Alison Lester's Wonderful World: Colour your favourite drawings by Alison Lester
Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760293130
(Age: 5-18) Recommended. 'Draw with your eyes closed, draw all the
time, mistakes are often the best bits' - words to encourage young
artists from Alison Lester, well-known Australian children's author
and illustrator. Generations of children have engaged with her
picture books from Clive eats alligators to favourites like Magic
Beach and Imagine. She has drawn fantastical places, imaginary
worlds, everyday experiences, country landscapes and outback
settings. Horses and farm animals are clearly important in her life;
she began drawing them on a chalkboard easel at the age of six.
With an array of encouraging artistic tips on the endpapers and in
the prologue, Alison encourages the young artist to experiment,
colour outside the lines, to have a go and to keep a folder of their
work. Each double page spread is filled with familiar characters,
there is Noni the Pony, farm animals from My Farm and
creatures from Alison Lester's ABC.
Her picture books encourage children's creativity, their
self-belief; they celebrate differences and bring faraway places to
life. The much-loved Magic Beach was published over
twenty-five years ago, here we can add a splash colour to the beach
and jetty scenes. Why not bring the jungle scene from Imagine to
life and discover all the animals listed around the page border? Alison Lester's Wonderful World: Colour your favourite drawings
is a perfect present, to build a young artist's creativity or
something special for families to work on together.
Rhyllis Bignell
The bad guys, episode 4: Apocalypse meow by Aaron Blabey
Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760158774
(Age: 6-10) Highly recommended. Humour, Adventure, Zombies. Another
outing for the good guys, once bad guys now trying to repair their
images: Mr Shark, Mr Fox, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Spider, as
they grapple with the phenomena of zombie kittens. We find them
standing on each other's shoulders, Mr Shark's feet firmly planted
in a baby swimming pool (because the kittens are frightened of
water)surrounded by millions of cheesy looking kittens, all showing
their sharp teeth to advantage. The five heroes recall that their
arch enemy, a guinea pig called Dr Marmalade is the one who created
these monsters and are determined to find him. But Granny Gumby, an
inventor knows how to mix an antidote so needs the boys to capture
and bring a live zitten to her. All seems quite straight forward but
in the hands of superb illustrator and writer, Blabey, the pun and
games come thick and fast as he navigates the boys through some
tricky scenarios. His use of comic techniques works well as the eye
is drawn across each page, taking in the humour of the illustrations
and textual wit. I love the drawings of the five heroes, their faces
alive with the possibility that they could be eaten by the zittens
while Mr Piranha's reticence at diving into sea water (I am a
freshwater fish!) is hilarious. But their enemy creates zombie dogs
and dolphins, so necessitating our heroes to look further afield for
a pristine environment, so with their eyes on the moon, the fifth in
the series will shortly be launched.
All good fun with delightfully funny drawings to attract the lower
primary readers these books will not be on the shelf for long.
Fran Knight
Dog Zombies rule for now by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates series bk. 11. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781743812563
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Liz Pichon's Tom Gates series is
extremely popular; the diary style format includes the creative
doodles, small cartoons, thought bubbles her fans love. The
easy-to-read text includes an array of appealing fonts and styles,
handwriting, bubble writing, emphasized words, block writing and
words made out of patterns. The placement of text and illustrations
along with the large line spacing is great for high interest-lower
reading age students.
Tom has agreed to help his best friend Mark who is moving house and
needs to find a pet-sitter for a few days. Of course, at school
Marcus Meldrew finds out and begins to tease Tom, will it be Mark's
pet snake? Tom begins to worry and doodle, his sister Delilah has
allergies and his parents do not actually know about the promise.
This is just another day in the life of Tom Gates. Marble the
hamster arrives with a long list of instructions and takes up
residence in Tom's room. Yes, he loves to run all night on his
hamster wheel!
Tom has big plans for his band Dog Zombies, to write more songs and
to make spectacular music. Unfortunately getting more sleep proves
difficult with Marble the hamster active all night and the constant
chiming of the cuckoo clock. Annoying Delilah proves to be an easy
task for Tom.
Nothing in Tom's life is dull or boring and he finds trouble
wherever he goes. Filled with family dramas, band rehearsals,
pet-sitting problems and the ups and downs of Tom's school life, Dog
Zombies Rule For Now is another amusing and entertaining
addition to the series. Liz Pichon also includes opportunities for
craft activities and suggestions for story writing.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Call by Peadar O'Guilin
David Fickling Books, 2016. ISBN 9781910989203
(Age: 16+) Centuries after humans drove the Sidhe (fairies) from
Ireland into the dark world of the Grey Land, society struggles to
survive as the supernatural creatures inflict a horrifying revenge.
