Don't think about purple elephants by Susan Whelan
Ill. by Gwynneth Jones. Exisle Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781921966699
(Age: 4-8) Highly recommended. Subjects: Anxiety, Worry, Overcoming
Fear, Bedtime, Family Life, Psychology. Susan Whelan draws
from her own family experiences with a young daughter who was
anxious about bedtime, when all the worries of the day crowded in.
Their solution was to refocus the thinking, when told not to imagine
colourful animals like pink elephants, green meerkats or turquoise
giraffes, of course she would! Her worries started to disappear as
she imagined all the wonderful activities they could participate in
and the worries disappeared.
Sophie only worries sometimes, school is fun playing with her
friends and engaging in learning and she enjoys afternoons playing
games and drawing. Her weekends are filled with reading, gardening,
baking and watching the clouds pass by. At bedtime, when life
quietens down then the dark clouds of worry start to roll in. She
begins the what if scenarios and she can't settle down to sleep,
resulting in a very tired little girl the next day. Her loving
family try to help with warm milk and honey, sharing toys, but
nothing works. Her mother finally tells her 'go to bed, close your
eyes and DON'T think about purple elephants.
Purple elephants of all shapes and sizes take over, swirling in her
long blonde hair, sipping her milk, drink playing with her toys,
calming her fears. Sophie is not tired at school and even draws
purple elephants.
Gwynneth Jones' creative illustrations complement the narrative.
Bright, happy colours are used when Sophie is enjoying life,
however, when the worries creep in tones of black and grey take
over. The pivotal page shows Sophie and her friend swinging high in
the blue sky and soft white clouds, then as the worries creep in,
the sky darkens and she's suspended in space, tucked in her
bed. Her dark thoughts are shown with a comedic quality, no milk for
breakfast means Sophie leads a dairy cow into the kitchen ready for
her to begin milking. Her cereal bowl is the focus and is
highlighted in red. The pink elephants cavorting over the pages are
a delight, there's one sitting on the toilet sipping hot milk! Watch
for the cat's antics as well, is he in the washing machine and
stealing the giant apple?
This book is a fabulous resource, for supporting children's social
and emotional wellbeing, for health practitioners, schools,
kindergartens and for families to share.
Rhyllis Bignell
A single stone by Meg McKinlay
Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781925081701
(Age: 13+) Recommended. An island . . . a valley . . . a village . .
. a completely isolated civilization with strange customs and
beliefs to rationalize survival. Jena is a young girl, barely a
teenager, but she leads an elite group of petite girls trained to
tunnel into the surrounding mountain to harvest Mica shards, which
are a crucial source of heat throughout severe winters. The girls in
the 'line' take great pride in their role and aspire to their
dangerous vocation by abstinence and bodily dysmorphia commenced
soon after birth. Jena is disenfranchised when she discovers that
the 'Mothers' who lead the village, are prematurely inducing the
babies born to tunnelling mothers, in order to breed an even smaller
and more efficient 'line'. In this state, it becomes easier for Jena
to grasp alternate perspectives and seek opportunities to escape
their mountain prison. Coincidently, these are presented to her when
an outsider stumbles upon a path into the valley. What happens when
Jena moves that last stone?
Meg McKinlay uses her fictitious village to show how body image can
be influenced by cultural expectations and beliefs. The Mothers
bind, wrap and starve petite females who are highly prized.
Conversely, boys and big boned girls, have less relative value. They
are just mouths to feed. Optimal status and resources are given to
the families of the seven girls in the 'line' who collectively
ensure the survival of the village. These themes will resonate with
teenage girls and to some extent help us to ponder our own cultural
obsession with body image.
The inaccuracy surrounding the properties of the mineral, mica, is a
disappointment in terms of continuity and belief. The author could
have suspended our belief by choosing another mineral, real or
imagined, whose contradictory inflammable qualities are less well
known. On the whole, a fantasy, a real-world parallel and not a bad
piece of escapism.
Deb Robins
Hop up! Wriggle over! by Elizabeth Honey
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743319987
(Age: Early childhood) Recommended. Australian Animals, Bed time,
Daily activities. Nine bouncing baby Australian animals roll across
each of the pages in this enchanting look at the activities a family
undertakes during a day. From getting up with parents, kangaroo and
koala tugged awake by their hungry offspring, to bed time where all
sleep the sleep of the exhausted after a fun packed day children
will scream with delight recognising the things they do with their
own families.
