Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781742838250
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Monsters, Cooking, Humour. With his
most unmonsterish name, Marcel, this monster has a problem. He has
the normal attributes of a monster: he is lumpy and grumpy, hairy
and of medium size with crochety horns and googly eyes, but he fails
to scare the children, which after all, is his purpose in
life. Perhaps his horns with balls on the end to prevent
anyone being gored, or allowing kids to kiss or hug him gives
readers a clue as to why he is so unsuccessful as a monster. In four
line rhyming stanzas we follow him in the evening as he catches the
bus with other monsters to go to work.
The humour is doubly reflected in the illustrations as Marcel sets
about his night time employment. He lurks in wardrobes, climbs in
windows, creeps down hallways, but the kids he is supposed to scare,
treat him like a friend, giving him a hug and playing with his
horns. A failure again, he trudges off home after an uneventful
nonscaring night, and cooks his favourite things. Every reader will
make appropriate noises at the combination of cockroach, bat and
slug that he cooks up in his wonderful kitchen.
But when one night his lunch is found by the children, they are
finally really and truly scared. He has found the answer.
This is an enormously delicious story about a monster whose job it
is to scare children. He is morose at not fulfilling his aim, but
finds another way to achieve his goal. His confidence grows so much
that he opens a restaurant with gruesome menu choices, the worst of
which gives a surprise ending which many children will relate to.
Gouache, pencil and water colour are used with great effect, giving
Marcel an almost sloppy look and his facial expressions are
hilarious. I love the image of him sitting in the bus stop with his
red lunch box, and the array of nasty crawly things in his kitchen
will have the readers squeal with delight.
A wonderful readaloud, this clever rhyming story with its engrossing
illustrations will be a hit with everyone who picks it up, and who
could resist its enticing cover.
Fran Knight
The 52-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Treehouse Series: Book 4. Pan Macmillan, 2014. ISBN 9781742614212
Highly recommended for 7-10 years.Andy Griffith and Terry Denton's
new addition to the Treehouse series is another winner. Their
imagination is boundless, their energy and enthusiasm infectious and
their ability to engage even the most reluctant of readers is
encouraging.
There are thirteen wonderful new storeys with a watermelon-smashing
level, a wave machine and a life-size snakes and ladders game - yes
with real ladders and snakes and a rocket-powered carrot-launcher.
The high-tech detective agency comes stocked with an extraordinary
array of equipment - moustache disguises, crim-catcha net, a
weaponarium even a clue detector. These tools prove to be extremely
important because Andy and Terry have a case to solve - the mystery
of Mr Big Nose's disappearance.
The adventurers are drawn into a Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, unable
to wake Jill up from a deep slumber, they must ride to the vegetable
castle to break the spell. They carry a talking caterpillar who
consumes their fried egg car and an amazing variety of obstacles
along the way including two steamrollers and giant mutant spiders.
With the help of Vegetable Patty, who rescues the adventurers from a
hot and dangerous situation, Andy and Terry are finally free to
enjoy the new storeys in their treehouse and celebrate Andy's
birthday.
Students at our school actively engage with these stories, we have a
class set of both The 13-Storey Treehouse and The
52-Storey Treehouse. They provide stimulus for story writing,
art, design and technology and engagement with reading.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Duties of a Cat by Jenny Blackford
Ill. by Michael Robson. Pitt Street
Poetry, 2014. ISBN 9781922080240
(Ages 10+) Poetry. Jenny Blackford's poems capture the
quintessential feline nature, the sensory overload, the joy of
ownership that is a cat's life. She has an almost secret
understanding, eloquently portrayed through her carefully chosen
stanzas. In The duties of a cat Jenny draws the audience in,
as they identify with the contrary nature of the beast. A cat's furry belly is irresistible.
Demand a tummy-tickle,
then claw them when they dare.
Michael Robson's soft sketches echo the poet's thoughts. In Forests
of Fur Jenny portrays the seasonal changes of the long haired
cat's coat - the thin silk suit of summer and the forests of fur
that spring long and lovely and lush over the cat in Autumn.
Read these poems aloud and the ailurophiles will smile.
Rhyllis Bignell
Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown
Star Wars: Jedi Academy Book 2. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781743625842
(Ages: 9-12) Author and illustrator Jeffrey Brown's Star Wars Jedi
Academyhas proved to be a highly successful graphic novel
appreciated by fans from 9-12 years of age. The diary format with
personal information, insights and illustrations is an extremely
popular format with preteen readers.
