Random House Australia Children's, 2015. ISBN 9780857981363
(Age: 3-8) Highly recommended. Really we can never get enough of
dinosaurs! Boys or girls, fiction or nonfiction, surely they must be
one of the most eternally popular choices for kids' books.
In our house this is most definitely true and we loved the crazy
dinos shaking their booties and the boards on the disco floor. Lots
of rhythm and rhyme and onomatopoeia abound as the dinosaurs salsa,
moonwalk and even crump it up. With so many different types of
dinosaurs strutting their stuff the floor starts to really rumble
but the very ground shakes with the arrival of a gate crashing
T-Rex! Let's hope he isn't looking for supper!
The text also cleverly integrates some of those rather pesky long
dinosaur names and luckily there is also a pronunciation guide for
those of us who are not as able as five year olds to get our tongues
around them. To follow up the story some strange but true facts are
also included making this book not only fun but educational.
Daron Parton's illustrations of the decoratively dressed dinosaurs
lend even more quirkiness to the story.
This is bound to be a favourite with many young readers.
Highly recommended for boys and girls aged around 3 to 8 years.
Sue Warren
Me & Mr J by Rachel McIntyre
Electric Monkey, 2015. ISBN 9781405273442
(Age: 15+) Recommended This book is confronting on many
levels. Lara is fifteen, still in high school, and is the
subject of vicious and persistent bullying. The bullying is
humiliating and public. Lara tells her story through her diary and
the reader is privy to the impact of the sustained and demoralising
bullying.
At first the appearance of the new, and startlingly good looking,
English teacher seems a reprieve for Lara. She begins to recognise
some of her positive attributes and very real potential. Then the
reader sees their relationship move on to become a romantic
relationship.
Here, as a reader, there is great concern for the welfare of Lara
and the disaster that looks to be looming for her. Rachel McIntyre
takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotion as she unveils Lara's
story, and though it ends abruptly she pulls all the elements
together with skill.
This well written book will spark conversation and dissent when the
issues of bullying and teacher/student relationships are discussed
following the reading.
Linda Guthrie
Two birds on a wire by Coral Vass
Ill. by Heidi Cooper Smith. Koala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781742761619
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Little Bird Blue and Little Bird Black have
both found the perfect wire to sit on. The only problem is . . . it
is the same wire! Black is blocking Blue's view but Little Bird
Black refuses to leave. Blue Bird will not go-he was there first!
There is a stand-off - staring, followed by snapping, shoving and
heckling. But neither would budge. Little Bird Black declared to
Bird Blue 'THIS WIRE IS MINE for I'm BIGGER than you'. And Little
Blue says 'You might be bigger but I'm awfully LOUD'. A competition
ensues; who can fly higher? Who is the fastest? Who is the best?
Finally, they slow down and think 'Why don't we share?'
This well-executed rhyme echoes the everyday arguments of young
children for a seat, a toy, a friend or a parent's attention. We all
hope that in the end, just like Little Bird Blue and Little Bird
Black, they realise everyone will have more fun if they agree to
share! Although it contains a moral lesson, the book is fun and
engaging, providing for a discussion around social skills but also
being a great story to share just for enjoyment.
The illustrations are simple but fantastic, with the autumn
countryside restrained against the shiny plumage of Black and Blue.
The expression that comes through on the faces of the two birds and
their body language is fantastic and gives opportunity for further
discussion.
This is a great title for early childhood educators to have on hand.
Nicole Nelson
Grandad's Island by Benji Davies
Simon & Schuster, 2015. ISBN 9781471119958
For many children, losing a grandparent is often their first
experience with death and grief. The emotions of this may be openly
expressed or may not be so visible to observers. Using a picture
book to invite discussion on this topic may be very valuable for
either individuals or classes.
There are many quality books that handle the topic of loss with
sensitivity and the wise teacher-librarian will usually have quite a
collection in order to be ready for the occasions when they are
needed.
This new book by Benji Davies examines this topic with a beautiful
and gentle grace as the close bond between grandfather and grandson
and their final parting is described. The colourful illustrations of
his favourite destination underline the 'perfect place' in which
Grandad chooses to stay and reassure Syd that Grandad will be happy
there.
