Ill. by Brian Simmonds. Fremantle Press, 2013 ISBN 978 1922 089 137.
(Age: 9+) Warmly recommended. World War One. ANZAC. Animals. In a
handsomely produced hard cover book with a large number of photos
from WW1, Wolfer tells the tale of young Jim, joining his older
friend, Charlie on the big adventure overseas, taking their horses
along with them. Australia's involvement in the European war has
been declared and the two present themselves to the local
recruitment tent for the medical.
With stunning illustrations by Simmonds, each page is a treat. Many
pages are presented in the form of pages torn from a diary or pages
of letters from family, each shown as carefully folded and worn to
give a better impression to the reader of what war was like for the
ordinary man and his family, opening and closing the few treasured
letters many times. Numbers of photos show the range of
animals kept by the soldiers as mascots, while others reflect the
plight of the horses taken from Australia to the Middle East in
particular.
Jim and Charlie are part of the 4th Light Horse Brigade, and so the
story follows their actions, showcasing for the reader a small part
of the whole war, enabling younger readers to get some sense of the
conditions in which they lived, the constant fear, the privations,
the loneliness amid the friedndships.
There has been a bag full of books published in the past twelve
months or so on Australia's involvement in the wars since the Boer
War. Each has taken a different perspective, be it a young boy
signing up in Alan Tucker's Gallipoli, or Jackie French's The girl
from Snowy River showing the impact of war on a rural community, or
The horses didn't come home by Pamela Rushby, the tale of the fate
of the 130,000 Walers sent to war, and To brave the seas by David
McRobbie, about the men who served on the Merchant Navy during WW2,
each has a different tale to tell, impelling our younger readers to
think more deeply about war and its impact.
This book is hard to put down, its illustrations and spare prose
will grab the readers and keep them reading. Information at the
start of the book verifies the tale of the one horse that did make
it back to Australia, and the map and acknowledgments at the end
show where some of the photos have come from, making the book most
useful if looking at war in the classroom. With the centenary of
World War One looming in 1914, and the centenary of the landing at
Anzac Cove the following year, these books are the first of many,
offering a perspective which will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Fran Knight
Building stories by Chris Ware
Random House, 2012. ISBN 9780224078122.
(Age; Senior secondary) 'Books' are no longer books; groups of words and sentences arranged
in a usually pleasing fashion on a set of papers bound together in a
neat package. This is an era of ebooks, graphic novels, audio books,
and books as pdfs, kindle and various other arrangements. The
bottom-line is that in a book the words, phrases and sentences work
together to tell a story, to inform or to educate. This 'book', Building
Stories by cartoonist, Chris Ware, breaks many moulds. To
begin with it is a box; a large, colourful box with intriguing
images and lettering showing clever and careful design. On opening
the satisfyingly solid box one encounters an even more intriguing
assortment of books, pamphlets and papers of different sizes, weight
and organisation covered with detailed and intriguing graphics.
Through this medium this impressive work tells the stories of
residents of an apartment block in Chicago.
As the residents go through their daily lives we are made privy to
their thoughts, dreams, actions and most intimate activities. Every
graphic is part of the larger story and leads the reader to make
connections across the 'text'. The book is part puzzle, part
graphic, part narrative and always engaging. It brings to mind the
classic movie Rear Window, where James Stewart spends his
wheelchair bound days watching his neighbours, discovering their
secrets.
Chris Ware is highly talented cartoonist who shows a Dickensian feel
for the minutiae (and misery) of ordinary life. Much of this book is
about loss - loss of ideals and dreams, youth, partners and even
body parts. For me, it is this which ultimately made the book so
depressing. The voyeurism of this type of text reveals the
intimacies between couples which many will feel belongs solely
within a trusting relationship. These qualities lead me to recommend
this book only to senior secondary students with the maturity to
understand the complexity of people's motives and actions.
Diana Warwick
The great pet plan by Rebecca Johnson
Juliet, Nearly a Vet series. Puffin Books, 2013. ISBN
978-0-14-330704-4.
(Age: 8-10) Recommended. Juliet is a 10 year old girl who
knows her mind. She wants to be a vet just like her Mum. So eager is
she to study veterinary skills, she keeps a Vet Diary.