This time around Roan Novachez is faced with a new set of middle
school challenges at the Jedi Academy. His summer holidays were
enjoyable, he flew the Corellian Run with his friend Pasha. This
year Roan faces a variety of new challenges and friendship issues.
Roan's school life is recorded in cartoons, diary entries, letters,
sketches and e-mails (holomails). His days are filled with alien
poetry tests, dodge ball accidents, food fights, problems in flight
simulation class, field trips and light saber duels.
Typical middle-school issues arise as Roan experiences all sorts of
trouble, friendships, bullies even trouble with his crush Gaiana. He
continues to learn about the Force, undertakes pilot training and
unfortunately learns that there are consequences for starting down
the path of the Dark Side.
This is another exciting adventure for Star Wars fans as Brown
captures the ups and downs of life at the Jedi Academy.
Rhyllis Bignell
Counting Aussie animals in my backyard by Bronwyn Houston
Magabala Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922142542
(Age: Pre school) Recommended. Picture book, Counting, Australian
animals. With the luminous style of illustration found in Bronwyn's
previous books, Staircase to the moon, and My home Broome, this
counting book will find a place in schools and libraries as well as
homes. It not only helps children become acquainted with their
numbers, it also teaches about common Australian animals that can be
found in their backyards.
Each double page is alive with large images of Australian plants to
be found in the north of Australia, plants with bold bright colours,
edged in white, giving the impression of batik or crayon drawings,
encouraging the reader to imagine they are there. The number written
numerically and in letters, teaches the reader the difference
between each way of denoting that number, and draws their eyes to
find the number of animals displayed in the picture. Younger readers
will get a thrill from finding the animals to make up the number and
enjoy the counting out on each page, building up to the number ten.
The book contains animals they will recognise whether they be in
Broome or other parts of Australia, and will get a thrill at how the
number ten is depicted.
The book begs the question of finding the animals in their own back
yard, be it at school or at home, and will encourage younger readers
to look outside and in the garden. This will be a glorious addition
to the number of counting books available for younger readers and
will find a home in all pre-school libraries.
Fran Knight
The minnow by Diana Sweeney
Text Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781922182012.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Text Prize for YA and Children's
Writing (2013). After a devastating flood which claimed the lives of
her parents and sister, Tom has been living with Bill down by the
lake. But it is time for her to leave because Bill hasn't been
treating her properly. Her grandmother is in a nursing home and so
she goes to live with her friend Jonah, who too is a flood survivor.
In her grief Tom talks to fish. There is Oscar, a large carp in the
pet shop who is always right. A little catfish called Sarah could be
her drowned sister and there is a turtle at the hospital, as well as
the Minnow. At first, this beautifully crafted story is confusing,
as it is not always clear just who Tom is talking to, but this is
part of the wonder of the tale. It is a book that begs to be read
before the reader starts looking at reviews or analysis of what
happens as working out just what is occurring really adds to the
reader's enjoyment.
The gradual unfolding of the story showcases Tom's growth as a
resilient young woman. She is surrounded by caring people who help
her with her grief. With the aid of James Wu, a teacher, Jonah her
friend helps her get back to school, while Jonathan his grandfather
is non-judgmental in the assistance and support he offers. Her
grandmother gives wonderful advice and Hazel, the nursing home
administrator is there for her. Sergeant Griffin is calm but doesn't
push her in ways that she can't tolerate. This care from a close
knit community is uplifting, although Bill is certainly not a person
to be near and the reader is left wondering why Tom was sheltering
with him.
The quality of the writing, the strangeness of the story, the
poignancy of the grief of the flood's survivors made this an
outstanding read for me. The minnow deserved to win the Text
Prize and it is a very memorable and unique book. It would lend
itself to discussion in a Literature Circle, preferably after
everyone had read it. Teacher's
notes are available.
Pat Pledger
Lulu Bell series by Belinda Murrell
Ill. by Serena Geddes. Random House, 2014 Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub. ISBN 9780857983015 Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party. ISBN 9780857983039
(Age: Yr 1-3) There was great excitement at my house recently
because Miss 8 came to stay and discovered in my review pile the two
latest additions to the new series by Belinda Murrell for young
girls who are verging on being independent readers and looking for a
novel which features a young heroine just like them. Lulu Bell is
just eight, the practical one in a family that includes her
six-year-old sister Rosie, who loves wearing angel wings and sparkly
shoes; her three-year-old brother Gus who always wears his superhero
suit; her dad, a busy vet and her mum, an artist- not to mention a
menagerie of pets. Miss 8 really enjoys this refreshing series of
stories about characters she can relate to, particularly Lulu as the
strong, sensible level-headed lead, and there were no
'just-five-more-minutes?' at bedtime because she was so keen to curl
up and read them.
