Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523541
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fairy tales. Fractured fairy
tales. Women and girls. Old stories rewritten for a modern age,
these tales will have younger listeners laughing out loud as they
recognise stories they have heard but with a difference, making them
more palatable for modern children, and undermining the stereotypes
that persist. The recent spate of pink books have met their match in
these funny, up-to-date stories of girls taking their situation in
hand and improving their lot. Living 'happily ever after' is much
more fun when the girls manage their futures for themselves.
Not a Rapunzel serenely waiting for a handsome prince to ride by but
a Rapunzel who loves building things, longs to see what is outside
her tower and makes a plait from her hair which she cuts off and has
a passing lad tie to the tree, using her lute to sail down the hair
to freedom. And not a Red Riding Hood, screaming for help from the
axe-man, but a strong-willed girl using her knowledge of the flowers
in the wood to give the wolf a tainted cup of tea, enough to make
him drowsy, enabling her to rescue her Gran. Cinderella goes to the
ball, dropping her glass slipper. All is well. But she does not go
home and wait for the prince to try it on her slender foot, she goes
in the other direction and sells the remaining slipper giving her
the financial independence to achieve her dream. And Thumbelina
freeing herself from the various small animals that beset her, had
me scrambling for a fairytale book to see how the 'original'
developed.
The four stories in this wonderful book, "Red Riding Hood",
"Rapunzel", "Thumbelina" and "Cinderella" are rewritten by Susannah
McFarlane, well known for her stories in the "EJ12 Girl Hero",
"EJ12Spy School", "D Bot" series, as well as being involved with the
highly acclaimed "Go Girl" and "Zac Power" series.
Each of the stories in this book is illustrated by a different
Australian artist, giving a differing perspective of life in these
fairy stories to watch out for as they are read. Seeing Rapunzel
using her saw and hammer, or Cinderella tending to her rescued
animals or Red finding the axe for the woodsman who has misplaced
it, or Thumbelina taking her self in hand, shows a feisty side to
these girls which will enliven, fascinate and entertain all readers.
Fran Knight
The cook and the king by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by David Roberts. Macmillan Books, 2018. ISBN 9781509813773
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Humour. Fears. Cooking. Food
preparation. Medieval history. Castles. How wonderful to read and
look at a very funny picture book. So many coming across my desk at
the moment are portentous and heavy-handed, trying to address an
issue (mainly mental health) in a didactic and preaching way. So
this book is a breath of fresh air: funny, beautifully illustrated,
with an whiff of irony about the cook's dealings with the king that
is frankly delicious. The king wants a new chef, one who can cook
what he really wants, but there is no one to be found. He rejects
all applicants, until Wobbly Bob turns up, self deprecating and
anxious about his inability to do what the king wants. But his
anxiety is not the core of the book. The core is humour, laughing at
the king wanting things to be just so, that by the end he has done
all the preparation and cooking himself. Wobbly Bob didn't have to
worry at all, because telling the king how worried he was about
going fishing or digging up the potatoes, or using a knife or frying
something over a fire, he was able to extricate himself from the
task, leaving the king to do it himself. And of course the king
thinks his meal the best ever and offers Bob the position.
Readers will laugh out loud at the situation and its conclusion,
revelling in Bob's inabilities and the way he was able to manipulate
the king into doing the work. The repetition is infectious, the
rhyme encouraging children to predict what word will end each line,
and the illustrations are just wonderful.
The medieval background gives a lot of information to readers about
that period of time: costume, castles, kitchen and cooking, while
the opening page with its unicorn tapestry is eye popping. Each page
gives another humorous situation and the looks on the faces of the
king and his subjects are wonderful. And kids will just love Bob's
wobbly hat, which may lead kids to ask about his trousers and other
accoutrements of his trade.
