Reviews

Millie loves ants by Jackie French

Came back to show you I could fly by Robin Klein

Introduced by Simmone Howell. Text Classics. Text Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925498318. First published Penguin Viking 1989
(Age: Middle school students) Recommended. Drug addiction. Friendship. Family breakdown. Eleven year old Seymour is spending his summer holidays with his mother's friend, hidden from his father while his parents get a divorce. Thelma says he must stay safely in the house during the day while she is at work and not make a mess. Seymour tries to comply but heat and boredom get the better of him and he climbs into the alley behind the house. Chased by bullies he panics and mistakenly runs into a neighbouring backyard where he encounters 20 year old beautiful, vivacious Angie who is nice to him and lets him choose earrings to go with her flamboyant clothes. The two strike up a friendship, much to Seymour's amazement that someone like Angie would want to spend time with someone as timid as him. She takes him on outings and she shares her fantasy world with him where everything is lovely, they live in a big house and everyone is happy. As they spend more time together reality starts to seep through Angie's facade. As Seymour becomes more confident Angie's world starts to collapse and their roles reverse.
When it was first published in 1989 Came back to show you I could fly trod a daring line between depicting the destructive nature of drug addiction, the breakdown of trust and the fracturing of relationships while avoiding any actual drug-taking scenes which parents and educators would have found unacceptable. It has been studied in the English curriculum of Australian schools for many years and its coming of age story of finding yourself, helping others and the power of friendship is timeless. Recommended for middle school students.
Sue Speck

Buchanan Bandits by Marcus Emerson

Ill. by David Lee. Diary of a 6th grade ninja bk 6. Allen & Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760295608
(Age: 9-11) Buchanan Bandits is the sixth humorous novel focussing on Chase Cooper and his secret band of school ninjas. Each novel explores a week in his wild school life with his helpful cousin Zoe, crazy friends, underground societies, secret plots and bullies to stop. There is always something happening, drama, mayhem, ninja problems and embarrassing situations follow Chase everywhere. Student President Sebastian and Wyatt, Chase's enemy, are involved in another nefarious plot. With all the 6th grade students involved in Careers' Week activities each afternoon in the cafeteria, what could go wrong?
The Buchanan Bandit is secretly stealing all the chewing gum at school and Wyatt wants Chase to help him uncover the thief. Of course, by Tuesday, all the gum appears in Chase's locker and he is caught in a difficult situation. This junior novel is layered with subplots, twists and turns, and Chase needs to gather clues, uncover the thief's identity and work out why Sebastian's is selling colourful sweet-smelling erasers as a moneymaking venture. There is a creepy clown mentor and a showdown in the library, where Chase just avoids the wolf pack's clutches and uncovers another bully.
Rhyllis Bignell

Just like Molly by Pippa Dowling

Ill. by Sunshine. Empowering Resources, 2016. ISBN 9780994501073
At some stage in their young lives, children have an imaginary friend - one who likes to do the things that you like, eat the things you eat, be scared of the things you are scared of and share good times with you.  And so it is with the little girl in this story.  Her friend Molly loves playing games, going to the park and going on the slides, eating fish and chips and gelati.  She doesn't mind the other kids who are noisy but the barking dogs are a bit frightening.
But one day Molly disappears and no amount of searching finds her.  Things are bleak and lonely especially as school has just started and everyone seems to have a friend already.  And then one day a little girl called Zoe offers to share her crayons . . .
This is not an uncommon theme in children's storybooks but the remarkable thing about this one is that the author wrote it when she was just 10.  She is now just 13. Whimsical characters in colours that echo the mood of the story bring the little girl and her friend to life and reassures those who are about to begin a new phase of their life that there will be someone ready to support them. It opens up opportunities to talk about what friends are and how to initiate friendships through kindness and that through our lives we will have many different friends.
You can read more about this young author on the publisher's site and perhaps her story will inspire the writers in your class to keep at it.
Barbara Braxton

The magic word by Mac Barnett

Ill. by Elise Parsley. Balzer and Bray, 2016. ISBN 9780062354846
Paxton C. Heymeyer seems to have forgotten his manners, so when he asks his babysitter for a cookie she asks him for the magic word. But instead of saying, "Can I have a cookie, please", Paxton C. Heymeyer shouts "Can I have a cookie, alakazoomba?" Suddenly, in a puff of blue smoke he not only discovers a cookie in his hand but the power to summon up anything he wants with that one magic word. A walrus to chase the babysitter to the North Pole; a waterslide in the living room; a jungle bedroom; anything his imagination lets him dream. Even an elephant and a robot-servant!
But when Rosie comes to play he finds that things aren't quite what he wishes for because elephants can't play cards or any of the other things friends do together...
There would be few of our littlies who have not been asked for "the magic word" so they will relate well to this engaging story of being able to have whatever you want - it brings life to the saying "Be careful what you wish for." Asking them what they would wish for or dream of having will elicit a lot of discussion and drawing, but there is also much to think about when Rosie refuses to play and goes home. Friendship and happiness are not all about material things and instant gratification, and this book may provide food for thought for those who want to have the latest thing NOW, and those who wish they could.
Barbara Braxton

