Announcement: Teachers' Hub - Resources Update

HarperCollins Publishers Australia is thrilled to launch the new design of its Teachers’ Hub – a place for teachers and librarians to discover the company’s latest books, find out about upcoming author events, and download free teacher resources and activities to use in the classroom, library and at home.

Jemma Myors, Education Manager at HarperCollins Publishers Australia, said, 'I am so proud that we have created a truly unique online space for Australian teachers, where they can easily find books to meet a range of topics and all aspects of the Australian Curriculum.'

One can now search for books by keywords and find resources for specific learning areas and age groups. Individual book pages also list topics covered and link directly to their respective HarperCollins website pages.

This announcement comes a month after the conclusion of the Hub’s Learning from Home series, which supported parents, educators and children throughout the recent mass home-schooling phase.

'The fantastic feedback we had from this series told us that teachers and parents found it a wonderful resource to meet the diverse needs of children during the lockdown period.'

Teachers and librarians can also sign up for the Teachers’ Hub monthly email newsletter which covers news on HarperCollins’ educational titles, along with any announcements and special offers available.

To access all these free resources, visit teachershub.com.au

Visit this marvellous resource along with dozens of other helpful Teachers' Notes and downloadable resources via our KBR Teachers' Notes and Lesson Plans link via our comprehensive Resources Page.

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Review: What Do You Call Your Grandpa?

Grandparents all around the world are known to their families by names specific to their language, culture, or family.

In What Do You Call Your Grandpa? those names related to language and culture are explained using lovely rhymes.

There are grandpas like Babu who loves looking to the stars in he sky in Africa, Belo who races boats down the brook with his grandson in Spain, and Kaku who loves to fish and cook his catch, in Australia's Northern Territory.

The rhymes themselves don't state where the various grandpas live, however there is a one-page reference list at the back which tells you what language and countries the names are associated with. From Celtic Wales and Maori New Zealand, to India, China, and other places.

The rhymes convey special relationships between grandfathers and their grandchildren. The experiences they share, and things that children notice and remember most. Memories that last a long time.

The pictures in What Do You Call Your Grandpa? depict the different environments, homes and public places that grandfathers spend their time. The places that stick with us when we remember them.

Ashleigh Barton's text (in her first picture book), and Martina Heiduczek's illustrations, create a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality which make What Do You Call Your Grandpa? appealing.

A beautiful gift book and one to share with all the family, from the youngest readers to grandparents and great-grandparents.

Look out for What Do You Call Your Grandma?, being released next year.

Title: What Do You Call Your Grandpa?
Author: Ashleigh Barton
Illustrator: Martina Heiduczek
Publisher: ABC Books, $ 17.99
Publication Date: July 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780733340864
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture book

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Review: Goldfields Girl

This is a fictional account of the early life of Clara Saunders based on her own unfinished manuscript. 

It covers approximately two years from April 1892 of the gold rush era, through to March 1894. 

The Author’s Note at the beginning, gives us a strong introduction, addressing the background and origins of the manuscript and how the book came about.

The reader steps right into the life of fourteen year-old Clara, who with Mother and her older sister, set out from Brisbane to Western Australia to support Clara’s sister Mary and husband.

They own the Hotel in the gold mining town of Southern Cross and are expecting their fifth child.

Clara’s memories are clear, precise and very detailed as she recalls the incredible adventure on which she embarked. There she met Jack, her first love. It is a time of parties, music from tin whistles, banjos and accordions; sing-alongs, picnics and racing festivals.

Jack works for his father as water carrier to the dry areas of the diggings. Lack of water is the greatest problem. Clara and Jack become very close, spending all their spare time together.

In September 1892, when the richest reef of gold is discovered by Arthur Bailey and his friend William Ford, a flood of goldminers moves into a new town which they name Coolgardie. Another hotel goes up to accommodate the influx. Clara agrees to join the single female cook working there. She takes with her, Mother’s First Aid bible which proves to be more valuable than gold.

A second reef – a mile long of pure gold, is found close to Coolgardie. With this rush, the English girl Florrie turns up, looking for adventure and excitement. Both girls prove tough, resilient, and extremely hard working; able to stand up to the rough men and their indiscreet language. A friendship quickly forms.