Each double page shows a different activity that a family would do
during an ordinary day. Breakfast after waking will delight the
readers with the words, 'crunch, crunch, gobble gobble, lick lick,
more' over the illustrations showing the family enjoying eating in
their own special way. Then they get on their transporters to find
their way to the park and have a picnic, first having fun on the
play equipment. After the picnic, play again occurs, then the
kangaroo calls the family together to go home. Picking salad
vegetables for tea causes mayhem, but tea is even more messy, with
'chomp, chomp, munch, munch, slurp, slurp, errp' written over the
illustrations. Bath time then snuggling down to bed completes this
representation of family life.
Read aloud, the playful words will encourage children to recognise
and join in, marveling at the new words they can say. Looking
closely at the illustrations too will encourage their participation
in the story and they will delight in the touches of humour along
the way. I loved the warmth displayed by everyone, and the small
touches, like the echidna being picked up by the kangaroo, or the
bigger animals helping the smaller ones, all lend themselves to
discussions about families and getting along as well as routines and
some less common Australian animals.
The soft watercolour drawings are impressive in in their simplicity,
giving an impression of each animal with panache and will make this
book even more appealing as the readers endeavour to find the nine
animals on each page
Fran Knight
Kookoo Kookaburra by Gregg Dreise
Magabala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781921248900
(Age: 4-8) Highly recommended. Themes: Aboriginal peoples -
Dreaming, Kookaburras, Kindness, Gentleness. 'Kindness is like a
boomerang - if you throw it often, it comes back often.'
Greg Dreise's second morality tale Kookoo kookaburra reminds
young children to think about how they treat others and to speak
kindly to all.
Kookoo's story is set in the Dreamtime, way before the
once-upon-a-time of fairy tales. He loved to sit and watch the
Australian bush animals and when one would act in a silly way,
Kookoo would laugh. He made up stories about their silly ways. These
were kind and gentle stories and he used his words wisely. The
animals gathered around and loved to listen, until one day Kookoo
started to tease them and embarrass them with mean stories. The
red-winged parrot has to remind him of Uncle Googaguga's message
about kindness. It takes a while for the message to filter through
to the kookaburra.
Greg's illustrations use natural, earthy tones, the birds' feathers
and wings are painted with brush strokes and dot paintings. The use
of dark and light coloured backgrounds set the moods and convey the
message. Kookoo's final happy laugh is a splashy, dazzling spread -
a celebration of happiness .
What a wonderful new Dreaming story, with an important message about
the power of words and the importance of being kind. This would be a
wonderful core text for so many curriculum units in Humanities and
Social Sciences, Health, English, Dreaming Stories, Art and just for
sharing.
Rhyllis Bignell
Tilly's big problem by Rose Stanley
Ill. by Lisa Allen. Starfish Bay Publishing, 2014. ISBN
9780994100306
(Age:(for children under 8). Recommended. Themes: Problems;
Counselling; Social and emotional development; Problem Solving; Peer
support. Tilly has a problem so big that she is unable to deal with
it on her own. Her close friend, Ned, comes up with a plan to share
the problem with a 'big person', and they list the likely candidates
and come up with a test to see who is the most suitable to share the
details of the Problem. At no stage in this book do we find out what
the 'Big Problem' might be, but the fact that it is something that
cannot be solved without some intervention is the essence of the
problem.
There is an element of humour in the manner in which the children
problem-solve to select the favoured counsellor, and the illustrator
has a suitable quirky, naive style. This masks what might be a
serious issue for some children, 'Who do I tell when I have a
problem that overwhelms me?' This book may be used in discussions
about who would be suitable to entrust with issues.
This is definitely a book to encourage students to share with school
counsellors. It does not minimise children's issues, nor suggest
that they might be easily solved.
Carolyn Hull
Lifespan of Starlight by Thalia Kalkipsakis
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2015. ISBN: 9781742978710
(Age: 15+) Scout, Mason and Bloc live in the future, 2084. It is a
world where most humans are microchipped. With a microchip the human
has access to food, water, accommodation and travel. All travel,
food and water is monitored and rationed.
The novel begins well, with Scout providing a firsthand description
and analysis of the society she lives within. Scout is illegal. For
reasons unexplained in the novel, her mother has kept her presence a
secret for fourteen years. Also unexplained is the presence of the
character Alistair and his motivation for educating Scout in using
technology with such skill she can hack into the computer systems of
other individuals and the government.
After Scout steals a microchip from a homeless woman, she discovers
that time travel is possible. Together with Mason and Bloc she
trains to extend her capabilities. This ends in tragedy and leads to
Scout choosing to leap ten years into the future.