Cric Croc series by Anthony W. Buirchell

Ill. by Nikki Ball. Vivid Publishing, 2016.
Cric Croc. ISBN 9781925442595
Cric Croc and the bedraggled pony. ISBN 9780995424302
In the first of what is proposed to be a series that spans the Australian continent, young readers meet Cric Croc who is a baby crocodile born on the Daintree and learning to lead a healthy life with exercise, good food, plenty of sleep, lots of fun, friends and love. Intended to be a "role model for good behaviour", the lovable Cric Croc does lots of things that preschoolers will identify with and perhaps emulate. The things he does support the health syllabus for early years and young children can discuss the things that they do that Cric Croc also does.
In the second book, Cric Croc wants to learn to ride and befriends a bedraggled, bullied pony he meets in a stable and between the two of them they triumph. Its focus is looking beyond the physical appearance to the inner person beneath and how mutual respect and teamwork can be win-win.
Written in rhyming text by retired teacher Anthony Buirchell and illustrated by Nikki Ball, this is a new team to the Australian publishing scene with plans to take Cric Croc, his friend Roo and their cameras across the country sharing the sights it has to offer, introducing children to places beyond their neighbourhood. Those in WA can have free visits to schools while those further afield have access to other support materials.
Something new that will entertain and educate and perhaps become a favourite character in young children's lives.
Barbara Braxton

You choose... Flip me by George Ivanoff

Random House, 2017
Alien invaders from beyond the stars/Night of the creepy carnival ISBN 9780143784029
Super sports spectacular/Trapped in the games grid. ISBN 9780143784036
Remember the frustration of finishing a book in a series that you have really enjoyed but you need to go to the library or the bookstore to track down the next one? Or worse, still, wait for it to be written and published? The solution seems to be having two books in one as with the new packaging of George Ivanoff's very popular You choose series. Now our students can have all the fun of following pathways through one book and when they are done with that, flip them over to read through another immediately. No waiting, no cooling of enthusiasm, just more reading.
For a couple of decades at least, the choose-your-own-adventure stories have been popular, particularly with boys, as they like the interactivity and the gaming nature of them. So to be able to serve them up two at a time to aficionados not only encourages them to keep reading but also shows them that the library DOES have stuff that meets their interests and needs. That has to be good.
Barbara Braxton

Worm loves Worm by J.J. Austrian

Ill. by Mike Curato. Balzer & Bray, 2016. ISBN 9780062386335
Worm loves Worm. So they decide to get married. It shouldn't be a problem but suddenly all their minibeast friends chip in. "You'll need someone to marry you. That's how it's always been done." You'll need a best man, bridesmaids, rings, a band... and so on and so on, because "that's how it's always been done."
Worm and Worm agree to each suggestion hoping that after they acquiesce they can get married but no... there is always something else. So when they are told that they need to have a bride and groom, worms being hermaphrodites, they have no trouble with being either or both - but that isn't how it's always been done. Will they ever just celebrate their love by getting married???
This is a charming book that, on the surface, is just a story about two worms wanting to get married because they love each other, and that, to a four-year-old is a natural thing to do. It is just a celebration of love. For those in different circumstances or a little bit older there is a sub-text of marriage equality and things can change - things don't always have to be because they have always been. It's enough to love each other without all the other trappings; it's about inclusion and equality and showing affection regardless of any traditional views and values that have been imposed on a natural state of mind. That's what little ones understand and accept - intolerance is something they learn.
Choosing worms as the main characters is a masterstroke because there are no physical differences between worms - there is nothing to say which is female and therefore the bride or male and therefore the groom. So the central message of love being the key ingredient and the rest of the elements of a wedding just being seasoning remains the central theme. Perhaps some of our politicians and those who influence them should read this and get to the core of what really matters.
A great addition to a school library collection that allows children to see their own family structure in a story, to show others that there are all sorts of family structures, and to explain marriage equality to those unfamiliar with the concept.
Barbara Braxton

Big picture book of long ago by Sam Baer

Ill. by Wesley Robins. Usborne, 2016. ISBN 9781409598725
Take a city, an English city, and then take a journey back through time and discover how people have lived and worked there over the centuries right back to its Stone Age camp beginnings.
Interspersed with double-page spreads of how people travelled, what they wore and the structures they built, this is a Richard Scarry-esque picture book loaded with pictures and captions that will fascinate the young reader fascinated with history. Or it might be the one that sparks an interest as the reader looks for the changes across the centuries and thinks about why they have occurred.
More to this than meets the eye.
Barbara Braxton

