Review: How to Make a Pet Monster: Hodgepodge

Artie is eleven, a science freak and the narrator of this story. He believes only in what he can prove. Especially not in monsters and ghosts!

This belief changes dramatically when the family moves into a new and spooky house. 

Even spookier is his stepsister Willow and his unconventional stepfather, for whom Artie has trouble finding a name with which to address him.

Escaping to the attic for some thinking time away from wild Willow’s attempt to learn guitar, Artie finds a book of spells on how to fetch a monster.

Willow follows him to see what he’s up to. She needs some excitement and challenge from everything boring. She finds it in the spell book.

There’s no stopping Willow when her mind is set, regardless of Archie’s panicked protests. But he is drawn into it all against his will. Although they don’t have the correct ingredients or utensils, Willow improvises.

The result is the appearance of a farting, cuddly and cute miniature monster who loves eating socks amongst other strange habits. They name him Hodgepodge due to what went into the mixture to create him.

Combined conspiracy is needed to hide a farting, sock-eating monster.  The antics they get into with their now pet, are endless and hilarious. Hodgepodge brings the two closer and creates distraction from the difficulties they are experiencing adjusting to their new lives.

New worries to address are added to their problems. The rich Wesley Crankshaw collects unusual creatures for his Rare Animal Sanctuary. This is seen by the children as the ideal re-homing for Hodgepodge. But what exactly is the sanctuary?

Chaos follows when the children try to get their pet back. They end up embroiled in something more complicated than even a scientific mind could have foreseen.

Hodgepodge is the first in an entertaining, unbelievably funny series, full of action and adventure with brilliant illustrations by Dustin Spence to complement the text. It is for kids that love the ridiculous, and reluctant readers.

Lili Wilkinson is an award-winning writer. Author of picture books, That Christmas Feeling and Clancy the Quokka. Her many Young adult titles include The Boundless Sublime and After the Lights Go Out. Her latest novel, The Erasure Initiative, is due to be released in August 2020. Book 2: Flummox is coming soon.

Title: How to Make a Pet Monster: #1 Hodgepodge

Author Lili Wilkinson

Illustrator: Dustin Spence

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 14.99

Publication Date: 2 July 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760877385

For ages: 8+

Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: Boo Loves Books

Boo Loves Books is a heartwarming story of a special connection formed through reading between a girl and a dog named Big Boo.

Phoebe is the only one in her class who doesn’t enjoy reading, she worries about getting the letters, sounds and words wrong so much that her tummy does flips. When her class goes on an excursion to the animal shelter, Phoebe meets a gentle but nervous dog named Big Boo and with the support of her teacher she reads him a book.

It turns out Phoebe and Big Boo have their similar concerns in common and that they are able to help each other. Boo’s fears are eased by Phoebe’s voice and Phoebe’s fears are eased by this knowledge and her focus on helping Big Boo. Following on from this new bond, a delightful ending prevails.

I adore Tracie Grimwood’s soft, traditional illustrations, they suit the loveable characters and work in unity with the text to create a positive, supportive environment and vibe.

Boo Loves Books is a captivating story which shows some of the positive effects of reading. It would be helpful to children who are learning or nervous about reading while also suiting groups and inspiring classroom discussions.

Kaye Baillie is an Australian author, some of her other books include Message in a Sock and Archie Appleby. Traicie Grimwood is a Melbourne based artist and illustrator of many books, including Reena’s Rainbow and The Game of the Goose.

Title: Boo Loves Books
Author: Kaye Baillie
Illustrator: Tracie Grimwood
Publisher: New Frontier, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 May 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922326027
For ages: 3 – 6
Type: Picture Book




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Review: Super Side Kicks: Ocean's Revenge

Junior Review: The Verindon Alliance

The Vendel and Verindal races have been at war for centuries, attacking each other and conspiring against each other.

Vashta is the youngest of the Vendel princesses and hates to get trampled on by her older siblings. She is the most skillful fighter of her family and loves the anticipation of battle.

Brandonin is the prince of Verindal and his sister Larinda is the princess. Brandonin wants peace with both the races and will do anything to have his way.

But when the Vendel royal family is visited by the Verindal heir, Brandonin, they discover that a new alien species, the Arctals, is attacking both their races.

