Ill. by Leila Rudge. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781743629321
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Dogs, Pets, Counting, Word play. One
dog wakes his owner to go for a walk. As he dresses and has
breakfast, a tea cosy in the shape of a poodle can be seen on the
table. He asks his dog who they will see in the park today, perhaps
'one itsy-bitsy poodle?'
Readers will love the rhythm of the phrase and love practicing it
when they reread the book, while searching for the poodle on the
page. Turning the page the question is asked again, 'two lovey-dovey
bolonoodles?' but with a number two this time and a different set of
dogs. On the page somewhere they will find the bolonoodles. One the
next page, 'three fuddy-duddy Irish Troodles?' and three somewhere
on the page, and so on until the last page when they all come
together in the park. A wonderful read a loud, an amazing prediction
text and a marvelous way with words will greet all readers. The play
on words begins with all the names for the designer dogs based
around poodle, so adults and children alike will have a lot of fun
working out the mixture of dog breeds and working some out for
themselves to add to the story.
The coloured pencil and wash illustrations are most attractive,
giving lots of detail for the eyes to peruse and take in. There are
many funny moments on the pages offering incidents which dog owners
will recognise immediately all culminating with a double page full
of dogs to drool over.
Fran Knight
Let's play by Herve Tullet
Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760292980
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Following instructions, Wordplay, Humour. A
companion to Press here and Mix it up, this board
book offers great fun to both reader and listener, as little fingers
follow the instructions on each page.
The single line and yellow ball draws people's eyes across the page
and the simple question,'do you want to play?' invites the reader to
turn the page to see what will happen. Over the next few pages the
reader is invited to press the page and again follow the ball on the
line. The line becomes wavy with the ball jostled about, it does
loop the loops, and increases in number, and then colour, each time
with an instruction, but soon things become more complicated and the
ball goes into a black cave, then we see a double page of colour
wash, then colours and squiggles again.
The reader is lead through a whole range of words describing what is
happening: so they might use press, or middle, top or bottom, there
might be words to describe the path they re traveling, or green and
red traffic lights to obey.
All of it is highly amusing, involving the reader in play with each
page as it is turned, regaling them with things to do, instructions
and things to see. Children will laugh out loud as they move through
the book, each page evoking a response. Children will participate in
the actions asked by the book and be a willing player either by
themselves, with a parent or group.
The simple line drawings will encourage children to try things out
for themselves and some may use the idea to invent their own 'Let's
play' images.
Fran Knight
The one in a million boy by Monica Wood
Headline, 2016. ISBN 9781472228369
An amusing and warm friendship develops between an eleven year old
boy scout and Miss Vitkus, a one hundred and four year old lady,
when he volunteers for yard work to earn a badge for service. The
lad's obsession with Guinness World records, his quirky outlook and
impeccable manners appeal to the woman who has no time for the
shallow time wasting of other well - wishers in her mature years.
The voice of the boy is never heard despite his interviews with the
woman about her long life experience which are recorded in chapters
for a school project. Clever authorship reveals the disarmingly
honest questions he asks by the style of the responses which the old
lady voices with equal honesty and candour.
For reasons revealed early in the book, Quinn, the lad's father
presents himself to Miss Vitkus to continue the yard work and odd
jobs on the boy's behalf until the end of the agreed period. The
boy's parents have been married and separated and Quinn has spent so
much time away from his family whilst touring in music bands that he
has become estranged from his son.
Guinness World records are important and recurring in the narrative.
By their nature they are superlative, yet the categories include the
mundane, the pointless and the ridiculous. One old lady's relatively
unremarkable life is shown to have had highs and lows of joy and
suffering (leading to hard earned wisdom) which are as meaningful to
her as that experienced by the most famous or accomplished
individual. Miss Vitkus' trust and friendship must be earned and
Quinn works hard in many senses to build a relationship with her,
partly to establish an emotional connection with his son who is only
ever referred to in the text as 'the boy'.
Regret, particularly due to inaction rather than mistakes presents
often in this story and characters in various situations are
revealed to agonise over whether failures may be amended and
disasters salvaged. Everyday decent people are the characters
playing out their lives in this book and I liked that the author
refrained from including unrealistic or uncommon elements which
would have detracted from readily identifiable normal life.
Whilst I did not find the tale particularly moving or captivating, I
suspect that it may be deeply meaningful to many.
