Flying Eye Books, 2016. ISBN 9781909263918
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Sharks. Non fiction. A finely detailed
and fascinating look at sharks around the world is offered in this
enthralling hard cover book. Like the diver on the front cover we
are invited to dive down and look at what lurks in the waters
beneath. And no one will be disappointed. I can imagine readers,
particularly boys, poring over the information, the detailed
illustrations and comparisons to educate and then trick each other
with their vastly enhanced knowledge.
Sharks are fish and there are over five hundred different species of
shark. And many of these are detailed on the pages before us. Each
double page with its punning title, offers a different field of
information, along with a host of interesting diagrams. One that
fascinated me is entitled, 'Congratulations, it's a shark',
concerning the offspring of these creatures. The shark has three
methods of birth, I read, one is live birth, the second is eggs and
the third is eggs inside the mother which hatch, the baby shark
eating the rest of the yolk and sometimes its siblings to survive.
Wow! readers, like me, will be entranced. Another page, entiscale,
shows the various sharks drawn in relation to each other. The whale
shark stretches across the whole page, while others are so small
only their name gives their position away. And another, 'A bite
to eat', of course shows us the teeth sharks are known for.
Their rows of teeth can be replaced and one shark may get through
thirty thousand teeth in its lifetime. Each page has a host of
information and facts, and will keep the readers entertained for a
long time. The illustrations beg to be perused with close attention
and will not disappoint the most urbane of readers.
The book is rounded off with an index which points readers to pages
with specific sharks, using both their common and scientific names.
I loved this so much that I will now seek out Davey's other book, Mad
about monkeys.
Fran Knight
Promising Azra by Helen Thurloe
Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760113278
(Age: Middle - Senior Secondary) Recommended. Forced child
marriages. Cultural awareness. Chemistry. Pakistani culture in
Australia. Azra is a happy, bright student who excels at Chemistry
and is studying for her HSC exams. She and her family live in
Sydney, arriving about four years earlier from Pakistan, sponsored
by her uncle and aunt who also employ her mother and control many
aspects of the family's lives. The family adhere to strict religious
and cultural practices that take priority over all else. Azra is
expected to look after Soraya, her 5 year old sister, and to cook
for the family when she gets home from school. Her older brother
Rashid has few restrictions, he has lost his license, often doesn't
come home at night and does nothing to help around the house. When
Azra has the opportunity to take part in a national chemistry
competition she is not allowed to attend, partly because of a
cultural event but also due to concerns about her associating with
boys. It becomes increasingly apparent that the family intends soon
to arrange her marriage to an older relative of the family back in
Pakistan. This is not uncommon in Azra's cultural group and girls
she knows respond differently, from excitedly planning every aspect
of the wedding to running away to a state refuge to avoid it,
abandoning family and community. By clever negotiation and
determination Azra manages to attend the science competition and
becomes even more certain that she wants to complete her education
before marriage. Her story becomes gripping as we learn the
consequences of her decisions and where she finds support.
The author researched the issue of forced marriage in Australia and
her intention with this book 'was to give a voice to girls who can't
perceive, or properly articulate, the options they might have around
choosing a life partner.' (Author's note.) The story does this in a
sensitive and engaging way including snippets of interesting
chemistry, including the chapter headings which use chemical terms
to mirror the action. Recommended reading for middle to senior
school girls and teachers looking for insight into the issues.
Recommended for more information in Australia is My blue sky website.
Sue Speck
Lift and look school ill. by Simon Abbott
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408864012
(Age: Preschool) Highly recommended. Do you have little ones eagerly
anticipating starting school? If so, this is a perfect gift
especially as it has 'lift the flaps' which we all know are always
such a delight!
Very simple text, a sweet board book format and gorgeously vibrant
and extremely cute illustrations, this will surely be a winner with
any little people from around 3 to 5 years.
Find out what the children are playing, how they get to school,
where they go on a school trip and what they do in their classroom.
Others in this series include: Dinosaurs, Space and
Garden.
This will be perfect for our early childhood centre as our little
people countdown till starting Prep in 2017!
Highly recommended for small humans - pop it into a Santa sack for
your favourite teeny!!
Sue Warren
Wormwood Mire: A Stella Montgomery Intrigue by Judith Rossell
ABC Books, 2016. ISBN 9780733333019
Warning: This review will be chockers with fulsome praise and
expressions of delight.
From the point I took this book from its package two days ago I was
in love with it.
We know that you can indeed judge a book by its cover often and
looking at the beautiful artwork of this novel and stroking its
textured surface was like holding a plush box of chocolates and
greedily anticipating the contents.
