From then on the dreams are about an array of things which will delight the audience, amusing them with subtle humour. Vanilla ice cream and a very sad dream, a nasty fright and a dark and stormy night will encourage readers to talk about their dreams, and ponder about why we have dreams.
The funny ending will draw laughter from the audience, as will the wonderful page filled illustrations of one hungry squirrel.
Themes Hunger, Squirrel, Needs and wants.
Fran Knight
Tiny wonders by Sally Soweol Han
University of Queensland Press, 2022. ISBN: 9780702263477. (Age:4+) Recommended.
In the picture book Tiny Wonders, young child April worries that her town is too grey, and people are too busy to notice things around them. She remembers her grandmother taking time to wonder about the world and talking with her about the secret language of flowers. Grandma’s favourite flowers were dandelions and April goes in search of dandelion seeds. Adults she approaches are not helpful except the shopkeeper who tells April she used to wish on dandelions as a child. April wishes and wishes for dandelion seeds and her wish is answered. She secretly plants the seeds and waits through the seasons for the seeds to grow. The growth of the seed into a flower is beautifully illustrated across a double page spread. In the end of the story April’s community begin to make their own wishes and the colour of the town changes.
The detailed and colourful illustrations in this book are hand drawn and painted. At the end of the book is a charming collection of flowers and their meanings which makes a lovely addition to the story. The dandelion endpapers are quite striking.
Author/illustrator Sally Soweol Han is a Korean-Australian artist who has created a gentle and thoughtful picture book that will appeal to younger children and the adults in their lives.
No doubt fans of the Practical magic series by Alice Hoffman will be thrilled to read this final book about the family of witches, each person in the family cursed to have the ones they love perish immediately they admit their love. There are four books in the series, with the novel Practical magic written first, then two prequels, and now the dramatic conclusion.
Not having read the other books, I found The book of magic laborious to begin with. I seemed to be reading many pages without anything really happening, and I started to wonder about the point of it all. The plot does pick up about half way through as the younger generation, Kylie and Antonia, begin their struggle with the curse, a loved one in a critical coma following an accident, and Kylie unwittingly led down the path of evil. Sally, their mother, is desperate to ensure the safety of her daughters. There are secrets to unravel, and magic to be embraced.
There are strong themes of sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships, trust and distrust, and of personal sacrifice; the female characters are convincingly drawn; and the writing is rich in description. Perhaps it all works much better in previous books. A ReadPlus reviewer recommended The rules of magic, one of its predecessors.
Readers who have fallen in love with the characters in the previous volumes, are certain to welcome this last chapter to discover how the curse is finally overcome. For readers new to the series, I would recommend starting with one of the other books.
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Sisters, Mother-daughter relationship, Love, Good and evil.
Helen Eddy
The tale of the tiny man by Barbro Lindgren and Eva Eriksson
The Tale of the Tiny Man is a classic story written by well-known Swedish author Barbro Lindgren. It was originally called The Story of the Little Old Man and was first published in 1992. The story focuses on a tiny man who longs for a friend. He is treated very badly by the local townspeople who “thought he was too small and possibly a bit slow. They also thought his hat was ugly.” The tiny man cried alone in his house and wondered why no one liked him as he was always kind to those he met. He decides to place a sign on a tree saying FRIEND WANTED. He waits and waits for ten days but no one responds. He is so despondent, but fortunately a stray dog makes a surprise visit and over the next few days the tiny man provides it with treats when it appears each day at his house. Eventually the dog moves into his home and shares the tiny man’s life. The dog is protective of the tiny man and stands up to the town bullies. When a happy child strikes up a friendship with the dog, the tiny man withdraws into himself and goes away leaving them both. He wanders sadly through the forest for days and eventually returns to find the dog and the girl waiting.
This beautiful story is one in which many emotions are brought to the surface. Friendships need to be navigated and sharing this book with children as a read aloud will provide the perfect opportunity to discuss a range of friendship issues that can arise.
Author Jamar J Perry started writing “for Black boys who needed to understand that they were magic, that they could also have joy, that they could be vulnerable and emotional, that they could be the hero in their own stories” (quote from Perry’s website).
This book, based on Igbo and West African mythology, is Perry’s first and has so many great aspects to explore. It features three 12-year-olds as the protagonists: two boys and a girl. All three children are dark-skinned, mentioned in a matter-of-fact way rather than overemphasized. Their ties to traditional stories, responsibilities and relationships are very important to them.
This is especially true of title character Cameron. He was orphaned two years ago and is desperate to feel connection to his parents. They left a special book for him in the attic, but his grandmother has forbidden access to it. Of course, where tweens are concerned, rules are meant to be broken so during a sleepover the book is soon back in Cameron’s hands.
This sets off a magical chain of events where Cameron and his friends Zion and Aliyah are transported to another world. Cameron is given a great responsibility and the three children must work together to survive various challenges and save the day. They are supportive of each other’s weaknesses and use each other’s strengths to full advantage.
There is a lot of necessary world-building and character introduction throughout this book - I did end up skimming over some to get to the action (and still felt that I had enough context to keep up). There are strong themes of friendship, responsibility, family bonds, cultural values and good vs evil.
The relationship between Cameron and Zion is worth a separate mention. The boys are very close - they are comfortable with their love for each other, sharing a bed and finding solace in physical touch. There are no labels put on this relationship and no explicit acts. It raises an interesting talking point about young men being able to openly express their feelings as well as being able to give and receive comfort and support without embarrassment.
Themes Igbo/West African mythology, Friendship, Adventure, Magic, Cultural values, Diversity, Good vs evil.
Kylie Grant
Amazing animals: 100+ creatures that will boggle your mind by Sabrina Weiss & Paul Daviz
What on Earth Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781912920358. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
The popularity of animal non-fiction books for children will be further enhanced by this new release, Amazing Animals: 100+ Creatures That Will Boggle Your Mind. This is the fourth book in this factual series following on from Amazing Islands, Amazing Rivers and Amazing Treasures. The attractive cover with its polar animals’ illustration and silver foil title will draw readers to it immediately. The contents page is clearly presented, set in a beautiful underwater scene with an acknowledgement from the author. Each topic is set out on a colourful double page spread with stunning illustrations and segments of information. The title for each page and a further explanation is placed in a lightly coloured text box to enable the reader to immediately focus on the topic. The information shared is both interesting and entertaining. For example, the 2.5cm Boxer Crab found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean carries a pair of sea anemones, one in each claw, to ward off predators. And another fact, the African Cichlid carries their eggs in their mouths until they hatch and once hatched, they are released into the sea but can swim back in if there is danger. This book discusses creatures from all over the world - there is even a two-page spread devoted to Down Under and includes both Australian and New Zealand creatures. Maps are included throughout and in the centre of the book is a fold out double page world map showing the continents and each of the 100 creatures mentioned in the book. At the end of the book there is a glossary, index and sources page.
This book would make a wonderful gift as well as being a great addition for home, school and public libraries.
