Ill. by Judy Horaeck. Scholastic Australia 2012. ISBN: 978174283579.
(Age 3-6) Recommended. Another wonderful offering from the creative hive that is Mem Fox and Judy Horaeck, very much in the illustrative style of Where is the Green Sheep?.
According to Fox, this book is a reproduction of something she produced in 1988, based on some information she had heard, that children who come to school knowing 6 Nursery Rhymes are usually in the top reading group by age 8 - so she wrote a book weaving in 7, factoring in one extra, for good luck.
The book features two young ones, Bonnie and Ben, and their male babysitter, Skinny Doug. This was so refreshing to see, all too often, aside from the token 'Dads are AWESOME' style books, much of the picture book world of young children is animals, children and mothers. Having a male care giver was a refreshing change - especially to the young test audience I read this with, who very much enjoys having male carers, both at home and in out of school hours care.
The structure of the book is simple - Skinny Doug spouts a series of rhymes at bedtime for Bonnie and Ben, who greet each offering with 'We love it! We love it!' 'How does it go? Will you say it again?', to which Skinny Doug responds 'Some other time - but I'll tell you another I heard from my mother.'
This is a book which is ideal for those aged 3 - 6, and would be a valuable addition to any home or school library.
Freya Lucas
Flying Kites: Friendly Street Poets 36 edited by Judy Dally and Louise McKenna
Wakefield Press, 2012. ISBN 9781743051009.
Having just finished this collection of poems I have become acutely
aware of one thing; I should read more poetry. Our 'modern'
lifestyle seems to mean that we have far too many competing demands
and far too little time. My reading time is divided roughly into
three equal parts; Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fiction and Adult
Non-Fiction. Where is the time for poetry you ask? I do read the odd
collection of a trusted favourite but nowhere near enough.
This 36th anthology from the Friendly Street Collective reminds me
why people write poetry and why we should read it. I can't pretend
to have loved every poem in the collection but the standard was
uniformly good and there were some seriously fine poems that I
re-read more than once. The beauty of any anthology is that you have
lots of styles and subject matter to choose from and here is no
exception. Standout poems for me were John Pfitzner's Pointless,
Sharon Kernot's Dear Publisher, and both efforts from Mike
Hopkins, The Adelaide Taxi Driver's Prayer and my personal
favourite, Last of the Cat Poems.
Stephen Bull
Fashion notebook by Julia Stanton
A and C Black, London, 2012. 128 p.
(Age: 12-16) This English publication describes itself as a personal
style companion. It aims to inspire teenage girls to create their
own fashion style. It should help young fashionistas to plan and
create their own wardrobe.
There is a lot of room in this notebook for personal notes,
sketches, photos, cut-outs, designs and the rating of current trends
eg tribal or clashing prints. You can learn how to draw silhouettes
and then create fashionable items to outfit them. You can learn how
to make mood boards, and learn about colour and colour wheels. As
well as fabric design there is the opportunity to design fashion
accessories - shoes, hats, bags, make-up and nails.
Colour is used extensively throughout this publication with colour
illustrations and coloured borders on the pages. This is an
attractive, quality publication in a sturdy, spiral bound format.
Also included are an Introduction, Contents and Credits as well as
Apps. for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices. There are
quotes by fashion industry identities eg fashion designer Gianni
Versace and fashion journalist Diana Vreeland
This book is suitable for girls 12 -16 years. One Year 8 girl, to
whom I spoke, especially likes the patterns and the apps., and
thinks that this book would make a great Christmas gift. Its
publication late in 2012 means that it is just in time for the
Christmas market.
As this is essentially a notebook for one individual to use, if it
were purchased for a school library, it would be best housed in a
Reference collection. One word of caution, however . . . a focus on
teenage fashion means that this book will have a short life as
fashions change and evolve.
Margaret Strickland
Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon
Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781 4088 2905 9.