Every child is suddenly seized without warning at some stage of
their adolescence. They are transported in a single moment to the
hideously terrifying world of the Sidhe where they are hunted and
most often captured and tortured to death for the amusement of their
tormentors.
All are returned to Ireland, however approximately nine out of ten
are killed and the survivors bear terrible wounds and disfigurements
from their ordeal. The corpses are mutilated and deformed by fairies
as an example to those who have not yet been 'called', as a warning
of the unspeakable pain and suffering which they will be subjected
to when caught.
Unable to escape their land, the dwindling Irish population faces
societal collapse and survival dominates every aspect of life. From
the age of ten, children attend special colleges where they are
subjected to gruelling physical exercise to develop strength and
stamina whilst engaging in high level self defence techniques. Their
entire education centres upon being as prepared as they possibly can
when they are called, finding themselves naked and alone in an alien
world where they will be sadistically hunted.
Having survived polio, central character Nessa has a walking
disability. She knows that surviving her call is made monumentally
difficult by being unable to flee as swiftly as most. Despite this,
she feels that she must survive and devotes her life to
accomplishing every aspect of her training as well as she can. If
the prospect of indescribable violence and pain in a nether world is
not enough, Nessa and her peers suffer vicious bullying from fellow
students who seek to dominate in a real world where normal teen
relationships and hormones remain. With students trained to survive
by killing before being killed, fights in the survival college can
maim and to be called when injured invites almost certain death.
Strong female characters exist in this story and they are shown to
be self-reliant and capable of defending themselves. Threats and
acts of violence perpetrated by male characters upon females makes
for uncomfortable reading however.
The linear progression of Nessa's experience is interspersed with
chapters describing what happens to other students from the school's
various year levels when they are called to the Grey Land.
The author describes this tale as grim which is a significant
understatement. Some scenes are nightmarish but what disturbed me
most was the degrading, unending pain and misery endured by humans
who were enslaved and grossly disfigured to provide service to
captors. Descriptions of clothing made from human parts was
sickening. Whilst many teenagers enjoy horror themes, aspects of
this novel could be described as extreme.
Suggested minimum 16 years.
Rob Welsh
Leave me by Gayle Forman
Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN 9781471156786
(Age: Adult) Themes: Identity; Family; Responsibility; Illness;
Stress; Adoption. Adult Novel. Every working woman who also bears
the burdens of family life will resonate with the emotional
struggles of the central character in this story for adult readers.
Maribeth is a 44-year-old juggling many things - stressful career in
an industry with unforgiving deadlines; two dearly loved twin
pre-schoolers and their busy schedules; finding time for intimacy
with a husband she loves; negotiating friendship changes and the
busyness of life in a big city. This juggling act falls apart
completely when she experiences a heart attack and a subsequent
bypass. Suddenly her world freefalls into unfamiliar territory and
her sense of self and her emotional needs cartwheel into places that
she is unprepared for and unwilling to address. So she leaves! With
no warning, and little thought for those around her, she transplants
her life into a different city, reconstructing herself little by
little as she explores her history and her reason for being. With no
identity, she manufactures something from nothing and connects to
people around her who slowly help her to rebuild her sense of self
and allow her to uncover the secrets that she has wound tightly
under her new façade. As an adopted child, the story also weaves her
search for her biological history into her search for identity and
emotional security.
Although there would be few people who would consider Maribeth's
abandonment of her family as a solution to their problems, the
mid-life emotional journey that she travels as a mature working
mother and career woman is certainly a 21st Century voyage into the
complications of stress, achievement, desire and responsibility. I
am past her stage of life, but I certainly felt and remembered some
of her angst as she attempted to keep everyone and everything afloat
around her, while feeling that she was drowning under the weight of
it all. Maribeth's reinvention of herself, was perhaps necessary as
she dealt with her own mortality, the physical consequences of Heart
surgery and the emotional trauma that created her selfish
introspection. Not happy reading, but well written; and she doesn't
drown, but there is hope as she learns to swim in a new and healthy
way.
Carolyn Hull
Amazing Abby : Drama Queen by Emma Moss
Girls can vlog bk 2. Macmillan Childrens' Books, 2016. ISBN
9781509817382
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Pink cover, glittery lettering and cute
polaroids didn't bode well. As expected, the stereotypical tween
love triangle between protagonist, hot boy and narcissistic school
bully; results in Abby being continually set-up and looking foolish.
