The ultimate animal alphabet book by Jennifer Cossins
Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9780734420091.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. What a wonderful book to get lost in:
full of interest, but entertaining, informative and enlightening,
turning some of the accepted ideas about alphabet books on their
head, upending the idea of animal names being strictly formulated,
making each reader engage their thought processes as they read. Now
why has she included the grey great kangaroo under G, not K, or why
does the keel-billed toucan appear on the K page not the T.
Questions are posed on every double page, each covered with a
variety of splendidly illustrated birds and animals, some of which
are accompanied by a witty bit of information.
I turned to R to look up my favourite animal, the rhinoceros, having
just been to Monarto Zoo to view the rhino and its calf, but it was
not to be found on the R page. I thought about its full name and
turned to W to spy the white rhino at the bottom of the page,
accompanied by its calf learning from the information given that it
is the second largest land animal in the world, males weighing in at
3600 kilos.
Also on the W page, is the Wyandotte chicken, willie wagtail, weedy
sea dragon, Wilson's bird of paradise, the white bellied sea eagle,
wildebeast and a whistling heron. Each image will entertain younger
readers as they pore over the illustrations making note of the
intricate drawings, and take in the information
given.
In large format, the bright yellow cover is attractive and
mesmerising, challenging the reader to identify the birds and
animals shown on the front cover, daring them to open the book and
find which page the animal appears on.
A lovely book to challenge little minds, impelling them to look more
closely a the words used to describe the animal and reposition their
own thoughts about an alphabet book and just how an alphabet book
works.
Tasmanian author/illustrator Cossins is a CBCA award winner, and
well known for her A-Z
of endangered animals, as well as 101
collective nouns.
Themes: Animals, Birds, Alphabet, Words, STEM.
Fran Knight
Wombat by Philip Bunting
Omnibus, 2020. ISBN: 9781760972370.
(Age: 3 - adult) Highly recommended. What a wonderful book about
wombats and all those things that the word can imply. Who'd have
thought you'd find youngbat or oldbat or chit chat or thisbat or
thatbat in a picture book about wombats, but Phil Bunting's highly
original sense of humour and off the planet encouragement of
interaction and play with his audience, young and old hits the spot
again.
The pairing of each illustration with just one word magnifies the
meaning of that word. Eyes will dart from the word and its half
rhyme with wombat to the image before them. The dour look on the
wombat's face, its browns and greys, simple arm movements, all add
to the humour on each page. The eyes reflect the way the wombat is
thinking, and children will love replicating the wombat on their own
pages, seeing how they can make the animal come to life as Bunting
does. A wonderful read aloud, kids will pester adults for a
re-reading, marvelling at the rhyming of the words, the links
between each of the wombats illustrated, the conclusion of two
wombats coming together, while foraging the few words which tell of
a wombat's life. The endpapers reprise the flowers found throughout
the book, and Bunting even includes a laugh on the publication page.
Theme: Wombats, Humour, Rhyming.
Fran Knight
Take to the skies by Anh Do
Illus. by James Hart. Sky Dragon. Allen & Unwin, 2020.
ISBN: 9781760876364.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. When her parents are killed in a
house fire, from which she is pulled with scarring facial injuries
and her brother left in a coma, Amber finds that she has new powers.
The fire began with a purple ball of fire hurtling form the sky,
burning the house to the ground. Always interested in insects and
their habitat, she finds that she can to some extent, communicate
with them, initially able to direct where they go, using simple mind
messages. So she foils the bullies as they pour milk over her,
directing a dragonfly to mess Trish's hair, resulting in a public
down grading.
A well scripted story, Do has got this genre to a 't', resulting in
a fast paced adventure story, full of interest and mayhem, with
believable characters that readers can identify from their own
family and school groups. Amber receives some stick from a trio of
bullies because of how she looks and her unusual interests, but you
know that they will get some sort of come-uppance by the end of the
story. Justin who shares Amber's interest is a good sidekick, loyal
and supportive when needed.
Anh Do is now seemingly churning out these series for the mid
primary readership, full of recognisable characters, high adventure
and pace, and illustrated by James Hart, adding a layer of
excitement and wit to the story. The second in the series is 'coming
soon' but readers will be able to turn to the other involving series
penned by Do for Allen & Unwin: Wolf girl, Mythrix,
and Eboy. Reading
group notes are available.
Themes: Adventure, Fantasy.
Fran Knight
Through the night sky by Anita Ganeri
Illus. by Charlotte Pepper. Dorling Kindersley, 2020. ISBN:
9780241355459.
