Review: Coming Home To Country

Coming Home To Country invites readers to journey with acclaimed Australian author and illustrator, Bronwyn Bancroft, a descendant of the Djanbun clan of the Bundjalong nation.

Under the deep blue sky, between the stark tree trunks, is the valley leading on to the three hills to home. Bancroft's words and images strongly invoke that moment of recognition of returning to where one belongs.

With each turn of the page, readers are immersed in the palette of leaf green, red rust, yellow ochre, deep blue and crimson. The flowing style of Bancroft's art sweeps readers along from inhaling the breath of the valley to the wonder of a majestic downpour.

Bancroft's narrative and images, whirl together to create an immense sense of love, belonging, joy and peace. 

Bronwyn Bancroft has illustrated and been both author and illustrator of many children's books, including Clever Crow, Shapes of Australia, Remembering Lionsville and Why I Love Australia.

Title: Coming Home To Country
Author/Illustrator: Bronwyn Bancroft
Publisher: Little Hare Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760501921
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book




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Review: Rise of the Mythix: Golden Unicorn

William is The Soul Collector, a physically weak man filled with greed who boosts his energy with his daily rituals. He is obsessed with collecting and owning unusual and unique artefacts. Part of this collection is The Holy Grail and Lucifer’s Ring, artefacts of Heaven and Hell…together united in defiance against their creators.

Everybody and everything is monitored for any change or the emergence of a specific gift that can be added to his collection.

Kelly Swift is extraordinary. All she wants to do is run, but she has learned to be unremarkable to survive. When her mother Hannah has her bag snatched, Kelly realises just how powerful she is when she gives chase to the culprit. A transformation begins.

A horn begins to grow from the middle of her forehead.

She can hear the thoughts of others; run at incredible speed.

Stanley is the Collector’s finder. He hates his master and wants to change his situation. He discovers an ancient text on Prophesies and Portents that speak of three instruments of power – The Golden Unicorn, the Minotaur and the Griffin, that will return in human form, unite, and restore balance and harmony to the Kingdom.

The Soul Collector is no fool. After Kelly and Stanley escape his attempts to capture them, he is not fazed by this defeat. He holds Hannah as the trump card.

Can Kelly use her new-found powers to save her mother?

This thrilling, fast-paced adventure series for older children comes hot on the heels of the Wolf Girl books. With the creation of another powerful, courageous and multi-skilled heroine, the talented Anh Do knows how to keep his fans turning the pages.

Rise of the Mythix: Golden Unicorn is fully illustrated by Chris Wahl, Australian illustrator and comic artist. His fantastic artwork is visually aligned with Anh Do’s minimalistic yet strong text which drives the imaginative storyline and forces the reader onward.

Title: Rise of the Mythix: Book 1 - Golden Unicorn

Author: Anh Do

Illustrator: Chris Wahl

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $14.99

Publication Date: October 2019

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760525132

For ages: 10 – 14

Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Behind Bedtime Daddy

Meet The Illustrator: Nan Cao

Name: Nan Cao

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Colourful, abstract, poetic, dreamy, unrealistic, symbolic, metaphoric, warm, philosophical, organic.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
My drafting table from Amazon,

which is simple and user friendly,

stacked with art supplies. Next to my working table is a lower desk with my computer,Wacom Cintiq and scanner. It’s a typical spot for looking at the New York brand skyscrapers outside of my window. Another essential in my studio is my drawers and shelves full of novels, illustration and fairy tale books.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?

I have changed my medium over time. Before I began my illustration studies, I used to paint with oil on canvas or work with soft pastel and pencil. I followed this by teaching myself how to use digital programs and audit classes to polish my skills. Lately, my preference has been to work with ink and digital colour in most of my illustration projects with consideration of efficiency and flexibility. However, I’ll paint with gouache and acrylic for long-term projects or gallery work. The soul behind most of my artwork is stories and concepts, and just like an operatic performance, the medium is the different instruments that play for the art piece that is destined to sing.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.

Joan Miró, Brad Holland, Charley Harper

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?

17th to the 19th centuries in Japan. I love the ink drawings by Katsushika Hokusai, all types of Japanese woodcut and Japanese demon art. Also, 1880-1890 is a good time since I am a big fan of Vincent van Gogh’s art. I really love the raw and fresh energies in his paintings and drawings. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

From an early age, drawing images was my way of interpreting and reacting to the world around me. I was the only child and my parents used to be very busy. Since my mother was an avid book reader, I was always left with tons of text-only fiction and fairy tale books along with some paper and colour pencils to entertain myself. Inspired by the stories and colourful characters from the books, I started to draw the creatures and imaginative narratives on paper. The drawing process not only satisfied my curiosity for fantasy but also brought me a strong sense of pride and fulfilment. This inspired my path to pursuing illustration. 