(Ages 3+) Picture book. Friendship. Flagging the reason behind
writing the book with its sub title, A friendship story,
this unusual tale about a penguin finding a pinecone in the snow
will intrigue younger readers. Pinecone becomes the penguin's friend
and they do everything together, but Penguin is aware that Pinecone
is not in his correct habitat, despite having made him a nice warm
scarf. He is told that it is too cold for Pinecone, and so he makes
preparations to take Pinecone back to his own home. This he does,
leaving a trail of rocks in a heart shape around the place that he
leaves Pinecone. Sometime later, Penguin returns to visit Pinecone
and sees that he has grown into a big strong tree and the two
remember each other and recall their friendship. But Penguin cannot
stay there and so returns.
The overstated message is one to warm the hearts of the readers, and
would be a simple text to initiate discussions in the classroom
about friendship and loyalty, about the selflessness of love and the
pleasure that it can bring.
Fran Knight
Black Spring by Alison Croggon
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 9781921977480.
Using Wuthering Heights as a template, Croggon has mixed
fantasy with this retelling of Bronte's Gothic classic. The
structure is the same as in the original; the narrator is well
developed as the housekeeper who grew up with the Cathy and
Heathcliff characters, Lina, and Damek. She tells their story to the
convalescing outsider from whose perspective the story unfolds.
Technically the structure is well managed but the addition of
witches (Lina is one) and a most disturbing system of vendetta
seemed a distraction and the constraint of sticking to the original
meant that these elements were not well integrated. Readers of
Croggin's Pellinor series will read and enjoy this book,
especially those who have not read Wuthering Heights, and it
could be a useful opportunity for senior students to use it as a
paired text to help them analyse the original.
Sue Speck
Today we have no plans by Jane Godwin
Ill. by Anna Walker. Viking, 2012. ISBN: 9780670075201.
Highly recommended for younger children. The busy life of a young
girl and her family is broken down, day by day. With calendars,
lists, school notices, homework and invitations pictured on the
front end papers, any parent with young children will identify with
the activities and responsibilities of getting everything organised
to keep on top of the daily routine. Each day at school brings a new
activity for the girl, with Saturday no exception. With swimming
lessons, orchestra, after school care, library visits, shopping and
weekend sport, the girl becomes more and more tired as the week
progresses. When Sunday arrives, the family loves nothing more than
to announce that they have 'no plans'. Finally each member of the
family has time to rest, relax, play, create and appreciate nature
and the small things in life, as well as simply enjoying one
another's company before their return to rushing and routine.
The wonderful pairing of Jane Godwin and Anna Walker is truly a
match made in heaven. Godwin's rhyming, engaging text is sure to
delight adults and children alike as it tells the story of a busy
week. Walker's free flowing, sketches and water-colour paintings
complement the story perfectly. The differences in the end papers at
the beginning contrast brilliantly to those at the end as the
conclusion of the book shows no lists, alarm clocks or the like but
instead depict the fruits of a day spent on creative pursuits and
relaxation. This could be used in Junior Primary classrooms to
discuss family activities, sequencing, days of the week,
appreciation of nature and the value of time spent dreaming. A truly
beautiful book!
Jo Schenkel
Speechless by Hannah Harrington
Harlequin Teen Australia, 2012. ISBN: 9781921796579.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. I absolutely loved Harrington's first
novel, Saving June, so I was excited to see this one. I am
not sure why we get it at least 6 months before the US market, but
for whatever reason, thank you! Speechless is almost the
perfect teen contemporary novel, and will be very popular amongst 15
and 16 year old girls.
Chelsea is living a precarious life. Her deepest fear is that her
BFF, Kristen, popular cheerleader material, will suddenly realise
how boring Chelsea is and dump her for more wealthy, more good
looking, more daring girls. So Chelsea plays dangerous games,
gossiping, judging, and criticising her peers to entertain Kristen
in a desperate attempt to keep her friendship. Readers know this a
slippery slope and it's inevitable she will make a complete fool of
herself, but even when it happens, it's shocking and horrible.
The consequences are monumental and the one thing Chelsea dreaded
happens: Kristen dumps her completely and publicly, and Chelsea's
life at school does the predictable thing: dives from winner to
loser, popular to shunned, heckler to heckled. If I had one
criticism of the book, it was the way other students treated
Chelsea. The sheer amount of bullying she deals with is horrifying,
and hopefully unrealistic. Maybe kids do suffer as much as Chelsea
does, but I sure hope not.