This is the first novel in a trilogy, however there are too many
loose ends in the second half of the novel for the reader to feel
entirely satisfied with the ending.
The author's website
includes a link to Teacher Notes.
Linda Guthrie
The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston
Dragon Slayer of Trondheim bk 1. CarolRhoda Lab, 2014. ISBN
9781467710664
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Science fiction. Fantasy. Music. 2015
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten), William C. Morris YA
Debut Award Nominee (2015), Kirkus Prize Nominee for Young Readers'
Literature (2014). This is the story of Owen Thorskard, slayer of
dragons and his bard Siobhan McQuaid, who tells his story. Set in an
alternative America, where dragons are drawn to fossil fuels, the
people are protected by dragon slayers, who are lured to the cities
by big corporations, leaving small towns unprotected. When the
Thorskards, a legendary dragon fighting family, arrive in Trondheim,
a remote Canadian village, 16 year old Owen faces an onslaught of
dragons with just his sword and his bard to help him.
This is a stunning book. Once I got reading I couldn't put it down.
It is a wonderful and original mixture of modern life, carbon
emission eating dragons and song writing. Owen and Siobhan have to
face ordinary situations at school and extraordinary situations
fighting the dragons and this mixture adds to the humour and
sometimes pathos in the story. A droll social commentary on big
corporations and the environment adds to the interest of the story.
The tale is told in the witty and humorous voice of Siobhan:
'Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at
algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he
had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the
town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival.'
The reader gets to know both Owen and Siobhan very well. Owen is a
likeable hero and Siobhan grows as a bard in training and as a sword
wielder while recounting their story. The focus is on the nature of
heroism and partnership rather than romance as the pair learn to
cope with modern life while defending their village and those they
love. They also learn that sacrifices have to be made.
This story was complete in itself. It was such a relief not to be
left on a cliff-hanger! However I am thrilled that there will be
other adventures in the series and eagerly wait for the next book.
Pat Pledger
The silent boy by Andrew Taylor
Harper, 2015. ISBN 9780007506606
(Age: Young adult/adult) Highly recommended. Crime, Historical
novel, French Revolution, Eighteenth century England. When young
Charles sees his mother, Augusta killed during the first stages of
the French Revolution, he keeps himself quiet and unobserved, not
saying a thing, just like she said. So he does not speak. At all.
Emigres take him to England and he finds himself in a country house
with a man who was a friend of his mother's and insists he is
Charles' father. Savill, estranged husband to Augusta has a claim
and wants to do the best for the boy even though he knows he is not
his son. But he is commissioned by the enigmatic Rampton a childless
civil servant within the Post Office, great uncle to Augusta, to
fetch the child from the country as he needs an heir. Savill goes on
his quest armed with an array of documents giving him the legal
power to take the boy, but suffering from tooth ache is laid up for
several days. During this time the child is kidnapped, and so the
hunt is on.
This is a surprising story. At first I found it rather muddled, and
the disjointed writing did not help, but I persevered as the setting
is so well defined, and found it a gripping read. Chapters in the
past tense carry most of the action, while those in the present
revolve around the mute boy and his activities at staying alive.
When a young woman reads him the story of Robinson Crusoe he deems
that flight to the safety of an island is his only option, so he
escapes from his captors several times, making Savill's hunt even
more precarious. Cat and mouse chapters follow, with Charles falling
into the hands of a variety of people, and Savill being often just
one step behind the lad. The plot delves and dives into some amazing
places with an array of great characters to keep the readers'
interest.
Above all the reader will want to know what happens to the boy, and
why he has been struck dumb, while the descriptions of life in both
town and city in eighteenth century England makes for a fascinating
backdrop to the tale.
Fran Knight
Judy Moody, Mood Martian by Megan McDonald
Ill. by Peter H. Reynolds. Judy Moody bk 12. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN
9781406357837
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Themes: School stories, Family Life,
Emotions, Friends. Judy Moody returns in Judy Moody, Mood
Martian, and the young girl we know and love, the emotional,
messy, quite contrary has disappeared! Just for a short while
luckily! It's Backwards Day at school and she double-dares herself
to change into the Queen of the Good Mood for just one week.
"Star-spangle bananas," her mother exclaims when a radically
transformed Judy appears the next morning. Judy is transformed, red
hair slicked back, all her clothes match and she even laughs at
little brother Stink's jokes. Her mood ring is painted with purple
nail polish to signal she'll be in a good mood all day. Mr. DDOT
(Todd backwards) even introduces the class to palindromes. With her
success of staying in a positive frame of mind all day, she decides
to continue the positive top-secret experiment for a week. She even
decides to ask Jessica-A plus-Finch for advice.
