Ill. by Hannah Sommerville. Angus & Robertson, 2017. ISBN
9781460750544
It is the first day of school and Oscar has put his brave on along
with the knight's shining helmet from the big dress-up box. But just
as he goes to get the shield he is shoved out of the way by a kid
who snatches the dragon tail. A knight and a dragon are traditional
enemies and so it seems to be the case again. Oscar is intimidated
by this scary dragon-child and even though he acts brave he's not
really. Seeking shelter in the cubby he finds a princess who is
hiding from the crocodiles and then in comes the dragon.
This is a story that was probably reflected in most of the schools
around Australia just three or four weeks ago as the newest bunch of
big-schoolers began their new adventure. No matter how big and brave
and fearless they were on the outside, they were just little
five-year-olds in a big new world on the inside. While in those
traditional scenarios Oscar would have slain that dragon, in this
story he faces his fears. He tells the dragon he is not afraid of
him but when they come face to face he is able to articulate that he
is a little bit scared and why. Rather than hiding behind his fears
and perhaps not having the best start to school because he makes
Ernest scarier than he is, Oscar learns that acknowledging them and
facing them can lead to something much better. He also learns that
just as he is hiding his concerns behind the knight's outfit, others
might also be hiding behind a brave face and that taking the time to
dig a little deeper can lead to some rewarding and fun times.
From the front cover, Sommerville's illustrations bring this text to
life - young children will know immediately that this is going to be
about two little boys - one a knight, the other a dragon and thus
destined for conflict. But there is also a clue to the outcome in
the title - the main character is Oscar but the book is called My
Friend Ernest.
Even though the beginning of term is slipping away into the memory,
this would be a timely book to read to children and remind them of
how they were feeling back then and how far they have already come
in conquering their fears and how brave they are and can be. Life is
going to be tricky at times - just how tricky depends on how we deal
with the twists and turns.
Barbara Braxton
Frogkisser by Garth Nix
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760293512
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Humour. What a delight to
pick up another fantasy by Garth Nix. He is one of my favourite
authors and I was not disappointed in this hilarious, thought
provoking and stirring fantasy adventure. Princess Anya is on a
quest to rescue a frog, who is not a frog but a prince who has been
turned into one by Anya's evil stepstepfather because he was in love
with Anya's sister, Morven. She is rather reluctant to move from the
library where she is comfortably ensconced, learning some magic
tricks, but she has made a 'sister promise' and knows that she will
have to do something about Prince Denholm. Accompanied by Ardent,
one of the Royal Dogs, she travels through the Kingdom of Trallonia,
trying to get the ingredients she needs to make a lip balm to use
when kissing the frog.
The humour is so infectious. I laughed out loud every time Gerald
the Herald (one of many) appeared and the news that he gave about
Anya was hilarious. Even the nickname Frogkisser will make the
reader chuckle as Anya valiantly goes on her quest. She meets many
strange creatures on the way, like the thief turned into a newt and
an otter turned into a strange being, as well as a princess turned
wizard, and many many frogs. I loved the Royal Dogs as will any
person who is a dog lover.
Underlying the fun of Anya's quest, is her gradual understanding of
responsibility. She is a princess, with many privileges, but she
begins to realise that with privilege comes an obligation to do the
right thing for her people. Although I waited for a prince to come
along for Anya, Nix didn't fall into the trap of having her kiss a
frog and find her true love – instead he concentrates on her
personal growth and quest. This is very refreshing.
There are some unexpected twists and turns all making for a very
enjoyable tale. In his acknowledgements at the end Nix
mentions Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones and Lloyd Alexander among
others as influences on his work, and readers who have enjoyed works
by these authors are sure to enjoy Frogkisser as well. And if they
are not familiar with those authors then readers will be in for a
treat if they try books written by them.