Rob Welsh
Happily ever after: The ugly duckling ill. by Annie White
Happily Ever After series. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN
9781925059526
(Ages: 3-6) Classic fairy tale, belonging, differences. This is a
simple version of the classic tale about a mother duck who is
disappointed when one of her ducklings is not as pretty as the
others are. The duckling doesn't feel that he belongs anywhere, and
his new family certainly don't want him. But when he finds a family
of swans he realises he has found where he is supposed to be. The
book uses simple, almost old-fashioned illustrations that show the
stages of the duckling's journey perfectly. The large text is
perfect for emerging readers who will be able to pick out words they
know and use the pictures to assist them in reading along. This is
the first in the planned Happily Ever After series, which
now includes The Princess and the Pea. This is a pleasing
version of an old classic perfect for sharing with a new generation
of young children.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
The stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard
Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781743315897
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. The stars at Oktober Bend by
Glenda Millard is a beautiful and realistic novel about a girl
called Alice Nightingale, a 15 year old who wants to be normal and
accepted by the people in her home town. Alice struggles to
communicate in the everyday, her thoughts and feelings are presented
to and shared with the reader through her internal dialogue as she
struggles to write and talk like other people her age. Alice lives
with her grandmother and her brother; both have fiercely protected
her since the day of her incident which left her introverted,
ashamed and isolated from the normal world. Alice is not the only
person running from a horrific past full of trauma and pain, Manny
James, the running boy is also in his own internal isolation,
withholding the fear of his past from his adoptive parents and
everyone he knows, except Alice; somebody whom understands his
situation. Manny and Alice meet one night as Alice stands on her
roof, among the stars, wanting to be free to soar on the wings of
clear words and coherent speech. Manny spies this lonely figure and
is instantly captivated by her and her poetic statements and
questions left all over town.
Written in a way that is different from the generic first-person
novel format, The stars at Oktober Bend allows poetry,
symbolism and emotion to show through to the audience as the
intertwined stories of Alice and Manny charm the reader, making this
book hard to put down. Because of the symbolic content, themes of
violence and the tragic histories of both the main characters, I
would recommend this novel to an older audience of 14+ so that they
may engage in the story to the fullest extent. This novel truly is
an eye opening read which presents an astounding view of the world
through a relatable style of writing making this an unforgettable
work of fiction.
Sarah Filkin (University student)
One life. My mother's story by Kate Grenville
Text, 2015. ISBN 9781925240962
Highly recommended. Kate Grenville, the author of The Secret
river and Sarah Thornhill amongst other novels,
explains this biography of her mother as an attempt to describe the
life of an individual who was part of a social class that is largely
ignored in historical writing. However, Grenville needs no excuse or
rationale; the story is beautifully told and gives her mother, Nance
Gee nee Russell, 1912-2002, the dignity she deserves. It is also a
very enjoyable read. There is no authorial voiceover or explanatory
commentary, but this is clearly the story of women whose aspirations
were stifled by societal expectations. Nance was born to Dolly and
Albert Russell, an unhappily married couple who made a career from
hotel keeping until the Depression hit in the early 1930s. Nance and
her older brother were boarded out for a number of years, Nance at
first with a very rigid and unloving Catholic spinster and then in a
convent, despite not being Catholic. She was fortunate to have
several years of excellent schooling in Sydney before being forced
back to a country school where few boys and even fewer girls stayed
past leaving age, and standards were low. Nance wanted to be a
teacher but this was emphatically rejected by her mother, and
instead was sent to Sydney to train as a pharmacist. She was
apprenticed to a martinet and struggled to understand the university
lectures. No-one had money, because of the Depression, and Nance,
lonely and poor, at times thought life too hard to be worth living.
There were very few girls studying and the attitude to them was
disparaging. When Nance qualified she was paid less than male
graduates and she missed the bonds of family life. However, she had
met inspiring young women and had learnt that she could have some
control over what happened to her. She ran a pharmacy and had a love
affair with its owner. She could have married any one of several
young men but eventually chose an inspiring young communist lawyer.
When war broke out she was disillusioned by his attempts to evade
service and she realized that secrecy and subversion were essential
parts of his character. She saw too that while despite his evasions
she loved him he admired her rather than loved her. They had two
children and Nance daringly planned to run a pharmacy again. The
business was a success but in the early fifties there was no child
care available; her mother failed her despite offering support and
her husband could not imagine doing more than he did about the
house. Nance sold the pharmacy, built a house with the money and had
another child, Kate. Nance tried again later to have a business but
even in the late fifties child care was not available.
Love of family was a dominant theme of her life, despite a difficult
relationship with her mother, and her children were a constant
delight to her. Another theme is the necessity to make the most of
one's talents. She believed that the unexamined life is not worth
living and this is a theme of her later life in particular. The
writing is engaging and the character of Nance believably
established. The social history of the times is accurately
reflected. This book is highly recommended.