(Age: 8+). Highly recommended. Through The Night Sky is a
stunningly presented non-fiction book which captures many and varied
aspects of what happens in the night sky. It is described as "A
collection of amazing adventures under the stars." The striking
contents page is presented in a whimsical horizontal format across a
double page. The headings are:
1. Night flight
2. Lighting the dark
3. Seeing with stars
4. A night of flowers
5. Heavenly lights
6. The moon
7. Into darkness
8. Happy New Year
9. Signs in the stars
10. A journey to Earth
11. A visitor from above
12. Eyes to the sky
13. Our base in space
14. Seeing the Solar System
Each topic has a double page spread with simple yet informative text
and further explanations and labels when required. The book contains
a wide range of topics including historical information and relevant
and recent facts about space, technology and nature. For example
there is information on comets, the planets in our solar system,
meteor showers, eclipses, the moon, flowers at night and nocturnal
animals. The identification of the more noticeable constellations in
both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are beautifully
illustrated and will appeal to those young budding astronomers.
There is a detailed index for a quick search of topics.
The illustrations by Charlotte Pepper seamlessly complement the text
and are quite exquisite. Photographic images add to the enjoyment of
the book.
Through The Night Sky is perfect for sharing in the classroom
or at home or browsing by an individual both young and old. It would
make a very special gift. Themes: Nocturnal Animals, Planets, Moon,
Stars, Time.
Kathryn Beilby
Dragon Mountain by Katie and Kevin Tsang
Simon & Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471193071.
(Age: 8-10) Dragon Mountain is a simple but imaginative tale
that could be useful for introducing younger children to the fantasy
genre. The setting is a mountain in rural China in contemporary
times. The formula is that of young heroes who are sent on a camp by
their parents in order to develop personal strengths and correct
certain individual weaknesses. Each child bonds with a dragon that
is matched to that child's particular self. As a team which relies
on togetherness, they go on a quest to save both the world of humans
and the world of dragons. The book concludes with a cliff hanger and
if children are interested they must wait for the next book in the
series.
The human characters represent different but complementary
strengths. None are fully developed to the extent that children
could strongly relate to them but that may come with the second book
in the proposed series. The dragons who are matched to each child
have their own distinctive capacities and personalities.
The authors have been sensitive about responding to current concern
about gender and cultural representation. They have therefore
ensured that there is gender balance and also mixed cultural
representation including a bi-racial child in the cast of
characters. Because of this some young readers who may not have seen
themselves cast in a storybook role may enjoy an identification with
the characters.
Many wonderful books have been written about quests and dragons
including Carole Wilkinson's Dragon keeper series which
takes readers back to the time of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the Wings
of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland which has attracted many
eager fans. Dragon Mountain is an action packed read with a plot that
proceeds at a cracking pace.
Suitable for 8-10 year olds.
Wendy Jeffrey
The relentless moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
Lady Astronaut book 3. Tor Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781250236968.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. Award winning
Mary Robinette Kowal returns with another Lady Astronaut, Nicole
Wargin, in her alternate history about flight to the Moon. Following
The
calculating stars and The
fated sky, Earth is facing problems with the Space
program, with sabotage and demonstrations arguing against it. With
her husband, the Governor of Kansas, she uses her intelligence and
skills to try to keep the program going and is thrilled when she is
chosen to make another trip to the Moon colony. However, she faces
danger as things begin to go wrong and it is clear that someone from
the crew and colony on the Moon wants to disrupt life there. Will
she be able to survive and help save the program?
The story is narrated in Nicole's voice, and the reader can easily
relate to what she is feeling and thinking and get to know the other
characters that surround her. It was different to have an older
woman, in her fifties, with arthritis in her feet and a difficulty
with eating when under stress as the main character. Despite her
health difficulties her will power, skill with piloting, and sheer
intelligence for working out complex problems came across clearly.
The setting of the Moon base, the personalities of the people who
inhabit it, and the science around living on the Moon, all are
described in a credible way. Each chapter has a news story about
disasters that are happening on Earth and they add to the suspense
as the reader finds out how badly the Earth is suffering.
With a mystery to solve, some heart-wrenching moments, an alternate
history that is fascinating, codes and ciphers and a heart-warming
marriage, as well as themes of racism and feminism, The
relentless moon is a wonderful read. The conclusion was
wonderful and unexpected. And for those who are wondering about
Elma, the heroine from the first two stories, there are hints about
what happens to her.
This is a really good science fiction series, with The
calculating stars winning the Hugo Award, Nebula Award
and Locus Award in 2019. The relentless moon is as well
researched and finely written and could well be a contender for more
awards for Kowal.
