Ill. by Peter Carnavas. UQP, 2016. ISBN 9780702253928
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Sisters. Family. Bedtime. In wonderful
rhyming couplets, the story of the little girl and her amazing
sister will resonate with the readers as the story affirms the close
bond between sisters. Each line opens with something that other
sisters do,
'Some sisters roll in carts, under jacaranda trees
Some sisters ride their sleds over waterfalls that freeze
Some sisters glide on scooters next to lanes of tooting cars'
ending with 'But my sister... '
and children will hoot with laughter at seeing the things sisters do
and what the superhero sister does, calling out the rhyming word in
the last line. The sisters at the start of each line do fairly
ordinary things compared with the superhero, but children will love
to recognise things they do together.
What a wonderful affirmation of family life, of siblings, of one
sister looking out for the other, reading and telling stories to her
at bedtime. Carnavas' illustrations reflect a variety of funny
situations engaging the reader readily with their humour,
complimenting the words on each page. Children will love searching
out what happens in each illustration and seeking out the superhero
and her sister and the things they do together. This is a wonderful
addition to the other two by Young and Carnavas, beginning with the
hilarious, My gran is a Ninja, and following with My pop
is a pirate, both characters making a reappearance in this
book, along with a curious hen.
I do like the endpapers with the superhero and her sidekick in
superhero poses. Another reason to like this book so much.
Fran Knight
Wonderment in death by J. D. Robb
In death bk 41.5. e-book. Piatkus, 2016. ISBN 9780751554106
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Mystery. Thriller. Novella. New York,
2061. When Darlene Fitzwilliams kills her brother and then jumps
from a tall building, it could be taken for a murder/suicide but Eve
Dallas' friends insist that Darlene would never have murdered her
brother. When Eve discovers that Darlene has been visiting psychics
and someone with a penchant for Lewis Carroll's Alice in
Wonderland has been messing with Darlene's mind, the hunt is
on for the motive and the murderer.
This is a quick read, in novella form, so there is not much
character development, but readers who are familar with Eve, Roarke,
Peabody and colleagues won't mind that as they will know and
understand very well how the main characters operate.
The plot and action however is exciting and different. Robb manages
to keep the reader in suspense for the duration of the novella, and
the references to Alice in Wonderland add a certain
whimsical touch to the plot. Eve and Peabody find clues to the type
of people that Darlene had been visiting in the months before her
death and quickly make sense of the crazy man whom she's been
visiting.
This is certainly one for fans of the series - fast paced and
engrossing - it is a very entertaining read.
Pat Pledger
Stanley by Colin Thompson
ABC Books, 2016. ISBN 9780733332852
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Dogs. Prejudice. Family. Readers will
recognise their own dog from the start of this very funny tale of
not judging a book by its cover, or in this case, a dog by its
appearance. Stanley is not a star turn as dogs go, he is built as if
from old weathered bricks, but loves four things: his owner, Gerald,
his food, his bed and his red ball. Gerald takes him to the park
where he can run after his ball, but one day it is taken by another
dog, a small fluffy dog that will not let it go.
The next day, a man, his daughter and their dog appear on the
doorstep offering back the now battered red ball with a new ball as
its replacement. Coming in for a cup of tea and biscuits, friendship
blossoms between Gerald's mother and the man, and even Gerald and
his daughter, and surprisingly Stanley and the small fluffy dog.
Each dreams that night of who they have met and after many visits
and many cups of tea and biscuits, the house becomes a home for all
of them, a new family.
This is a delightful story of finding love again, of creating a home
after a period of loneliness. Small hints are given about Gerald and
his mother; there is no Dad, Mum is alone, Gerald has no brothers
and sisters. And the man and his daughter standing on their doorstep
with their dog, seems just the answer they are looking for as
relationships develop over tea and biscuits.
Thompson's illustrations are admirable, with the cheeky looks on
Stanley's face to the little hidden motifs within each picture, the
pages will attract all readers to think about what they are seeing
as they read the text. I particularly loved the thumbnail sketch of
Gerald with his paper thin frame and deep eyes, his inability to
look the girl in the eyes, reflected in the book he is reading. I
laughed out loud at many things but this took my breath away as it
described so many boys who find relationships difficult. They will
recognise themselves and see that things will get better.