Pat Pledger
Melling sisters triology by Robin Klein
Text Classics. Text, 2017. All in the Blue Unclouded Weather. ISBN 9781925498325 Dresses of Red and Gold. ISBN 9781925498332 The Sky in Silver Lace. ISBN 9781925498349
(Age: 11+) Recommended. It is time for a new generation to fall in
love with the four Melling sisters as they grow up in post-war
Australia. Robin Klein's heart-warming trilogy follows their trials
and tribulations as they embrace the realities of small country town
and city life. Each novel focuses on different events in Grace,
Heather, Cathy and Vivienne's lives, as they develop their own
identities, explore friendships, build relationships and creatively
address their family's financial worries. All in the Blue Unclouded Weather introduces life in rural
Wilgawa, with their father away prospecting and a rather forgetful
mother, the sisters creatively learn to live within their means. The
youngest sister Vivienne has a vivid imagination; she escapes into
the creative worlds of poetry and literary figures. She hates
hand-me-down clothes and shoes and longs to visit wealthier Majorie
Powell's beautiful house. The sisters argue, bicker and constantly
long to be in a better social class. Klein's attention to detail -
Grace's debutante dresses, cooking disasters, coping with the
O'Keefe family, cousin Isobel's flights of fancy and her depth of
insight into small town ways make the stories come to life.
The second novel, Dresses of Red and Gold, oldest sister
Grace leaves to work in the city and study dressmaking, while the
other sisters continue to cope with their dire financial
constraints. Vignettes of family life include scary stories of the
bogeyman, Heather's visits to cheer up the elderly, Aunt Ivy's
meddlesome visit and Cath's aversion to being a bridesmaid. Dad's
reappearance also is a cause for concern. The Sky in Silver Lace concludes the trilogy, with the
Mellings forced to move to the city, moving from place to place
whilst waiting for the Housing Commission apartment. Heather and
Cathy win places at a special girl's only secondary school; however,
they are mortified at wearing second-hand uniforms. Viv's scared of
city life; she is lonely and wants to make new friends. There is a
sense of sadness that pervades this story, each sister has grown,
changed and proved their reliance in coping with all the stresses of
their family misfortunes.
Robin Klein's novels are insightful, displaying another time when
children and teenagers used their creativity, imagination and
resourcefulness to cope without the material pleasures and today's
technology.
Rhyllis Bignell
Remind me how this ends by Gabrielle Tozer
Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN 9781460751688
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Relationships. Grief. Decision-making.
Milo has finished school, but doesn't know where his life is headed.
His long-term girlfriend has moved away to study and she now has a
whole new life and a circle of 'friends' that do not include him.
His parents are persistently on his back to encourage him to make a
decision about the direction in his life... to overcome the lack of
direction in his life. And into this turmoil of uncertainty about
what the future will bring comes Layla. Layla is returning to the
small town of her childhood, where she was well known and had grown
up until her life was torn apart by the loss of her mother in a
dreadful accident. Still grieving, and struggling in a relationship
that is complicated by her tangled past, she blows back into town
and reconnects with Milo, her neighbour and friend from childhood.
Her vibrancy and spark ignites Milo in directions that he was not
expecting and gives them both a human anchor to hold onto as they
are buffeted by choices and decision-making.
Rich in the psychology of young relationships and the difficulties
of grieving well, and also in the angst and uncertainty of laying
the pathway to adulthood, this is a book that will appeal to young
readers. The text conversations between the main characters are
refreshing, with the humour laced with feistiness and the spark of
personality that is endearing. What seems an inevitable road in
their friendship has its own twists and turns, and you will wonder
along the way about how this will end - will there be tears, or is
this the start of something new? Gabrielle Tozer writes well for
older teens, and although her characters reflect teenage 'types',
they have their own unique ways of relating and interacting and
responding to their world. Set in a regional town, the weight of
expectations and the circumstances for teens who need to make big
decisions at a young age impact upon the direction of the
characters. This book demonstrates that many decisions can be
difficult and Tozer avoids giving neat and trite solutions to the
complexities that teens face.
Carolyn Hull
Pat-a-cake series
Hodder and Stoughton, 2017. ABC. ISBN 9781526380029 123. ISBN 9781526380050 Colours. ISBN 9781526380043 Animals. ISBN 9781526380036 On the Move. ISBN 9781526380012 Funny Faces. ISBN 9781526380005
(Age: 1-3) Recommended. 2017 has seen the release of six new
toddler's world learning board books from Pat-a-cake. Titled
ABC, 123, Colours, On the Move and Funny
Faces, each book is sturdy, vibrant, full of pictures and
ideal for very young children. Each page is filled with simple and
colourful illustrations paired with very simple wording. Pages are
thick and strong which is perfect for excited little hands. At the
end of each book, children are surprised with a large pop-up which
is a wonderful conclusion to each theme. Additionally, Funny
Faces has a 'look and laugh' mirror which is said to stimulate
baby's vision and help recognize the faces of the people they love.