Jenny Hamilton
Supermum by Leah Russack
Ill. by Anil Tortop. Scholastic Australia, 2016. ISBN 9781760158545
(Age: 3-5) Highly recommended. Themes: Mothers, Family Life. Supermum
is a celebration of a mother's special powers, her amazing abilities
that help her cope with the daily challenges and delights of
motherhood. On waking she stretches and yawns, strategically placed
next to television heroes from the Secret Superpowers copying her
movements on the screen. Outside the rain may be lightly falling,
but inside the house Mum is ready to play with her ginger,
curly-haired boy. As an eagle dressed in her super cape, scarf and
special silver belt and M buckle she uses her x-ray vision to find
her child hiding in a box. Supermum 's octopus tentacles carefully
hold; bags, bottles, keys, a bunny and a large green umbrella
protect her little one. Supermum's mouse ears are just right for
super-hearing and Supermum penguin is there for special first aid
treatment and a kiss for a grazed knee. She can sniff out smelly
socks, read her child's mind and even tell when someone is telling
Porky Pies. The loving hugs she gives are the best, what a wonderful
mum.
Leanne Russack's gentle, caring story is delightful to read aloud,
why not think of some new super powers for Mum or Dad? Anil Tortop's
colourful digital illustrations creatively capture the happiness of
a day spent with Supermum and her son.
Rhyllis Bignell
Percy and his amazing box of disguises by Sally Anne Garland
The Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760400682
(Ages: 3-7) Recommended. Homes, disguises, pets, perspectives. This
book sets itself apart with wonderfully unique vintage
illustrations. Even the font and the rich colour scheme of greens,
browns and reds have a Little Golden Book quality, making it fit it
with the slightly retro 'master of disguise' theme. The story
revolves around the gloriously named Percy Pimpernel, a rabbit who
loves being free (the illustrations perfectly portray his joy of
living and his excitable personality). When he sees that there are
some animals living in a house nearby he feels sorry for them: they
have to wait for their food to be served, go for walks on a lead and
live in cages! Percy, wishing for them to be free like him, orders
The Big Box of Clever Disguises and hatches a cunning plan. The cat,
the dog and the hamsters are happy to be rescued by Percy and have a
great day playing in the outdoors, but soon after they miss their
little home.
This heartening tale warmly shows that home means different things
to different people and that what one person values isn't
necessarily the same as another. Young children will love the humour
instilled in the story because of Percy's numerous disguises and
crazy plan, and will enjoy the fast-paced narrative. This is the
first in a planned series of books all about Percy.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
My cool plastics cupboard by Maggie Dent
Ill. by Linda True-Arrow. Pennington Publications, 2015. ISBN
9780975845684
(Ages: 1-3) Maggie Dent is a parenting writer and speaker so it is
no great surprise that this seems to target parents more so than
young children. It is written from the perspective of a two-year-old
boy who has his own plastics cupboard filled with things that he is
allowed to play with while remaining close to his Mum in the
kitchen. The little boy tells us about what he can do in the
plastics cupboard (sorting, stacking, exploring shapes, investing
new and unusual objects and making noise), emphasising to parents
the skills that children can practice through free play with the
world around them (rather than expensive toys). The watercolour
illustrations, while not particularly beautiful to look at, are
realistic and highlight the child's wonder in the objects he finds
in his cupboard.
The voice of the child is informal (with an oft repeated - but not
suited to the target audience - 'How cool is that?') but it doesn't
prevent it being rather bland. This is probably due to its length
(it is a long story for the target age group - which is very small
as older children will have no interest in a baby playing in a
container cupboard) and the many subliminal 'parent messages' (eg.,
'I like playing in the plastics cupboard with my mum close by' and
'My mum came over and explained that it was a whisk'). However, it
is a fantastic idea to write a picture book about the container
cupboards that most young children enjoy as it is such a relatable
experience for them.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Blue and Bertie by Kristyna Litten
Scholastic Australia, 2016. ISBN 9781742761800
(Ages: 3-7) Recommended. Differences and similarities, belonging,
trying new things. Colour is used to tell the story of these two
giraffes who are both similar and different. It is also a main
illustrative feature. Bertie is an average looking yellow giraffe.
Blue is a blue giraffe. Bertie's life with the other giraffes is
monotonous: they nibble leaves, they drink water and they snooze.