And I was not disappointed. A gorgeously bound book with wonderful
creamy pages, full page illustrations, embellishments and font all
in a forest green this just oozes style and superiority.
After Stella's first adventure (Withering-by-Sea)
the nasty Aunts are icily furious and ponder what to do with such an
unsuitable child. They grasp the opportunity to send her to the old
family home where their cousin is going to have his two (also
motherless) children taught by a governess (hah! Expense-free
solution) and so Stella is packed off to Wormwood Mire, a decaying
mansion set in huge overgrown grounds. Her initial trepidation is
relieved when she meets Strideforth and Hortense, her two cousins,
both of whom are quirky in their own ways. She is further reassured
by Miss Araminter the governess who is at the very least eccentric
but extremely kind and sensitive.
Before she departed the gloomy house of Aunts Stella had
discovered an old photograph which she has identified as being of
her mother at Wormwood Mire with two babies in an old-fashioned pram
- two babies? Did she once have a sister or twin? She is determined
to solve the mystery of this while she is in the crumbling family
ruin. But Wormwood Mire holds many secrets. The children's ancestor
Wilberforce Montgomery who built the house was a traveller and
collector of the curious and bizarre; objects, plants and animals.
And there is something all the villagers are terrified by but won't
talk about. What is it and will the children be able to discover the
menace - and survive it?
What a sensational read this is! The narrative flows perfectly from
eddy to whirlpool to backwater and the reader is carried along
effortlessly. For me it would have been a one sitting read had I not
had to get up early the next morning. As it was I had to save the
last few chapters but quickly polished them off, savouring every
word. Stella is indomitable - a Mighty Girl in every sense - she has
courage and intelligence and empathy. There is also the mysterious
power she possesses. She is a perfect foil for Strideforth, the
essential scientific mind (at times with less than perfect success)
and strange wild little Hortense, who is more often than not like
the little creatures she adopts. I cannot recommend this highly
enough - of course, those who loved Judith's Withering-by-Sea
will be eager to get their hands on it - but for those who have not
yet been introduced to Stella and her hidden otherworldly talent, it
will also be a joy to read.
Sue Warren
Welcome to country by Aunty Joy Murphy
Ill. by Lisa Kennedy. Black Dog Books, 2106. ISBN 9781922244871
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. The Australian
Curriculum 'highlights the special connection to Country/Place
by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and celebrates the
unique belief systems that connect people physically and spiritually
to Country/Place.' Welcome to Country written by Aunty Joy Murphy a senior
Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin alliance and illustrated by Indigenous
artist Lisa Kennedy gives insight and understanding into the meaning
of connectivity to the place and land. This ceremonial greeting is
spoken at the opening of ceremonies, events, school functions and
gives permission for visitors to enter traditional lands. As the
wedge tail eagle rises from the campfires and soars into the night
sky the Wurundjeri greeting is spoken. The dark earthy tones bring
the landscape to life, tree-lined meandering rivers, the ancestors'
spirits presence and families wrapped in possum skin coats. Each
double page spread explains the history, customs and symbols, the
Wurun the River White Gum and the Djeri grub and Bunjil the spirit
eagle who created all things natural. Aunty Joy Murphy explains the
importance of only taking from the land what you can give back and
asks for respect of the spirit ancestors.
The concluding welcome pages are most wonderfully painted. The city
of Melbourne rises in the background as the Wurundjeri People
dressed in traditional and modern day clothes stand by the banks of
the Yarra. Fish swim in the flowing blue waters and bright spring
flowers line the foreground. There is a layered look to Kennedy's
artwork, with her depth of colours and fluid lines she brings the
modern and ancient times to life. Welcome To Country is an important narrative for teachers in
schools and kindergartens and for families to share. Teachers'
notes are available.
Rhyllis Bignell
The secrets we keep by Nova Weetman
UQP, 2016. ISBN 9780702254215
(Age: 11+) Recommended. This is a sad, but sweet, poignant journey
into loss and heartache. Clem has lost everything and her life has
spun into the world of 'Nothing will ever be the same again'; her
family and her 'normal' have been torn apart. She has watched her
home burn to the ground, and has only her considerate and gracious
father to lean on in the aftermath and in her grief. A change of
home and school while they wait to see if the insurance company will
pay out their claim leaves Clem with the inner turmoil of extreme
change and the loss of all that she has known. A secret shared at
her new school creates opportunities for friendship, but with it
comes immediate regret at opening up the wounds of her life. And
then everything starts to become more and more painful. Running fast
is all that gives her escape, but even this is marred by the secret
that she has shared. Pain and torment swirl around her as she tries
to fit into the changed world of life after the fire.