I also believe this would be an excellent choice to deal with the
concerns a child might have about a grandparent going into a care
facility.
Watch the book
trailer to see a preview and find out more about the
award-winning author here. Sue Warren
Once upon a timeless tale series retold by Margrete Lamond
Little Hare, 2015. The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Ill. by Anna Walker. ISBN
9781742974019 The Three Little Pigs. Ill. by Jonathan Bentley. ISBN
9781921994916
These are the two latest additions to this series of timeless tales.
Based on those original, traditional stories that have been handed
down from generation to generation and which we expect our students
come to school already knowing, they are the pre-Disney version of
stories told way back when, retold by Margrete Lamond and
beautifully illustrated by some of the best illustrators for
children, bringing them right into the world of the 21st century
child and a new generation.
While there may be a perception that fairytales such as these are
the domain of the preschooler and very young readers, they actually
have a place on the shelves of every library, primary and secondary.
They are a part of our Anglo-Saxon oral culture and there is an
expectation that when you mention a particular story, the students
will know enough of the core story to bring it to mind. This can
then be compared to other cultures whose history has been passed
down orally. As the original purpose of such stories was a didactic
one - each had a lesson or a moral to be learned by the younger
generation without putting them physically at risk - students can
not only examine what that lesson is, but also compare it to the
traditional stories of other cultures to investigate if similar,
universal truths are a common theme and whether the values of the
past hold true today across society.
Given that many of them are now hundreds of years old , students
could also examine what it is about these stories that has enabled
them to have endured over time, place and space. Even though they
have been retold, re-interpreted and repackaged into a variety of
formats, why does the core and essence remain intact? Why are they
told again and again and again and children's eyes light up when you
pick up a familiar one to read to them? Even students with little or
no English request and borrow these stories over and over.
Conversely, which of today's stories will survive the test of time?
Even though The Very Hungry Caterpillar is now in his mid 40s,
Corduroy is over 40, and Hairy Maclary, Hush and Grandma Poss are
all 30-something, do they have whatever it is it takes to notch up
centenaries and bicentenaries? What is the secret ingredient that
turns "popular" into "classic"?
These stories also lend themselves to helping students understand
that critical information literacy skill of interpretation. Because
there are so many versions available it is easy to collect enough of
them to provide the variety required to examine how both the story
and the illustrations have been interpreted. What has been added,
deleted, or changed to give the story a particular purpose or slant?
How would the story change if it were told by another character?
Which parts of the story have the illustrators chosen to depict and
how are their pictures of the same thing, such as the giant, similar
or different? What common knowledge do we share even though no one
has ever seen a giant? Is there evidence of stereotyping? Why are
the human characters predominantly depicted as having European
colouring?
Riches indeed that go beyond the sharing of a favourite story.
This series which now has 14 titles would make an affordable
addition to the library's collection so students can start to delve
into the deeper questions.
Barbara Braxton
You're the kind of girl I write songs about by Daniel Herborn
HarperCollins, 2015. ISBN 9780732299507
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Set in Sydney's inner west, this is the
story of Tim and Mandy.
Mandy is well into her gap year and is accomplishing not much. She's
restless and wants to do something with her life - she just doesn't
know what that might be yet. Enter Tim, who is trying to finishing
school (in Year 13) and is an aspiring song writer and musician. He
has a mysterious past. Where are his parents? Why does he live with
his uncle?
This is a slow-paced novel told in chapters alternating between the
point of view of Tim and Mandy. This gives the reader the
opportunity to appreciate the qualities of the characters (such as
the way Mandy gives meals to a homeless man she sees regularly).
'I unwrap the parcel and it's a mixtape Tim has made for me. Cute
boys making me mixtapes has always been my sad secret fantasy, the
thing I'm too cool to admit I wanted.'
The book is infused with the essence of Sydney, the Australian music
scene and includes mentions of artists and bands that have the
reader searching the Internet for more information. This book is about
love and friendship, with the sensitive writing giving insight into
how the characters think and about how they feel about each other.
There is much to relate to in this book.