That is the way they like it. The colour palette showing Bertie and
the herd is grey and yellow. When Bertie oversleeps and wakes up all
alone he doesn't know what to do or where to go. He has never had to
think for himself before! When he meets Blue, the world comes alive
with colourful creatures and flowers that Bertie has never noticed
before - he's been too busy doing the same old thing every day. In
the end, Bertie convinces Blue that he belongs with the herd even
though he is blue, and with Blue's new perspective the herd start
doing things a little differently each day.
This is a simple, heart-warming story about stopping to smell the
roses and finding a place to belong. It emphasises that being
different is not so bad and that different perspectives can even
make the world a more interesting place. Told primarily through the
dialogue of the two giraffes (along with beginning and end
narration), the text is concise, simple and undetailed. Bold and
enlarged text tells the reader when to add emphasis and there are
many sounds for young children to join in with ('crunchity-crunch,
sip, slurp, snore, snore, snore'). The illustrations are delightful,
managing to capture the emotions of the giraffes in the movement and
shape of their long bodies as well as in their facial expressions.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
The first third by Will Kostakis
Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780143568179
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Greek Australia, Immigrants, Humour,
Relationships, Food, Homosexuality. Bill's Greek grandmother is a
larger than life figure, prominent in the day to day routines of
their lives, and he recounts her entanglement with an excruciatingly
real and very funny eye for detail. One of three brothers with a
single mother, Bill goes with Yiayia to church on Easter Sunday,
part of the Greek tradition which neither of his brothers observe.
Here he has arranged to meet a girl he first saw twelve months ago
and they race off to a prearranged date. But returning to church
they find that Yiayia has fainted and so Bill must go to hospital
with her, trying desperately to phone for help but knowing that mum
is at a speed date evening. Yiayia pushes dome money into his hand
and tells him to go to an address in Melbourne and taking Sticks
along for company, he finds it is the house of someone he has not
seen for a long while, his father. They flee.
Back in Sydney the two find solace in a pub where it becomes obvious
to the reader that Sticks has hooked up with another man, but when
he realises that Sticks is disabled, the link evaporates. At their
next meeting Yiayia gives Bill a list of things she wants done. At
first he is dumbfounded, but with the help of his friends finds that
this is a bucket list, things Yiatia wants done before she dies.
Yiayia's bucket list is not your usual bucket lists of flying off
somewhere or eating at a top restaurant, Yiayia's bucket list is all
about family.
The reader is always made aware of the importance Greeks place on
family, and Yiayia's quest to make her family happy once more is
tantamount to all the action that follows. She wants her grandsons
to see their father again and have relationships that make them
happy, her daughter to remarry and find happiness, and her bucket
list tells Bill what he must do for her.
This is a wonderful story of family and tradition, of the Greek
culture that is so much a part of the Melbourne scene, of
multiculturalism and diversity. Humour underlines much of the
action, as Bill finds ways to satisfy all that his beloved
Grandmother wants to achieve and along the way that includes himself
and his friend, Sticks.
I loved this book, and Kostakis displays Yiayia with all her
eccentricities so endearingly, with such love and humour that all
readers will feel wrapped in the warmth of the family life that she
so values.
Fran Knight
Freddie Mole: Lion tamer by Alexander McCall-Smith
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408865859
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Humour. Circuses. Adventure. Lions.
Freddie wants to help out his parents. His mum works on ships and is
often away months at a time, and dad works hard but it never makes
quite enough to cover the needs of his family and those of his
injured brother. So when Freddie is offered a holiday job at the
circus he accepts wholeheartedly. Here is the answer to his family's
problems. He is well able to help out around the circus, but when he
realises that the work involves being the understudy for some of
acts, he is dumbfounded. But his 'can-do' attitude overcomes his
fear and he succeeds where those before him have given up. So he
climbs the ladder to reach the platform where he is to be swung
between the trapeze artists and braves the lions in the lion taming
act.
Readers will have their hearts in their mouths as he realises that
the net has not been activated beneath the trapeze artists, or that
he must be the lion tamer in the lion's act when the lion tamer runs
off to Peru. But all works out well in the end, with the lions so
old that they have lost their teeth and their claws worn down with
age, and a proud mum and dad in the audience.
Freddie is an exuberant, positive young lad, and easily engages the
reader with his fears which must be overcome for the good of the
family. The illustrations add to the fun of the tale and a
conservation message lies beneath some of the circus details. A
stress on being positive is a winner in this charming story for
middle primary people.
Fran Knight
Tricky twenty-two by Janet Evanovich
Headline, 2015. ISBN 9781472201652
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Crime fiction. Humour. Biological warfare.