This is gently written, and allows difficult issues to be discussed
and friendship to be explored in a way that young readers can
connect with. But there are sad moments amidst the narrative, and
although Clem has support in her grief, she must also be personally
responsible for her passage through this journey. Readers will
appreciate this as a story of self-discovery and not a handbook for
dealing with grief issues. Although the text of this book could
easily by managed by a young capable reader, the content is best
left to an upper Primary reader. The content could be quite
distressing, but Weetman manages to offer some light moments and
glimmers of hope.
Carolyn Hull
Oi dog! by Kes and Clare Gray and Jim Field
Hodder, 2016. ISBN 9781444919585
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Dogs, Verse, Word play. After the successful
Oi frog!, this trio has written another picture book
concerning a dog sitting on a frog. Frog is not too pleased so
offers alternatives to the dog sitting on a frog. He thinks the dog
should be sitting on a log, and wants change to occur. Dog is a
little perplexed and so asks what bears will sit on. Bears sit on
stairs is the response, and children will laugh out loud as they
predict what that word might be. Each time a new animals is spoken
of, readers will respond quickly with a rhyming word, adding to the
fun of the story. Crickets, moths, slugs, leopards, cheetahs and
pigs, boars, gnus, whales, kittens, dragons and puppies are amongst
the array of animals presented for the readers' amusement, and
combined with the natty illustrations, splashing colour and vibrancy
across the pages, the whole is a snortingly good tale to keep
children amused and engaged.
The huge list of animals and what they will sit upon is repeated at
the end of the book, with the dog then asking the one questions
still to be asked, where will frog sit? This is a funny interactive
book designed to keep readers' interest to the last page, following
on from their successful Oi Frog! (2015)
Fran Knight
The Crown's game by Evelyn Skye
Balzer and Bray, 2016. ISBN 9780062560605
Highly recommended. Similar in nature to Erin Morginstien's The
Night Circus, The Crown's Game follows a competition
between two enchanters in which only one may survive. I would highly
recommend to anyone interested in fantasy or historic fiction.
Vika has been raised to become the Imperial Enchanter, her entire
life has been devoted to that goal. But little does she know there
is another enchanter who has also been raised not only to become the
Imperial Enchanter, but to win the Crown's Game. The borders are
under threat and there is a whisper about a rebellion, Yuliana, the
Tsar's daughter, convinces the Tsar that the time is ripe for a new
Imperial Enchanter and entreats him to start the Crown's Game to
protect her brother, the Tsaravitch. Pasha, the Tsaravitch, is soft
and unlike his father the Tsar. He defies the royal pomp and as a
result his best friend is an orphan, Nikolai. But Nikolai is more
than just an orphan - he has been brought up an enchanter, and
thrust unwillingly into a game where he must kill or be killed.
Things only grow more intense as a love triangle emerges between
Vika and the two boys and they are all forced to think on who must
die. There is no way out of this game.
Set in imperial Russia during the years 1801-1825, the story focuses
on Alexander I and his Tsarina Elizabeth's two fictional children
Pasha and Yuliana. By adding layers of mysticism, Skye produces a
wonderfully rich fantasy filled with magic, drama, and Russian
curses.
Kayla Gaskell (University student)
The good people by Hannah Kent
Picador, 2016. ISBN 9781743534908
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended.
This is the second book from Hannah Kent, whose award winning first
novel 'Burial rites' received great acclaim. That novel, based on a
true story, was set in the cold bleak environment of northern
Iceland in 1829 and told the story of Agnes Magnusdottir condemned
to death for murder. This latest book 'The good people' is about
another 'dark happening in a cold place' and is set in 1825 in
south-west Ireland at a time of poverty and hunger and fearful
superstition. Kent immerses us completely in the hard frugal lives
of the people trying to eke out a living with potatoes and the milk
from the cows when available, living in windowless cabins under
thatch rooves with dirt floors and soot stained walls from the
hearth fire.
We are drawn into the lives of three women gathered around a strange
child - they are Nora, the distraught widow left to struggle on her own with
the care of her grandchild; Mary, the young girl who has left a home
with too many mouths to feed, taking on chores with Nora for the
sake of food and shelter; and Nance, the mysterious old woman at the
edge of the village, she who consorts with the 'good people', the
fairies who wreck havoc with people's lives.
Nance knows the special herbs and cures. People furtively seek out
her help with their troubles, careful to avoid the anger of the
disapproving local priest. But when one misfortune follows another,
and there are signs that the fairies have been about, fear and
distrust leads to rumours about her. Is there an evil spirit amongst
them, is it the child, or is it Nance, or are all three women
involved in something bad?