Vashta and Brandonin must unite their races before both the Vendel and Verindal become extinct. 

But after the tragic death of the Chief Prince of Vendel, Vashta’s eldest sister Mestitha is crowned Chief Princess. 

The first thing Mestitha does as Queen is declare war against the Verindal. She is convinced the Verindal are responsible for the alien attacks.

After her proposition she discards Vashta and orders her to house arrest. Vashta has no choice but to return to Verindal secretly and live with Brandonin. Soon forbidden love between the Princess and Prince is brewing and together they are forced to attempt to wipe out the species, one way or another, even if it cost them their lives.

How are they going to defeat a bug-like species that are invincible? Will they need to develop more tech to stop these beasts? One way or another they will stay united against the Arctals and Mestitha, vanquishing both from their power.

I loved this book because It showed that not all princesses are weak and need saving by a prince. And it shows that it does not matter how young you are, you are able to make a difference. I usually do not like love stories, but the way this one was worded made me love this book even more. It gave me a feeling that these were real people within the pages even though they live on another planet.

I also loved how the plan was smoothly formulated in the story’s plot line and how Lynne Stringer described all the characters. Her writing style is suited to more advanced readers and it gives it a strong vibe. I recommend this book to ages ten and up because there are some deaths and violent sequences.

Title: The Verindon Alliance
Author: Lynn Stringer
Illustrator: Carmen Dougherty
Publisher: Rhiza Edge, $19.99 
Publication Date: May 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925563993
For ages: 10+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: My Place (For Younger Readers)

An abridged version of the 1987 classic, My Place for younger readers is a book that has lost no power in the 33 years since it was first published.

This book should be read by everyone. It should be read and discussed. It should spark anger and tears and hope and belief. 

That’s what powerful books do. And this book has mountains of power.

My Place is the autobiography of Sally Morgan — author, illustrator, creative genius. You might recognise her name. She’s created so many beautiful books you may have read to your kids (Dreamers, Girls Can Fly and so many more).

This book is her story, her life from childhood into adulthood and the discovery she made as a child that she and her family were Aboriginal.

The book follows Sally as she tries to find out more about her people and the difficulty she experiences in getting her family to talk about the past. It will open your eyes to Australia’s history and the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is confronting and it is heartbreaking, but it is important that everyone understands our country’s past.

Again, everyone needs to read this book.

Sally is a determined woman, and she wants to know everything she can, so she travels to her grandmother’s birthplace to learn more about her people. As she learns more, and shares more with the rest of her family, her grandmother Daisy, great uncle Arthur and mother Gladys all agree to share parts of their own stories with Sally.

These stories are peppered throughout the book in Daisy, Arthur and Gladys’ own words — stories about their childhood, lives and the experiences that defined them.

Confronting, heartbreaking.

Again, everyone needs to read this book.

When you reach the end, you'll feel like you've been given a precious gift. From Sally Morgan and from Daisy and from Arthur and from Gladys. These amazing people give every reader a piece of themselves in this novel, so that we may understand a little bit more about our country's past and the treatment of First Nations people.

I cannot express the power of these gifts enough. I really can’t. They are gifts that will never leave you. They most certainly will never leave me. Sally writes with truth and emotion. The story invites you to be part of Sally’s family and experience her triumphs and challenges with her. It is raw and emotional.

The book has been reshaped for younger readers, so it is very accessible for middle grade and YA readers. But there is tough subject matter between the covers, and the content will likely lead to questions, so parents, carers and teachers may need to support younger readers by providing a safe place to discuss the book.

Honestly, read this book. When your children are ready, encourage them to read this book. If you have a classroom, study this book. There are teachers notes available on the Fremantle Press website to help you guide discussion, but I honestly think if you just read the novel with your kids and let them ask questions, everyone involved will get so much out of the experience.

Read this book. It will be hard, and it will be confronting. But it will change you forever. For the better.

Title: My Place (For Younger Readers)

Author: Sally Morgan

Publisher: Fremantle Press, $17.99 

Publication Date: 1 March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781925816761

For ages: 12+

Type: Non-Fiction, Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Winterborne Home: for Vengeance and Valour

Thrilling, on the edge of your seat reading, Winterborne Home - For Vengeance and Valouris a gripping mystery with more twists and turns than a labyrinth.