Chelsea chooses a life of deliberate silence. Not trusting herself
to speak, she stops altogether, and the story shows how the people
around her react to this provocative behaviour. Many adults don't
cope, so imagine the younger crowd. Needless to say, the plot now
becomes fairly standard teenage fare: Chelsea bonds with new quirky
people, finds a part-time job, and learns to live with the mistake
she has made. Her honesty and resilience in dealing with her bad
behaviour, and the treatment she receives afterwards, allow great
character development. Harrington's writing is full of humour and
affection.
This novel is not long or drawn out; Harrington keeps it tight and
strong. The love-interest is a terrific character, honest and loyal.
The new best friend has her own story, and Chelsea's family aren't
left on the (unrealistic) sidelines. Themes include bullying, peer
pressure, romance, family relationships, coming-of-age, friendship,
and identity.
Trisha Buckley
Superworm by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by Axel Scheffler. Alison Green, 2012. ISBN 9781407132044.
(Ages: 4-8) From the author illustrator team that bought you such
masterpieces as StickMan and The Gruffalo comes Superworm
- a rollicking tale about a worm who is flexible, helpful and loved
by all. Much like Donaldson's other work, the hero of the tale finds
himself in some strife, which he overcomes, returning again to the
place where he is loved and adored.
This is one of the strongest selling points of the book -
Donaldson's work quickly becomes familiar to children - they know
there will be adversity, and sometimes the situations the main
characters find themselves in can be quite precarious indeed - but
that this will be overcome, and things will return to their natural
state of equilibrium soon enough.
Superworm is everything a hero should be - he's super long, super
strong, and keen to lend a hand. He prevents baby toad from being
squashed, becomes a skipping rope for bees, saves beetle from
drowning, but then . . . disaster strikes, in the form of a crow, an
evil wizard, and some treasure hunting.
The illustrations are bright and vibrant, with the 'baddies' having
suitably shifty eyes, and the 'goodies' being drawn with aplomb.
This is a delightful book, and would be a great addition to any
collection, for ages 4-8.
Freya Lucas
That's what I'd do by Jewel
Ill. Amy June Bates. Simon and Schuster, 2012. Hardback. ISBN:
9781442458130.
This is a beautifully illustrated piece, with the watercolor,
gouache, pencil and pastels illustrations lifting the rhyme, which
limps along as a story, not flowing very well, but comes into its
own as a song.
Mother and baby are pictured in beautiful environments, both indoor
and outdoor, with whimsical additions such as hearts, flowers and
animals. There are many butterflies to count within the pages, which
adds a nice touch, an extra visual focus for the child being read
to.
Described by the author as a devotional letter, the book certainly
reads that way, at times even a little over the top. I felt that
there were opportunities within the illustrations to be more
inclusive of diverse parenting practices - for example the mother
was pictured feeding the baby with a bottle - however there can be
no doubt of the love of the mother for her child in these
illustrations.
The content of the story itself is simple and time honoured - if I
was a painter, a carpenter, a rabbit, this is what I would do. The
mother in the story is clearly besotted with her child, and their
relationship which is played out on the pages is a very special one.
I would recommend this book for libraries frequented by new parents
of all kinds - there is much about this book which would appeal to
mothers in the first flush of baby love.
Freya Lucas
Earthfall by Mark Walden
Bloomsbury, 2012.
Earthfall is the first book in a new series by Mark Walden,
the author of the popular Hive series.
In an eerily deserted London, a solitary boy flees for his life, his
enemy a fearsome creature like a mechanical jellyfish with amazing
strength. He is saved from death by the intervention of an
armed girl, the first human he has encountered in 18 months.
Who is the mysterious girl? What has happened to the previously
thriving human population of London?
The boy and his new friend, Rachel, are attacked by a second
fearsome creature, a Grendel, and this time their lives are saved by
a human known as Jay. Jay and Rachel, the boy discovers, are
part of a small group of humans, fighting for survival and also
waging war on the invaders.
This is a fast paced novel, with an imaginative but seemingly
logical explanation for the disaster that has befallen not only
London but other cities on Earth. Walden quickly sets the
scene, vividly and economically creating characters to whom we can
relate. Each chapter leaves us wanting more, the story
carrying us along to an alarming conclusion. As we reach
the end to this adventure, we know that we are promised just as much
action in the sequels to come.