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.

I’m sharing a small apartment with friends so my work space is quite tiny and I’d like to keep it organised and clean. You can see some small art prints on my walls, some in progress sketches and a calendar that helps me keep my schedule in order. I prefer to put my sketches on the wall for a while before starting the final piece. It helps me to see my work with fresh eyes everyday. 

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I enjoy both of my inking and colouring process. As for inking, I get senses of peace and fulfilment by having something down on the paper. And there’s so much possibility at this stage to let me play with different visual languages and ideas. Also, I am always excited to apply different colours to my work to make the characters become more alive.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

As an illustrator, drawing and painting are very natural activities in our daily life. If we being honest and express our true feelings through our work, the process of making art can become therapeutic and bring harmony and happiness to the illustrator as well as our readers.
We can never lie to the audiences through our artwork, because we’ll never able to bring pleasure to people if we are not enjoying the kind of work we’re doing. The advice I am having now is to keep working hard and really love what you choose to do. Don’t be afraid if your “art style” is not trendy or popular in a short term. Try to know better the weaknesses and strengths in your work, accept your limitations, but most importantly, be persistent and make your strengths stronger and shine.

Nan Cao is a New York-based illustrator and painter from Beijing, who graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art and received her Master's degree from the School of Visual Arts. Nan creates art for newspapers and magazines such as the Spectrum and Baltimore City Paper, makes visual projects running across the 1700 Link NYC screens in all five boroughs in New York, works on paintings, which have been exhibited internationally and across the country. As an illustrator and painter working and living in New York, Nan gets inspiration from surrealistic imagery and her daily life in the big city. Her work has also been recognised by American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, AOI, 3x3 Magazine among others.

For more information please visit Nan's website or follow her on instagram .

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Special Feature: A Dutch Picture Book Experience

Review: Bear Was There

Bear was There is a cosy, comforting story about a little mouse’s journey through life and feelings.

In this gorgeous tale, readers follow Mouse from the warmth of his mother’s embrace, learning and growing through seasons to a time which seems somewhat full-circle. Bear’s place in the story is clever with a sense of wonder and anticipation. I adore the beautiful language used to describe Mouse’s first feelings of love, excitement, fear and more; they set the scene both emotionally and environmentally.

There is perfect unity between the text and the stunning, loose, textured artwork. I love how the colour palette beautifully emerges over seasons, working with illustrations that convey nature, weather, emotions and endearing character details.

Bear Was There is a gorgeous wholesome story which would be perfect to share with a loved one cuddled in a chair, or to learn from and analyse in a classroom setting. The beautiful high-quality cover and thick pages are the icing on the cake for this one!

Sally Anne Garland is an Author Illustrator based in the UK, two of her other books include Percy and His Amazing Box of Disguises and Fiddlesticks!.

Title: Bear Was There
Author/Illustrator: Sally Anne Garland
Publisher: New Frontier, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 March 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925594935
For ages: 3 – 6
Type: Picture Book




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Review: Dugong Magic

A mother Dugong gives birth. Her calf is taught how to breathe, drink, move its tail and eat. These are lessons of duty taught by all mothers in the deep waters along with echoed tales and legends of old.

While learning these things, the calf must also know how to act quickly when danger threatens.

Predators of the deep are not the only danger. The threat posed to all marine life by humans is something they can’t swim away from. Dumped building materials from houses built by the sea steal the sun when they get washed into the water.

Fast speed boats in shallow waters pose different threats. Fish nets are traps for mother Dugongs whose babies die without their protection.

Dugong Magic subtly calls attention to the harm inflicted on sea creatures while it shares an intimate picture of the life and habits of Dugongs. Purposely thought-provoking in its approach, it stirs the conscience and serves to impresses on younger generations, the importance of caring for our environment.

Gifted and word perfect, Deborah Kelly’s passion for marine biology shines in her work. She uses story-telling as a conduit for strong messages about the responsibility we all have, regardless of age, to respect and protect all living things wherever they are found.

Lisa Stewart’s delicate images form like a whisper on page after page, while a complete page of Dugong Facts is sure to stimulate thought in the future caretakers of our world.