Fran Knight
You can't let an elephant drive a digger by Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Ill. by David Tazzyman. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408879146
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: STEM. Probability. Humour. Verse. A
range of improbably domesticated animals are given impossible things
to do, inviting every reader to simply laugh out loud at the antics
shown. Each double page shows an improbable scene: a shark in the
bath, a polar bear cutting hair, a seal acting as a chef, brushing
your teeth with a crocodile and more, all illustrated with gusto,
hinting at the possible things which may happen with the animal
doing something he is simply not designed to do.
Told in four line rhyming stanzas, each page invites the reader to
predict the last word of each line and many adults will find
children learning the stanza detailing the animal they like best.
Kids will love the looks on their faces as they try out their
impossible tasks, and the corresponding looks on the children's
faces as a shark appears in the bath or an octopus helps with
dressing or a wolf offers to read a bedtime story. Each page
bristles with laughter and kids will love looking at the detail
where other things are happening: mice carrying away the mousetrap,
a cat under the table eating the fish dropped by the seal or the
elephant's poo dropping onto one of the workers.
Full to the brim with hilarity, children will relish this unusual
tale, another from the duo who created "You can't take an elephant
on a bus". David Tazzyman is new to me and I found out more about
him here.
Initially a commercial illustrator, he illustrated the "Mr Gum"
books for Egmont in 2006 and has illustrated children's books ever
since. Patricia Cleveland-Peck has written some 14 books and more
information can be found here.
Fran Knight
The Frooties series by Hil Rogers and Joshie Lefers
Ill. by Pete Petrovic. Scholastic, 2018.
"Bad Apple". ISBN 9781742765952
"Crazy Kiwi". ISBN 9781742765969
(Ages: 7-9) Themes: Fruit. Author and publisher Hil Rogers came up
with the crazy idea to humanise her fruit bowl, creating a cast of
fun characters with big personalities. Entrepreneur Joshie Lefers
adds his own unique style with all of the silly jokes, humourous
comments and fruity puns.
"Bad Apple" focuses on the trickster of the Frooties, who's always
up to no good: poor Lady Mango awakes to find dark eyebrows and a
curly moustache drawn on her face. Even with a warning from the
Director of Melons, Watermelon Man, Bad Apple turns his punishment
to clean out the fruit bowl into fun. He can't stop his Mop Express
and pushes the Banana Bunch off the table. Banana Drama! A trip to
the scary Rubbish Bin is required to save the bananas. This
difficult journey involves making a Cling Wrap Bridge, the
traversing down a knotted tea towel and a surprising catapult into
the bin. Bad Apple meets some slightly disgusting characters whose
comments are quite punny - 'Let's Avo Cuddle' and the fish skeleton
who comments 'I don't have any body.' Bad Apple's kitchen adventures
are madcap, with his friends include Punky Pineapple, Lefty and
Righty Cherry twin and Petey Pear on hand to help. Their modes of
transport and movement around the kitchen aided by the utensils adds
to the craziness of this cartoon style junior novel.
"Crazy Kiwi" is an overwhelmingly green story, while all the other
Frooties want to look their best and be chosen for breakfast by the
Human Hand. Kiwi has some self-esteem issues. He's brown on the
outside and green on the inside and he's a funny shape. Time for a
visit to Granny (Nanny) Kiwi in the Old Froots (or Fruits) Home, a
dangerous journey to undertake, surviving the Flames of Doom, the
Creeping Forest and the Steel Grater. Kiwi, Nana Banana and Strawbs
have some close encounters. They meet Confused Tomato a Not-Fruit
Fruit, step into a Spaghetti Western food fight with a cowboy
Cucumber and Zucchini and finally arrive at their destination. After
some Midday Madness at the nursing home, the friends work on Kiwi's
makeover.
"The Frooties" series are deliciously written and Pete Petrovic's
zany cartoons bring the kitchen characters to life. These stories
are fun to share, just right for readers who love jokes, puns and
gross humour. Check out the bananas enjoying their blender bath in
"Bad Apple!"
Rhyllis Bignell
Oscar the hungry unicorn by Lou Carter
Ill. by Nikki Dyson. Orchard, 2018. ISBN 9781408355756
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Themes: Unicorns. Fairy tales. Food. Home.