Any lover of adventure will enjoy this story, whether male or
female.
Thelma Harvey
Shine light by Marianne de Pierres
Random House 2012. pp 229. ISBN 9781742753232.
(Age: Upper secondary) Recommended. In this eagerly awaited finale
of the Night Creatures trilogy, Naif returns to party
island, Ixion, knowing she has to save all the teens on it from
certain death. In Angel Arias, book two, she learnt that
they were there for the Ripers (rulers) to siphon off their life
force. Naif had previously escaped from her oppressive homeland,
Grave, where, she later discovered, the Elders were in league with
the Ripers. With the help of the pirate, Ruzalia, her bonded Riper
lover, Lenoir, and her friends from her first stay on Ixion, all of
whom we met in Burn Bright, book one, she has many problems
to solve.
How can she stop the workers, the uthers, maintaining the Ripers?
How can she convince the young they are in danger? How to reverse
the badges which drain their life force? How can she prevent Ixion
remaining in eternal darkness? What will be her eventual
relationship with Lenoir and her friends, Rollo and Markes. And how
can they defeat the Night Creatures, those slimy, tentacled
creatures which lurk alongside the paths, ready to strangle any
strays.
This adventure quest series is sustained by the character of Naif,
who transforms from the shy, repressed teen, Retra, to a fearless,
compassionate and quick-thinking leader who puts others before
herself and risks all to save Ixion. This well paced story is about
sacrifice, friendship, honesty and love. True, fate often intervenes
to save them in the nick of time, the solutions are fantastical and
the final conflict is over too quickly, but Marianne de Pierres has
created an unforgettable world with characters fans love. The ending
is simultaneously satisfying and elusively open.
Kevyna Gardner
Tell me about your day today by Mem Fox
Ill. by Lauren Stringer. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781 74283 578 5.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Picture book. Family. When the little boy
goes to bed after a kiss, a story and the last goodnight, he talks
to his toys, asking them in turn about their day. Each responds
similarly, 'the who, the what, the why and the way, the whole wild
thing turned out okay'. He asks the goose, the blue horse, the fat
rabbit, and they all respond in turn, finally asking the little boy
what his day was like. The rhyme and repetition is infectious and
will delight younger readers, when they realise that they are able
to join in and follow the story. I can imagine groups of children
repeating the phrases as they come along, adding more pages to the
book to include some more animals that they may have at home.
The celebration of the boy's friendship, of his imaginative play
with his animals, of the cosy feel of the boy and his toy animals
snuggled up in bed is comforting and warm. The illustrations depict
a scenario which parallels the toys' responses to the boy's
questions. We see the goose caught in the rain with her pink
umbrella, we see the horse frightened by the lightning, snuggling
under the blanket which the goose brings for him, we see the rabbit
falling in a puddle then being hung out to dry, only to fall from
the clothesline and have a band aid placed on its behind. The boy
then reprises the whole activity with his animals, as we see him up
the tree with the goose, hiding from the lightning with his mum,
going under the blanket with the horse, and playing in the puddle
with the rabbit. The friends did indeed have a great day which
turned out okay. The illustrations will delight younger children as
they search for the things mentioned in the text, and find more
besides. They will recognise the design of the endpapers, and
compare the boy's pyjamas with their own, and talk about what they
do on a wintry day when it rains with thunder and lightning. A
lovely, unpretentious book to read aloud on a wet day indoors.
Fran Knight
The gobbledygook is eating a book by Justine Clarke and Arthur Baysting
Ill. by Tom Jellett. Penguin, 2012. ISBN 978 0 670 07657 4.
(Ages: 3+) Recommended. Picture book. Reading. Readers of all ages
will
have a great time working out just what is meant by a gobbledygook.
Is
it an animal? an idea? a play on words? No matter what, it will
intrigue younger readers as they hear of the giant orange thing
tearing
up and eating books. Howls of despair will be heard as the thing
munches its way through the shelves, eating the space books, the
cookery section, the dinosaurs, the circus area as well as books
about
the Antarctic.
In rhyming sentences, the fun of the idea of the monster eating the
pages of books munching its way through the Dewey system continues
unabated.