April is observant, smart, fearless and resilient. She has been in twelve foster homes in ten years. This has taught her a great deal about survival.

She was left at a fire station, with a note saying this is my baby April. Keep her safe. I will be back soon. She continues to believe that her mother will return for her. The only clue to her past is a key she has worn around her neck since she was three.

Isabella Nelson heads a charity for the very wealthy Winterbornes whose past is tied to tragic circumstances. Isabella picks up April from hospital after she survives a museum fire she didn’t mean to start.

From another foster home, she collects seven year old Violet who rarely speaks, and thirteen year old Tim, Violet’s protector.

She offers these children a new, happier life at Winterborne Home where Colin and Sadie already live, and where many secrets are kept locked behind doors and in underground corridors.

Evert Winterborne is ready to claim ownership of Winterborne. Ten years have passed since the heir, Gabriel Winterborne disappeared and twenty years since Gabriel’s parents and siblings died in a boat explosion.

April is determined to find the lock that waits for her key with the Winterborne crest carved into it. During her search for this partnering, while deep in the bowels of the mansion, she discovers Gabriel and his hiding place.

Why is he hiding when a fortune and a life of luxury awaits him? What role does Isabelle Nelson play in all of this? Why does Evert live in a mini mansion by the sea instead of his family’s home?

This well-crafted, fast-paced novel demands a one-sitting read. Ally Carter has created an unstoppable heroine that blazes through the book accompanied by a fantastic supporting cast of characters. Action-filled pages keep the reader glued to their seat until the end. I loved it and can’t wait for the next instalment.

Title: Winterborne Home: For Vengeance and Valour

Author:Ally Carter

Publisher: Hachette, $14.99

Publication Date: March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780734419163

For ages: 10+

Type: Middle Grade fiction

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Review: Finding Francois

Alice lives with her gran. She likes to write lists and draw pictures and cook with her grandmother.

But sometimes she wishes she had a friend her age. So Alice writes a message, puts it in a shiny green bottle and throws it in the ocean.

Across the seas, on the shores of a lighthouse, François finds the bottle. He reads Alice’s message and so begins a friendship across the water.

But when Alice’s gran passes away, things change. Time passes and there are no more messages in a bottle. 

But after a while, Alice confides in Miss Clement (who’s taking care of her) about her pen pal across the oceans. They hatch a plan to visit François in real life.

I love the whimsy of this story. It matters little that it seems an impossibility that a message in a bottle would ever travel continuously between two friends. In fact, the impossibility of it adds to the magic of the story.

Finding François is a loving and heartfelt picture book about so many things. It’s about friendship and magic and family and grief and imagination and love and the power of words.

How Gus Gordon wraps up so much meaning and emotion in 32 pages, I do not know, but he does. His stories are often little worlds of their own, complete with a suite of characters and history you can feel in the text and see in the illustrations.

And, of course, like all Gus Gordon books, the illustrations are simply divine. Gordon is known for using mixed media in his picture books, adding snippets of photos, textures and a whole range of other images. They are fun to spot and a key part of the Gus Gordon experience.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Finding François. It is truly a delight. And if you like it (which you will), why not check out some of Gordon's other brilliant picture books. The Last Peach, Somewhere Else and Herman and Rosie come to mind.

Thank you Gus! Another brilliant picture book read filled with whimsy and love.

Title: Finding François
Author/Illustrator: Gus Gordon
Publisher: Penguin Random House, $24.99
Publication Date: 2 July 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780143794141
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Jools Bentley

Name: Jools Bentley 

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Characterful and humorous.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Pencils, both coloured and graphite.
Gouache paints.
A variety of brushes.
Plenty of paper.
A Wafer daylight lightbox.
iMac for photoshop.
Wacom tablet.
Epson A3 Scanner.
Epson A3 Printer.
iPad for Procreate and Pages.
A kettle, mug, good coffee, and a cafetière.
Oh, and my phone to listen to podcasts.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Probably my Caran D’Ache pencils as the colours are so beautiful. And my Holbein Acryla Gouache paints: they’re unique because they are not reactivated by water in the same way as acrylics, but still have the lovely matte finish of gouache. 