Humour. Oscar loves to eat and despite what he eats, he is still
hungry. He eats his stable, the gingerbread house, the pirate ship,
the toadstools which house the fairies and the dragon's pizza. The
dragon points out that the pizza is to share, but Oscar takes no
notice. But at the giant's table, he finds that he is part of the
food going into the giant's mouth so runs away, despairing that he
will never find a home. He crosses the troll bridge eating it as he
goes, and just as the trolls begin to exact their revenge, Princess
Oola comes by with her boat. She scoops him up, telling how she
loves unicorns and takes him to her castle, where food is never
ending and Oscar finds a home. But he still looks at the moon with
avaricious eyes.
This lovely story about eating reflects many fairy tales which
readers will be familiar with. They will love the references to
these stories, spying the illustrations to see what parts of the
fairy story is mentioned. The fun illustrations suit the tone of the
story well, and younger readers will love peering into each picture
to see the details.
Teachers and parents will be able to use the story to talk about the
place of food in our lives, and the appropriateness of some of the
food available against a funny and inviting story.
Fran Knight
Black cockatoo by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Magabala Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925360707
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Mia sees her brother Jy firing stones
at birds with his shanghai. Among the fallen birds there is a
dirrarn black cockatoo, and Mia defiantly gathers it up and wrapping
it in her arms carries it inside to her bedroom hoping to nurse it
to recovery. Her jawiji grandfather scolds her brother and tells him
that he is doing the wrong thing by their culture.
It is never actually stated in the book, but the reader soon
realises that this is an Aboriginal family. Mia's grandparents
retain their culture despite experiences of being rounded up and
losing family to the stolen generations, and they share their
traditional values and cultural beliefs with their family. But Jy is
becoming less respectful and is drawn into cruel and thoughtless
games with other unruly teenagers. Mia is trying to follow a 'both
ways' path, gradually discovering her totemic connection to the
dirrarn, and also studying hard at school.
A deceptively simple story, enhanced by fine-detailed black and
white drawings portraying Australian wildlife and surroundings,
"Black Cockatoo" cleverly draws the reader into a greater
understanding of culture and Country. The teasing humour and banter
between family members is very natural and reveals warm and loving
relationships. Words from the Jaru language and Aboriginal English
are included in the text in a way that makes the meaning clear, so
whilst there is a glossary at the end, there is really no need to
refer to it.
Authors Merrison and Hustler bring their understanding of Indigenous
teenagers growing up in a remote town - Merrison works with young
Aboriginal boys through the Clontarf Academy and Hustler was a high
school English teacher at Halls Creek, Western Australia. Their book
will surely be welcomed by children in those areas, as a welcome
reflection of their culture and experiences, but it is also a story
that children anywhere can relate to, with its themes of exploring
identity and overcoming bullying.
I would recommend this authentic Australian story for all school
libraries, but it would make a particularly appropriate addition to
the collection for the International Year of Indigenous Language,
2019, as it includes living Aboriginal languages in a way that is
very natural and easy to understand and appreciate. Teacher's
notes are available.
Helen Eddy
Blakwork by Alison Whittaker
Magabala Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925360851
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Poetry. White linen
washed by black hands, hangnails on worn hands . . . Whittaker
succinctly conjures images of colonisation, oppression and
segregation. She tells the story of abattoir life, the jobs the
black people do on the outskirts of country towns - the killwork. It
is stark and confrontative language, but also rich and poetic. She
is an artist with words.
Words are arranged like patterns on a page. To keep the integrity of
longer lines, sometimes the poems are arranged sideways, landscape
view. Other times, lines interweave alternately. She plays with
words - 'Beneviolence' with its repetitive versions of 'THIS IS GOOD
FOR YOU! THIS IS FOR YOUR GOOD' is simple but very effective.