Pat Pledger
Fly on the wall by Remy Lai
Walker Books 2020. ISBN: 9781760652654.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Twelve year old Henry Khoo lives in Perth
with his mother, grandmother (Popo), older sister Jie and dog,
Maomi. His Dad works in Singapore and the family usually spends the
school break there. When the family decide to stay in Australia for
the break Henry decides he will secretly travel to his Dad's on his
own. This is remarkable as not only has he never even caught a taxi
on his own but Henry's mother, sister and grandma hover over
everything he does. He is shy and quiet with a best friend, Pheebs,
but she has become distant since an incident at her birthday party.
As a distraction Henry secretly starts an online web comic at school
called Fly on the Wall posting gossip, and hurtful
observations about other students. It gets a lot of attention and he
keeps posting cartoons even though he is terrified his secret will
be revealed and he will be suspended. To boost his confidence he
imagines himself as a character in a Wuxia drama his grandmother is
so fond of. The disciple is faced with a number of trials where he
follows the guidance of a wise mentor to defeat his enemies, face
personal challenges and emerge having learned kindness and wisdom.
As he embarks on his secret journey Henry faces many challenges,
shows kindness and develops some insight, most noticeable in his
sketches as his arch enemy, Tim Aditya, transforms from mouse to
frog and finally a boy very like Henry. Told in the form of Henry's
secret journal with sketches, there are engaging diagrams and comics
scattered through the text and there is a second style that he
learned at school which distinguishes his Fly on the Wall
posts. A nice touch, when his notebook is missing, shows entries
written on serviettes. He finds that it might be better to have a
helicopter family rather than an indifferent one but the
relationship he is seeking with his father still seems a bit
elusive.
An attractive book for a difficult age group, funny, lightly told
with no heavy moralising. Recommended for a wide range of readers
from eight years, especially those from a non-English speaking
background. Teacher's
notes are available.
Themes: Friendship, Family, Adventure, Humour, Multicultural
fiction, Illustrated novel.
Sue Speck
The thank-you present by Jane Marino
Illus. by Annie White. Smiling Mind 1. Penguin, 2020. ISBN:
9781761040054.
Subtitled A book about gratitude, this book is also the
first in a five book series by the Australian mindfulness
organisation Smiling Mind.
The story follows two best friends Evie and Lola who share a major
love for many things including their birthday month July and opening
presents!
With the help of Lola's Dad, the two girls look for ways to show
their gratitude/thankfulness for each other's friendship. They aim
to make the greatest presents ever, for the most amazing friend in
the world.
Once they have made their respective gifts, both girls show worry
and excitement. Will their friend like their gift? Will it show how
they feel about their friend?
I liked the concept of this story (showing gratitude for people in
your life) and thought that it was written in a way that young
children could understand and relate too.
This book would be a great edition to a school/kindergarten library
for use in lessons within the topic of kindness/gratitude or even
for individual use when potential issues arise.
The back of the book also provides some extra activities and
information for readers to create their own thank you presents, or
letters. There is also information regarding a Smiling Mind
meditation which is designed for children and young people. This is
a great addition to the book and a nice introduction to the Smiling
Mind app and general meditation.
Overall I liked the story and will be interested to read the other four
in the series, and use them as part of our classroom curriculum
resources.
Lauren Fountain
Our shadows by Gail Jones
Text Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922330284.
Centred around three generations of Irish extraction and the gold
mining town of Kalgoorlie first we meet poor families in Ireland,
many of whom fled the potato famines of the 1850s, sailing to
America and Australia in search of better lives. Paddy Hannan was
one of those and it was he who stumbled upon the Kalgoorlie gold
deposits, becoming wealthy, living every prospector's dream. Digging
the wealth from the ground provided work for generations of miners
in the hot, dusty outback town which has grown to have the biggest
open cut goldmine, the Superpit. In 1977, when their mother died
giving birth, baby Frances, and her sister Nell, 18 months, were
sent to Kalgoorlie to be brought up by their grandparents, miner
Fred, Else and their aunt Enid.
The fragmented narrative shifts between reflecting on the life of
Paddy Hannan and the lives of the family, shifting between Fred and
Else's lives, the girls' childhood memories and adult struggles.
Reflecting on what is shared and what is suppressed and the damage
done by greed, war, mining and emotional repression the author picks
away at their lives sorting through seemingly trivial memories that
pivot on significant moments in their lives. I tired of the constant
analysis of the character's emotional states and questioned some of
the feelings assigned to the historical figure of Paddy Hannan. I
was ready for the book to end at page 227 when Part Two was
introduced. While it was a nice addition and I felt the character of
Val was beautifully drawn, it seemed to be there to fill the need
for an indigenous voice.