You can often read her diary notes throughout the book. They are
informative, reporting facts about different animals such as their
care and behavior.
With the help of her best friend Chelsea, Juliet decides it would be
a good idea to have a 'Pet Sleepover', offering a free health check
and grooming session as well. Of course this has to be a secret from
their parents. What could go wrong?
This is an easy to read smaller novel with less than 90 pages and is
interspersed with small drawings and diary entries.
The story is both humorous and educational and will appeal to 8 to
10 year olds.
The next is this series is entitled At the Show.
Jane Moore
Somebody's house by Katrina Germein
Ill. by Anthea Stead. Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 978
(Age: 4+) Picture book. Families. Houses. Neighbourhood.With
rhythmical flowing lines, Katrina Germein creates a refrain of 'Who
do you think is inside?' on each double page, adding a level of
mystery to her powerful introduction to the neighbourhood and the
occupants of the houses in the long looping street at the bottom of
the town. Each double page shows a different house, orange, green,
yellow, blue and red with the following double page showing the
people living inside and some of the things that they do. So the
yellow house, for example, has a bright yellow exterior, with
animals living in the branches of the tree outside, while inside we
see yellow carpet and dad and the children, along with sheep and a
cow. Children will love picking out the yellow things in this house,
and watching the sheep knit a scarf from its wool, and wonder at the
number of animals that reside in the yellow house. Each house is
markedly different, underscoring the range of people and places that
live in one neighbourhood, expressing the uniqueness as well as the
similarities of all who reside there.
The illustrations entice the reader to look critically at each page,
picking out the things offered by Anthea Stead, recognising everyday
objects, and seeing some things anew, enjoying the hidden depths on
each page as they read it again.
For any child the story is most satisfying, relishing in the warmth
of the house that is theirs, knowing their neighbours and the street
in which they live, learning their colours and the names of animals
along the way. A treat to be shared.
Fran Knight
Night watch by Phil Cummings
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Working Title Press, 2013. ISBN
9781921504365.
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Animals. Cooperation. Courage. Giraffe,
Hippo and Baboon live happily by a lake. They are not friends, but
they do co-exist happily. One day Giraffe spots the shadow of a lion
in the mountain and knows that their peaceful existence is
threatened. He tells the other animals and Baboon comes up with a
cunning plan to bamboozle the lion and keep their territory safe.
This story just begs to be read out loud. The beautiful language
with its rhyme, rhythm and repetition ensures that young children
will respond to the story with glee. I loved the alliteration
(Spish, Spash! Burp!) with its touches of humour and I especially
loved the picture of the lion that the words 'Prowling ... creeping
.. stalking ... sneaking' created in my head. The simple message of
cooperation, even if it means working with people who are not your
best friends, is one that young children will be able to understand.
Children too will understand that it takes courage to stand up to a
lion, even if Baboon has come up with a very clever idea.
Janine Dawson's soft watercolours bring the countryside to life.
Each animal has a distinctive personality and her pictures add depth
to the story as well as enhancing much of the humour. Beginning
readers will also appreciate that the pictures give wonderful clues
to the written word.
This is a book that I will be giving to my granddaughter, who is
soon to start school. It is a fabulous story, has illustrations that
children will love, print that could help a beginning reader as well
as a subtle message about bravery and people working together.
Pat Pledger
Middle School: My Brother is a Big Fat Liar by James Patterson and Lisa Papademetriou
Young Arrow, 2013. ISBN 978-0-099-56786-8.
Recommended for 10 to 13 year olds. Georgia Khatchadorian is
following in her brother Rafe's footsteps by attending Hills Village
Middle School.
Rafe was not the most successful student; in fact he made a lot of
enemies. Georgia wants to prove she is not like him and plans to be
a huge success. Unfortunately her plans are continually thwarted by
Rafe's reputation.
Her problems are greater than the negative preconceived opinions of
the teachers. She has to contend with 'the Princess Patrol' a group
of perfect but judgmental girls, an unusual new friend Rhonda who
has problems of her own and her new role as a guitarist in a girl
band.
To top it all off Rafe has secretly arranged for the band to play at
the next school dance.
This latest book in the Middle School series deals with the issues of
being different and wanting to fit in, a common problem for young
adolescents.
James Patterson has collaborated with Lisa Papademetriou to write a
female perspective to his Middle School stories.