In this sequel to Lucy Locket: Online Disaster (Girls
Can Vlog bk 1) Abby's good times vlogging outweighs the
hijinks of Dakota, who is the ultimate mean girl.
Abby shines in the company of her loyal group of friends who are
members of the youtube channel she founded: Girls Can Vlog, but is
she neglecting her school work? Readers will delight in the
different genres used to re-create the girls' youtube videos. Text
messages, scripts, viewer counts, photos and comment feeds enable us
to experience each fun-filled vlog on paper. It takes initial
adjustment, but we quickly adapt and are thoroughly engaged.
Despite a predictable plot, readers cannot help developing an
interest in creating vlogs collaboratively, and learning about the
techniques and content via the featured video scripts. To be fair,
there are also lessons to be learned. Author, Emma Moss, touches on:
school pressures, cheating, bullying and friendship. Girls can
Vlog's strength lies in its innovative style. Macmillan
produced cute youtube trailers
for this series, which will no doubt attract equally cute youtube
responses. Recommended for junior high girls.
Deborah Robins
The magic show book: a performance in a book by Gemma Westing
ed. by Fleur Star. Dorling Kindersley, 2016. ISBN 9780241251133
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Magic, Illusion, Paper craft, Pop up book.
This amazingly designed book will intrigue and delight any reader
who takes an interest in design or magic, illusion or paper crafts.
Opening the book is magical in itself as the pages are brilliantly
enticing with their panorama of colour and invention. A contents
page on the inside cover shows the range of things to read and do:
abracadabra, wand tricks, rope tricks, coin tricks and disappearing
acts to the less well known tricky chicken and the slicer trick.
Even this list of contents is enticing. The first page tells the
budding magician what he or she will need to do these tricks, and
then over the page is the first trick Abracadabra, with an inserted
black page on which to write. This is followed by several pages of
wand tricks, and then numerology and the slicer. Each page has full
instructions and the double thickness pages make a solid base on
which to play out these tricks with the audience.
The book will be a wonderful addition to a class of kids wanting to
play some magic tricks, and is one of several published by DK: Magic,
Optical Illusions, Mind Benders, Colour Illusions
and More Illusions. Each is designed to intrigue and delight,
enticing readers to try these out with friends and families.
Fran Knight
Footloose by Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford
Ill. by Tim Bowers. Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781633221185
(Age: 4-8) Recommended. Put on your dancing shoes, it is time to
introduce Kenny Loggin's Footloose to a new generation of
dancers. With a bonus CD and rewritten catchy lyrics, children can
join in the fun of an all night dancing party with Jack the
zookeeper and a great cast of animal characters.
As you begin the lively story, tall giraffes and curious monkeys
stare at you, waiting for the zoo to close. Jack the zookeeper
checks the time, waiting for the visitors to leave the zoo, tonight
is the full moon and something extra special is planned. There is an
air of anticipation, at nightfall, the chimpanzees slip on their
dancing shoes ready to rock and roll. They are dressed in tie-dyed
t-shirts, fringed vests, starry shoes and colourful headbands.
Wolves in tuxedos howl as they dance with their bright canes and Mr.
DJ Elephant plays all the hip-hopping music for the rhinos, llamas,
giraffes and kangaroos. Milo the choreographer teaches them all to
tango and the zoo is a fun and happening place, even Jack is
enjoying the music. As dawn approaches all the animals are
footloose.
Kenny Loggins originally wrote the Footloose lyrics in the
early eighties and has now reworked them into an energizing song for
today's young dancers. This bold bright picture book filled with an
abundance of dancing animals brings the lyrics to life. Tim Bowers
uses vibrant colours, brush-stroked backgrounds to display the fluid
and funky dance styles showcased by an array of zoo animals in high
spirits.
The CD includes a second song The Monkey Town Medley with
elements from Animal Faire, Jungle Town and Aba
Daba Honeymoon, another fun dance-along tune. Footloose is
perfect for families, childcare centres, preschools and Junior
Primary classes to encourage movement and dance.
Rhyllis Bignell
Outback Lullaby by Sally Odgers
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760276485
(Age: 0-4) Recommended. Sally Odgers and Lisa Stewart's Outback
Lullaby is a beautiful, gentle rhyming bedtime tale just right
for babies and toddlers. This is the third story that follows the
successful Rainforest Lullaby and Bushland Lullaby. As the sunset spreads it glow
Little brolga's dancing slow.
The outback hums with twilight sounds
Numbat dreams of termite mounds.