Overall, the six books in the release are wonderful additions to a
toddler's library as they are excellent early learning resources.
Keely Coard
It's my pond by Claire Garralon
Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. Book Island, 2016. ISBN
9781911496021
(Age: 4-7) Recommended. It's My Pond follows a number of
different coloured ducks who claim 'it's my pond' until black duck
helps them realize that it can be everyone's pond.
With repetitive text, it can be used as a potential take-home reader
for slightly older ages, but additionally is a good resource for
children learning their colours and counting.
Keely Coard
Our (last) trip to the market by Lorin Clarke
Ill. by Mitch Vane. Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781925266962
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Market, Families, Shopping, Fruit and
vegetables, Humour. With the word 'last' shown as an addition in the
title, readers will be warned that chaos lurks inside.
Mum and her six kids go to the market to get some potatoes and stock
for their stew, but while there a range of things is looked at both
by mum and the kids, some of which invites unruly behaviour. They
see a clown and a dog, a bakery and a boy on his bike, a busker,
coffee, an organic shop with bags of lentils, cakes, lots of fruit,
particularly watermelon, a magic shop and a flower shop. But the
humour lies in what the children do while at the market. In rhyming
stanzas the tale unfolds with mum having to call them away from the
mayhem they are causing. The wonderfully lively illustrations show
them taking the clown's rabbit out of his hat, taking away the dog,
digging into the lentils, overturning the vases of flowers, until
mum calls them to order with a stompity stomp and they head for the
car to go to Grandma's place for tea. The rhymes reveal the range of
food stuffs at the market as well as incorporating the children's
names, Anouk, Maximilian, Annabelle, Serenity, Alexander and Sam
with ingenious rhymes. The contrast between the children's faces and
the faces of the long suffering market traders adds another level of
humour and a small joke at the end, first by the children, then by
mum, will further delight the audience. Vane's illustrations
underline the humour of the story, adding another set of things to
laugh at and follow as the story is read. And I love the watermelon
endpapers, keeping alive the presentation of fresh fruit and
vegetables available at the market, underscoring the work done in
the classroom about good food.
Fran Knight
Fox and the jumping contest by Corey R. Tabor
Balzer and Bray, 2016. ISBN 9780062398741
The animals are having a jumping contest - Elephant, Bear, Rabbit,
Turtle, Frog and Fox have all entered - and Fox is determined he
will win. He even imagines how good the trophy will look perched on
his mantlepiece.
But Fox isn't particularly good at jumping so he figures if that
trophy is going to have pride of place in his loungeroom he will
need a bit of assistance. So while the other animals practise, he
schemes and plans and builds. His solution? A jetpack that he paints
to match his fur hoping the other animals won't notice - so it is
clear that he knows he is cheating.
On the day of the contest with the bird judges all ready and perched
high in the branches the animals show their talents. Frog does well
and gets extra points for style; Turtle doesn't do as well and
Elephant less so. Bear was loud and Rabbit was spectacular. And then
it was Fox's turn . . .
This is a story with a twist, and it's a twist that can spark some
great discussion points which are perfect for getting young children
to start to think critically, to philosophise and to empathise. Fox
with his jetpack strapped to his back disappears so high in the sky
that the judges can't wait for him to return so they begin the
awards ceremony. But just as Rabbit is about to receive the trophy,
Fox falls back to Earth and plops into it and takes first place. The
final scene shows Fox standing back admiring the cup on his
mantlepiece, right where he had envisioned it would be.
But does Fox deserve it? Has he cheated? Were there written rules
about external assistance or were they just assumed? Why do we have
rules? How do the other animals feel about the win? What about
rabbit? Has there been fair play and sportsmanship? What is the
twist in that final scene and was it a reasonable way to solve the
problem? What does 'compromise' mean?
Careful exploration of the text, verbal and visual, offers a lot of
depth to this story and it deserves re-reading to get the most from
it. For example, Elephant doesn't mind that she cannot jump well
because she is "good at other things" and that in itself could
provoke another discussion about how we all have our strengths so
comparisons are not always fair. Even very young children have a
strong sense of justice and with the pictures enriching the words so
well with their extra detail and action there is much to examine and
ponder.