Recorded recollections beautifully transferred by Elaine Forrestal into visual images, reveal the strength and perseverance exercised by all during those difficult, early Australian gold rush years. The camaraderie between men is made visible. Life is frequently tumultuous, for competition and dissent, typhoid and dysentery are rife. Camp life – descriptive and real, the good and bad, is presented in perfect prose.

The end of 1893 brings great change and additional dangers and threats, as criminals, conmen and individuals with no respect for women, pass through the mining towns. This danger finds Jack, shattering Clara’s life and rounding off her story.

There is a two-page informational reference to Clara’s life after Jack. This interesting addition gives answers to questions on what happened to Clara afterwards, that readers will enjoy discovering at the end of this well-told Australian story.

Title: Goldfields Girl

Author:Elaine Forrestal

Publisher: Fremantle Press, $16.99

Publication Date: May 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781925816495

For ages: 10 - 14

Type: Historical Fiction/Biography

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Meet The Illustrator: Jedda Robaard

Name: Jedda Robaard

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Whimsical, lighthearted and gentle.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Pencil – palomino 602
Paper - any
iPad
Diary and pen
Comfy Chair
Drawing table
Desktop computer
Light, lots of natural light.
Pinboard

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Absolutely! Watercolour. However, these days I am working more and more digitally. But nothing beats the feeling of putting paint on paper and the beauty of the colours in real life. 

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
May Gibbs, Shaun Tan and the Eames (technicality the Eames are designers, but their use of colour and design was awesome) 

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I’d like to say art nouveau. The combination of organic and geographic forms is beautiful. But as there were barely any women practicing or just not acknowledged, I think the period we are in now would be my preference.

Just look at all the different ways we can create images. It’s mind boggling.
And although we have a way to go with equal representation of female artists (particularly in design) I feel very lucky to be doing what I’m doing right now. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator? 

Having worked in design and print I was initially a wanting to get away from the screen and paint more. But once I started to work on books I was hooked on the process. 

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Problem solving. But as this applies to nearly every aspect of the Book illustration process i.e. coming up with ideas, story boarding, solving page sequencing issues, drawing a character consistently, choosing a colour palette… I’ll pick just one.

Creating and fine tuning the initial story idea is always the highlight for me. 

Can you share a photo of your creative workspace or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
My workplace is just a few steps from my back door. We built the studio (which is situated in my garden) a few years ago. I was lucky enough to design it how I wanted, so I made sure it had lots of light and lots of cupboards.

I have two desks, a drawing desk which I’ve had since I went to art school in 1992.
A table for my computer, a set of shelves for drying work, a very old light box
and an even older Tessa chair (which I share with my grumpy dachshund Evie).

Favourite tools:
Palomino Blackwing (602) Pencil. You can replace the eraser, love that!
Uniball Eye Pen
Faber Castell 3H grey lead pencil, well used!
Moleskin diary
And my Apple Pencil, not my favourite but essential 

Pinboard 

A mass of ideas and drawings. Somethings have even migrated from old pin boards to this one. There are photos, sketches, retro souvenirs, schedules, reminders and even the odd crochet mushroom. Anything and everything that brings joy. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Being a book illustrator isn’t just about the ability to draw. When I look back at my first drawings, I was mediocre at best! You will learn a lot along the way.

And skills like, a good sense of design and composition, vivid imagination,
and a willingness to listen and take on constructive criticism are equally important. 

Jedda Robaard is an Australian author, illustrator and designer, based on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. She is known internationally for her gentle and whimsical style of illustration. Jedda has been illustrating and writing children’s books since 2011 and has over 40 books published.

Jedda is represented by Jacinta Di Mase Management.

For more information please visit Jedda's website or follow her on facebook and instagram

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Guest Post: Tania Louise Smith on What Resilience IS and IS NOT?

Review: Encyclopedia of Insects

The Encyclopedia of Insects contains the ugly and the beautiful of the insect world. Over three hundred of them from all over the globe appear in this book, each with a role to play.

Insect bodies are divided into three parts: a head, thorax and abdomen.

Explored are their fascinating lifestyles, personal details, habits, habitats and appearance, Latin names, and their contribution to animals, humans and the environment.

Painted illustrations of all are displayed in vibrant colour. Known as the unsung heroes of the natural world, unfortunately, many species face extinction due to climate change and pollution.