Three little monkeys by Quentin Blake

Ill. by Emma Chichester Clark. HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780008164478
Hilda Snibbs is not like other people. She doesn't have a dog or a cat or even a goldfish - she has three little monkeys. Their names are Tim and Sam and Lulu and they are very lively. Every time she leaves the house and leaves them on their own, they trash it. Nothing is safe - not her hat, her knitting, her favourite shampoo, the toilet paper...
She tells them she is disappointed in them, she asks what she has done to deserve such wretched little monkeys; she wonders how long she can put up with them - and each time Tim and Sam and Lulu look at her with their big round eyes and say nothing. One day after they had been into everything in her bathroom, she cries, "Oh, for a peaceful life without these wicked little monkeys!" But when she comes home the next day and they are gone, she realises how much she misses them until...
This is a funny, lovable story that will become a favourite of little ones as they recognise some of the mischief they themselves might have created over time. Quentin Blake's words marry so well with Emma Chichester Clark's illustrations - little vignettes that are full of action and fun as they show the monkeys at work - that this is a masterful collaboration. Even though the monkeys are so naughty they remain lovable and it's Hilda Snibbs who becomes the "villain". As Miss 5 said, "Why did she keep leaving them on their own? She's stupid!"
Three little monkeys is the perfect bedtime read-aloud as the children delight in the antics and naughtiness of the monkeys and see that they are loved regardless of what they do, while Hilda Snibbs will resonate with exasperated parents who sometimes long for the quiet life they had before their own little monkeys were born, even though they know they wouldn't have it any other way.
Joyful.
Barbara Braxton

Flying through clouds by Michelle Morgan

Michelle Morgan, 2017. ISBN 9780995386501
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Depression (1930). Australian history. Aviation. Reprising the familiar territory of her first novel, Racing the moon, Morgan weaves a tale about Joe, a thirteen year old boy in a religiously mixed family in the slum area of Glebe, working as a runner for his father, an illegal bookie. Seeing the arrival of Charles Kingsford Smith after flying across the Pacific in the Southern Cross in 1928, Joe's sights are set on becoming an aviator. All of his thoughts are dictated by how much money he can earn to take flying lessons, apart from a few thoughts devoted to the head master's daughter, Amy.
The background of the novel is wonderfully realised, with readers able to sink into the surrounds of Sydney in the 1930's with crime and unemployment, casual abuse, poor housing and illness ever present. Morgan's sense of the times is well depicted, and she includes some events which are well known, Kingsford Smith's flight across the pacific, the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Bodyline Series, for example, positioning the story in its time slot.
Joe's efforts to save money see him getting into trouble with his father as well as the school for wagging while he does his friend's running for another bookie. But saving is all he focusses on, amassing enough money for one lesson, until his money is stolen. But he is able to go and stay with a friend near Canberra whose family has a Tiger Moth and the two fly off to Queensland, where another adventure befalls them. A neat resolution occurs with Joe meeting his hero, and his family accepting their son's dream.
This book will appeal to all those dreamers in upper primary looking for an adventure story set in an historical time frame that is in part recognisable.
Fran Knight

The CSIRO low-carb diet by Grant Brinkworth and Pennie Taylor

Macmillan Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781925481488
(Age 14 - Adult) Recommended. Following other successful books from the CSIRO, The CSIRO low-carb diet is sure to be popular with people who are seeking advice about a more healthy lifestyle and diet. Based on research from around the world as well as research that the CSIRO has done in Australia, it is particularly relevant for people living here.
The book is divided into well illustrated easy to read sections. I found the Our Health Challenges section particularly useful as it looked at the rise of obesity and related diseases, in particular cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Part 2, Why the CSIRO low-carb diet works, gives the scientific background and facts about carbs and glucose. The Weekly meal plans will prove a boon for people who are determined to improve their diet. A shopping list for the week is also a useful aid and the pictures of vegetables and salad ingredients that contain low amounts and moderate amounts of carbs make an immediate impact and are really useful to the reader.
The exercise section is also well illustrated with clear instructions on why exercise is important and hints for staying motivated. It gives information for both a weekly aerobic exercise program and a resistance training program.
The recipe section is divided into Breakfast, Lunch, Seafood, Poultry and Pork, Beef and Lamb, Vegetarian and Snacks and Desserts. All the recipes have excellent photographs, providing the reader with a tantalising idea of what the food will look like. The recipes are well organised into ingredients and easy to follow instructions.
At the back of the book in Appendix A, How doctors manage Type 2 diabetes, is well organised information that will be very beneficial to people with diabetes as well as those diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
People using this book will find lots of useful information about health issues, a diet to follow that will improve the health of those who have diabetes and many recipes that can be incorporated into daily eating habits.
Pat Pledger