Life and literature are full of characters who are determined to win
regardless and this is a surprisingly good story that can introduce
even very young children to contemplate, at their own level, the
philosophical question of does the end justify the means and giving
them an opportunity to start thinking on a more abstract level, from
different perspectives and consider what is not being said.
One to get brains moving . . .
Barbara Braxton
Usborne illustrated traditional stories
Usborne 2016. ISBN 9781409596721
This is a collection of 17 stories from around the world that have
been passed on from generation to generation so they are now part of
our literature but which don't fit into the fairytale
classification. Stories like The Boy who Cried Wolf, The
Gingerbread Man, Baba Yaga and The Little Red Hen
sit alongside not-so-well-known ones like Tam Lin and The
Fisherman and the Genie.
With lovely illustrations throughout and with a luxury padded
hardback cover, this is one of those must-have volumes in your
teacher's toolkit that you can take out and share whenever there is
a spare minute or two, continuing the tradition of passing them on
to a new generation.
Newly independent readers will also enjoy them as the familiar
stories, larger font and short story format will make them an easy
bedtime read. This series is filling a niche for younger readers
that has been empty for some time.
Barbara Braxton
The Satanic mechanic by Sally Andrew
Text, 2016. ISBN 9781925355130
(Age: senior secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Crime fiction,
South Africa, Food. Tannie Maria is out of her depth. She cooks
beautifully, and often recommends recipes from her beloved Klein
Koroo and her family to her love lost correspondents at the Klein
Koroo Gazette where she works as the Dear Jane writer. The letters
she receives fill her with love for these people who have a need to
write to someone with their problems and her advice often begins and
ends with food. But she cannot solve her own problem. She has a
boyfriend, Detective Henk and they get along very well, particularly
after their involvement in the first of these novels, Recipes
for love and murder (2015). But try as she might, the final
act of love brings back so many painful memories of her abusive
husband who died some years before, that she cannot feel anything
but guilt and powerlessness at the thought.
She confesses this feeling and is advised to seek counseling and
ends up at an unusual PTSD group run by a man called the Satanic
Mechanic. Here the group sits in a circle in the middle of a laager
made by beat up rusting cars and vans grouped around a fire which
often holds food cooking for them to eat after each session, and
here they tell their stories. But someone is not who they seem, and
one man is killed during the evening.
The recent murder of a Bushman who took a mining company to stop the
desecration of their land, has caused anger amongst the community.
Detective Henk is investigating this murder and does not want Tannie
Maria to be involved, but with the death at the counseling group,
she is involved.
He breaks off their relationship because he cannot bear to see
another love die, and Tannie Maria accepts his decision.
But a last meeting at the PTSD group sees the resolution of the
murders and Tannie Maria at last confessing her guilt at her
husband's death.
This is a wonderful tale from South Africa, involving many
ingredients: a mining company and its plunder of Bushman land,
jealousy and guilt, counseling and PTSD. And above all, Tannie
Maria's marvelous recipes. The second book delves more into her back
story and brings this wonderful cook even closer to the readers.
Fran Knight
The stand-in by Steve Bloom
Carolrhoda Books, 2016. ISBN 9781512410235
(Age; 14+) Highly recommended. Bildungsroman. Brooks Rattigan is the
stand-in and the book's narrator. Desperate to be accepted into
Columbia University AND able to afford the fees, working class
Brooks founds his own business, escorting rich nerdy graduates to
their dances and formals. Celia Lieberman does not approve of the
date her parents have arranged and behaves much like Caterina in
Shakespeare's The taming of the shrew. The ending is thus
foreshadowed.
Complications arise when Brooks' best friend, The Murf, feels that
Brooks is abandoning his roots. He doesn't approve of Brooks' blind
ambition to attend the elite university, or his method of funding
it. Brooks' deadbeat father, himself a Harvard graduate, lets him
down and discourages him. Brooks is also attracted to a very
shallow, very beautiful high society girl. To make matters worse,
Shelby has a very jealous ex-boyfriend.
After a few initial spats, during which Celia is a very ungracious
date; she becomes the only person who is demonstrably supportive.