Fran Knight
The big fish by Pamela Allen
Penguin, 2016. ISBN 9780670078974
Once upon a time a little old man, a little old woman, a small boy
and a small girl went to spend the day by the river. The little old
man took out his fishing line, put some bait on his hook, and cast
it into the river because, like everyone who goes fishing, his dream
was to catch a really big fish.
I wish, I wish,
Oh, how I wish
I could catch a big fish!
It's not long before there is a tug on his line, so strong that he
nearly falls in and he has to call on the little old woman to help
him. But even together they are not strong enough so the little old
woman calls to the small boy. Will the old man and his family land
the catch - and just what is on the end of the line anyway?
This is a delightful story reminiscent of the traditional tale of
The enormous turnip and with its repetitive refrain and cumulative
language it has a rhythm that will draw the young listener in so
that soon they will be engaging with the language as well as the
story. And with a few simple necklace-type signs to designate their
roles, they will be clamouring to be involved in a re-enactment of
it immersing themselves even more so that it becomes a treasure
trove of riches for drama and a language study.
Students will love to tell their own tales of going fishing and the
tips and tricks they can pass on to their friends. They could make a
class map of favourite fishing spots - river, lake, sea, waterhole -
and investigate the sorts of fish that inhabit them that they might
catch. The class expert could explain the parts of a fishing rod and
the different types of lures that are used and why, as well as
explaining the procedure of getting a fishing line ready for use or
what to do with their catch once they have landed it. Speculating
and illustrating what is on the end of the old man's line offers
huge scope for the imagination and because the author doesn't
disclose what it is, no one can be wrong so the smug chorus of 'I
was right!' that usually accompanies predictive questions is
avoided.
There is a range of 'the mechanics of language' that could be
explored from understanding the word 'tug' and how the author shows
its meaning through its repetition to examining the various fonts
and how they add to both the meaning and the reading of the story.
Even the use of speech bubbles and exclamation marks and the
cumulative language structure can be discussed to help develop their
understanding of book language and the conventions used to make it
more like speech, thus enhancing their own reading through their
'inner voice'. Throughout, Allen uses words like 'tug', 'pull' and
'haul' so there could be an introduction to the concept of synonyms
and a challenge to find as many words that could be used to replace
'got' as possible.
The story also lends itself to the mathematics of size, order and
position particularly through the illustrations and the
re-enactment, offering lots of opportunities for the students to be
physically involved as they position themselves according to height
or age or gender.
Pamela Allen is one of the mainstay authors of literature for the
very young and she never fails to deliver the most wonderful stories
that are perfectly illustrated so that the marriage between text and
illustration is seamless. Even our very early readers can tell
themselves this story without having to have heard it let alone read
it for themselves. Miss Just-Turned-Five is going to love sharing
this with Grandad, an ardent but not always successful fisherman, as
they snuggle up for their bedtime story soon.
Barbara Braxton
Book of lies by Teri Terry
Orchard, 2016. ISBN 9781408334287
(Age: 15+) Witchcraft. Truth and Lies. Supernatural/Horror.
Although the reviewers quoted on the endpapers about Terry's
writing, provide hints that this might be a dystopian narrative, it
is probably more a dark journey into the world of the supernatural.
If this was made into a film it would be scary! Terry writes in such
a way that the gentle journey into fear happens slowly, and the
ordinary although sad beginning slowly twists the reader into the
tangled web of lies. Just as a web-captured insect does not envisage
the ultimate end, the reader too is drawn into an ultimately
difficult conclusion.
The well-written and compelling story begins with the death of a
mother in horrific circumstances, and the discovery by her estranged
daughters Quinn and Piper, that they are identical twins, separated
deliberately to save them from the family secret that haunts them.
The reason for their separation is the essence of the story, and
what draws them together. But it is also what makes this a chilling
and unsettling journey into a family that has been separated by lies
and by the sinister magic of their ancestors. The core of identity
for the twins, and their ability to deceive others around them adds
to the tension of the tale, told through the individual voices of
the girls. A shared love interest adds a layer of complication as
does the setting for part of the narrative in the foreboding wild of
the Dartmoor moors. But ultimately this is a story where evil and
lies invade a family to create a sense of dread.