Other Deborah Kelly picture books include The Bouncing Ball, Jam for Nana and Dinosaur Disco. But it is The Thing About Oliver, a CBCA 2020 Notable, and her first book for older readers that is spellbinding! It reveals the tremendous talent and versatility this writer has and gives us a taste of things to come.

Title: Dugong Magic

Author:Deborah Kelly

Illustrator: Lisa Stewart

Publisher: Hachette, $15.99

Publication Date: March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780734419965

For ages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author Emily Conolan

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I love creepy-crawlies — spiders, snakes, anything. But my favourites are stick insects, and I used to keep a big tank of them in my bedroom. When I became tired of writing I could sit and watch them eating their old dead skins.

2. What is your nickname?
My dad calls me E, most of my friends call me Em, and my best friend from when I was three calls me Erm-ball. But only she is allowed to call me that, so don’t even try.

3. What is your greatest fear?
I’m afraid of humans. Individually, we’re pretty nice, but as a species, we’re wrecking the planet.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Exciting, heartfelt, interactive, surprising, informative, full of twists and turns.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
I’m courageous, dedicated, relevant, imaginative, and compassionate.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
That’s a very hard question, because many of my favourite characters lead tormented lives that I wouldn’t want to have as my own! But I think I’d make a good Sophie from The BFG, or Hermione from Harry Potter. Both nerdy and powerful girls. I’d never marry Ron Weasley though. Sorry, Ron.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Oooh, this is too hard, I’ll have to give you a shortlist:
I’d travel back about 40 years to see my mum, as she died when I was young.
I’d travel forward a hundred or so years to see how humans are dealing with the climate crisis.
I’d travel back to an ancient civilisation... but which one? It’s too hard to choose!

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
She’d probably give me a high-five for actually being a writer — something I’ve wanted to be since I was about four. No doubt she’d be full of questions about her own future. I don’t think I’d disappoint her too much. She’d inspire me. We’d get on great.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
All the amazing people who have shared their stories with me — from asylum seeker, refugee, and Aboriginal communities — who help me understand their perspective for The Freedom Finders.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I think it was my mum. She would write down stories that I told her, then encouraged me to write my own. I still have the first book I wrote and illustrated from when I was four. It’s about a cat with a sting in its tail who fights off a burglar.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
I like all the onomatopoeic words, like bang, boom, swish, ka-splosh.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If it was an adult’s book, then The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. A kid’s book: The BFG, by Roald Dahl.

Emily Conolan is a writer and teacher, who is also known for her humanitarian work. For her role in establishing a volunteer support network for asylum seekers in Tasmania, she has been awarded Tasmanian of the Year, Hobart Citizen of the Year, and the Tasmanian Human Rights Award. The stories of courage and resilience she has heard in the course of her work with refugees, combined with tales from her own family history, inspired her to write the Freedom Finders series. The third installment, Move the Mountains, was released in August 2019. For more information, see www.emilyconolan.com.au.

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Junior Review: The Land of Forgotten Girls

Review: Women Artists A to Z

Today art has no specific guidelines. Looking at the grid paintings by Agnes Martin, to the screen prints, sculptures and linocuts in ink of Elizabeth Catlett, everything expressed in colour and through the mind is considered art.

Leonora Carrington used kitchen supplies mixed with pigment to create what was seen as magnificent art.

In Women Artists A to Z, French-born, Australian artist Mirka Mora heads the alphabetical parade of magnificent women that brought their creative genius to the world. 

Her artistic talent encompasses paintings of coloured visions of nature, animals, cherubs, people, and our external and internal world.

This diverse assembly of women artists from all countries and of all races introduce their varied and unusual talents. They share their use of all kinds of media, techniques, colours, objects and materials to create stories, artwork, styles and methods.

Who would have thought that red dots of all sizes on walls, trees, clothes and body would keep Yayoi Kasuma in the public eye for more than fifty years?

This is a brilliant selection of artistic expression. Children ( and adults) can learn from the different media and be inspired to express their own imagination and creativity in a similar or perhaps, their own individual style.

From blocks of colour, the use of marble and natural recycled materials used artistically, call attention to our environment. Items of pottery, and quilts woven by the quilting circles of African American women are displayed in museums. Frida Kahlo’s bold, thick colourful lines in her self-portraits were drawn to keep alive her heritage.

Whether it is a veiled garment, a floral expression, photography, yarn-based art weavers or imaginative wood carvings, this book will excite and educate.