Lovers of historical fiction and Gail Jones' other works will enjoy
this book and it shines a light on Australia's biggest goldmining
town.
Sue Speck
A deadly education by Naomi Novik
The Scholomance, book 1. Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9781529100860.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Easier to read than Uprooted
and Spinning
silver, which I loved, A deadly education is set
in the Scholomance, a school for those with magic. El is a mouthy
heroine whose magic is so strong that it could be disastrous for
everyone. And Orion Lake is a young man whose whole purpose in life
is saving people from the deadly creatures that haunt the school.
When the two clash after Orion saves her life, secrets begin to show
themselves, and El must find a way to stay alive and maybe save
others at the school.
El is a grumpy, sarcastic heroine whose asides will have readers
grinning, but at the same they will begin to relate to her as her
life story gradually unfolds. Orion Lake too is a hero who is only
appreciated for his magic powers and El is the first person who has
seen him as lonely and needing real friends. El has always been
aloof, but when the Scholomance is under threat she must find some
allies and work with Orion to help defeat the monsters.
The descriptions of the life that the pupils must endure in the
Scholomance are fascinating. Everyone needs mana (magic) to survive
and there are unique ways of obtaining it, the dark magic is malia,
and those who wield it to master spells pay for it later in life.
Novik also explores the class system that operates in the school.
There are privileged people who belong to enclaves, coming from rich
and powerful families. Those who do not have these connections
scurry around looking after them, in the hope that they will be
accepted into an enclave after graduation.
Readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter books and the Magisterium
series (Iron
trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare) will be happy
to move onto this series, as will those who liked Sorcery
of thornsby Margaret Rogerson.
An eye-opening cliff-hanger conclusion will ensure that anyone who
has read the first book will be eagerly waiting the next in the
series.
Pat Pledger
We are all kind by P. Crumble and Jonathon Bentley
Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781760972363.
Highly recommended. "I really really really . . . LOVE this
beautiful book!" writes Magda Szubanski on the front cover and I
really really really . . . think the same thing. I read it to
my co-reviewers, a year 5 class, just to see if I was on track and
yes, they agree.
Jonathon Bentley's illustrations delight the reader on the front
cover and throughout. The smiles on the faces of the animals are
full of interest, concern and suggest a team approach.
Each double page contains a 4 line verse beginning with repetition
of "We are All KIND" with the second and fourth line rhyming. As
each page is turned the same pattern and rhythm are repeated with a
comforting poetic effect - delightful for the reader and delightful
for the child.
Softly sketched and coloured illustrations of different animals
appear on each page. The scenarios include lending a hand, the
healing power of love, mending hurts, strangers becoming friends,
hospitality, steadfastness, healing loneliness, sharing, inclusion
and forgiveness. Larger themes about mutually caring for the earth
and doing what is right as an individual in order to look after the
group are the culmination of the book.
This book is worthy of multiple re-readings. It's so full of love
and joy. I can see it as a home staple bed time story, a favourite
in the Junior School library and on every discerning grandparents'
shopping list. With values like this, presented by such an engaging
author, read by a loving adult, the lucky child will be cocooned in
kindness and motivated to do what is kind.
Wendy Jeffrey
Wreck this picture book by Keri Smith
Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241449455.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Subtitled How to make a
book come to life this irreverent, funny and instructive book
will be adored by its readers, seeing such a range of different
words, uses and applications attributed to a book. A book this
author says, only comes to life when it is being used. It is not
meant to live its life sitting on a shelf, but to be taken down and
used.
And the uses to which this author puts the book are fanciful and
exceedingly funny. The old rules assigned to a book involves not
throwing them, not being rough, not folding the pages etc. have put
the book under wraps as if it it were something very precious,
needing to be kept under glass. But not so. A book needs to be woken
up, shaken, stirred, dressed up, played with, touched and tasted.
The whole encourages children to do all of these things: to interact
with the book, to feel it, smell it, taste it and fold it. Each
double page shows a different use to be made of the book,
encouraging imaginative play with the book, showing in the images
just what can be done. You can wear the book, or read it upside
down, throw a party for the book, hide a secret message within its
pages, be the storm described in the book, and hug the book.
Designed to take kids out of their comfort zones regarding books,
the text and images plays with the use they usually consign to
books, encouraging them to see what else can be done, how they can
interact with a book, and widen their use of them.Wonderful
illustrations, alive with colour and imagination, different fonts
and symbols, instructions and mandates, reading like a manual and
guide book cover each page, ensuring the readers will be equally
enthralled following the tutorial of how to wreck a book.