Travelling through each entry via an astonishingly clever and informative narrative, we learn about these insects’ life stages – those of complete and incomplete metamorphosis, life spans, wing spans, where they are found and how they camouflage.

Especially interesting is the information available about insects of Australia (just a few). The Eusocial Weevil (Austroplatypus incompertus) found in eucalyptus forests, the gorgeous Jewel Beetles, (Temognatha Alternata) found in the forests of Queensland and the Golden Stag Beetle (Lamprima aurata) found throughout our country.

This is certainly an outstanding reference book for those interested in living things found in nature. Even the 200 species of nomad Army Ants (Hymenoptera) that carry their nests, the queen and larvae, plus the flesh-eating beetles and flies, play a significant role in the cycle of life.

Dragonflies, grasshoppers, slugs, Mayflies, spiders, snails and slugs. No matter how disgusting some people may find them, they exhibit a usefulness and rare value – each and every one of them.

  

Title: Encyclopedia of Insects

Author: Jules Howard

Illustrator: Miranda Zimmerman

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $29.99

Publication Date: June 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9780711249141

For ages: 12+

Type: Non Fiction

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12 Curly Questions with author Sarah Prager

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.  

In high school and college I’d imagine my future wife would wear glasses reading a book next to me in bed. This was the height of my idea of a perfect future life and luckily I met a bespectacled woman right after college. I was over the moon that she’d read in bed next to me before we went to sleep each night. Then she got LASIK (laser eye surgery)! I still love her even without the glasses!

2. What is your nickname?  

Our three-year-old goes by many names: Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Tinker Bell, Daniel Tiger… you get the idea. Whenever she changes character, the names for everyone else in our family changes, too. I go by Eric, Gaston, Genie, Mom Tiger, etc. Lately I’m usually Kristoff. (Her baby sister is always a sidekick like Olaf, Flounder, Abu, or Baby Margaret.)

3. What is your greatest fear?  

Like many parents, my fears most often involve my kids. I worry that I’m not being a good enough mom, about keeping them safe, about raising them well.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.  

I write my ancestors’ history for those of the future.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.  

Emotional. Representative. Diverse. Empowering. Evolving.

6. What book character would you be, and why?

I’d be Piggie of Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie series. Piggie’s always encouraging Gerald to lighten up and they have so much fun together.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?  

I’d go to 1593 so I could meet Francisco Manicongo. Francisco is one of the 50 historical figures featured in my new book Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History and we barely know anything about his life. He was taken from Africa to Brazil in the late 1500s and was put on trial for refusing to wear male clothes and for sleeping with another male slave. I don’t know what happened to him and I’d like to ask him… and also show him some support.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?

“OMG, I can’t believe you’re gay! You’re legally married to a woman, too?? And you have kids without a husband?? WHAT?!”

9. Who is your greatest influence? 

It’s cliché, but my parents. They raised me with love.

10. What/who made you start writing?  

I first started writing about LGBTQ+ history as a way to promote my free mobile app, Quist, that teaches LGBTQ+ history. I would do unpaid guest blog posts to get the word out since I didn’t have an advertising budget. Then one day a senior editor from HarperCollins Children’s emailed me asking for a call. She invited me to write a book about LGBTQ+ history for teens! I was floored. It felt like a dream book deal fell into my lap out of nowhere, even though it was the result of years of hard work making a name for myself in the LGBTQ+ history space. I got an agent and signed a contract within two weeks and turned in the manuscript less than a year later. That turned into my first book, 2017’s Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World.

11. What is your favourite word and why?  

It’s actually lesbian. I love that it’s tied to a sense of place, like I am a descendent of Sappho of Lesbos and actually from the Greek island. Fun fact: The residents of Lesbos actually tried to sue the Greek LGBTQ+ rights organisation for using the word 'lesbian' in their name. All of the residents of Lesbos are Lesbians, it's their demonym. They lost the case, but I like to think there is a lesbian Lesbian out there who finds it funny.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. While I was writing my YA book (Queer, There, and Everywhere), I tried to immerse myself in excellent YA writing so that mine would come out close to that. My wife and I listened to the audiobook over and over during the months I was writing; we couldn’t get enough. I was pregnant with our first child while I wrote my first book and that book certainly influenced our choice to name our daughter Eleanor, though she is named for Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the historical figures featured in Queer, There, and Everywhere. 