Both Celia and Brooks develop into the kind of friends who can rely
on each other. This is important because, much to our delight, no
two characters in fiction could possibly experience quite so much
bad luck.
Steve Bloom's concept is fresh and no doubt the movie rights have
already been secured. The characters and their relationships are
hilarious because Bloom knows exactly what they should do and say.
Brooks is sometimes inspiring - at others contemptible but we must
like him. We admire his grit to succeed in the face of failure - to
respect women yet exploit their situation at the same time. Most of
all we like that he falls for the one girl he started off hating.
Brooks Rattigan is a paradox and so are we.
Deborah Robins
Midnight at the zoo by Faye Hanson
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9780763689087
(Age: 4-7) Recommended. Faye Hanson's beautifully created,
intricately detailed and vibrant colourful illustrations add to the
delight of reading Midnight at the zoo.'
Max and Mia's class are off to the zoo for an exciting adventure.
They've studied the map presented at the beginning of the story and
hope to see the ring-tailed mongoose, the red pandas and the
flamingos.
In their loud animal print bedroom with the 'Explorashon HQ' tent,
the brother and sister prepare for their special day. They are
definitely animal fans; everything in their bedroom has a pattern or
design, from their backpacks to pyjamas. In the morning, Max and Mia
'trundle like elephants to the car, cling like monkeys' to say
goodbye to Mum and even nibble their early snacks like lemurs.
Twenty excited children and one wide-eyed teacher enter through the
zoo gates filled with excitement. 'But not the flick of a tail or
swish of a whisker can be seen.' After a very disappointing day, the
teacher leads her class towards the exit. Without a headcount,
eighteen students and the teacher board the bus, whilst two are left
behind. Max holds his sister Mia's hand and with a torch from his
backpack, they look for a way out. In front of them, a locked wooden
door appears; what are they going to do?
As the clock strikes midnight, they are welcomed into another world
filled with animated creatures, fiery fireworks and fantastic
scenes. They discover flouncing flamingos, mischievous monkeys,
lanterns illuminating laughing lemurs and kingly cats. Max and Mia's
fantastic night-time adventures end with a comforting sleep nestled
in the fur of a majestic lion and lioness. Daytime comes and as they
reunite with Mum, they cannot wait to share their amazing adventure.
Fay Hanson's lively story Midnight at the zoo is filled with
fun alliteration and with charming descriptions. At times, the blue
text is hard to read as it blends in to the black of the night
scenes. Teachers reading this to a class may question the ratio of
one adult to twenty excitable children and the idea that she did not
know about Max and Mia's problem! The story ends with a magnificent
midnight map of the zoo, fountains of fireworks, colourful costumes
and dancing animals are illuminated.
Rhyllis Bignell
Meet the Flying Doctors by George Ivanoff
Ill. by Ben Wood. Random House, Australia, 2016. ISBN 9780143780687
In 1911 John Flynn went to work on a mission more than 500
kilometres from Adelaide, the beginning of a journey for which
thousands of people have been grateful for over the decades since
then. In what is still a remote area, Flynn was greatly disturbed by
the lack of medical facilities beyond the metropolitan areas. Not
satisfied with patients being treated by those with a rudimentary
knowledge of first aid with support being sent in Morse code over
the telegraph system, while doctors could take weeks to reach them
using whatever transport was available; Flynn knew there had to be a
better way and so began his quest to find a solution.
Flight seemed the obvious answer but in those days both planes and
pilots were hard to come by and it took 10 years of campaigning
before his first plane was ready for service. In 1928, his dream
came true - he formed the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical
Service using a single-engine plane on loan from QANTAS aptly named
Victory. Immediately there was a difference - 50 missions and 255
patients treated in a year.
But they were not out of the woods yet - in fact they were a bit
lost over desert landscapes navigating by landmarks because there
were no radios in the planes. Even though it meant that they could
only fly at night in extreme emergencies, nevertheless the pilots
put their craft down in the most amazing places and with Alf
Traegar's invention of the pedal radio in 1929 at last the people of
the outback started to get the services they needed.
In 1955 the name was changed to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and
one of Australia's most iconic institutions has gone from strength
to strength now servicing rural and remote areas from 23 bases
scattered around the country.