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Tomi Ungerer: His work is brilliantly funny and clever, and as soon as I look at his drawings I feel the sudden itch to draw! My particular favourites of his books, are Crictor and Emile. The way in which he manages to create so much character with his simple use of line, is completely awe inspiring.

Tove Jansson: I was so lucky that I managed to catch the Tove Jansson exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, twice. But nothing could have prepared me for the wondrousness of her beautiful gouache paintings. I got completely lost in her art, and the magical worlds she created. It was also great to learn about the other aspects of her vast creative output, I shall never forget it!

Quentin Blake: If ever I feel that my drawing is getting tight or over worked, then I forcibly make myself open a Quentin Blake book and marvel at his loose and expressive line. In just a few deft strokes of a pen or brush, he manages to capture the exact right movement or expression. My favourite of his books is Cockatoo, which never fails to make me snort-laugh all the way through! 

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I would like to be able to go back in time, and be one of the first people to visit Peggy Guggenheim’s Exhibition by 31 Women at her Art of This Century gallery in 1942. This was one of the first ever exhibitions to showcase exclusively women artists, such as Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim. And even though this was still a time when female artists were not being taken seriously, I think this exhibition must have been thrilling. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator? 

As a child I was always obsessively drawing, and I loved entering art competitions. I went on to study for a BA in Fine Art, but it wasn’t until I had my own children and read picture books to them, that I realised illustration was something that I wanted to do. I became fascinated by the interplay between word and image in picture books and the unique challenges presented by a 32 page format. I love writing stories as much as I love drawing, so in discovering new picture books for my kids, I inadvertently found a new direction in my own creativity.

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 don’t have a studio, so I mostly work on my kitchen table. My kids are at uni, so I have the luxury of not having to clear up at the end of each day! I work on a tilted drawing board for posture reasons, and I like everything to be neatly organised and easily accessible. I love looking at pictures of beautiful and messy artist’s studios, but working like that would drive me insane! I like to have all of my pencils and paints in colour order so that my mind can stay clear, and I like mellow jazz or a good podcast playing in the background. Heaven.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
I love the early stage of picture book creation, which for me is usually letting my mind go blank and sketching new characters. I then look at them all staring back at me from the page and see which ones ‘speak’ to me. From there, I see if any of theses characters may have a story to tell, and if they do, I will go on to draw more potential scenarios. That’s definitely the part I get most excited about. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I think my number one piece of advice is to take yourself seriously as an artist. It took me many years to learn this lesson. As we know, it takes a huge amount of practice and dedication to develop the skills required to be an illustrator, so never play that down. I really don’t like it when I read illustrators saying they ‘doodle for a living’. I think this makes it sound easy, and it isn’t. Sometimes when we draw, it can look as though we’re doing it with ease, but it has often taken an incalculable amount of hours to acquire that skill! And don’t undervalue your work, either. Creatives are far too often asked to work cheaply, or for nothing, with the incentive that it will raise their profile or be great for the portfolio. But every time you do that, you make the issue worse. Solidarity my friends! 

I am an illustrator and author of children’s books. I’m from London, but currently live in Bristol, UK, with my husband and French Bulldog, Pixie. I have a BA in Fine Art, and an MA in Children’s Book Illustration, which I gained at The Cambridge School of Art. Whilst studying, I won First Prize in The Macmillan Prize for Children’s Book Illustration. My debut picture book The HippoPandaMouse is published by Macmillan Children’s Books and I am currently working on book two.

For more information please follow Jools on her instagram.

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Review: Her Perilous Mansion

Are you looking for an adventure? Are you ready to step over the threshold into a brand new world? A brand new mystery?

You are? Great!

Her Perilous Mansion is waiting for you.

A middle grade read filled with intrigue and adventure, this novel will suck you in and keep you guessing until the end.

Don’t dismiss any clue. Don’t ignore any secret message. Because they all mean something in this book, and it all leads to an epic conclusion you won’t expect.

Almanac is an orphan. He’s been an orphan his whole life. So when he’s given the opportunity to be apprentice second footman at a manor, he jumps at the chance.