The world of Nora, Mary and Nance and the surrounding villagers is
very real. Kent has thoroughly researched every detail, and she
brings it all alive - the austere lives, the dirt, the smells, the
struggles and fears, the bitterness and spite, even the language of
the time. The book held me to the very end - it is an intriguing
story that leaves us, like the villagers, with still a few questions
lingering in the mind.
Helen Eddy
Sunset shadows by Bronwyn Parry
Goodabri bk. 3. Hachette Australia, 2016. ISBN 9780733633317
(Age: 15+) Recommended for fans of romantic suspense. This is the
third book in the Goodabri series, following Dead heat
and Storm
clouds, but could be read as a stand-alone although as
with all series, some background is given in the previous books.
Steve Fraser and Tess Ballard, both police officers, save the lives
of 50 cult members but put their careers on the line when it appears
that one of them may have killed the cult leader. One of the cult
members is Steve's sister who has two children, and he finds himself
having to deal with long buried family issues while trying to
protect them. Tess, too, is hiding secrets from her past and has to
confront the feelings and the danger that she is facing because of
the cult.
Readers will enjoy the vivid descriptions of the Australian bush and
the small country towns of northern New South Wales, as Parry brings
to life what it is like to live in outback Australia. Her
descriptions of cult life and the effect that it has on its members,
even when they have managed to escape the confines of that system,
are quite harrowing and bring a depth to the story that elevates it
above the average romantic suspense story. There is much tension and
excitement as the pair trail the cult leaders and drug dealers
through the bush.
Readers who have read the first two in the series will be happy to
follow the story of Steve Fraser and the unexpected conclusion to
his troubles, and Tess is a gritty heroine, whose determination to
overcome her past is engaging.
Bronwyn Parry has won awards for her romantic suspense stories and Sunset
shadows will not disappoint her fans.
Pat Pledger
Geis: A matter of life and death by Alexis Deacon
Walker Books Australia, 2016. ISBN 9781910620038
(Age: Upper primary + ) Highly recommended. Geis: (genitive singular geise,
nominative plural geasa)
1. a solemn
injunction , especially of a magical kind, the infringement of
which led to misfortune or even death
2. a tabu , spell or prohibition
This is going to tick a lot of boxes for quite a number of your
readers. Firstly, it is yet another sumptuous graphic novel I have
had the pleasure of receiving recently. Secondly, it is supernatural
AND historical AND fantasy. Finally, it is the first in a trilogy so
readers who love the continuation of a saga will really go for it.
The matriarch chief/ruler of an island lies dying and has no natural
heir. She summons her strongest magic ever. One of you I will spare. For the rest I claim you all! Your
hearts will beat to feed my magic, your bodies will be shells for
my puppets and my slaves, your minds will be shattered and broken.
Fifty souls are called in the night for a contest that will
determine the one worthy of taking her place. This is a trial like
no other and begins the first task.
This is another first novel and I predict the start of an amazing
career for Alexis who graduated in 2001 from the University of
Brighton with a first class Honours in Illustration.
Definitely a name to watch - this is highly recommended for readers
from Upper Primary onwards.
Sue Warren
The little zebra who learnt his colours by Jedda Robaard
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760402860
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Early learning. Colours. Flowers. Lift the
flap book. A large board book to teach younger readers their colours
with humour is presented in this new release from Five Mile Press.
Zebra loves to paint, so adorned with his painting easel, smock in
the form of a perky scarf and paints, he sets out to paint his
garden. He paints red poppies, blue forget-me-nots, yellow
buttercups, pink tulips, and finds a strange green vine to climb.
Then he paints some white water lilies, purple lavender and orange
marigolds until his final painting is a mass of colour, delighting
all who survey it.
Each page is illustrated in soft water colours showing Zebra at his
task, repeating the colour to be learnt and the flowers that reflect
this colour.
Zebra's painting skills invite the young reader to look more closely
at what is being shown, and they will soon identify the colours and
flowers on each page, lifting the flaps on some of the pages to see
what is underneath.
This makes an easily understood introduction for younger readers to
learn their colours.
Fran Knight
The ABC book of food by Helen Martin and Judith Simpson
Ill. by Cheryl Orsini. ABC Books, 2016. ISBN 9780733334269
Just as cars and trains and boats and planes need fuel to keep them
going, so do our bodies. But while vehicles need only one sort of
fuel, our bodies operate best on a variety of foods from a variety
of sources so that all its myriad parts can operate with maximum
efficiency. Many young children, particularly those who live in the
cities, go to the supermarket with their parents and carers and see
their food being bought but they don't often realise how it has got
to be on the shelves in the first place.