At the end, there are four pages of author’s notes on the artists, with a miniature image of them to refer to. It includes a question to answer which engages the reader further and which reinforces who they are reading about.

Title: Women Artists A to Z

Author: Melanie LaBarge

Illustrator: Caroline Corrigan

Publisher: Penguin Random House, $24.99

Publication Date: 18 February 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781760896317

For ages: 8+

Type: Educational/Non-fiction Picture Book

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Storytime Online with Story Box Library

Parents, teachers and carers, how are you faring at the moment? Whether you're homeschooling, waiting for schools to go back or just looking for some sensational kidlit online content, KBR could not more highly recommend Story Box Library for brilliant story/book content, as well as literacy and creative resources.

SBL is an educational - and fun! - platform developed for children to improve their literacy and language skills. A subscription-based educational service, it works to engage and excite the next generation about reading and storytelling.

SBL's products are aimed at early readers, and allow students access at home, as well as in the classroom. With simple login details, kids can access hundreds of engaging Australian and New Zealand stories brought to life by passionate storytellers, authors and illustrators. 



All stories are accompanied by at-home activity time and classroom ideas, student task sheets and inspiration for personal inquiry projects. Teachers benefit from time-saving accessibility features to support varied learning needs, options to curate theme-based playlists, and ongoing resources are shared with educators to help communicate clearly in a time of overwhelming information.

Addressing the impact of closed schools, Story Box Library is committed to supporting educators by offering free access for two months and ongoing support for teachers and their student community. 

To access this offer, use the code: SBLFREE2020 or contact: admin@storyboxlibrary.com.au

Alternatively, families and the broader community can access Story Box Library for free via their local library.

Thank you, Story Box Library, for all that you do to uplift and inspire our children (and their weary carers!).

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Review: Bubbay's Desert Adventure

Bubbay lives in the Australian desert with his goats. 

The stars are his friends, and every night he watches the sky and falls asleep with the stars shining above him.

One night, Bubbay wishes upon the brightest star, and the star comes down to greet him. 

It tells Bubbay that if he can find five special things, the star will bring him a surprise.

So, Bubbay sets out to find the five things the star challenges him to find, guided by the spirit of grandma Gubarlee and helped by the animals of the desert. But one of the five things is a shell, and Bubbay lives in the desert. How will he find a shell in the middle of the desert?

Bubbay’s Desert Adventure is a beautiful quest story about love and family. Written by Josie Wowolla Boyle, a Wonghi woman from Western Australia, it’s a story of culture and tradition, being brave and being rewarded for good deeds.

Fern Martins, a Ngarabul woman from New South Wales, brings joy to the pages with her beautiful illustrations. Colour extends to the corners of every page, and intricate details provide so much for readers to explore and find.

Bubbay’s Desert Adventure is a beautiful story of adventure, hope and wonder.

Title: Bubbay's Desert Adventure
Author: Josie Wowolla Boyle
Illustrator: Fern Martins
Publisher: Magabala Books, $17.95 
Publication Date: 1 March 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925936797
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture Book

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Giveaway: Middle Grade Fiction Super Bumper Prize Pack!

Video: Grandmothers: Essays by 21st-Century Grandmothers

So many children's books feature the unique relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren. Now we have Grandmothers: Essays by 21st-Century Grandmothers, a book for young adult and adult readers celebrating the relationship between grandmothers and their grandchildren. We're delighted that KBR's own Anastasia Gonis is one of the contributors, along with notable Australians including Alison Lester, Maggie Beer, Romona Koval, Jane Caro, and others.



Title: Grandmothers: Essays by 21st-Century Grandmothers
Author: Helen Elliott (editor)
Publisher: Text Publishing, $34.99
Publication Date: March 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781922268600
For ages: 16+
Type: Non-fiction




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Guest Post: Nicole Rodwell gives us 10 Must-Read Books for Strong, Empowered Girls

Despite the fact it’s 2020, gender stereotypes and biases still pervade our children books.

You may have noticed these biases yourself, or maybe not. I know I have.

There have been numerous analyses of gender stereotypes in children’s books in recent years, with some startling findings:

• Out of the top 100 Australian picture books published in 2017, it was more common for a book to have no lead character than a female lead character.
• On TIME’s list of 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time, only 53 books contained female characters who spoke.
• In a study of 200 picture books, not a single father was shown kissing or feeding a baby.
• According to another study, only 19.5 per cent of female characters in children’s media are shown working.