Etta is looking for something new. The youngest of twelve daughters, she’s sick of being overlooked. So when she’s given the chance to be handmaid at a manor, she heads out the door without even a word to her family.

Almanac and Etta are both looking for a new life. They’re prepared to work hard and give everything they’ve got, but what they’re not prepared for is chaos, mystery, questions that cannot be answered and no one around to answer them even if they could be.

This is a gripping story filled with clues to follow and problems to solve. It grabs you from chapter one and it doesn’t let you go.

Her Perilous Mansion sits in the middle grade category, recommended for kids aged around 8 to 12. But honestly, if you love mystery, I recommend picking up this book and diving in. It is gripping, exciting, thrilling and mysterious, and Sean Williams is a master of words, so you know it’s written to perfection.

I loved every second of reading this book, and I know you and your middle grade readers are going to love it too.

Title: Her Perilous Mansion

Author: Sean Williams

Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $16.99 

Publication Date: April 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760877361

For ages: 8 - 12

Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Scribble Witch #1: Notes in Class

This is a fun-filled fantasy; an imaginative and magical illustrated chapter book. It’s the first in a series whose text and quirky illustrations promise to keep even reluctant readers turning pages.

Molly Mills is nine years old. She likes doodling and pencil toppers. (Lots of images are involved). Her best friend is Chloe who wants to go to Mars. They have been BFs since kindergarten.

Chloe is leaving. She’s moving to a school closer to home. This shocking news destabilises Molly far more than being unable to spell the word treasure has.

She is given an old dictionary by her teacher Mr Stilton (whom Molly believes lacks affinity with children) to find the word, but if you can’t spell it how can you find it?

The dictionary falls to the floor and out pokes a note with a witch doodle on it. Distracted by her thoughts, Molly cuts out the witch doodle and puts it in her pen pot.

The dialogue between Notes the tiny scribble witch and Molly, begins with a paper plane hitting Molly’s head. Notes climbs out of the pen pot and wants to be Molly’s new best friend. Molly likes the idea, especially after Notes helps her with her school work. But her existence must stay a secret. Note writing bounces back and forth as the two lay foundations for a new friendship.

Is it possible for a scribbly doodle to materialise? Can Notes fill the space that Chloe is vacating? Perhaps she could she be instrumental in convincing Chloe to stay?

Notes the witch will prove smarter than Molly imagined when she comes up with an alternate and ingenious solution to Molly’s sadness.

Title: Scribble Witch #1: Notes in Class

Author/Illustrator: Inky Willis

Publisher: Hachette, $14.99

Publication Date: March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781444951653

For ages: 7 - 9

Type: Fantasy

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12 Curly Questions with author Andrew Levins

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
When I was seven years old I wanted to grow up to become a magician! We came home one evening and there was a package in the mail; a prize I’d won for sending in tokens from a chocolate milk tin, this big suitcase full of magic tricks! I would torture my family with magic shows for about a month before all the cheap plastic magic sets broke and then I forgot about my dream.

2. What is your nickname?
Levins, Lev, Levdawg. Never Andy! I hate it when people call me Andy.

3. What is your greatest fear?
My teeth falling out from eating too much ice-cream. Or being told by the dentist that I can’t eat ice-cream anymore because it will make my teeth fall out. All my fears are ice-cream related.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Fast, messy, way too many jokes and WAY too many jokes that only I find funny. Also, my writing style ignores all rules, such as a ‘10-word limit’.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Funny, stupid, gross, sweet, behind-deadline (sorry to my editors).

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Tintin! I’d love to go on adventures all over the world. Actually, maybe I’d rather be his dog, Snowy.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
2050, so I could see what weird new ice-cream flavours exist and then bring some back for my kids.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
What weird new flavours of ice-cream exist in 2020?

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I grew up reading Roald Dahl and Paul Jennings books. I loved how silly they could be while still telling such amazing stories. These days all I read is manga from Japan, especially shonen manga, which is written for teenage boys (or 35 year old boys who never grew up). My favourites are One Piece and Dragon Ball, two long-running stories filled with funny characters and epic adventures. I hope that one day I can write something as fun and addictive!