Recommendation only for those aged 15+ who can cope with the torment
and tension of the supernatural horror story. Well-written and
difficult to put down (even for someone who does not like this
genre!)
Carolyn Hull
Horton and the kwuggerbug and more lost stories by Dr Seuss (aka Theodor Seuss Geisel)
Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780008131272
Dr Seuss. Rhyme. Originally published in magazines in 1950's
this collection of lesser known Dr Seuss stories will be enjoyed by
his fans. They contain the usual whimsy and fun, with simple rhyming
patterns, and his created words. Dr Seuss manages to hide some more
serious ideas underneath the nonsense, for those prepared to look.
This is definitely worth adding to a Seuss collection. Horton
appears and is tricked by a pesky bug; a school child explains the
reason for his late arrival at school; a policeman on the beat saves
the community from disaster and the Grinch proves that he is a
little sneaky, but a good salesman.
Carolyn Hull
Lift-the-flap computers and coding by Rosie Dickins
Ill. by Shaw Nielsen. Usborne, 2015. ISBN 9781409591511
Among the stated outcomes of the Digital Technologies strand of the Australian Curriculum for students
in Foundation to Year 2 are the ability to 'recognise and explore
digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose'
and 'follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and
decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems'. So
right from their first years of formal schooling, our students are
expected to be able to understand the parts of a computer, use
software and begin to manipulate the devices to meet their needs.
This book with its myriad of flaps to lift and explore is perfect
for introducing this age group to what computers are and how they
work. Starting with 'What's a computer?' and an explanation of what
coding is, it moves on to show how computers think, including lots
of interactive activities that encourage the reader to participate
and thus gain a better understanding of the focus topic. For
example, the binary code is explained and then the reader is
challenged to convert decimal numbers to binary with the answers
under the flaps. Pictures via pixels are explained and so are
colours. There's even a treasure map to help Pixel the Pirate hunt
for treasure while teaching about writing instructions and flow
charts. The flaps reveal answers, explanations and things to think
about ensuring that the reader is actively engaged in their
learning.
The more I delved into this book the more I went back to my early
days of learning to program a turtle using Logo and even earlier
still to when we bought books with the coding for games in them and
we put these into our basic computers which ran on audio tapes! This
book encourages kids to explore and use Scratch which is so
highly recommended by my computer guru colleagues and just continues
on with so much info and fun that I'm surprised it hasn't been
written before!
But even if you buy multiple copies of this for your students, you
should also consider buying it for those teachers who feel daunted
by the requirements of the curriculum because apart from helping
them understand the technical aspects of computers and coding, it
offers a myriad of ideas for supporting the learning within the
classroom using activities that don't require a device. You might
also like to scour your TR section for all those books about
encouraging logical thinking and problem solving that were so common
a few years ago because they are all grist to the mill, and also
return to the basics of the information literacy process of
What am I being asked to do?
What do I already know?
What more do I need to find out?
Where can I find that information?
So even if writing a million-dollar-making app is beyond the reach
of many nevertheless they will have had lots of scaffolding and
experience in thinking logically, posing and answering questions and
solving problems - which all the futurists says are the essential
foundation skills for the future.
Barbara Braxton
Rain by Manja Stojic
Pavilion, 2016. ISBN 9781843653059
Picture book. On the African savannah the animals are waiting for
the rains as the soil cracks from the hot, dry, unending sun.
Porcupine can smell the rain; Zebra can see the lightning and Baboon
can hear the thunder. Rhino feels the first drops and then Lion can
taste it. It rains and rains and rains but even after it stops it
continues to bring comfort to the animals. Until the whole cycle
starts again.