Linda Guthrie
The little shop of monsters by R L Stine
Ill. by Marc Brown. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780316348522
(Age: 5+) Horror. Humour. Monsters. Two children enter the little
shop of monsters and are taken for a tour of the monsters that
reside there. Each is deliciously illustrated in soft shades, but
with something which differentiates each from the others. The first
monster encountered is the Snacker, who snacks all day long,
littering his enclosure. The children are warned not to get too
close as the thing he loves to snack on most is hands. The next two
monsters are unnamed but children will love to work out their names
using the hideous pictures and the facts that their names rhyme with
jetty and pinky. Then there are the monsters called Yucky and Mucky,
Squeeze and Teaser, Sleeper and so on, until the last page is
reached and the children warned about the monsters, not that the
children will choose a monster, but often the monster chooses you.
A fun story to read aloud and ponder over the illustrations, this
book will be a welcome addition to a school library. The funny tale
turns on its head at the end, after encouraging the readers to use
words differently, use rhymes to understand what the name of the
monster might be, and then look closely at the illustrations which
reveal more, then look at again.
My favourite is Sneezy and you will need to look at the double page
illustrating this monster to get the full effect of his name and why
he is so named.
R L Stine gained notoriety some years ago as the author of the
highly popular Goosebumps series, which some parents and
teachers loved to hate, but not so the readers, as they sold 400
million copies worldwide.
Fran Knight
This little piggy went dancing by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Deborah Niland. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113438
(Ages: 0-4) Recommended. Board book. This is a board book edition of
the 2013 publication and is a companion book to This little
piggy went singing. It is a playful take on the rhyme This
little piggy went to market, with the market trip and the
roast beef being substituted by all sorts of activities and meals.
The emphasis is on the physical activity and play that the piggies
engage in; even the piggy that stays home is busy: dancing, watering
the garden, playing, exercising and painting. Rather than wee, wee,
weeing all the way home the piggy's zoom their aeroplane, run, skip,
stomp, jump, hop and hula hoop all the way home. The reasons why the
piggy had none provide scope for discussion, as the pictures tell
the story (no carrots growing in the garden, empty yoghurt
container, spilt porridge).
The five little piggies come to life across the pages of this book
and are distinguishable from each other by their colouring, markings
and clothing, each one moving through the stages of the rhyme, first
going out, then staying home, eating, having none and then going
home. The piggies are happy and enjoying having fun and being
creative. In this way, the book captures the simple joy of childhood
and encourages self-confidence, play and physical activity.
This title works perfectly in board book form; even the youngest
babies will enjoy looking at the piggies and listening to the
repetitive and bouncy text. Older children will enjoy talking about
the illustrations and reading along.
Nicole Nelson
Stick and stone by Beth Ferry
Koala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781742761671
Picture book. A stick and a stone! Friends? Unlikely! One is lonely,
the other all alone. But when Pinecone comes along, poking fun,
stick sticks up for his new friend, and a deep attachment develops... even if they are a stick and a stone.
Together they wander and explore, having lots of fun, until a
hurricane blows poor stick away. Stone is all alone again, searching
despondently for his friend. Will he find him? Will stick need
rescuing?
Will they ever get back together; stand together to become a perfect
10?
The simple, uncluttered illustrations in this warm-hearted
children's book, together with easy-to-read text, are sure to
delight all who venture here. After all... stones rock!
J Kerr-Smith
The truth about peacock blue by Rosanne Hawke
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743319949
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Pakistan Social justice, Religious
freedom, Imprisonment, Women's roles. South Australia's Rosanne
Hawke is an accomplished writer presenting points of view not often
heard in children's literature, engaging the reader with stories of
children in frighteningly real situations beyond our safe island,
presenting the perspective of people of other religions and
backgrounds. Her novels overflow with stories of oppressed children
in situations so dire that the reader cannot help but read through
to the end, comparing their safe life with that of the protagonist.
This is such a read: harrowing, confrontational, pulling no punches,
as Rosanne presents us with a fourteen year old girl incarcerated in
a Pakistani prison for the crime of blasphemy. Crowds are stirred up
outside her prison walls, calling for her death, while legal rights
activists and friends try to stir the world's conscience and support
this young girl.
This story raises so many issues: the age of a prisoner, her
vulnerability to the sexual attentions of guards, her victimistion
by those inside prison who see her as a blasphemer, the ease with
which crowds become lynch mobs. In Pakistan the government and legal
system are not separate from religion, and because she is a
Christian in a strongly Muslim country she is especially vulnerable.