10. What/who made you start writing?
My dad. On weekends when I was little he would make books with me about animals and my sisters. He would write the words and I’d draw the pictures. He was one of the first people to read Nelson and he was super proud to see the physical copy.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Awesome. I’m a very positive person, which means I spend a lot of time describing things as positively as possible. There’s a limit to how many movies you can describe as amazing, or how many meals are incredible. But awesome? Nobody ever gets sick of that word. It’s the awesomest way to describe something awesome.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Can I say One Piece? It’s already 950-plus chapters long and the writer/artist Eiichiro Oda doesn’t have plans to stop writing it anytime soon. In theory, I could just keep getting new stories forever!

Andrew Levins has been a DJ since he was a teenager, and a food writer for almost as long. He cut his teeth as one of the inaugural DJs on FBi radio, plays most major Australian music festivals and hosts the longest-running hip-hop night in Sydney. His articles have been published by The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Life, VICE, SBS, The Good Food Guide and Time Out. In 2007 he co-founded the youth music charity Heaps Decent (with Diplo and Nina Las Vegas), and in 2009 he was named one of Sydney’s 100 Most Influential People by The Sydney Morning Herald. Since then he’s had two kids, run a successful restaurant, released a cookbook and started no less than five podcasts. The Nelson series are his first books for children. For more information, see www.penguin.com.au.

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Review: Fantasically Great Women Who Saved the Planet

Kate Pankhurst continues her theme of Fantastically Great Women, with the fourth book in the series, Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet. 

Profiles of famous women from diverse backgrounds and their successes are showcased.

Eugene Clark, a Marine Biologist, awoke awareness to the intelligence of sharks. Her last dive was in 2014 at 92 years old.

Wangari Maathai left Kenya and its forests to study in USA. When she returned, deforestation had replaced the trees for crops and money. In 1977, she created the Green Belt Movement placing women in charge. Communities worked to restore the forests, planting over 51 million trees.

Ingeborg Beling was one of the first chronobiologists. Famous for her work with honey bees, she proved that they worked to the circadian rhythm of all living things.

This interesting collection further includes Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, Meteorologist, Edith Farkas, who tracked changes to the ozone layer and Jane Goodall, renowned for her research with wild chimpanzees.

Ursula Marvin, geologist, studied Meteorites. Daphne Sheldrick set up the Tsavo National Park to protect wildlife. Isatou Geesay grew up in The Gambia. She taught women how to recycle their plastic bags into useful objects like handbags and purses.

Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey, was a passionate protector of wild birds. Threatened by ladies’ fashion, an estimated five million birds were killed each year to accommodate the demand for feathered hats. She put a stop to that. Maria Telkes was a scientist who invented Solar Energy. 

The Chipko Movement was successful due to the women of the Lata Village in India, who stood in the way of loggers.

Eileen Kampakuta Brown and Eileen Wani Wingfield stopped the government from creating a waste dump close to their home in Woomera, South Australia.  Having experienced an earlier desecration by nuclear testing, they helped form a group of Aboriginal elder women, determined to protect their home.

This series will expand young minds and inspire girls to follow their chosen paths. The enthralling facts and complementing  coloured illustrations will capture the interest of any age reader. Ideal for schools and public libraries.

The first three titles are now also available in a coloured boxed set.

Title: Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet

Author/Illustrator: Kate Pankhurst

Publisher: Bloomsbury, $14.99

Publication Date: 3 March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780408899298

For ages: 6+

Type: Non-fiction

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Junior Review: The Girl Who Stole An Elephant

Winner: Picture Books: Ellie's Dragon and Barkley

Our lucky winner is...

Louise Brooks, QLD

Congratulations!

You have won a copy each of Bob Graham's latest picture, Ellie's Dragon and Rebecca Crane's Barkley. We hope you enjoy them both. 

Thank you to ALL who entered. There were plenty of interesting companions suggested, not least of which the dragon!

To read more about the beautiful, Ellie's Dragon, have a look at Jo's review. And keep your eyes peeled for our next exciting Giveaway coming soon, 11 July!

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Review: Good Question

Full of humour and cheeky prose, Sue Whiting’s new book is amazing! Different sized text in waves across the page, promises the reader adventure and fun. 

Follow me! it invites. 

Elegant design and layout draw attention to Annie White’s stunning vibrant illustrations.