As the vegetation of south-east Australia withers beneath an
unrelenting heatwave and that of central regions blooms under record
rains, this is a most timely story to share with young readers
learning about the cycle of weather and its impact on the
environment. Using simple, cumulative language and big, bold type
and pictures that encourage young listeners to join in, it
introduces them to a climate that might be very different from that
which they experience as well as encouraging them to think about how
we are as dependent on rain as those on the African savannah. By
focusing on how the animals use their senses to predict the rain, it
also offers an opportunity to explore how animals more common to
them use their senses - such as a dog's dependence on smell - as
well as how humans use theirs.
In her debut book for children, Stojic has used colour very well to
contrast the dry, cracked, sunburnt landscape with that after the
rains have fallen. For those where rain brings such a change to the
landscape, this could encourage some interesting before/after
artwork from children with the focus on colour and hot and cool
tones. For those who are ready, there could also be a focus on
adjectives as Stojic has carefully chosen her words to depict that
which can't be shown in pictures. The relationship between text and
pictures is such that even youngest readers would be able to 'read'
it for themselves.
What seems a simple book on the surface has a depth that makes it
more than a one-off read-aloud.
Barbara Braxton
Glass sword by Victoria Aveyard
Red Queen bk 2. Orion, 2016. ISBN 9781409159353
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Glass Sword picks up directly where
the gripping Red Queen left off. Mare is unique; with red
blood like the common folk of her home, and powers to rival the
silvers who rule them. With the discovery of the other 'new bloods'
(people with red blood and silver abilities) and Mare's escape from
the palace and the newly crowned and vindictive, King Maven, Mare
sets off on her journey to find the other 'New bloods'; the people
like her. The question is; will she be able to find them, or will
Maven beat her to it?
Aveyard has created a gripping and complex storyline, shrouded in
death, heartbreak and a cruel view of humanity. The novel starts off
slowly, but quickly builds into a fast paced and suspenseful
storyline. Mare Barrow, the main protagonist, struggles throughout
the novel with the betrayal of Maven and her inability to feel as if
she belongs, neither to reds nor silvers. Glass Sword shows
an almost completely different character in Mare than what she was
in Red Queen and she was not particularly likeable
throughout this sequel. Mare came across quite frustratingly cold
and bleak to the reader when compared with her fire and passion in
the first novel. This did in return have the positive outcome of
making her feel a lot more real as it was easy to see that Mare was
struggling to deal with certain aspects of her life, as any real
person would in her position.
Overall, Glass Sword is a particularly compelling and
gripping novel, and would give rise to discussions surrounding the
nature of humanity and many impending world issues.
Georgia Cunningham (Student)
Good knight, bad knight by Tom Knight
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760402921
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Knights, Friendship, Dragons, Humour. Bad
Knight is not enjoying his Knight school: he is failing at
everything. He has really strict teachers and finds the work very
hard, so much so that the other kids laugh at him. He is building a
catapult in school while others are making nesting boxes, but he is
waiting for his cousin to arrive. Good Knight will be a friend. But
Good Knight turns out to be just as good as Bad Knight is bad. He
can talk to his mother about cooking, is terrific at swordsmanship,
goes into the haunted forest with aplomb, and has even mastered
tapestry making. During his visit he comes top of the class while
his cousin lingers at the bottom rung. The teacher plans a
tournament with the pair playing each other, with rather predictable
results, that is until a dragon arrives and target Good Knight. But
cousin Bad knows just what to do, luring the dragon away so that he
can use his invention to the satisfaction of everyone, except of
course, the dragon.
A funny read, children will learn lots of information about medieval
times as well as courage and friendship. The humorous illustrations
will further entreat the readers as they read through the book, and
they will pore over the endpapers with their intricate drawings
designed to tickle everyone's funny bone.
Fran Knight
This is a circle by Chrissie Krebs
Random House Australia, 2016. ISBN 9780857988058
(Ages: 2-5) Rhyme. The back cover says 'This is the cover that wraps
around the book. Inside is funnier - just take a look'. That says it
all really - it is unashamedly silly! Don't be fooled by the title,
this is not a 'name the shape' book. It's a fun rhyme with a great
flow, featuring 1990s cartoon-style illustrations with lots of block
colours and crazy looking animals with big teeth and bulging
eyeballs. The cat is a little reminiscent of Leigh Hobbs's Old Tom.