The leaky story by Devon Sillert

Ill. by Anil Tortop. EK Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925335392
The Blossburn family are engaged in their usual activities - parents engrossed in a television program while J.J. is playing with toys on the mat. No one is taking any notice of the books on the shelves, least of all the one that is slowly swelling as it demands to be read. Only when it swells so much that it falls over and the letters start to spill out with the drip-drips becoming plop-plops does J.J. notice and try to stem the flood. In fact it is not until the plop-plops become a splish-splash and the living room starts to look like an aquarium as all sorts of sea creatures invade it and swamp their recliner chairs that Mr and Mrs even start to notice that something might be amiss. But their attention is grabbed when pirates sail through and challenge them and the fun really begins.
Young children will love this concept as they willingly suspend their reality and let their imaginations take over. Canberra-based author Devon Sillert was awarded the Australian Postgraduate Award for her research into speculative fiction for young adults and it seems that this is a great example of the "what-if' story starter. What if your favourite story came to life right there in your living room? Can you imagine the responses the children could draw, just as Anil Tortop has done with Sillert's words in such a colourful, fun way? Let them tell you about a book they have bought or borrowed that they just couldn't wait to read and what it would be like if it came true right there in their home. A great way to start their writing careers.
Or even if they all started with the same story - an intriguing way to introduce the concept that even with the same information we all perceive and interpret things differently because of our previous experiences and understandings. Similarly, they might like to turn the story around and talk about how 17th century pirates would feel in a 21st century home.
The final page is very satisfying as the Blossburns have all discovered the magic of words and the adventures they can take them on - what will they have happen in their living room next? What adventure would the children like to have? A trailer is available on YouTube.
Barbara Braxton

Lift-the-flap questions and answers about Science by Katie Daynes

Lift-the-flap questions and answers about Science by Katie Daynes
Ill. by Marie-Eve Tremblay. Usborne, 2016. ISBN 9781409598985
From the time they are born children are innately curious and as soon as they are able to articulate the words, they ask questions so they can make the connections they need as they try to make sense of their world. As the nearest adult we try to help them with the answers. Some of the answers are at our fingertips but some need a little more digging.
Often those answers lie in science and this book is a great introduction for the budding young scientist who has the questions and wants a basic explanation that can be followed further if they wish. Just 16 pages long, it is divided into double page spreads with the headings what, why, when, where, which, who, how and yes or no. Each page has several questions, the answers for which are hidden under the flaps. Starting with the basic "What is science?" and "What do scientists do?" it goes on to explore other questions about science itself as well as others such as "Is the sky really blue?" Simple explanations and quirky pictures under the flaps provide a straight-forward answer as well as the starting point for further investigations. Having the answers under the flap gives the child an opportunity to consider the question and then suggest their own explanation before checking to see if they are on the right track.
Aimed at the young reader with an interest in science, nevertheless it is a book to be shared with a grownup who can help with some of the words, interpret the answers more fully and suggest other sources for finding out more including the Usborne web page for the book which has more questions, links to websites and other books in the series that delve deeper.
Books like this start the young child on their way to being information literate - able to locate, evaluate, analyse, interpret information so they can then use it to satisfy their curiosity, discover the world around them and ask new questions. With the current emphasis on STEM (science technology, engineering and maths) in the school curriculum not only does this book provide answers, it demonstrates that those answers can be found in print as well as modelling how to ask questions that require more than a one-word answer to take an investigation further.
It could even be the springboard for an ongoing class activity with a question posed each week so students can share their answers which are then compared to the explanation provided, discussed and investigated, sparking an interest in science that endures.
This is a dip-and-delve book - one the reader will come back to time and time again.
Barbara Braxton

Goodnight world by Debi Gliori

Bloomsbury Children's, 2016. ISBN 9781408872734
"Bedtime and time to say goodnight to the world.
Goodnight planet, goodnight world,
Peaceful clouds around Earth curled."
In a gentle, lullaby-like rhyme the little one is getting ready for bed and wishing everything a goodnight before sleep takes over. The polar regions, the Northern Lights, the oceans and seas , cars, boats, planes, birds, bees and fish - everything that he knows is included in this final farewell for the day.
"Goodnight houses, nests and burrows.
Goodnight daylight, until tomorrow's."
The text is captured in a soft palette of muted colours, softened even further by subtle tones and shadings and blurred lines and within each picture everything is settling down for the night, snuggled together and listening to a bedtime story. Even the tiniest insect is reading or listening as the flowers and grasses curl around them. In fact the whole theme is one of being curled up in the arms of something that loves and protects, and that night and darkness and sleep are a time of safety and security.
This would be the perfect inclusion as the final read for the bedtime reading routine, gently calming everyone and sending them off to dreamland comforted and comfortable, loving and loved.
Barbara Braxton