When my daughter was born almost four years ago, I started searching for picture books to read to her. As a proud feminist, I naturally wanted to find the books that would empower her to think big and provide her with strong female role models.

I wanted to fill our shelves with stories that would inspire her to go after her dreams, to show her that yes, girls can do and be anything they want.

But what I discovered was shocking.

Book after book was mostly the same - a lead male character doing something adventurous and exciting. The female character, if there was one at all, was likely in the background, passive, or exhibiting stereotypical shyness.

Trips to my library became somewhat depressing unless I was prepared to painstakingly sort through shelf upon shelf of picture books in order to find one that wouldn’t make my daughter believe that girls were destined to live their lives in the background.

And those nostalgic books I loved growing up in the 1980s were just as bad - books like Edwina the Emu and Each Peach Pear Plum which have now been relegated to storage boxes, because I want my daughter growing up believing she can be more than a princess, a mother or a cleaner.

Despite feeling like the world was going backwards, I decided to take matters into my own hands and began actively seeking out empowering books. Surprisingly, I found a whole other dimension of authors who had discovered what I had, and thankfully, decided to do something about it.

I began making lists of the best books, researching authors, and I even began writing children’s stories of my own to try and restore some balance to the volume of books moulding our kids’ views of the world.

I started posting about my findings on social media, and have connected with parents and caregivers also keen to find appropriate, empowering material for their daughters and students.

I now have a growing list of books that empower girls, ranging from those suitable to read out loud to a newborn, to young adult fiction.

Here are some of my favourites from that list:

1. Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison
Ages 0 - 3 - The board book adaptation of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.

2. Molly Rogers, Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke + Kasia Matyjaszek 
Ages 2 - 7 - A gang of dastardly pirates meet their match when they kidnap a small, feisty girl named Molly.

3. Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez + Felicita Sala Ages 4 - 8 - Back in the days of long skirts and afternoon teas, young Joan Procter entertained the most unusual party guests: slithery and scaly ones.

4. So She Did: The Story Of May Wirth by Simi Genziuk + Renee Treml 
Ages 4 - 8 - At a time when girls weren't encouraged to be bold and daring, Australian circus rider May Wirth lived by her own rules.

5. Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls 2 by Francesca Cavallo + Elena Favilli
Ages 5+ - 100 new bedtime stories, each inspired by the life and adventures of extraordinary women from Nefertiti to Beyoncé.

6. The Extraordinary Life of Anne Frank by Kate Scott + Anke Rega 
Ages 8+ - Anne's incredible story comes to life in this beautiful book, with timelines, facts and quotes.

7. The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell Ages 8-12 - A mother and daughter story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love, and fighting back.

8. A Galaxy of Her Own: Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson
Ages 8+ - From small steps to giant leaps, this book tells the stories of inspirational women who have been fundamental to the story of humans in space.

9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 
Ages 14+ - Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised, and her posh high school in the suburbs.

10. I Am Change by Suzy Zail
Ages 14+ - The tragic but empowering story of how a young girl finds her voice and the strength to fight for change.

I’m happy to say there are now so many authors out there empowering girls with their stories, and these books are just a few of many. If you’d like to discover more, head on over to my website for a list of the top 50 books for bold, courageous girls.

Nicole Rodwell is a writer and creator who is passionate about empowering kids through storytelling. She’s created three colouring and activity books, including the bestselling I’m A Girl! which is designed to inspire girls aged 5 - 11 through self-reflection and creativity. Nicole is now working on a number of picture book manuscripts, and regularly blogs all things kid-empowerment on her site NicoleRodwell.com. 

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Review: A Home for Luna

Little Luna gets washed ashore on an island. She remembers her safe home from long ago, but she knows it is far from where she is.

Strange animals live on the island. They are different from Luna and she doesn’t know how to act around them.

But, slowly, the creatures make contact with Luna. They show her kindness. They teach her things, and Luna teaches them, too. They connect.

Has Luna finally found a home — a new place to belong?

A Home for Luna is a beautiful picture book about friendship, family and finding your place in the world. But beneath the story of a cat washed ashore on an island of penguins, tendrils of truth connect this story to that of refugees seeking shelter and what it must feel like to try and start a new life in a new country when you feel so different from the people who live there.

Throughout the story there are beautiful moments of hope and fun as Luna learns how to live on the island with her new friends. She finds ways to help them as they help her, and as their friendship grows, Luna and the penguins form a strong bond, protecting each other and caring for one another.