This story-in-rhyme helps to explain the process and the journey
from paddock to plate of some of the more common foods the children
eat. Starting with breakfast where eggs and milk are tracked,
different staples for each meal are investigated in a series of
clear vignettes that helps the very young child understand the
connection between what they eat and where it comes from.
Using familiar scenes such as the breakfast table, a picnic and a
family dinner there are many foods on display and while only a
couple are featured in the explanations, there is plenty of scope to
consider where others might come from. If the bananas start on
plants, what other foods in the pictures might come from plants?
Would they have a similar journey? What about the cupcakes or the
sausages?
There is also a page devoted to the common foods that some people
cannot eat which makes food intolerances more 'mainstream' and
perhaps better understood.
This book is an opportunity to start children thinking about
what they eat, what the best choices might be, sorting them into
food groups, identifying and graphing not only their favourites but
also mapping what they eat each day and maybe changing the
proportions if their pie graph is a bit skewed. It might even be the
beginning of the child's desire to produce their own food either in
a home or school garden as well as introducing plant life cycles and the
notion of seasonal produce. Even sharing recipes and following
instructions to make them could be a popular activity - all adding
to their understanding and interpretation of information.
This is the latest in this series of excellent titles which helps
our very young children begin to understand the world around them as
well as helping them understand the differences between fiction and
non fiction.
Barbara Braxton
A dog called Bear by Diane and Christyan Fox
Faber, 2016. ISBN 9780571329434
Lucy has always wanted a dog and has read all the books about them
and saved her pocket money to buy all the stuff that a dog needs.
And so she begins her search... not at a pet shop but in her
neighbourhood. First she encounters a frog who pleads his case but
he does not meet Lucy's requirements. Neither does the fox. But Bear
seems to and because it's late and she's tired, she decides he will
be fine.
It's an unlikely partnership but it works until Bear did what bears
do in winter - hibernate. Lucy was not pleased. She not only wanted
a full-time dog but also one that lived up to her expectations, not
one that was messy, dug a lot and and ate so much porridge. Bear
wasn't happy either - carrying sticks, repeatedly fetching a ball
and being woken up were not his ideals. And so he runs away...
This is a charming story about what it means to have a pet and what
our expectations of them are. It would be ideal for starting a
discussion with very young children about the sorts of creatures
that make a suitable pet and what is required to take care of them -
it's more than lots of cuddles and snuggles.
One for the little ones in our lives.
Barbara Braxton
Den of wolves by Juliet Marillier
A Blackthorn and Grim novel. Macmillan, 2016. ISBN
9781743535738
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Another stunning read from
Juliet Marillier is sure to delight fans and new readers alike.
Blackthorn has been asked to help Lady Flidais look after a young
woman, Cara, who has been sent to her by her father. Meanwhile Grim
has been given the task of working with Bardan, a wild strange man,
to rebuild a heartwood house deep in the forest belonging to Cara's
father. Both soon realise that all is not well. Blackthorn's past
begins to catch up with her when her old enemy Mathuin attacks the
holdings of Lady Flidais' parents and it is difficult for her to
remember that she has taken a vow to seek no vengeance. Grim is
troubled by the way that Bardan is treated and suspects that there
are many secrets being kept at Wolf Glen. Grim and Blackthorn both
have to make a heart wrenching choice: to stand together or to fight
their battles alone. And what they decide could really influence the
fate and happiness of the young woman, Cara.
Told in alternating chapters by Blackthorn and Grim, each story
builds up suspense as a sense of doom spreads. For Grim, there is
mystery surrounding Bardan's background and where he has been hidden
for many years. It is strange that Cara is sent away so soon after
his arrival at Wolf Glen, and the reader is left wondering about the
significance of the heartwood house, which is made of different
woods in a certain order. Blackthorn finds that she misses Grim's
patience and solid support when he is away, but knows that both have
responsibilities that must be fulfilled. The reader hopes that
Blackthorn can keep her bond but it is obviously so very difficult
for her to do that as she wrestles with stopping the evil Mathuin or
helping Cara and Grim.
With her trade mark mix of fairy tale and historical fantasy,
Marillier brings to a very satisfying conclusion the dilemmas that
both Blackthorn and Grim face. Their complex relationship also
grows in a rewarding and fulfilling way and the reader is left
feeling content with the series, but hopeful that they will solve
more mysteries together in the future.
This was an outstanding story and I hope that there will be more
Blackthorn and Grim adventures in further books.
Pat Pledger