Humorous drawings, scattered throughout the pages add to the appeal
of the book.
A small book trailer is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgREGn8y-X4
Jane Moore
Larrikin lane by Kate Darling
Ill. by Ben Wood. Mates series. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 978 1 86291
989 1.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Australian stories. Another in the Omnibus
series, Mates: Great Australian Yarns, will immediately
appeal to those who are looking for a short chapter book with
illustrations that will engage their minds and delight their eyes.
This series has proved popular and are often found bunched together
in a box in the library for easy access, if they are not already
checked out. For teachers wanting a set of reliable stories,
illustrated by witty and erudite artists, then this is a great
series to have in the classroom, providing a group of books for kids
to read, a series to promote or a group to show parents some of the
most recent literature for their offspring.
Using themes set in the past or in a rural setting, with words some
kids may not have come across before, the books showcase some of the
things which may not be readily accessed by our city bound kids,
growing up in suburbs which have little open space.
So with Larrikin Lane, the illustration on the opening page
contrasts markedly with the illustration on the next. The first
shows a farmhouse with animals and sheds, and a dead end road out
front. Over the page we see the farmhouse today, surrounded by
houses that look all the same, the sheds, windmill and dead end
road, gone, the only vestige left are the magnificent trees. In Larrikin
Lane, the next door neighbour does not like the family in the
old farmhouse keeping goats and sheep. He is meticulous about his
garden but the goat nibbles the rose bushes. His complaint to the
local council means that an ultimatum is given, but events occur
which change everyone's mind. A neat resolution rounds off a wry
look at suburbs today.
Fran Knight
Big swamp beasts - Monstrously muddy swamp beasts facts by Michael Cox and Chuck Whelon
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN9781408835760. Paperback. 96p.
Highly recommended for 8-10 year olds. Themes: Swamps, Water
animals, river habitats. This information book convincingly connects
the reader with a plethora of scary, slimy, slithering swamp
creatures living in the Amazon, Africa, America and Asia.From
exploding toads, crushing anacondas, sizzling electric eels to
bodacious bullfrogs the young student is able to access a myriad of
facts. The introduction invites the reader to come in to the scary,
mysterious and treacherous swamps to meet the most awesome beasts!
Shorty punchy paragraphs, lists of funny facts and comments directed
to the reader are engaging and thrilling. Michael Cox's writing
style draws the reader into the scary world of swamp creatures, the
use of alliterative phrases add to the excitement. Punchy headings
and captions - Africa's Most Notorious Serial Killer -The Hippo adds
richness to the narrative writing style. Each double-page spread is
appealing with the bold lime green background, fascinating photos,
fun captions, cartoons (a crocodile hitching a ride home) and
cutaway illustrations.This fast-paced read includes animal
statistics, maps, habitats, diet, lifecycles even bite power.
This book focuses on both animals in the wild and from zoos. It
includes facts about their conservation. The Zoological Society of
London has teamed with Bloomsbury Publishing to produce this
exciting, informative book about the strange and amazing creatures
that live in the world's muddy swamps.
A great classroom resource for Science, habitats and conservation
and writing animal reports.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Storm Makers by Jennifer E Smith
Headline, 2013. ISBN 978-1-4722-0144-7.
Recommended for 10 to 13 year olds. Ruby is the first of the twins
to see the mysterious stranger at their farm. His secret arrival
heralds the beginning of an amazing adventure for both her and twin
brother Simon.
Their life on a farm, far away from their city past heralds a new
beginning for their family. Dad wants to invent and Mum paint but
the farm is struggling because of the persistent drought. This whole
book is centered on weather and as the title suggests, with humans
who have a special gift that can control it.
Simon discovers he is one the youngest Storm Makers but there are
others who can help and guide him. He must decide who he can trust
as his special powers could be deadly.
Ruby tries to guide Simon to make the right choices and together
they embark on an unbelievable journey into an unknown world where
people have both extraordinary powers as well as human frailties.
This story, set in Wisconsin, takes some time to develop but is well
worth the investment. I feel independent, motivated readers will
enjoy this novel. Recommended for 10 to 13 year olds.
Jane Moore
Best books for primary compiled and edited by Pat Pledger
Pledger Consulting, 2013. ISBN 9781876678371.