Debut author Stef Gemmill has created something really special here. It’s such a beautiful story, filled with love and hope. It shows kids that our differences only keep us apart if we let them, and new and unexpected friendships can be formed if we open our minds to possibilities and our hearts to all people — no matter where they come from.

Mel Armstrong’s illustrations, too, are just divine. They are funky and inviting, with an earthy and soothing colour palate.

A story to pull on heartstrings and spread a message of hope, A Home for Luna is a stunning addition to schools, homes and libraries everywhere.

Title: A Home for Luna

Author: Stef Gemmill

Illustrator: Mel Armstrong

Publisher: New Frontier, $24.99 

Publication Date: 1 August 2019

Format: Hard Cover

ISBN: 9781925594843

For ages: 3 - 6

Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Cindy Van Schendel

Name:
Cindy van Schendel

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less. 

Quirky, whimsical, textured and character driven.

What items are an essential part of your creative space? 

Paper and pencils to sketch out characters and ideas. Painted paper to use for cut-outs, scissors and glue. My watercolours, charcoal pencils, Indian ink, oil pastels and of course my computer with Photoshop on it.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?

I think I love oil pastels most, in combination with (coloured) pencils.

Name three artists whose work inspires you. 

Max Velthuijs: I love his work because of the strong characters he creates. They speak to my heart!
Fiep Westerdorp: Because of her use of form and colour, and I love her humour.
Laura Carlin: Her loose style and dreamy work inspires me to use my art supplies differently. 

 
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?

I would love to visit expressionism. I love the bold use of colour, the energy and the vitality of the art from that period. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

It was the little voice inside of me. ☺

I studied dance and worked a long time as a performer, teacher and choreographer. One day I started to write stories for children, but I missed the pictures.
In 2012 I illustrated one of my own stories, from scratch. I had no experience with drawing and painting at all, but I wanted to give it a try.

My illustrated story didn’t become a book, but after that I illustrated three stories for a friend, and got some illustration work as well. My life was very busy. I felt a lack of tools in my tool box, and I also didn’t know how to start a serious career as an illustrator. It was holding me back.

It took until the end of 2018 for me to have a serious talk with myself, and decided to give me and my illustration work all it needed. And that’s where I’m now. I’m following a lot of courses, I participate in communities for illustrators, show my work online, and work on my portfolio to show at for example the Bologna’s Children’s Book Fair in 2020. 

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.

I live in an old, big schoolhouse with lots of space. As the winters in Norway can be very cold, I move my working space to our living room during the cold months.

As my working corner is quite small at the moment, I have to organise my stuff. At the end of the day, I put everything away except for my pencils and sketchbook. I always have children’s picture books on my desk. Right now they are mostly books illustrated by Laura Carlin.

One desk is for drawing and painting. One is for working at my computer, and on the third one I put drawings, paper cuts, textures, etc. while I’m working.

I live in the mountains and in the wintertime the days are short. I love it to spend a lot of time in my working space then, when the fire is burning in the wood stove. This winter I hope to realise a new working space in one of the classrooms and work towards an exposition in our schoolhouse!

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

When the characters start to live and get their personalities. Then I feel the ‘click’ and the illustration becomes a little story. 

 
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Practice a lot, connect with other illustrators, take good care of yourself, get inspired, produce a lot of work, follow courses, get to know the market, show your work. Be you and be proud of yourself, even when you have to work yourself through difficulties. Set small goals and work at them step by step.

Cindy grew up in a in the south of the Netherlands, studied dance, worked as a performer, teacher and choreographer and immigrated to Norway in 2007.
Today she is an illustrator who loves to create little stories that speak to the heart.

For more information please visit Cindy's website or follow her on instagram.

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Review: The Golden Cage

Flemish artist, Carll Cneut’s exquisite and luxurious artwork is nothing less than spectacular. It’s to this I draw the reader’s attention first. This is one of the most visually outstanding books that I have had the pleasure to review.

It tells the story of Valentina, an over-indulged, unhappy, dissatisfied nine year old daughter of an emperor, who seeks the talking bird of her dream to fill her empty golden cage.

Her existing collection of exotic birds from around the world has come at an extraordinary price.

Whichever servant fails to bring the bird she commands they find, has their lives ended in the most traumatic way. Known as the Blood Princess, her selfishness becomes her downfall.

A young person arrives, claiming to have the answer to her longing. He extracts an unalterable promise from her. There is no other ending for Valentina than the one that awaits her.