The story of the RFDS is one that every child should know - from
those in the cities where medical services on tap can be taken for
granted to those in the Outback where lives depend on it daily. It
is a rich and rewarding story of success and Ivanoff has managed to
cram so much information into just 32 pages while still keeping it
personal and connected to its child audience. Wood's illustrations
emphasise the isolation and enormity of the landscape adding weight
to the extent of the issue and the importance of its solution.
As always with this series, there is a timeline at the back that
encapsulates the milestones. Meet... is one of the most
significant series of biographies written for young Australian
readers as they are introduced to the diverse and critical
contributions that have been made by individuals to the development
of this nation.
Barbara Braxton
Busting! by Aaron Blabey
Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743812389
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended, Toilets, Problem solving, Verse. All
readers will instantly sympathise with the animal on the cover: eyes
popping, mouth grimaced, running helter skelter following the sign
to the toilet. Who hasn't been there!
Opening the endpapers reveal the almost white tiles found when the
toilet is reached, but opening the book to the next pages the little
animal with the problem finds that there is quite a queue to this
loo.
Blabey in his wonderfully irreverent style of story telling has Lou,
the hero, trying to talk his way into the loo, past the other
animals in the queue. They all tell him in no uncertain words, that
he is not allowed to jump the queue and to shoo. And shoo he does,
trying to find somewhere to relieve himself that isn't obvious.
Several spots cause him some discomfort. He can be seen behind the
bamboo, the kangaroo boots him away, while other receptacles, a
shoe, a boat and a cup are all too public, until he finally finds a
queue free loo.
Wonderful rhyming words will intrigue the readers as they get their
mouths round the words, predicting what might come next. And of
course the last page will have the readers call out the obvious
rhyme with Lou when he finally reaches the toilet, but they will be
wrong and so laugh again at the way Blabey finishes his tale.
His illustrations are wonderful, inviting the reader to follow the
hero's antics almost holding their breath with him as he searches
for a place to relieve himself. Apart from being blindingly funny
and a wonderful book to share and reread, this book will be an
amazing introduction to the toilet procedure within schools and
preschools, some of which are coping with children who are not
toilet trained.
Fran Knight
Virginia Wolf! by Kyo Maclear
Ill. by Isabelle Arsenault. Book Island, 2017. ISBN 9781911496038
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Mental health, Depression, Virginia
Woolf. With nods to The yellow wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins
Gilman 1892) on the endpapers, the story of Virginia's slide into
depression, becoming a wolf, is handed with such clarity that even a
younger reader can see what the story is about. They do not need to
know the story of Virginia Woolf or the book The yellow
wallpaper, but these echoes are there for older readers and
adults to recognise and perhaps seek out.
Vanessa is dismayed when her sister begins to sound like a wolf. She
keeps to her bed, growling at any attempt to calm her, her ears seem
to grow larger, she is disinterested in anything and everyone around
her, she tells everyone to leave her alone.
Akin to several books I have recently read, I need a hug!
(Aaron Blabey, 2015), Blue whale blues (Peter Caenavas,
2015), Mr Huff (Anna Walker, 2015) and Small things
(Mel Tregonning, 2016) each book in its own distinctive way tackles
depression in children and young adults. Each book could be used in
a group showing the readers that they are not alone, that others
feel like this too, with all books depicting the child overcoming
their low days with open communication and support from friends and
families.
Vanessa takes to her paints, making the walls in Virginia's room
bright and alive with colour and flowers, taking the word,
Bloomsbury at its basic meaning. Her continued support helps
Virginia overcome her depression, the ears disappear, she gets out
of bed, she becomes a smiling happy child again, and together they
leave her room to go out and play.
The illustrations showing Virginia often in shadow or a lump in the
bed, reflect the lack of happiness in her life. As the flowers
unfold, the trees become higher, the flowers brighter, the ladder is
extended out of the room and into the sunshine, into the world
outside. These will entice young readers to look at the reasons the
illustrator has included some of the things shown. I just love the
page starting with 'The whole house sank' with its topsy turvy view
of the girls amid various objects, repeated near the end of the book
with the line, 'The whole house lifted' with the same illustration
shown from a different perspective. Illustrators that make you think
and explore make a huge contribution to the success of a story, and
this is a wonderful example.
First published by Kids Can Press in Canada in 2012.
Fran Knight