In i>Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub, Lulu and her friends go on a
class excursion to the zoo. Given a treasure hunt of questions they
need to answer, Lulu and her friends and the reader learn all sorts
of unusual facts about the animals, such as the meerkat being able
to eat scorpions because they're immune to the venom. But it is
because the zoo's vet is one of her dad's best friends that they
have a remarkable experience with Berani the tiger cub and make it a
zoo trip to remember.
In Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party Lulu has an exciting time
as Molly and Sam and Ebony sleep over. But instead of games, snacks,
stories and whispering and giggling far into the night, they are
needed to help Dad at the vet hospital as he has one of his busiest
nights for years.
Based on the author's own experiences of growing up in a vet
hospital, this series has an authenticity that really appeals to its
target audience, particularly as that is the age when so many of
them dream of living the life themselves. Each new adventure is
greeted warmly by Miss 8, who delights in being able to read them
for herself, and I know she has introduced her friends to Lulu Bell
because she told me her school's teacher librarian was wondering
when the latest episodes would be available. She was delighted when
I told her that there would be a special Christmas one available in
November. So for a read of the more traditional kind that really
speaks to this age group, this series should be on your library's
must-have list. If it's already part of your collection, then look
for these new titles and tell the students they can find out more at
the author's website.
Barbara Braxton
A-Z of convicts in Van Diemen's Land by Simon Barnard
Text Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781922079343
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. This encyclopedia is a wonderful book
that brings to life the history of the convict period in Tasmania
from 1803 to 1853. The 73,000 convicts who arrived in the colony,
lived lives that were largely hidden from us till now. Simon Barnard
has used his wonderful drawing skills to bring to life and
faithfully depict the people, their suffering, achievements,
activities and the buildings, where they lived and worked.
Each alphabetically listed item, starting with 'absconder' has
detailed, accurate and fascinating details of the convicts. I was
especially drawn to the many three dimensional drawings of
buildings, and activities. The artist-author used primary documents
such as convict personal records and building plans to illustrate
each facet of history. A drawing of a 'hulk' for example, is
accompanied by personal stories, the daily routine, hardships on
board, the role of staff, and the construction of the vessel. A
whole page, the pages are very large, is devoted to 'leg irons' and
demonstrates how they were constructed, the various parts, their
use, and peculiarities. There are also double page illustrations of
a 'penal station', 'shipyard', and 'treadmill'. Each page is filled
with curious related facts and stories, and even includes a brief
description of my convict ancestor, William Westwood, who managed to
escape past the Eaglehawk Neck dog-line.
This rich and fascinating book is an extremely valuable addition to
the historical knowledge of convict Australia.
A map, glossary, index and bibliography are included at the end.
Paul Pledger
The beach they called Gallipoli by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
HarperCollins, 2014. ISBN 9780732292263
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. World War One, Gallipoli, War,
Environment. Kitted out with army uniform, great boots and a
bayoneted rifle, fifteen year old Alec Campbell stares out at the
reader from the front cover of Jackie French's latest picture book.
People who have read about this war will know that he was one of the
underage boys who enlisted, but unlike many others, he survived.
Reading this book the reader can only wonder how anyone survived
this particular battlefield.
Each page has French's brief words, encapsulating what happened at
Gallipoli on the dates highlighted. Pared down to sentences,
phrases, and sometimes single words, these give an account of the
events that occurred on this beach and in its hills. The background,
first appearing on the cover, of the low hills of Gallipoli beach,
begins with the villagers who fished there prior to the outbreak of
war. Their use of the sea and the beach is in stark contrast with
what happened only a few months later, when thousands of soldiers
were landed with orders to take the high ground where the Turkish
Army waited.
On each page, Whatley has a drawing of the scene in the top left
hand corner, then drawings and photographs on what appears to be
torn paper, underlining the transient nature of the engagement. The
mix of different media, makes the reader search out each picture,
taking in the detail and the message underpinned by the image. Maps,
artifacts, images of dead soldiers, munition, trenches, headstones,
animals and barbed wire cover the pages, leaving readers in no doubt
about the changes made to this little beach. French takes us forward
to the beach today, a place of rest for the nearly nine thousand
Australians killed (and 80,000 Turks, 44,000 Allies, 2,700 New
Zealanders), a site of pilgrimage for many, a place where everyone
can reflect upon the utter futility of war.