The Golden Cage, or The True Story of the Blood Princess, is a European fairytale written by Italian author Anna Castagnoli. It was first published in Dutch in 2014, it was translated into English by Laura Watkinson.

Presented in an oversized publication to accommodate the fantastic and elaborate bird images, this book is definitely a collector’s dream.

Dark and mesmerising for a children’s book, I recommend parent discretion regardless of it being a fairytale. Due to the content of the story, I have adjusted the age group for an older audience.

Title: The Golden Cage

Author: Anna Castagnoli

Illustrator: Carll Cneut

Publisher: Book Island, $39.99

Publication Date: October 2019

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781911496144

For ages: 8+

Type: Picture Book/Fairytale

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Review: Fish Kid and the Mega Manta Ray

Bodhi has a secret — he has secret fish powers that allow him to breathe under water and zoom thorough the water like a fish. He’s a fish kid!

Following on from Fish Kid and the Ninja Lizard, Bodhi and his best friend Emely are holidaying with Bodhi’s grandfather by the sea at Ningaloo. Bodhi’s gran disappeared at sea a year ago, and Bodhi’s grandfather has been by himself ever since. Bodhi and Emely are going to keep him company for a while.

Swimming, snorkelling and beach exploring are on the agenda everyday. But when a flock of manta rays take a special interest in Bodhi and Emily, and Bodhi’s grandfather gives them an ancient relic that belonged to Bodhi’s gran, questions are raised and mysteries are uncovered.

What exactly happened to Bodhi’s gran? And why does Bodhi have a special bond with the manta rays? The Fish Kid series is a brilliant adventure tale for junior readers. It’s fun and fast paced, with loads of suspense and mystery.

Peppered throughout the book are fact pages about the sea creatures featured in the story, making this a great book for kids who love animals. You can learn about whales, manta rays, dugongs and more.

Easy to read and heaps of fun, Fish Kid and the Mega Manta Ray is recommended for junior readers who love adventure, super powers and the sea.

For more great reads by Kylie Howarth, check out Chip and Fish Jam.

Title: Fish Kid and the Mega Manta Ray

Author/Illustrator: Kylie Howarth

Publisher: Walker Books, $16.99

Publication Date: 1 March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760651138

For ages: 7 - 10

Type: Junior Fiction

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Junior Review: New Kid

Review: Deep Water

Sarah Epstein's first YA novel, Small Spaces exploded onto our bookshelves in 2018 with such impact, I for one was caught in the story for days after the last page.

Her second novel (and really there should be no comparison), Deep Water rocked my pillars a little less emphatically , however still carry the crystalline Epstein hallmarks of high tension and riveting character play. It's not easy to maintain a cohesive and believable set of individually strong characters within a mystery setting yet Epstein does so without missing a single beat.

Six childhood friends in a small backwater country town in NSW struggle to maintain the bonds that united them as youngsters. As each matures, they battle with the reality of altered feelings, identity and future expectations.

Emotionally charged, Mason Weaver is desperate to escape the stranglehold of his decaying mother. Frustration and cruel circumstance fuel his anger although he suspects his uncontrollable outbursts and alcohol crutches are legacies of his genetics. His younger half-brother, Henry is just as bruised by their toxic domestic situation and pleas with Mason to remain for his sake.

Chloe Baxter, now living with her mum in Sydney returns to Shallow Reservoir for the Easter holidays, three months after the disappearance of Henry Weaver. It's an event that rocked the township and created an ache in Chloe that refuses to fade. The soft spot she harboured for Henry transforms into an ardent desire to find him or at least find out exactly why he might have run away that fateful night.

Chloe enlists the help of her closest mates to drive her detective suspicions and findings forever closer to the truth. Quiet, considered and conflict-adverse, Tom; sunshine bright and forever bubbly, Sabeen; ruggedly reclusive crush, Raf; they balance Chloe's commanding, right-here, right-now ways whilst providing a possible line up of suspects. If indeed there are any at all.

Rage and yearnings, unrequited feelings and remorse all tangle into a nervous knot of teenage agitation which although slow to ignite, soon flame into a gripping firestorm equal to the terrible tempest that ripped through the town the night of Henry's disappearance. The storm being a symbolic catalyst of beginnings and endings, a metaphor for the turmoil each of the Chloe's friends are experiencing as they navigate their way to adulthood.