Also very effective is the device of taking the forty-nine most
common three-word phrases in a text and arranging them, ranked, as a
poem - as with the judgement in the Trevorrow v State of South
Australia case, the inquest into the death of Ms Dhu, and the Mabo
vs Queensland decision. The phrases and the words used reveal
everything about the conflict of cultures; the legal terms
contrasting with the devastation of stolen children, the inhumanity
towards the person in custody, and the disregard for native
inhabitants of land.
Whittaker is a Gomeroi woman - she includes Gamilaraay words as well
as Aboriginal English in her poems; Aboriginal voices can clearly be
heard in her poetry. "Blakwork", with its 'bloodwork', 'heartwork',
'badwork', 'workwork', 'newwork', and lots of other kinds of 'work'
makes for a strong voice demanding to be heard.
Helen Eddy
More and more and more by Ian Mutch
Fremantle Press, 2018, ISBN 9781925591545
(Ages: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Recycling, Waste, Collecting. Henry
Harper loves collecting, so when he collects Kate he asks her to
stay with him on his planet. She agrees saying that she just loves
collecting and together the two passionate collectors collect all
they can find. In funny rhyming couplets the list is endless:
balloons and spoons, TVs and a pair of skis, sneakers and speakers,
elastic and toys made of plastic. The audience will love predicting
the word that rhymes, learning some of the engaging couplets to say
for themselves. And absorbing the drawings on each page they will
see how the planet is getting very overcrowded. Tons of stuff is
illustrated: all the sorts of things that may be seen dumped along
roads, or in the sea, or left out for the rubbish collection, things
no longer used or unable to be recycled.
And the contrast between the overcrowded planet, weighed down with
rubbish, and the last few pages where things are clean and green,
will not be lost on the readers.
They will have a great time looking at the detail included on each
page, and make suggestions about how each could be reused, recycled
or disposed of with care. Leading onto discussions about the waste
we produce, this book will form a great cornerstone of any
discussion about waste, and channel the class' ideas to how to
recycle things in their classroom, at home and in the community.
With the current discussion about waste, this book forms a timely
addition to picture books which will initiate class attention on this
urgent matter. Eager eyes will scan each page and call out all the
things they see that have become rubbish, with the wonderful
endpapers reiterating what they have seen in the pages of this book. Teacher
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Digby and Claude by Emma Allen
Ill. by Hannah Sommevillee. National Library of Australia, 2018.
ISBN 9780642279279
(Age: 7) Recommended. Themes: Australian History, Development,
Heritage, Architecture, Housing. The change that came across
Australian suburbs in the 1030's with clearing away of slums and
abandoned buildings is shown here through the story of two young
boys, Digby and Claude. They have an ideal life of roaming freely
through their neighbourhood, of claiming a small patch of land with
a wonderful old tree as their play space, of dragging all sorts of
discarded materials to make their cubby house extend up into the
tree. As the boys build their tree house, they watch the
redevelopment project across the road, of slums being demolished and
low cost housing being built in its place. Claude's father prevents
his son coming to the site because of the danger posed by the trucks
and diggers. When summer arrives so do the families and their
children, and Digby welcomes new friends to his tree house. And in
the tree, he tells the newcomers stories of days long ago when a
friend called Claude helped build the tree house.
This is a warm and enveloping story about the place where you
belong, a story of memories that build up around your own place,
that place called home. Digby and Claude together build their own
place and stock it with memories that they share, and when Claude
goes, Digby recalls those memories with others, sharing his place
with the newcomers. The contrast with the rebuilding over the road
reinforces the idea of home, how each new generation builds their
own memories and stories about their own place. Buildings come and
go but the stories remain.
The illustrations, redolent of images found in books and annuals
published for children between the wars, recreate the carefree and
innocent lives of children where they had the freedom to imagine and
build a tree house, meeting their friends there for the days with
nothing to do but play and chat and build, while in the background
we see the changes in the skyline of the suburb.
Several pages after the end of the story are devoted to a time line
of housing in Australia which will give readers an idea of the range
of housing in Australia from early times, and will encourage them to
look further. A page is devoted to a newspaper article outlining the
Erskinville development one of the first of its type in Australia, a
small cohort of low rental flats for families with children.