Fran Knight
The Books of The Raksura series by Martha Wells
Night Shade Books, various dates. The Cloud Roads. 2011. ISBN 9781597802161 The Serpent Sea. 2012. ISBN 9781597803329 The Siren Depths. 2012. ISBN 9781597804400
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Belonging. Moon has been
hiding all his life. He has the ability to shape shift into a winged
creature that can soar into the air. He has been unable to find
anyone others like him and has done his best to fit in with the
groundling communities where he attempts to live. When Stone, a huge
shape shifter, finds and rescues him and takes him to the Indigo
Cloud community, he discovers that there are others just like him
but it is not easy to fit into a group where he is unfamiliar with
the rules and traditions. The Fell, the Raksura's deadly enemy, is
also on the warpath, and Moon, together with Jade his queen and
other colleagues, are in for the struggle of their lives to preserve
their species.
This is one of the most original and interesting worlds that I have
read in the fantasy genre. Wells has an exceptional ability to write
about an alien world and an alien species in detail, making both
completely believable and utterly fascinating. Her non-human
characters come alive and it is so easy to empathesize with Moon,
who desperately wants to belong. However he finds it difficult to
fit in and is very cynical about whether he is wanted or not. It is
this universal need for everyone to fit into a group and to be loved
that permeates the series and makes it such a good read. In addition
to exceptional world building and characterisation, Wells' action is
very fast paced and the adventures that face the Raksura in all
three books are original and exciting.
This series was so absorbing that I read each book quickly and then
just as quickly looked up to see others that Wells had written. Readers
who like action with feel good stories, likeable characters and
wonderful world building are sure to enjoy this series, as are
readers who enjoy books by Sharon Shinn and Lois McMaster Bujold.
Pat Pledger
Jessica's Box by Peter Carnavas
New Frontier Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781921928574
(Ages 4-6) Highly recommended. School Life, Integration, Family,
Friendship. Peter Carnavas has worked with the Cerebal Palsy
Alliance to recreate his award winning picture book Jessica's
Box.
Jessica is a creative little girl who is encouraged by her family to
enjoy her first days of school. She looks forward to making new
friends. Every morning she sets off in her wheelchair with a
cardboard box on her lap, hidden inside are her special treasures.
When her teddy bear doesn't impress her classmates, she tries
delicious iced cupcakes, then her dog Doris, but she is
disheartened. When Jessica brings her empty box to school and sits
with it on her head, she discovers that others are interested in
playing with her. All she needs is to be herself.
Peter Carnavas's sensitive watercolour and black pencil outlined
illustrations portray Jessica's different emotions. Several pages
use shades of dark blue or sepia tones to focus on her sad feelings.
The surrounding white spaces portray her sense of loneliness, whilst
bright, bold colours highlight her happiness. Her wheelchair is
simply part of her life and she moves through the pages unaffected
by her physical limitations.
The key messages of this highly recommended story are valuing your
self worth, the importance of an encouraging family and friendship.
Rhyllis Bignell
Sally Snicker's knickers by Lynn Ward
Ill. by Anthea Stead. Walker, 2014. ISBN 9781921720499
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Verse, Underwear, Humour, Difference. Sally
is unusual and likes to wear her knickers on her head in preference
to a hat. The first half of the book shows her in her knicker
wearing guise, with vibrant images showing a broad range of undies;
boxer shorts, Y-fronts, long johns, cottontails, lycra, all placed
on Sally's grinning head. But not everyone accepts her oddity,
particularly not her teacher who reminds her of the school hat rule.
But the rest of her class make the teacher change her decision and
all is resolved very neatly.
This is a lovely tale of difference, of not obeying rules, of having
your friends support the decision you have made. Sally tries on all
of her knickers as well as a few from other people on her head.
Readers will laugh out loud at Sally and her preference for frilly
knickers or floral knickers, with all shades between, until she
arrives at school to find some opposition.
The four line verses are fluid and easy to read out loud, filling
out Sally's other traits, enabling readers to feel empathy for the
girl who likes to wear knickers on her head, as well as odd socks,
and sometimes no shoes. The colourful illustrations add to the scope
and humour of the story as readers will love recognising the
different sorts of knickers shown.