If you have ever thought to yourself I wonder what new quality books
I'm missing or I wonder what's available that I can use with my
class, then this may be the book for you. From the stable of Pledger
Consulting comes another useful bibliography; Best books for
Primary contains a list of books reviewed and recommended by
Australian teachers and teacher librarians on Pledger's Readplus site. Award winning titles
are included from the Children's Book Council, Guardian Children's
Book Prize, Newbery Awards and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Titles
comprise four categories- Picture books; Middle Primary; Older
Primary and Non Fiction. Best books for Primary is not a complete set of reviews, but
an annotated alphabetical list, with a sentence or two giving a very
brief overview of the story. By choosing an age level readers can
check interesting titles. The brief annotation gives enough of an
idea to encourage you to look into the title further. In some cases
these reviews on the website are complete with lesson notes. The
list of non-fiction titles is particularly useful. An index adds to
the usefulness of this aid to busy teachers and teacher-librarians.
Diana Warwick
Mysterious traveller by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham
Ill. by P J Lynch. Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 9781 4063 3707 5.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. African story. Responsibility. When an
old desert guide, Issa, finds a baby protected from the sand storm
by a camel, he takes her home, raising her as a gift from the
desert, and later when he becomes blind, she repays him by being the
guide for him, describing for him where they are, enabling him to
continue guiding people across the vastness ahead.
But one day a stranger with two servants asks him to guide them
across the Bitter Mountains. This is not the usual route, and one
that is dangerous, but they need to go quickly. On realising he is
blind, they disparage him and storm off, deciding to find their own
way. But Issa knows they will get into trouble so he and the girl
set off to find them. saving them from the fierce sandstorm. This
sees the young man return to Issa's house alone, to apologise and
offer money for being saved. But seeing the girl's pendant, pieces
fall into place about Mariama's background.
This beautiful story, wonderfully illustrated by Lynch, will
encourage readers to read it over again, as they ponder just how the
girl got to be in the desert and why the camel was so brave. The
acceptance by Issa of the baby he finds in the desert, his
responsibility in caring for her and then her being able to repay
his kindness is a theme that carries the story along and remains
with the reader.
The background to this small family, of Issa saying his prayers, of
their kindness to strangers, of not wanting payment for saving the
lives of the three, all point to a strong value system, and
underpins their basic humanity, regardless of which religion they
belong to. This is a wonderful tale, one that could be read and
retold for its own sake, one that could be the springboard for
discussions about responsibility, or about Africa where the story is
set, the descriptions and illustrations giving an unforgettable
background to the events as they unfold.
Fran Knight
Guinea pig town by Lorraine Marwood
Walker Books, 2013. ISBN 9781 922077 42 4
(Age: 7+) Warmly recommended. Poetry. Animal. Poet Lorraine Marwood
has had several books of poems published, including the Star
jumps, A note on the door, A ute picnic and Ratwhiskers
and me, the latter being a verse novel set in the Gold Rush.
Each of her books consists of short poems which are most accessible
to middle primary students, eager to read and absorb a usually funny
poem with a comment about society. In this selection, subtitled,
'and other animal poems', an array (50 plus) of funny, clever and
sometimes poignant snapshots of animals in our homes, in our
gardens, in the street is arranged in various groups which hint at
the poems following. Marwood writes about poetry, for The Literature
Base, a teacher's magazine which presents articles about literature
to use in the classroom. She shows teachers a wide variety of poetic
styles, and gives hints to teachers about teaching their students
these poetic styles, often using some of her poems as examples.
In this book, as with her others, a wide variety of styles is used;
haiku, rhyming verse, blank verse, prose poetry, lists, genre poems
ect, encouraging the teacher and students to try for themselves.
None is complicated or out of reach, but simply told with an eye for
detail, using word images to create the idea behind the poem.
Watch out for A Woman, about a piglet being treated almost
like a baby, or Ordinary magic, giving a small image of a
dog at the sheep yards, or Sale Yard Time, which has every
line starting with the same words, or the haiku, Billabong
about frogs. Each poem is distinctly different and evocative of an
image we see every day, but put into words which sing and beg to be
read aloud.
Fran Knight
Harmless by Julienne Van Loon
Fremantle Press, 2013. ISBN 978 1922089045.