Alternating points of view rarely unnerve me and I found Epstein's use of them interesting. One would think Chloe's first person narration would generate a deeper sense of empathy for her yet for me, it was with Mason whom I felt a real affinity for despite his story being told in the more distancing third person. Perhaps this intentional out spacing inadvertently emphasized the futility of his situation creating a kind of rebel-with-a-cause mantle that attracted rather than repelled. At least it did for this reader, not so for Chloe who is convinced the secrets Mason keeps are the key to Henry's whereabouts. The use of here and now time frames to describe each person's version of the events accentuates tension and ramps up the pace in the most addictive way.

Sinister insinuations simmer just below the surface of this beguiling mystery which had me furiously enthralled by the end, and as desperate as the Shallow Reservoir teens to find the answer to the question: Where is Henry Weaver?

The guts and grit of some of the adult themes (sexuality, domestic violence, identity, missing persons and criminality) makes Deep Water well suited to upper teens although mature readers from the age of 14 should enjoy the diverse edgy reality of this tale just as much.

Title: Deep Water
Author: Sarah Epstein
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, $19.99 
Publication Date: April 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760877286
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Aleesah Darlison

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I’m allergic to bees, but I still think they’re super cute and amazing!

2. What is your nickname?
I’ve had quite a few over the years, some good, some bad. Probably the most enduring (and my favourite) is Sah or Sahzie.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Sharks!

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Humorous but deep. Gentle but intentional. Educational yet utterly entertaining.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Dedicated. Persistent. Ambitious. Resilient. Brave.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Winnie the Pooh. He has the best lines!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
3030 – just to make sure we’re all still here and to see what amazing technological advances we’ve made. It might be a little scary, but also (hopefully) eye-opening.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Start writing properly earlier and realise that writing doesn’t just have to be a hobby. It can be a way of life, it can be a career, and you’ll love it!

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Influencer and possibly ‘enabler’ too – my husband. His support and belief in me have always been 100 per cent and completely unwavering. He’s a good person to have by my side. My kids are also 100 per cent behind me. I do so much of what I do for them and so much of my writing comes from them and my experiences with them. I guess having kids has many upsides, though, like writing, it ain’t always easy!

10. What/who made you start writing?
My love of books and a whispering in my mind telling me to write, telling me that I simply must have my name on books. It was like a calling, perhaps.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
That’s an impossible question to answer! Here’s a few, if I can narrow it down – these words have meaning to me and they’re filled with so much emotion and portent, I suppose: home, love, happiness, write, believe, bunnies, serendipity. Sorry, I could keep going but I’d best stop there.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?  
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I can not live without my love! I can not live without my soul! Utterly heartbreaking and probably my favourite book of all time. I’m a tragedy tragic. 

Aleesah Darlison has written over 50 books for children and has won or been shortlisted for numerous awards. Many of Aleesah’s stories feature humour or champion the cause of animals and the environment. 2020 is the Year of the Llama for Aleesah with the release of her hilarious series, League of Llamas. For more information, see www.aleesahdarlison.com.

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Review: Slow Down

Slow Down is a fascinating and educational resource filled with detailed short stories explaining magical transformations from nature.

In our often busy lives it’s easy to overlook the wonders of nature and take our natural environment for granted. From the birds’ morning song to a pearl magically appearing in an oyster, Slow Down helps readers do exactly that with many discoveries along the way. Fifty nature stories focus on showing how; A Duck: Teaches her Ducklings to Swim, A Rainbow Appears, A Snake Sheds its Skin, Dew Collects on a Leaf and more.

Each spread features a different story with text and detailed pictures in a step-by-step layout. I like how the text explains complex processes in a simple and succinct way for young readers to understand.

There is a lot to love about this book but the standout for me is the stunning artwork by Freya Hartas, her illustrations have a delicate, whimsical textbook feel, the colours, use of light and details such as the anatomy of a mosquito are spectacular.

Slow Down would make a great classroom addition or gift, its sturdy cover features beautifully balanced illustration, flowing typography and gold foil and surrounds over 100 high quality pages of fascinating information. An index, further reading list and bibliography are also included.

Other books by Rachel Williams include Illuminature and Atlas of Animal Adventures. Freya Hartas has illustrated many books including The Dragon With A Chocolate Heart and Frankie Frog and the Throaty Croakers.

Title: Slow Down
Author: Rachel Williams
Illustrator: Freya Hartas
Publisher: Magic Cat Publishing, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 April 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN:  9781916180512
For ages: 5 – 8
Type: Picture Book




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