Fran Knight
No stars to wish on by Zana Fraillon
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743315149
(Age: 12+) This is a strange and disturbing story. For a number of
reasons I hesitate to recommend this book to a wide audience. It is
clear that the author wishes to convey to the reader an
understanding of the torturous lives led by many 'forgotten
Australians', who grew up in Australian orphanages, children's
homes, foster care and other institutions. However the grim nature
of this story, along with the cruelty described and the futile hopes
expressed, make it a book for older readers. The cover could suggest
otherwise. Author, Zana Fraillon, has read the personal accounts of
many, accessing information from The Care Leavers Australia Network
and the Alliance for Forgotten Australians, and these stories are
horrifying. Seven-year-old Jack, who is deaf, and his younger
sister, are taken from their home to an orphanage, followed later by
his older sister, where they are subsequently separated and
allocated dormitory beds. Conditions are dreadful but Jack tries to
lighten the oppression with jokes and plans to return home. Through
Jack's eyes we learn of the strict daily routines, the authoritarian
rule and the controlling spirit of the place; there is an air of
unreality as we read of Jack's plight, and our discomfort grows as
the shock of the situation is realised. Such a story should be told,
and Fraillon makes it somewhat illusory in its content and style to
soften the impact of the subject matter. Perhaps this technique
makes the reality difficult to grasp. Regardless, this book will
promote much discussion and soul searching.
Julie Wells
Grandma, the baby and me by Emma Allen
Ill. by Hannah Sommerville. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781862918733
(Age: 4+) Siblings, Babies, Grandparents. The confusion of an older
sibling at the introduction of a new baby into a household is given
a fresh approach in this story. Henry's grandmother has warned there
will be trouble and it follows like night follows day. The baby
screams and takes up his parents' time. When Mum has put out the
washing, it rains so that Henry's favourite dinosaur pyjamas are too
wet to wear, so he must wear his sister's frilly pink ones. This
embarrassment is compounded when she shows their friends what Henry
had worn. When Henry splashes in the bath he is told he is splashing
the baby, when he accidentally pushes Fergus, he goes to his room
but has a pain in this tummy. All is relieved when Grandam arrives
the next day to hug him.
This is a sympathetic story of the changes afoot in a family when a
baby arrives. Each of the subdued illustrations shows the family in
some sort of disarray as the baby's presence upsets the normal
routine. The wash of pale watercolour within the soft pencil
outlines gives a gentleness to the illustrations that engages the
reader in seeing the intrusion of the baby from Henry's point of
view and we are pleased with him when Grandma arrives to save
Henry's day.
Fran Knight
Let's Play by Gabriel Alborozo
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316283.
(Age: Early childhood) It's been a strange week - one of those ones
where something you rarely think about keeps popping up in front of
you. No one on this planet could ever describe me as musical - when
that talent was given out I was definitely behind the door - but for
the third time in three days there has been something significant
about music that has caught my attention. Firstly, this poster
from The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra about the importance of
music in a child's life came through my FB feed and I had to share
it with my teaching colleagues, all of whom are talented enough to
act on it. Photo:
The importance of music education! Then there was a news
report about research about the effect of music on literacy
learning and the review book on top of my pile is called Let's
Play and is a delightful introduction to the instruments of
the orchestra by Gabriel Alborozo. I'm certain the elves were in my
office last night and moved it up because clearly it was meant to be
the next one!
In Let's Play a group of very young children are introduced
to the orchestra by a man who looks like the epitome of a stern
conductor but who actually is much gentler than that as he isn't
bothered by the children moving and clinging to him as he takes them
on a journey through the percussion section, the brass, strings and
woodwind, and, finally, the piano and harp. His love and passion is
clear and the children are just as fascinated as each gets to try
one of the instruments. However, this is not a dry, factual,
encyclopaedic explanation. As they go to each section, there's a
comment to each musician that adds an element of humour and
individuality and the superb illustrations which tell the real story
and lift it into the realm of the special and unique. While the
conductor and the children are line drawings, the instrument is in
colour and each page has the sound it makes interpreted in shape and
colour, until the whole becomes joined in a celebration of both
colour and sound which is 'Magnifico!' There are so many reasons
this book should be in your collection - it's the perfect textual
extension to Tchaikovsky's Peter and the Wolf as well as the many
online sites which enable students to hear the sounds as they see
the instruments. (My favourite has always been Energy
in the Air: Sounds of the Orchestra created by two young boys
for the Thinkquest Jr project but there are many others.) It is also
the perfect stimulus to having the students interpret the sounds of
the instruments and musical pieces into their own art pieces, which
might then lead on to their thinking about the sorts of instruments
or compositions which might accompany pieces of literature.
While it's clear the target audience for the text is early
childhood, in the hands of an imaginative teacher it could be used
throughout the school. A treasure indeed.
Barbara Braxton