With the help of lots of finger-knitting and making the right
choices Judy Moody finds the week challenging. Her family thinks she
been invaded by an alien! Once again, Peter R. Harvey's cartoons add
to the drama and humour of the story, Martian Judy and the rescue of
the finger knitting from the toilet bowl are memorable!
This is a wonderful addition to the Judy Moody series, it will
delight the fans.
Recommended for 7-9 year olds
Rhyllis Bignell
Assembly of shapes by Danielle Weiler
Ranga Books, 2015. ISBN 9780987546715
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. 'I need a place, just for me, a place
to escape, a place to just be. If I could create an assembly of
shapes on endless pages I do believe my life would be complete.'
The main character, Chas is an intense character, so skilfully drawn
that the reader feels they know him and the suburb he lives in.
Chas is working his way through year 11 and has lots of secrets. He
doesn't know who his father is, he's in love with his best friend's
girlfriend and he is an 'undercover' artist.
This book is about relationships. Relationship with family, friends,
and self are all put under the microscope in this captivating story.
The writing style is compelling and the situations portrayed so
realisticly as to be shocking and thought provoking. Chas grows in
maturity as he tackles the challenge to achieve his dreams,
seemingly against all odds. He has unexpected champions and foes as
the story unfolds, culminating in unexpected tragedy.
The power of this book is the reality of the situations the young
characters find themselves dealing with. There is much to discuss
and explore.
'I've finally done it. They will all be safe. And this is the sole
reason for my sacrifice.'
Linda Guthrie
Home by Carson Ellis
Walker, 2015. ISBN 9781406359428
(Age: 4-8) Highly recommended. Housing. Homes.
Imagination. Buildings. Carson Ellis is an artist and illustrator
whose unique naive style is showcased in her debut picture book Home.
She is known for her artistic covers on band albums and backdrops
and for her illustrations in the Wildwood series written by
her husband, Conor Meloy. Here her pen and ink illustrations use
dark tonal colors, with solid lines and small, quirky touches to
create mood and interest. There is a fairytale quality to her work,
the characters stylishly dressed with princesses and pirates. Each
setting and each home waits to be explored, studied and discussed.
She takes us on a journey around the world and even into space; the
Moonian's home is in shades of grey, with the colourful Earth, a
small ball in the distance viewed through a large circular window.
From a home in the country, we are taken on a journey past flats in
the city, to Indian palaces with underground lairs. Animals' homes
are included as well as spiders' webs and birds' nests. The old
woman who lives in the shoe is surrounded by her multicultural
family drumming, swinging, climbing, sliding and balancing on a
tightrope, having fun. Mythical places - underwater Atlantis, a
Norse god home are shown in detail. With contrasting scenes placed
side by side we see the a Slovakian duchess and her stately home
next to a Kenyan blacksmith's small abode. As the pages are turned,
each new painting is a celebration of the imagination. The text is
simple, engaging and questioning. Where is your home? Where are you?
In the final pages, Carson is peering out the window of her
two-story home asking the reader to think about their own place.
Highly recommended for 4-8 years and for Early Years Geography and
History lessons.
Rhyllis Bignell
Teddy took the train by Nicki Greenberg
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760112134
(Age: 3-5) Recommended. Teddy bears. Poetry. Lost
and found. Trains. The market place is bustling as Dot and Teddy are
finishing the shopping, they race after Mum to catch the early
train. The train is crowded, Dot squeezes in to get the window seat,
whilst Mum sits beside her in her wheelchair. They see diggers,
skyscrapers and a runaway balloon. Dot's excitement on arrival at
the station, dancing and splashing in the puddles is suddenly marred
by a realization. Did the train take Teddy, or did teddy take the
train? Sitting on her mother's lap whilst the station attendant
Peter (a quite dark figure) talks to them, Dot's imagination
takes over and she can see Teddy enjoying a picnic with friends at
Bear Bend. Ted's journey home is long and tricky, he's caught in a
crowd, tumbled down a riverbank and left alone to watch cloud
patterns in the sky. After Dot's tea and her bath, she becomes a
little teary, Ted is lost, she's missing her her best friend.
The rhyming story builds momentum, like the rhythm of a train on the
tracks, until we read the refrain - The train took Teddy... No!