Tom Jellett's illustrations in bold colours, painted over paper
splatted with colour, or looking like crushed paper, along with
pencil
drawings, readily reminds the reader of his previous book, My
Dad
thinks he's funny, with its similar humour and wit expressed
through
the drawings. Readers will love the antics of he gobbledydook, and
have
a whale of a time asking older people what the word means to them,
using a dictionary and thesaurus to further investigate the word.
And
how lovely to have the last word of the alphabet rhyme with bed! and
this may also initiate some discussion.
This would be an imaginative read a loud as well as a sound
introduction to the way a library is shelved, or just a fun way to
look
at rhymes and rhyming. But of course, the main thing is the fun, and
this book has that in spades.
Fran Knight
Spark by Brigid Kemmerer
The Elementals Book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781743310748.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. The first book of the Elemental
series, Storm, came out in May. This second book, Spark,
was recently published in October, and there's a third planned for
next May. Kemmerer also writes novellas, a trend that has become
very fashionable - short stories that fill in gaps, or that come
before, or sometimes even years later. So far, I have found three of
these. They are only published in digital format, and appear to have
been originally free. You can find them on websites such as Amazon.
The Elemental series is the story of four brothers. They are each
able to harness a different elemental power: Michael, the oldest,
channels Earth; the twins, Nick and Gabriel, manipulate air and fire
respectively; and the youngest, Chris, needs water for his power.
They are very strong and must be watched and controlled. Other
lesser Elementals want them destroyed, but their parents made a deal
which kept them alive. Unfortunately the deal didn't save the
parents, who are dead by the time we meet the Merrick boys in the
first book, which had Chris as the main focus. Spark gives
readers Gabriel's story.
It seems predictable to make this character fiery and out of
control, but it works extremely well exactly because it's what we
expect. Although Gab is unruly, undisciplined, and just plain angry,
it's also easy to sympathise with him because he feels responsible
for the death of his parents. His twin faced death (in the
resolution of book one), he is almost failing Maths, and all of a
sudden his world no longer feels safe or trouble-free. His character
is beautifully realised.
When Gabriel comes to know Layne and a growing mutual attraction
begins, this relationship is teased out slowly and realistically.
The best feature of these books is that Kemmerer grounds the
paranormal in a very contemporary world. Her descriptions of the
everyday are strong: Michael tries to feed and parent his brothers,
bullies pick on Layne's deaf younger brother, and Hunter is jealous
of Chris and Becca's relationship.
I look forward to learning more about Hunter and Nick and continuing
to follow Gab, Chris, and Michael. I cross my fingers that the
females continue to be feisty and independent, and I hope somewhere
down the track these brothers learn to relax and appreciate what's
left of their family. Right now it seems unlikely. Highly
recommended for secondary students who enjoyed books such as The
Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare and the Unearthly
series by Cynthia Hand.
Trisha Buckley
Mouse mansion: Sam and Julia by Karina Schaapman
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781 74331299 5
(Age: 5+) Picture book. The reader is introduced to the home of the
two mice, Sam and Julia as they live in a mansion of the author's
making. The mice are quite different, Julia lives on the sixth floor
with her mother in a tiny apartment while Sam lives in the middle of
the mansion with an array of family, including aunts, uncles and
grandparents. Where Sam is shy and obedient, Julia is boisterous and
nosy, so the two play together well. They find a hiding place
beneath the stairs and there spend many hours with each other in
their cubby. In the apartment house lives many other people and we
are introduced to the neighbours as the story proceeds.
While the story is somewhat slow, the background to the story is
marvellous. Each page is a treasure trove of little things to look
at, seek out and identify. Children will marvel at the creation of
these things which make up the lives of the two mice, and be
intrigued about how they were produced. Each page is a myriad of
small made objects, drawing the eye into the picture and begging the
reader to think about how each thing is made with recycled
materials. The ingenuity is staggering, particularly when more
information can be found about how it was built using the web. One
website shows the mansion on display in a window in The Netherlands
and is well worth sharing with a class. http://nestproject.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/the-nest-of-the-mouse-mansion-het-muizenhuis/
The images shown will be quite a draw card to share with the class
when reading the book, and entice them to try and replicate some of
the flats and their contents for themselves.
Fran Knight