(Age: 14+) Slavery. Prison system. Western Australia. Dave is in
prison waiting for visitors: his daughter, Amanda is being brought
by his dead partner's father, Rattuwat, a Thai man lately coming to
Australia for his daughter's funeral. He and his wife have received
letters from Sua since she left their home, talking of her
Australian husband and her children, but speaking little English, he
has no idea of what has really happened. On their way to the prison,
the car breaks down and the two, the old man and the child, abandon
their car to walk the rest of the way. The child doesn't understand
who this old man is, and impatient, leaves him behind. During the
long hot day, we are taken into their worlds, understanding more of
their backgrounds and what has happened to those who care for them.
It is a desperate story, one of an abused young girl in Thailand,
repaying a family debt by working in a brothel, and a controlling
Australian man who takes the girl back to his home, keeping her
imprisoned. Her eventual escape and run to Dave with his daughter
and much older son, brings some happiness for them both, a more
settled life, until Dave is imprisoned, and he finds out how Sua rid
herself of her tormenter.
The long day draws in other characters and their stories, filling in
the background to Dave's incarceration and Sua's abuse, giving
details of Dave's life with Amanda's mother, and allowing us to see
the uncertainty with which all their lives are constrained. This is
a compelling story, dragging the readers along with the smallness of
these people's lives, and their inability to break away from the
path before them. Each draws our tears, their lives buffetted by
corruption and evil and we know that most will not rest easily.
Deemed a novella by the publishers, this could have some place in
senior reading, where a story of modern Australia's life beneath the
surface is exposed.
Fran Knight
Lost tooth rescue by Kate Ledger
Ill. by Kyla May. Twin Magic Series. Scholastic Level 2 Reader
(RA 5-6 years) Themes: School Life, Friendship, Teeth, Magic. Lottie
and Mia are twins who have special powers; they can use their minds
to move items. The twins have moved into a new house and are off to
a new school. Luckily they can rely on each other. They share a
bedroom with each side decorated with different design styles and
colours. Lottie's side is pink and messy; Mia's is green and tidy.
At school they meet Anna with a wobbly tooth. She wobbles it all
morning, even during art class. Of course at recess the tooth is
gone and the twins need to trace Anna's steps. They follow the
glitter trail made by the Tooth Fairy back to the art room. With a
little magic they save the day!
Kyla May's cartoon illustrations are bold, graphic and layered.
These add the sparkle to the twin's story.
This is a Scholastic Level 2 Reader. It specifically targets the
audience of young girls who are becoming independent readers. This
is the first book in a series suitable for girls aged 5-6 years.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781922079701.
(Age: Senior secondary - adult) Highly recommended. Unlike anything
I have ever read, The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee is
a surreal alternate-world refugee fable. Simon arrives in a new
country from the camp, Belstar (could this name be an amalgam of the
notorious concentration camp Belsen and the Star of David?). He has
taken responsibility for a young boy who has been re-named David and
who has been separated from his mother. People assume that Simon is
his grandfather or father and he does take on this role whilst
trying to reunite David with his mother. He inexplicably believes
that he will know her when he sees her.
In the interim they find modest accommodation and Simon takes on the
heavy manual work of a stevedore. His companions are reasonably
helpful but not intimate. This is a bland, bloodless country,
lacking in irony, news and substance. Coetzee's genius is the
construction of a monochromatic, monotonous place which is also
interesting and intriguing.
His characters are also astonishing. Simon sees a woman playing
tennis in a closed residencia and makes the extraordinary assumption
that she is David's mother. He gives the boy to her and builds some
foreboding about her treatment of him.
David is a gifted child, winning at chess after only a few games,
but he becomes precocious and can't be educated formally. Simon
desires that David 'follow in the ways of goodness' but other
parallels with Jesus are tenuous, such as mention of being 'the
truth', reference to a carpenter and his arrival as a child in an
alien place.
Perhaps Coetzee has re-imagined some tangents of a possible life of
Jesus as a refugee to offer a vignette or profile of refugees today,
who are allowed to enter a new place but welcomed only coolly with
mediocre jobs and a hollow benevolence. The Childhood of Jesus is a provocative, although possibly
polarising, study for high level English students or those with an
interest in refugees or religion.
Joy Lawn