An interesting read, Digby and Claude could be used in conjunction
with the iconic "My Place" (Nadia Wheatley) which shows the changes
in Australia over time, through the life of one tree and the lives
of those around it, both books extolling the idea of home. Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Dino diggers: Dumper truck danger by Rose Impey
Ill. by Chris Chatterton. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408872482
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Dinosaurs, Technology, Accidents. In
Dino-Town, the Dino Diggers are all ready for action. Dressed in
their hard hats and fluoro jackets, they can take on any problem
which comes long, so when the town bridge collapses after a heavy
rain storm, they are ready with their machines to clear the path and
help rebuild the bridge.
Young readers will adore the five friends, Terri,Tyrone, Bruno, Ricky
and Stacey, working out just why each has that particular name,
their size and physical attributes eagerly recognised by dinosaur
hunters. The problem of the bridge and the baker's van stuck beneath
causes the team some headaches as Tyrone takes his digger down into
the river bed to get the van out. He does this successfully but they
both end up on the wrong side of the bridge. Another problem creates
another solution, and all ends happily, with the dinosaurs reopening
the bridge in time for traffic. The Dino Diggers have done their
work.
Young readers will love looking at the array of work done by each of
the trucks illustrated, recognising these implements from seeing
them on their streets. The illustrations give a streamlined image of
each of them allowing kids to point out the features of each.
Recognisable work safety measures are included, alluding to the
possible dangers of this work, and showing readers what needs to
happen to keep themselves safe. In the last few pages is a cardboard
cutout of Stacey's dump truck with instructions on how to put it
together, continuing the fun of the book.
Fran Knight
Mummy Fairy and me : Fairy in waiting by Sophie Kinsella
Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780141377896
(Ages: 5 - 7) Recommended. Themes: Fairies. Humour. "Ella's
family has a big secret - her Mummy is a fairy. She can do amazing
spells with her computawand. Only, sometimes the spells go a bit
wrong, and that's when Ella steps in to the rescue.
In this brand-new book of magical adventures, there are very naughty
monkeys, a swimming pool filled with ice-cream, and the best
birthday party ever - complete with giant cakes and fairy dust."
(Publisher)
And after so much fun and adventure, will Ella get her wish and
become a magical fairy, just like her Mum?
The magic and mayhem in this young chapter book make it a sweet and
funny series for 5-7 year-old's. There are lots of messy adventures
and parents who do silly things.
Donna Isgar
Melowy : The ice enchantment by Danielle Star
Ill. by Danielle Stern. Melowy series book 4. Scholastic,
2018, ISBN 9781338151800
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Unicorns, Fantasy, Friendship, Courage. In the
Castle of Destiny hidden by a sea of clouds, Melowies, winged horses
with gorgeous colourings, gather to be schooled in magic. Cleo,
Electra, Maya, Cora and Selena wake to a beautiful morning eager to
begin their classes in the Art of Powers. Cleo's destiny is unsure,
she hasn't received her place in a realm yet: will she be a Winter,
Spring, Day or Night? To find the nature of the young filly's power
she needs to attend all the classes with her friends. This proves to
be difficult for her, as she suffers sunburn in the Day Tower,
tangles herself up in plants in the Spring Tower, and has candle
problems in the Night Tower.
Cleo seeks advice from Theodora the friend who raised her after she
was left on the castle steps as a baby. She needs encouragement to
keep on with her lessons. Mysteries and problems abound, with a
stolen magic book, a classmate casting a forbidden spell and
problems in creating ice sculptures from the magic waterfall. Little
by little, Cleo learns the power of friendship and patience.
Bright colours, pretty embellishments and beautiful creatures adorn
the pages, making this junior novel sparkle. Danielle Star's magical
fantasy series are just right for newly independent readers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Meet me at the intersection: Short stories edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina
Fremantle Press, 2018. ISBN 9781925591705
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: LGBTIQA+. Disabilities. Indigenous
Australians. Cultures. Short stories. Meet me at the intersection
is an collection of short stories by authors who write from the
heart about issues that have personal meaning to them. These authors
include those with a disability, are LGBTIQA+ or are Indigenous and
are passionate about sharing their stories written from their point
of view.