The story is about a wild-looking one-eyed bear, a tap-dancing goat,
a song-singing cat and a pant-wearing fox and the fun they have with
a ball, a box, a scarf, a hat, a car and a boat. For example, 'The
goat climbs the box while wearing the hat, which frightens the fox
and angers the cat.' Needless to say it all gets a bit crazy and the
end of the book sees them& stuck on top of the box with no way
to get down.
The main subject and object words of the book (bear, cat, goat, fox,
ball, box, hat, scarf, car, boat) are repeated often and are in a
larger text size which shows the reader where to add emphasis,
inserts fun into the act of reading and makes for enjoyable
listening. The textural front cover, with a circle cut out in the
hardcover, will appeal to young children.
This is a rollicking, fun ride that children will want to hear
repeatedly and will love to join in reading. It has the potential to
encourage early literacy development because of the use of simple,
phonetic words and to promote conceptual understanding of rhyme.
Nicole Nelson
The Love Pug by Jennifer Sattler
Chick 'n' Pug series. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781619636729
(Age: 4+) Chick and Pug are best friends, they enjoy playing and
spending time together. Unfortunately a pretty young pug called
Daisy appears and she falls for the very handsome Wonder Pug. Chick
welcomes their new friend, and shares stories of Pug's heroic deeds.
Images of Pug in a superhero cape flying through to air to rescue
poor Chick accompany the easy to read text. Pug is not impressed,
all he is interested in is taking a nap. The little yellow bird hops
into action supporting Daisy in her quest for love.
Jennifer Sattler's bright illustrations bring the characters to life
- Daisy saves Pug from the buzzing bee and Chick's expressive
actions and a range of emotions as she assists her new friend.
A fun story to read aloud to a young audience.
Rhyllis Bignell
A soldier, a dog and a boy by Libby Hathorn
Ill. by Phil Lesnie. Lothian Children's Books, 2016. ISBN
9780734416377
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Animals in war. Children in war. War. Dogs.
Refugees. Fighting at the Somme in Northern France during World War
One, a young Australian soldier spies a stray dog, and adopts it,
promising it will eat grandly: bully beef bourguignon. He tries to
do some tricks with the animal, but the sad-face dog does not
understand him. They walk on together, the young man wanting to adopt
him as his company's mascot. In the background the luminous
illustrations reveal aspects of the war in which the young man and
his fellow Anzacs are involved. Eventually a young boy approaches
them and he tells the soldier that the dog is his. He is able to get
the dog to do the tricks the soldier tried, but when the soldier
suggests the boy go to an orphanage he realises that he must sleep
rough, the dog by his side, as the orphanage will not allow a dog.
The soldier asks the boy if he can have the dog, but the boy
refuses. The soldier then gives the boy money for the two of them
and bids them farewell. As we see the soldier moving off through the
field of red poppies, the boy chases after him, exhorting him to
take the dog back to Australia. So the soldier walks off with the
dog wrapped around his shoulders. But this is not the end. The end
of the story will make readers think hard about what happened to the
other children like this one, what happened to the animals involved
in war, as well as the story of a young boy smuggled back to
Australia, which actually happened.
Hathorn's research into her own family's history at Gallipoli gave
rise to this story, and the illustrations by Lesnie give an
incredible back drop to the tale. Readers will gain some insight
into the effect of war on the landscape, as well as the populace and
feel some of the privations felt by the soldiers through the
illustrations. The names given to the dogs by the two will engage
the attention of the reader, and they will be able to think about
some of the words associated with World War One.
This is an interesting and thought-provoking addition to the
collection of picture books about Australia's participation in war
which have appeared in the last few years and will be a wonderful
inclusion for any library, classroom or home.
Fran Knight
Be Frank with me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
Corvus, 2016. ISBN 9781782399179
(Age: Adult - Discerning secondary students) As you know, I don't
seem to get around to reading grown up books often but there was
something about the blurb for this one that begged me to read and
review it.
Thank you thank you Allen and Unwin for allowing me the unmitigated
pleasure of doing so! Charming, funny, poignant, realistic and with
a cast of unforgettable characters, this has been an absolute joy
for my night time reading of the past week.