Stephanie Plum is back for the umpteenth time, solving crime while
looking for bail absconders in Trenton, New Jersey, the home of her
birth. She is an amazing character, seriously flawed, unable to make
up her mind between high school sweetheart, Morelli, beloved of her
family, and the outrageously cool Ranger, a security expert.
In this laugh out loud episode, Stephanie is called to take a young
man to court but instead finds him dead. He is one of a college hall
called Zeta, one that some of the powers at the school would like
closed down. But looking further, Stephanie becomes aware of a
locked cellar where experiments with fireworks have been going on,
and breaking in finds aquaria full of fleas.
Blood in the fridge sends Lula into hysterics, and the links between
blood, fleas and a top security biological warfare laboratory now
closed down, becomes clear.
There follows a heart-stopping ride as Stephanie is kidnapped by the
insane professor, seriously upset that his plans were not funded,
and handcuffed and drugged to allow him to take her blood.
What the blood is for will make some readers squeamish, but as
Ranger has a tracking device on all of his cars, he is able to find
her, but only after she has managed to get free.
The relationships between Stephanie and her family as well as
Morelli and Ranger are enough to keep the reader reading and
laughing, while the plot line of the mad professor is an added bonus
to keep the pages going over. Each of the main characters is quite
engrossing, and the background characters, Lula, Vinnie, Stephanie's
parents and grandmother have developed lives of their own in this
escapist series. Grandma always finds some gossip relevant to the
work Stephanie is doing at the time, while at one of her funeral
home viewings, and somehow the streets of Trenton always find their
way into the book. The background setting is always clearly
delineated and Evanovich talks of it with a sound knowledge and
affection which is enthralling.
Fran Knight
The midnight possum by Sally Morgan
Ill. by Jess Racklyeft. Omnibus Books, 2016. ISBN 9781742991047
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Possums. Adventures. Suspense. When possum
climbs across the tree tops, and into the forest red gum tree
covered with blossom, he eagerly anticipates his meal. It is dark,
midnight dark, his favourite time, but he hears a cry from the
rooftop nearby and going off to investigate finds a mother possum
with a young possum on her back. She tells him that her baby is
missing, the twin has disappeared. Possum checks the surrounding
area, and the last place he looks, down the chimney, finds the baby
possum clinging to a ledge. He climbs down imploring the little
fellow to jump onto his back, but in doing so both tumble to the
floor below. Inside the house they must navigate some obstacles until
they find the cat flap and escape. After an enthusiastic thank you
from mother possum, possum can now satisfy the cries from his own
tummy and get to that blossom.
This delightful story, full of suspense will have children eagerly
listening to see how the possums escape the house, and hear how the
baby is reunited with mum. The story is full of Australia's
environment, many animals litter the pages alongside fauna of the
Australian bush. Some hints are given about how man has encroached
upon the animal's habitat, with dangers lurking for the unwary.
The illustrations are done using digital collage, giving an effect
of cut out and mixed media, adding a level of interest to the story.
Some of the double page spreads stand out: the second double page
reprises the trees of the title page, standing starkly against the
white background, and the double page showing the attic of the
house, too is wonderful. The end papers reflect the flowering gum
that the possum eats and encourages readers to look at the flowers
of the trees around them.
Fran Knight
My dog Dash by Nicki Greenberg
Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760110673
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Pets. Dogs. Snails. Ownership.
Responsibility. Humour. The irony of the name, Dash, for her pet,
becomes obvious when the first double page is turned to reveal a
snail. Kids will laugh uproariously at the young girl and her pet
snail, taking it off to puppy school, introducing it to her friends
and relatives, taking it for a walk, teaching it to sit and stay.
All the things a child does with a pet dog are portrayed in this
story, teaching younger children about the responsibility of having
a pet but using humour and wit to press home the points being made.
Without being obvious, the humour behind the story will display the
things a child can do with a pet dog and make them aware that there
are times when a pet can cause mayhem, like sliding up a visitor's
nose, or leaving a mess, or stealing food from the table. Or worst
of all, eating through a pile of books!
But one night Dash disappears. The images of the whole
sleep-deprived family out searching for the lost snail will cause
readers to laugh out loud as they sympathise with the family forced
to search through the night with their flashlights for a snail. And
the surprise ending will cause more fun. The illustrations are just
wonderful, with the little snail meandering across most pages,
living its own life, oblivious to the work going on about it as the
young girl tries to keep it as a pet. Kids will engage with this
book, opening up discussions about their pets and pet ownership, the
joys of keeping a pet and perhaps some of the downsides, the keeping
of snails, and the role of parents when there is a pet in the house.
Fran Knight