At the beginning of each story is a blurb about the author and the
inspiration for their story, which is fantastic as it gives the
reader an insight to how and why the author came to write this
particular piece.
My favourite of the short stories was 'Harry Potter and the
Disappearing Pages' by Olivia Muscat because of the Harry Potter
connection. The author says right from the beginning that the
character in the story is her and this connection seemed to
personalise it for me.
Many of the stories are raw and brutally honest. There is no filter
to what is written and they say exactly what they think. Sometimes
this can be confronting but mostly you appreciate the honesty and
frankness of the story. With some of the stories, I wondered what
the point was but in hindsight, the point is really a snippet of a
story that is waiting to be told.
The stories are quite diverse and it is refreshing to change pace at
the beginning of each new story. The stories are not long and at
times, they leave you wishing for more. Some are revelations and
others make you think about topics not normally spoken about.
I would recommend this book to 14+ readers whose interest is in
diversity amongst our population.
Gerri Mills
Kissed by the moon by Alison Lester
Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780670076758
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Themes: Influences.
Growing up. This beautiful book has been reissued as a board book,
and will win hearts all over again with its wishes for the future of
a new born child. Alison Lester, one of Australia's best known and
loved author illustrators, is able to capture a parent's wish for
their child to wonder at the world in which they have been born, to
experience the community and the environment, to splash in the
water, to experience the ocean, to hear the birds as they wake, to
walk in the untamed forest, all the things experienced by the
parent in their youth.
Each page opens the child's mind to the possibilities of what is
around them, encouraging the parent to ensure that the child is
exposed to all the good things of life.
Lester's soft watercolours draw the eye to the detail of the images
she draws, as well as creating soft love-filled pages, underscored by
the spare prose. Each page shows a different environment and season,
covering aspects of the Australian climate, be it snow, spring
produce, a sunny beach or the falling leaves of autumn. Every
picture is filled with the safe secure arms of a parent, guiding the
child to experience its surroundings. The subtle subtext of caring
for the environment is there, in lines which assume the rivers, fish
and oceans will still be there, and the forests as wild.
Lester's talents with many different art forms along with her
ability to encapsulate meaning in a brief smattering of words, is
enough for anyone to gasp at the depth of her work, for parents to
smile with recognition and children to read for themselves the
wonder of childhood.
Fran Knight
The honey factory by Jurgen Tautz and Diedrich Steen
Black Inc Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760640408
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Non-fiction. The
subtitle 'Inside the ingenious world of bees' describes exactly what
this book is about - not so much a guide to beekeeping but a
detailed exploration of what bees do and how their community works.
And it is absolutely fascinating! Tautz and Steen reveal to us the
workings of the intelligent bee superorganism - a community of
individuals dependent on one another and working together to make a
single breathing, living entity. Each bee has its role to play - the
queen, the drones, the workers; there are nurse bees and field bees,
guards, scouts and foragers. Tautz and Steen reveal to us how they
communicate in the pitch darkness of the hive, how they regulate the
temperature of the hive, how they communicate food sources with the
waggle dance, and what leads them to swarm or move house.
The two authors make different contributions to the book - Steen is
a long time beekeeper and Tautz is a renowned bee researcher. So the
book is a combination of practical knowledge and scientific
research, distinguished in the text by different fonts. It is
possible for readers wanting a 'lighter' approach to just read the
Steen contributions, whilst others may enjoy the insights offered by
the experiments and studies that Tautz describes. There is a logical
sequence to the book; however an index is available at the end for
quick reference.
The last chapter describes the bees' struggle for survival -
extinction remains a probability, and sadly the main threats are
from human factors. Anyone reading this book must hope for greater
understanding and appreciation of bees for it truly seems that they
offer us an insight into an amazing community based on unconditional
and mutual sharing, something that humans could only learn from.
Helen Eddy