Teddy drove the train! Dot's in bed and Mum's reading to her when
they hear the whistle blow, it is the seven-oh-two. Someone is there
on the doorstep with a very special surprise.
Nicki Greenfield's illustrations combine the use of ink, pencil,
acrylic with digital graphics and scanned objects. Cartoon sketches
and caricatures fill the train carriage and market, with the
backgrounds flooded with darker colours. As the story picks up
speed, Dot's hair becomes wilder and more exuberant.
A delightful picture book, asking to be read aloud at home,
preschool, kindergarten or school.
Rhyllis Bignell
Bears don't read by Emma Chichester Clark
HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780007425181
Bear is not like the other grizzly bears in the woods. While they
are perfectly happy doing bear things like fishing, Bear is bored.
"Oh, life is lovely," he thought. "Tra-la-la and all that! But is
this it?" he wondered. "Is this all there is?"
Then one day, Bear discovers a book. And inside it were pictures of
bears just like him, but there were also a lot of words and even
Bear knew that they meant something, even the tiny ones. But what?
So he decides to go into the town to find out, to find someone who
will teach him to read. But instead of being greeted by a band of
willing helpers, he is met by people fleeing and the police riot
squad! Until he meets Clementine.
As well as being a charming story, this book celebrates Bear's
determination and acknowledges that reading is not an easy task,
something the target audience will be able to empathise with.
Clementine's patience mirrors that of the early childhood teacher
and the ending is delightful. Even though bears are depicted as
fierce and scary, the illustrations are soft and gentle supporting
the words to show a different side of this species. Emma Chichester
Clark has a distinctive style that has seen her win many awards for
her illustrations and this is another superb example.
Barbara Braxton
Hanna: My Holocaust Story by Goldie Alexander
My Holocaust Story series. Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN
9781743629673
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Poland, Holocaust, World War
11, Survival, Family Life, Courage. Only this afternoon Papa had
warned us of the German threat to Poland. Now the Luftwaffe's bombs
had succeeded in convincing us that everything was about to change.
Scholastic brings us a powerful and emotive new series, My Holocaust
Story with strong girl protagonists, set against the horrors of
World War II. Each book sold raises funds for the Courage to Care
educational program, whose goal is to oppose injustice in the world.
Eleven years old Hanna Kaminsky enjoys her life in Warsaw, Poland,
living in a large house with her mother, father, younger brother
Adam and baby Ryzia. She loves gymnastics, spending time with her
best friend Eva and reading. On one afternoon in September 1939
everything changes, as the Nazis invade Poland and all the Jewish
families are pushed into ghettos.
Their loyal maid Elza risks her own life by hiding the family in her
mother's farmhouse attic. With little food, freezing conditions and
Mama and Ryzia forced to hide all the time, life is tough. Papa
rises early to help with the farm work and Adam and Hannah help with
the chickens and milk the cows. Goldie Alexander captures the
hardships and realities of this life; she doesn't hide the difficult
times. Hannah's love of reading, Adam's playing his imaginary violin
and their secret forays into the forest lighten the mood.
Their capture and move to the ghetto are confronting and realistic,
the stealing, gangs, fighting for food, underground schools,
sickness and loss of life are presented openly and authentically.
Hannah and Adam's final choices show their courage in adversity and
present a hope for their future.
These stories need to be shared with a new generation of readers,
they are powerful and confronting. They are important for older
readers to develop an understanding of family life, courage and
survival in times of war. Our political refugees in classrooms have
similar stories to tell.
Rhyllis Bignell
Havoc by Jane Higgins
Text, 2015. ISBN: 9781922147295
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. This dystopian novel is the sequel to
Bridge (winner of the Text Prize for Young Adult and
Children's Writing in 2010) and has the reader urgently turning the
page to see what happens next.
Nick Stais and Pathmaker Lanya, are skilfully drawn main characters
who share their inner world with the reader as they grapple with
betrayal and conflict. They are caught in a war between two cities,
Cityside (rich and powerful) and Southside (portrayed as
disadvantaged). A more sinister plan involving biological warfare is
discovered. Nick and Lanya must find Nick's father (across the river
in Cityside) in order to establish collaborations that will reveal
the conspiracy of the governments involved. The writing that
explains the actions and thoughts of the characters is intelligent.
The reader is often held in suspense as the intrigue and power games
threaten to overcome the main characters.
This novel provides opportunities to examine and discuss
contemporary issues such as border security, asylum seekers,
conflict, loyalty and trust in government.
Excellent teaching
notes are available and these are aligned with the Australian
Curriculum.
Linda Guthrie