Fox is up a tree, hiding from the giant that probably wants to make him into fox stew. Why does he want to do so? Good Question! Lots of them appear in this book that has an adventure with hunger and food at the centre of it all.

There’s a wily old wolf, a pig, a giant, a beanstalk and of course there’s Jack Then there’s the three bears and the list goes on.

Fox is feeling sorry for himself. Why? Good question! He comes up with a list of incredible and questionable reasons. He has a million explanations of the over-imaginative kind that go on and on. Well, he is a wily Fox!

He takes us through fairy tales with fairy godmothers, field mice, carriage horses; all to get us to the exact point of the story.

Fabulously funny, clever, and entertaining in every way, this is a must. It’s an excellent concept and beautifully presented to maximise the tension around why the fox is doing what he’s doing.

The end pages sing. They depict the trail the fox takes, the characters he encounters and of course, the beanstalk with the giant. In fact, it has encapsulated in both end pages, the complete movement of every character. This maze becomes a story in itself. Imagine the interest children will show in all the things this book has to offer. I loved it!  

Title: Good Question

Author: Sue Whiting

Illustrator: Annie White

Publisher: Walker Books, $24.99

Publication Date: 1 May 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781760650841

For ages: 3+

Type: Picture Books

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Review: Havenfall

Review: Bluey: All About Bluey; All About Bingo

Bluey: All about Bluey is exactly that!

Six year old (dog years) Bluey loves to play grown-up games. Her imagination is a bottomless pit. She is a committed organiser and loves playing with her sister Bingo.

The rules of each game are a flexible process as everyone involved has their own idea about which roles they play.

Bluey loves listening to stories at school (this helps with ideas for her games) and playing with her friends.

They embark on exciting adventures created with whatever is at hand and their imaginative thoughts.

Home life is equally entertaining – especially with Dad. He allows Bluey and Bingo complete freedom (read being silly) to wrestle, tickle, dress-up and pretend, which initiates laughter and great fun.

Bluey sees Mum as the best hugger, a terrific storyteller, and a good listener when things go wrong.

When things are hard to learn or understand, Bluey always tries to be brave.

Her favourite times are when all the family is together.

The first things children will notice (tested on my three year-old), are the shapes in which many of the illustrations are enveloped. There are ovals, circles and oblongs, wavy shapes and free-standing images. Each one contains Bluey, whose face or body, is expressing a particular emotion. This can be used to an initiate conversation, discussions and learning with the very young, around different feelings and why we have them.

Both books, Bluey and Bingo come cut in a dog shape.

All about Bingo, gives us a personal overview of Bingo's character, identical to Bluey's in All About Bluey.

Bingo is Bluey’s four year-old sister. She is a red heeler and shares a room with Bluey. That can cause problems with siblings sometimes, but not for these two. They love playing games and being together.

There are certain things that Bingo is expert in. Keepy Uppy is one. She also loves to call herself by different names, giving herself other personas. Bingo has a list ready to choose from, depending on the situation. Singing at specific times – especially on the toilet is another. She is also a polished mover and shaker, a talent which she frequently exhibits. Asking unusual questions is one of her finer traits. Dad says she does things her own way.

It’s the understanding ear of Mum when it is needed, and the hugs at the end of the day, that are appreciated the most.

Bluey and Bingo are family oriented, friendly and lovable. Children can and do associate the personified dogs’ activities, emotions and needs, with their own. They see solutions to their problems in how the heeler family acts. They are role models. This is the ingenuity of these characters.

Title: Bluey: All About Bluey: Bluey: All About Bingo

Author / Illustrator: Based on the ABC Kids TV show

Publisher: Penguin Random House, $16.99

Publication Date: 2 June 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781760898304, 9781760898298

For ages: 2+

Type: Board Book

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Video Review: Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot!

Join Yvonne Mes for a short and snappy video review of Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! A hilarious graphic reader for children five and up, written and illustrated by Cece Bell.

Title: Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot!
Author. Illustrator: Cece Bell
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: 1 September 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780763679361
For ages: 5+
Type: Junior Fiction




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Review: Two Dogs On A Trike

Meet The Illustrator: Maddie Frost

Name: Maddie Frost

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.