Themes: Books, Reading, Humour.
Fran Knight
Timeline Science and Technology: A Visual History of Our World by Peter Goes
Gecko Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781776573004.
(Age: 8+) The author of two previous non-fiction books, Timeline:
A Visual History of our World and Rivers: A Visual History
from River to Sea, Peter Goes, has continued his theme with
his latest book Timeline Science and Technology. This new
addition looks at the history of inventions, discoveries and
technology that has shaped our world from the Stone Age to the
present day. This book is presented as a large format read and has
different coloured double pages marking the various periods of time
discussed. There is a paragraph synopsis explaining the time under
discussion and then a visual timeline that gives consideration to
important discoveries, inventions and events. The written
information curves around the clever and comical graphic images and
while the text is rather small and confusing to follow at times, it
presents many interesting and obscure facts. For example in the high
middle ages a curfew bell rang in the evening as a signal to put out
all hearths and fires, in order to avoid blazes in wooden buildings
and in 1974 Art Fry created the first Post-It Note using the
low-stick adhesive formulated six years earlier by his colleague.
This is a book to be shared between one or two readers or perused by
an individual. There is so much information and knowledge to be
discovered and those who love non-fiction facts throughout history
will value this very different read. Themes: Timelines, Science,
Technology, Entertainment, Medicine, Inventions, Discoveries.
Kathryn Beilby
Australia's wild weird wonderful weather by Stephanie Owen Reeder
Illus. by Tania McCartney. National Library of Australia, 2020.
ISBN: 9780642279637.
(Age: 8+). Highly recommended. This is a beautifully presented and
informative non-fiction book which highlights Australia's vastly
different weather patterns across our huge country. The contents
page focuses on seven main areas:
1. Seasonal weather
2. Precipitation
3. Sound, Light, Movement
4. Disastrous Weather
5. Weather Forecasting
6. Climate Change
7. Researching Weather
Within each of these chapters are three main topics presented on a
double page spread. The text is of a very readable size and relates
to the visual images; charts, maps, illustrations and diagrams
located close by. After the introduction of What is Weather?, the
book moves on to Bush Forecasting which concentrates on how well
Indigenous Peoples have managed and adapted to living on the land
for thousands of years. Cloud formations, lightning, rain, heat,
wind, weather disasters and extreme weather are some of the topics
covered. The chapter on weather forecasting begins with animal
antics. The behaviour of some animals is said to predict the weather
e.g. sheep huddle together for protection when a storm is coming,
making a big woolly blanket. Some farmers say, 'When sheep gather
together in a huddle, tomorrow we'll have a puddle.' There are
chapters on reading and measuring the weather plus a section
dedicated to climate change. Exploring the Weather is the final
section of the book and it gives an historical perspective with
interesting facts as well as photographs from the National Library
of Australia''s own collection which incidentally provided the
information throughout the book. At the end of the book is a
detailed glossary of weather words, a list of weather resources plus
a comprehensive index. This book will be a valuable addition to any
school, public library or home.
There is further information about the book on the NLA
blog, as well as an entertaining book
trailer and Scholastic's Teaching
notes. Themes: Australia, Weather, Indigenous knowledge,
Climate change.
Kathryn Beilby
Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold
Penric and Desdemona (Publication order 9), Spectrum
Literary Agency, 2020. ASIN: B08L88PCTP.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Another novella in the Penric
and
Desdemona series is always welcome and this time Bujold
takes us back to an earlier time in Penric's life. Falling between Penric's
Fox and Penric's Mission, the story takes place in
Lodi on Bastard's Eve, a time of celebration for the people living
in this canal city. Penric is hoping for time off but finds himself
called to minister to a madman who appears to have been taken over
by a wild demon. What follows is a wild chase to try and capture the
runaway man, and when this doesn't happen easily Penric asks for the
help of the saint in finding him and taking the demon out of him.
Bujold has added another city to the wonderful world that Penric and
Desdemona inhabit, and it was fun to follow Penric's adventures as
he travels across to islands, uses canals and searches the
warehouses of this water bound place. The saint too, is unexpected,
a young inexperienced girl, who is intelligent and has hidden
talents. Other characters are fully fleshed out, and some plot
twists will keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
Fans of the series will enjoy the warmth of this novella; Bujold
always manages to write a feel-good story that leaves the reader
satisfied. Those new to the series would probably enjoy them more by
starting with the first one, and reading them in chronological
order, rather than the publishing order.
Pat Pledger