The sun is setting in the Outback and all the babies are ready to
fall asleep, tucked up beside their mothers. The Spotted quolls
snuggle up in their den, while the frilled-neck lizards sleep up in
the mulga trees and the baby joeys hop back into the safety of their
mothers' pouches.
Sally Odgers' soothing words are carefully crafted, perfect for
quietening down a little one before bedtime. These rhymes are
perfectly matched to Lisa Stewart's engaging animals that are
expressively painted and drawn with their soft edges blending into
the earthy pastel backgrounds.
Rhyllis Bignell
All I want for Christmas is rain by Cori Brooke
Ill. by Megan Forward. New Frontier, 2016. ISBN 9781925059717
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Christmas. Drought. Generosity.
Giving. What a stunning picture book this is. The verse story tells
the tale of a young girl Jane who looks out at the drought stricken
farm that her family is trying to make a living from, and decides
that there is only one thing that she wants for Christmas - and that
is rain. She comes up with a plan to ask the man with a beard for
rain for Christmas when she goes into town.
Children will be very familiar with a countryside stricken by
drought, whether they live in the city or in the bush, and Megan
Forward's evocative brown water colour washes bring to life the
awful nature of drought. Everything is dusty and the animals are
bony and desperate looking. There is no water in the dams and stock
has to be hand fed. By following the pictures, children will get a
clear picture of what it is like to live on a farm during a drought,
and will learn about the heart-breaking jobs that face a farmer. But
Jane is a resilient and hopeful child and asks Santa for the gift
that her family needs the most - rain. The joy on the faces of
everyone when her wish comes through is wonderful to see.
The rhyming story will be great for adults to read aloud to
children, and an astute teacher will be able to bring about much
discussion about presents and what gift giving really means at
Christmas time, and the generous and meaningful wish that Jane
makes. If a study of drought is being made in the classroom this
would be a boon in presenting what it is like to live on a
drought-stricken farm.
This is a truly uplifting Australian picture book about Christmas
and I highly recommend it for libraries and classrooms as well as
for families at home.
Pat Pledger
A Toy Christmas compiled and edited by Sophie Masson
Christmas Press, 2016. ISBN 9780994234063
(Age: 6+) Recommended. In her introduction Sophie Masson talks about
the magic of toys at Christmas and this collection of stories
certainly reflects that theme. Written by some well-known and not so
well-known authors, (Natalie Jane Prior, Meredith Costain, Michael
Grey, Fiona McDonald, Juliet Marillier, Anna Bell, Ian Irvine, Kathy
Creamer, George Ivanoff, Goldie Alexander, David Allan, Rebecca
Fung, and Beattie Alvarez) whose short biographies are given at the
back of the book, this is a collection that begs to be dipped into
for the variety of stories that can be found within its cover. Each
story is illustrated in bright colours, adding to the appeal of the
book.
As a fan of fantasy, I immediately used the Table of Contents to
read the story, A real present, by Juliet Marillier, one of
favourite authors. Jenny is a little girl who wants a present for
the Thing under her bed, her best friend and comes up with a
creative plan for a present. The story is redolent with the joy of
imagination and the meaning of giving presents. Another by George
Ivanoff caught my eye, and I was delighted to read Pudding Prize,
extolling the old Christmas custom of putting a surprise in the
Christmas pudding. In this Anna finds a tiny matryoshka, a Russian
doll which symbolises fun and laughter and learns about the
beautiful nesting dolls from Russia. Avi and the Chanukah
surprise by Goldie Alexander will remind readers that many
cultures do not celebrate Christmas, but have their own way of
celebrating their customs. One that brought a tear to my eye was An
unexpected gift by Michael Grey, where a little boy is given a
toy that reminds him of his absent mother.
This is a collection that is well worth having in the library as it
collects an engrossing range of Christmas stories, each quite
different, but all quality, around the theme of toys. Readers and
children who listen to the stories will be reminded that Christmas
is not only a time of fun, but one of giving, of caring for the
lonely and bereft and celebrating different customs.
Pat Pledger
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by John Rox and Simon Williams
CD sung Miranda Tapsell. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN. ISBN 9781760279356
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. The song was originally released in 1953 by
10 year-old Gayla Peevey. This was an instant hit and has remained
so ever since with a number of artists illustrating different
versions. I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do . . .