Little quirky, little witty, little random.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?

1 million lights, a window or two, music, and room to lay on the floor.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?

Photoshop and a Wacom tablet. I also scan handmade textures that I sometimes layer into my art.

Name three artists whose work inspires you. 

Beatrix Potter,Lauren Child, Spongebob, who I know isn’t an artist but he still inspires me.

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

Probably the Renaissance period so I could sit down and have a sandwich and a chat with da Vinci. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

I just always loved to draw. Nobody in my family was really into art or had any major drawing abilities (sorry Mom, Dad, Little Bro). Nobody in my primary school really did either (it was a small school). I watched a lot of cartoons growing up so my love for characters and storytelling happened at a young age. I went to college for animation and realized that although I wasn’t so much into the motion aspect of storytelling, I was into developing characters. Picture books was my perfect destiny.

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

This is the spot I’m at the most. I have another large desk in my art room, it’s three times the size of this one. But for some reason I just love working in the closet. Sometimes I sit under the desk and close the doors for deep thinking.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I really love it all. Nerd alert! I love the brainstorming and planning stage and playing with color palettes. Making the art and losing myself in it. And the moments in between where I think I can’t solve a problem, then all of a sudden I figure it out. I even love making revisions. With every book I work on, I always learn something about myself. I grow a little both as a human and artist. Whether it’s learning to trust the process or just slowing down to enjoy the process. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Say yes. Keep doing what you’re doing, making the art you love making, and say yes to every opportunity that knocks on your door. 

Maddie Frost is the author-illustrator of Once Upon a Zzzz, Animobiles, Wakey Birds, and her newest book, Smug Seagull. She is also the illustrator of dozens of books including The Littlest Things Give The Loveliest Hugs, A is for Artichoke, and more. She lives outside Boston with her husband and doggo, Mozzy. 

For more information, please visit Maddie's website or follow her on instagram and twitter.

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Review: Haywire

The setting is Hay, rural Australia, 1939 and narrated in two parallel stories; one by Tom in Hay, the other by Max in Germany.

WW2 has broken out. Volunteers are eager to join up to fight for their country.

Tom is the youngest of three boys. Still at school, he is intelligent and diligent enough to get into Uni. But when his brothers Mick and Pete sign up, he’s forced to fill their role at the family bakery.

An internment camp is being built in Hay to house Enemy Aliens. 2000 of them – Italians and Germans, are on their way.

Many people hate them already as they have limited water supply. Plus, their other resources will be drained.  But it is also an opportunity for some to make money.

Max is secreted away to England and his Uncle Ferdy, only to find that he lives in a tiny basement and cooks on a kerosene stove. As things escalate, the two encounter hostility. Their origins and accents become a threat. They are taken along with other Enemy Aliens to an internment camp, then onto a ship bound for Canada. Many drown after it’s torpedoed. The survivors are returned to where they started.

On the Dunera, this time bound for Australia and the internment camp at Hay, Ferdy and Max experience another attack. Max arrives alone, for Ferdy, traumatised by the first bombing, jumps overboard and drowns.

Tom’s home life has become a war zone. His mother is filled with anger and hatred for everyone and everything that took her sons away. She doesn’t stop harping about it, as the family buckles under the work load. Then tragedy strikes.

Max and Tom meet during the daily bread delivery. A tentative friendship is formed. They find they have a lot in common. Although Max acknowledges that not everyone sees the internees as the enemy, his grief and loss over Ferdy’s death consumes him. Impossible as it seems, all he wants is to get back to his parents. The eternal optimist Willy, who travelled on the Dunerawith Max, comes up with a crazy idea.

Superbly written and presented, Haywire is a powerful read. It focuses historically, on the prelude to WW2 and the crumbling of people’s lives.

Claire Saxby’s prose is crisp. Short and sharp sentences provide bold, vivid images that carry urgency and tension equal to the characters’ actions and emotions. Perfect for young readers interested in learning about Australian war history, Haywire is part of a fabulous series, Australia’s Second World War.

Title: Haywire

Author: Claire Saxby

Publisher: Scholastic, $16.99

Publication Date: 1 March 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781742769196

For ages: 9+

Type: Historical Fiction

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