The reclusive and reputedly eccentric author M.M. Banning has been
shamefully victimised by a fraud which has left her penniless. Her
literary fame which rests on a single perfect novel now studied in
schools all over America burns as brightly as ever but the funds
have dwindled desperately.
Banning's publisher, Isaac Vargas, despatches his most able young
assistant Alice Whitley from New York to the East Coast to monitor
Banning's progress with a promised new novel. Despite having not
published a word since 'The pitcher', Banning's contract for
this new book is her financial salvation but the progress is not
without obstacles. Alice's mission is not just to deliver reports on
the book's progress but to 'manage' both Banning's domestic life and
her nine year old son, Frank. If M. M. Banning is considered
eccentric then her son Frank has not only inherited her genetic
makeup but taken oddity to a whole new level.
A nine year old boy addicted to old movies, with a remarkable
intelligence and a wealth of trivia hoarded away in his brain, Frank
dresses in a range of outfits that transform him from a mini Teddy
Roosevelt to a Clarence Darrow with equal ease and completely lacks
any awareness of social mores. Needless to say, this does not stand
him in good stead with other fourth-graders and indeed, many adults
are taken aback by Frank's rather unnerving personality.
Alice's initial surprise as this strange household assaults her
senses gradually turns to an unconditional acceptance of Frank and
she becomes to a huge extent a surrogate parent for him.
Throw into this mix, the devastatingly attractive Xander whose
presence throws Frank into paroxysms of joy, has a soothing effect
on Mimi (M.M.) and thoroughly unnerves Alice.
This book has so much to offer the reader in terms of pure joy but
has also a great deal to say about our acceptance of others, and
society's definition of 'normal'.
You will not be disappointed if you look out for this one. While
primarily aimed at an adult audience there is nothing in this that
would prohibit being a delightful addition to a secondary library
for discerning readers.
Sue Warren
True stories of polar adventures by Paul Dowswell
Usborne, 2015. ISBN 9781474903820
(Age: Upper middle primary) One of the first places on this planet
little children get to know about is the North Pole, that legendary,
mythical home of Father Christmas, aka Santa Claus. Marked by a red
and white striped pole and inhabited by the man himself and his
wife, industrious elves and magical reindeer, it is a place of
mystery, intrigue and imagination. It is hard to believe that just
over a century ago that that was exactly the aura that shrouded this
place as expedition after expedition tried to uncover its secrets
for over 500 years. Perhaps that is why it was designated as Santa's
home - it was so remote and unattainable that no one would ever
discover the truth. From Sir Edward Willoughby's unsuccessful
attempt to find the northeast passage in 1553 until the
still-disputed claims of Frederick Cook and Robert Peary in 1908 it,
with its southern equivalent, was considered to be the Holy Grail of
exploration.
This book, written for middle-upper primary readers, contains the
stories of some of the most intrepid Arctic and Antarctic explorers
- those who succeeded and those who didn't; those who went for the
adventure and those who went for other reasons - and introduces a
new generation to the hardships, trials and tribulations of what
such a short time ago was the last bastion of exploration before the
age of flight and radio let alone satellites and GPS.
Included are the stories of Roald Amundsen, the first to the South
Pole and who beat my own personal hero Sir Robert Falcon Scott by
five weeks, but whose story is often over-shadowed by that of
Scott's because of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Scott
and his companions. As I re-read the stories of the conquerors of
the south, once again I realised the impact that their journeys have
had on my own life all these years later as my mother was determined
to visit Scott's Hut (and did so in 1968 as the first female
journalist to go south) and Scott's story The worst journey in
the world by Apsley Cherry-Garrard was as familiar to me as
The famous five!
Illustrated with maps of the various expeditions but sadly no
photos, True stories of polar adventures could serve as just
the introduction to the exploration of these unique, hostile lands
and spark an interest in what it is that drives people to put their
life on the line to go where none has gone before and to delve
deeper into these tales of 'hardihood, endurance and courage'. This
is but a taster of an extraordinary smorgasbord of adventure stories
linked by the most hostile environments on the planet.
Barbara Braxton