In this version by Simon Williams, it is a cute little kitten who
wants the hippopotamus for Christmas and the contrast between the
tiny cat and the huge hippopotamus makes for much of the humour in
the book. Children will delight in working out ways that Santa could
get the hippopotamus inside the house, let alone to be gift-wrapped
and put under the Christmas tree and will giggle out loud at the
thought of massaging it in its quarters in the garage. The
illustrations are delightful, with the little cat wearing Santa hat
and red collar with a bell, and always having the most gleeful
expressions. The drawings of the Hippo Hero with a cape scattered
with Christmas trees are also wonderfully humorous and the capers
that the hippo gets up will ensure that children are kept engrossed
in the tale.
The book could easily be read aloud as a stand-alone, as the rhyme
and rhythm are outstanding and are what have made it so popular
throughout the years. However children will enjoy listening to the
bonus CD sung by Miranda Tapsell and will happily learn the tune and
words and will be able to sing along with the book.
This is another Christmas selection that would make an entertaining
and amusing addition to a home, classroom or library.
Pat Pledger
A very Cheeky Monkey Christmas by Lisa Kerr
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760404086
(Age: 2-5) Recommended. Board book. Christmas. Cheeky Monkey is
determined to be good so that Santa will give him his presents. But
Cheeky Monkey has some problems when he tries to be helpful. He gets
tangled up in the Christmas lights when he is stringing them up; he
leads the Christmas band astray, destroys the gingerbread house,
grabs the largest stocking and has other misadventures until finally
it is time to go to bed.
This is a welcome addition to the Cheeky Monkey series that children
will love. It is a sturdy board book, with a cut out Christmas star
embellished with silver glitter. Cheeky Monkey has sparkly red
antlers that also give out the feeling of Christmas. Each page has a
short narrative and the reader must then look at the accompanying
humorous illustrations to find out just what Cheeky Monkey has
managed to do. The text flows along beautifully and will be lots of
fun to read aloud, and the illustrations are not only very funny but
contain lots of small details that children will love to find,
especially the tiny mice hiding in different places. The book is
worth a second visit to find all the funny things that may have been
missed in the first reading. This also could provide a springboard
for children to discuss Christmas rituals like putting up lights
outside, baking Christmas goodies, singing carols and so on.
A truly delightful book, the irrepressible Cheeky Monkey never fails
to delight the reader.
Pat Pledger
Sleigh ride by L. Anderson and M. Parish
Ill. by Matt Shanks. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760276928
(Age: 3+) Recommended. CD of music included. The iconic song Sleigh
ride, music composed by Leroy Anderson and lyrics by Mitchell
Parris, is given an Australian look by the Illustrator Matt Shanks.
People who listen to the CD included will immediately recognise the
tune and will want to sing along with it. The song by Human Nature
and featuring Jessica Mauboy is catchy and will have toes tapping
and children wanting to learn the words.
Matt Shanks has illustrated an Aussie version with the sleigh
turning into a trailer carrying Australian animals and birds, all
having a lovely time in the sunshine under an umbrella. The familiar
Ring-a-ling-a-ling-ah-ding-dong-ding is featured with two
little koalas in bathing costumes just about to buy an ice-cream
from the ice-cream van that its bell ringing. The reader then finds
out that the ice-cream van is what is pulling the trailer (sleigh)
and that there is a lot of fun to be had with an Aussie Christmas.
The humorous pictures are a delight and will have the reader
chuckling along with the misadventures of the cute little Australian
animals and there will be a lot of thought and discussion about the
differences between the cold world that the song conjures up and the
hot world that the illustrator brings to life.
This is a book that will bring a smile to the faces of its readers
and the music from the CD will be a great addition to have for
Christmas festivities.
Pat Pledger
The night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Ill. by Helene Magisson. New Frontier, 2016. ISBN 9781925059700
(Age: 3+) Christmas. Classic story. Clement Clarke Moore's classic
poem Twas the night before Christmas has not lost any of its
charm. Written in 1822, the beautiful rhyming story will still
appeal to people of all ages as St Nicholas arrives with his eight
tiny reindeer to deliver presents. The well-known refrain below will
have children chanting along and the story rhymes so beautifully
that it will remain in the minds of all who listen to it. Many are
sure to want it read again and again and it will become a Christmas
favourite: Now dasher! Now dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
O, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the Wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!
Helene Magisson's soft illustrations will appeal to young children,
who will enjoy the Christmas colours and the little cat that appears
on many of the pages. The illustrations of the toy mouse that St
Nicholas brings for the cat will bring a smile to the face of
readers who spend time perusing the drawings.
There will also an opportunity for readers to discuss an old
fashioned Christmas with stockings hung on the mantelpiece, the
differences between Christmas in a hot climate and one where it
snows, and also the joy of giving.
Pat Pledger