The internet proves to be a powerful tool in acquainting the word of
her plight. People rally to sign a petition, write letters, and
offer support, but when her social justice lawyer is shot and
killed, her fate seems sealed.
This is a engrossing story of one girl's plight, based upon a true
story and paralleling that of Malala, the young woman shot in
Pakistan in 2012, and is sure to raise gasps from those who read
with growing unease and incredulity at people's restrictions in this
modern age.
Fran Knight
Be brave, pink piglet! by Phil Cummings
Ill. by Sarah Davis. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734415929
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Determination, Bravery, Pigs, Humour.
When Pink Piglet is pushed away by mum to go exploring by himself
for the very first time, he is unsure. He meets a dog that barks at
him, a rooster that crows and a cow that moos. He trots off,
hurrying away from these scary creatures. Then he finds some worms,
later some berries and then some frogs, each meeting adding a little
more debris to his body. By the time he gets back to the farmyard he
is covered in dirt and berry juice and slime from the pool where the
frogs were hiding.
Unexpected results emanate from his appearance, but his mum sees him
underneath his new covering and welcomes him back home.
This is a charming story of bravery and determination, of setting
out to do something new, of being determined to have a go. The
repetition in the first section where he is frightened by the farm
animals will please younger readers and encourage them to predict
and read along with the increasingly familiar words. This repetition
occurs again as Pink Piglet adds to his finery, and again as he
reruns home.
Sarah Davis' artwork will thrill younger readers as they recognise
the farm animals and the antics they get up to, sympathising with
Pink Piglet's attempts at independence and the safety of his loving
mother waiting at home.
This is a delightful read a loud story for younger readers, one that
will encourage them to think about how brave they can be in
attempting something new.
Fran Knight
Making bombs for Hitler by Marsha Skrypuch
Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781760157234
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Captured by the Nazis during the
Second World War, two orphaned sisters are forced to take divergent
paths. Larissa's story was documented by Marsha Skrypuch in Stolen
Child (2010). In Making Bombs for Hitler (2015), the
author details the experiences of Larissa's older sister, Lida. This
companion novel is a testament to the legions of young Ostarbeiters,
mostly Ukrainian; who were captured, worked and starved, during the
war.
We learn in the Author's Note that adolescents abducted during raids
across the Soviet Union, were forced to work long hours in
laundries, hospitals, road works and munitions factories for the war
effort. At first, Lida's sewing skills gain her a position in the
camp laundry. Unfortunately, for the remainder of the war, her deft
hands are utilized in making explosive devices.
Eventually, as the Allies gain the upper hand, Lida & her fellow
prisoners become emboldened and sabotage the German bombs. But with
the Allied bombs raining down with increasing regularity, the
friends are forced to take different paths in order to weather their
liberation and its aftermath.
Riveting despite the horrors, Skrypuch has written convincingly in a
detached style - much like the mental state these children may have
employed to survive. This is an important piece of juvenile
literature given that few historians have told the story of these
enumerable Eastern European children, whose struggles and deaths
were hitherto largely unacknowledged during the darkest years in
human history. Though the subject matter breaks new ground, both
academic and public libraries have a duty to expound totalitarianism
of any kind for the improvement of mankind. Accordingly, Marsha
Skrypuch's factional history, describing the incarceration of
millions of young slave labourers, is highly recommended for
potential teaching moments or as a discussion starter.
Deborah Robins
Kid Glovz by Julie Hunt
Ill. by Dale Newman. Allen and Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781742378527
Themes: fable, magic, music, friendship, resilience. The lavishly
produced cover of this Australian graphic fable with its embossed
musical notes invites the reader to pick it up. Inside Hunt's epic
tale with Newman's pencil rendered drawings, reminiscent of Brian
Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret, tell a dark story
about a boy with a musical gift. His mother sewed her song with a
magical thread into his gloves before she died and they are the
source of his musical genius. Brought up by a mean guardian Kid
Glovz is exploited as a child prodigy: 'at two years of age he
played the minute waltz in thirteen seconds' p5. At concert halls
and competitions, for a fee, he plays the piano. 'Tonight this
brilliant child prodigy will play Rackhoven's Symphony No.3 in E
minor with his left hand while playing Fekonhoff's Sonata No. 563
with his right' p6. There is no joy in the music and Kid Glovz is
not allowed to play his own compositions. To keep him small he is
underfed and made to rehearse all day. One night a thief, called
Shoestring, tightrope walks into his room and offers friendship and
a way to escape. The ensuing action is complex and involves a gang
of thieves, giant goatherds, a hermit oracle and Splitworld Sam, a
central character, condemned to live between worlds for robbing the
dead, who lures the boys into the underworld. At times the story is
a little confusing with a prelude and dream sequences that are not
immediately obvious but generally the graphics add another dimension
to the story and the characters are particularly expressive and
beautifully rendered. Additional readings will reward as subtleties
are revealed. The friendship between the boys develops, though each
starts out pursuing self-interest in the end looking after each
other becomes more important.
Upper primary to middle school students, especially boys, will enjoy
the developing friendship but all ages can enjoy the graphics and in
spite of the scary bits, like most fables, it would be a good book
to read aloud to younger children.
Sue Speck
The Star of the Week by Sally Rippin
Hey Jack series. Hardie Grant Egmont, 2015. ISBN
9781760124410
This is the final in the very popular Hey Jack series
written for those very young readers who are stepping between "home
readers" and "chapter books." The best friend of Billie B. Brown now
has a 20-book series deliberately written for boys who don't
identify with action heroes or spies.
As with the others in the series, Rippin takes a situation that her
target audience can relate to and explores it in an imaginative and
engaging read. This time, Jack is named "Star of the Week", a much
sought-after accolade but he's not sure he can carry the
responsibilities of the role particularly as his primary duty will
be to introduce soccer star Tim Little at the impending school
assembly and he is full of nerves and excitement. But then he
discovers Aaron crying in the boys' bathroom because his dog has
died and he has a brainwave that might cheer his friend up. It means
he won't get to meet the famous sportsman but . . .
Rippin says she was inspired by Dr Seuss, Richard Scarry and Joyce
Lancaster Brisley (Milly-Molly-Mandy series) when it came to
writing both Hey Jack and Billie B. Brown and she was determined
they "would begin in second person, contain the language of a school
reader and stick to the simplest day to day occurrences of a six to
eight year old," so they would be accessible and appeal to the
reluctant reader. She tried them out on her own son, massaging them
based on his responses and eventually bringing two series that have
been the starting point for so many to fruition. In an interview,
she says that she wanted her readers to be someone "who is ready to
try their first chapter book. Someone who wants to read about a
character they can relate to and who could, very possibly, become
their very best friend."
Having watched both family members and students immerse themselves
in both Hey Jack and Billie B. Brown and make
enormous steps in their competence and confidence, I think she has
hit the mark.
Barbara Braxton
Belinda the ninja ballerina by Candida Baker
Ill. by Mitch Vane. Ford St Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781925272048
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Humour, ballet, Individuality, Difference.
Belinda, enrolled in ballet classes against her wishes strives to
tell her mother and her teacher what she really wants to do. Dressed
in her tutu with slippers and leotard, but with a ninja belt and
headband, she practices her ninja moves on the bar, next to the row
of very pretty pink clad girls doing exactly what they are told. Her
teacher is not helpful, insisting on the moves for ballet classes,
but every Tuesday Belinda says the same thing, that she wants to be
a ninja. Towards the end of the term the class is organised for a
special performance, and Belinda is dressed in the costume the same
as the other girls, but doing handstands across the floor, sees a
germ of an idea develop with the teacher.
She uses Belinda's skills in a different aspect of the performance,
and while the other girls dance, Belinda is the spider, using her
ninja skills to great effect.
This is a glorious little story of one girl sticking to her idea of
being different, of not doing what is expected of her, but striving
to do what she wants to do. The illustrations perfectly reflect her
cheeky grin, her determination and courage to stand up for what she
wants. I love the humour in Mitch Vane's pen and ink illustrations,
revealing the movement of Belinda's ninja moves and the array of
girls within the ballet class. Her drawings underscore the idea of
being active, of sticking up for what you want to do and being an
individual.
Fran Knight