 

 

Sarah Prager is an advocate for LGBTQ history education particularly for youth. HarperCollins published her first book, Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World, in 2017. The book received three-starred reviews, was named an official selection of the Junior Library Guild, received five award nominations, and was named a Best Book for Teens 2017 by New York Public Library and Chicago Public Library. Her second book, Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History has already been named a Junior Library Guild selection. Sarah’s writing has been published in The Atlantic, The Advocate, HuffPost, Bustle, JSTOR Daily, and various other outlets. Sarah has presented on LGBTQIA+ history to over 140 groups across five countries. She lives with her wife, two children, and three cats in Massachusetts, USA. For more information, see www.sarahprager.com.

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Review: Shadow

Mum and daughter have suffered some severe trauma. It’s the two of them now and they have moved to another home.  The child is afraid.  Mum assures her there is nothing to be afraid of here; that there are no dark places at all in the new house.

But under her new bed, hiding amongst cobwebs that hadn’t been swept for years, with dust piles big as rats, the child finds Shadow. She tells Mum, who can’t see him. In fact, she can’t see anything for days at a time. Lost in her thoughts, all she can see is what's in her mind, occupying her every moment.The girl is alone with only Shadow whom she has now befriended.

He becomes her playmate. As they explore the house together, the child’s aloneness dissipates.

She goes willingly from the house with Shadow and wanders into the forest. But her new friend has discovered others like himself there. Together the shadows play, flit and hide behind trees, then slip away.

Darkness falls. All alone, there were no shadows left, just tears.

Daybreak brings the sound of her name.

Full of metaphors and underlying meanings, this book, impressive in every way, could be describing depression, family break-up or violence, or all these things. It speaks of sorrow and internal isolation, but also the strength of love and overcoming personal difficulties.

Beautifully constructed, visually stunning, with illustrations by Anastasia Suvorova, the gentle prose insightfully reveals human frailties and personal agonies, the resilience of children, and how the scars on adult lives affect family members as well as the sufferer. Ideal for adults as well as mature children.

 Title: Shadow

Author: Lucy Christopher

Illustrator: Anastasia Suvorova

Publisher: New South Books, $24.99

Publication Date: December 2019

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781911373834

For ages: 6+

Type: Picture Book

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Winner: How Do You Make A Baby?

Our lucky winner is...

Liz Dorrington, WA

Congratulations!

You have won a copy the fascinating non-fiction picture book, How Do You Make a Baby?

Thank you to ALL who entered. We received some truly embarrassing answers! 

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Review: Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter

A heartwarming story about book lover Ralfy Rabbit and the mystery of the bite mark found in his book.

Ralfy Rabbit loves all kinds of books and nothing more than snuggling up to read in a quiet environment. When his baby brother Rodney cries, shrieks, rattles, clangs, bangs and more Ralfy’s serenity is ruined, he tries all sorts of things to escape the noises of his little brother.

When Ralfy finally finds a wonderful place to read, he’s shocked to discover a huge hole in the book he opens, on further inspection, it’s not just a hole, it’s a great big bite! Ralfy immediately gets to work on unfolding the mystery, however things get worse before they get better, taking readers on a fun and suspenseful journey.

Ralfy’s actions and character show a delightful example of patience, kindness and sibling love while also promoting the joy of reading. A warming and amusing end prevails.

I adore the gorgeous illustrations which feature watercolour textures, a bright, cheerful colour palette and cute characters. This heartwarming book would be great for reluctant readers or book lovers alike and for children with younger siblings.

Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter is the second book in the Ralfy Rabbit series, following on after Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar. Emily MacKenzie is a UK author and illustrator of many other books including There’s Broccoli in my Ice Cream and Trouble on the Farm.

Title: Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter
Author/Illustrator: Emily MacKenzie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, $15.99
Publication Date: 2 July 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN:  9781408892091
For ages: 0 – 5
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Blood Moon

It might be 2020, but the double standard is alive and strong!

Sixteen year-old Frankie is a quiet, nerdy girl, who usually flies under the radar. She meets the equally quiet but extremely cute Benjamin and ends up having a spontaneous sexual experience with him.

It’s consensual, exciting and satisfying - but during their intimate moment, her period starts. He’s okay with it – after all, he wants to become a doctor. And Frankie assumes this to be the start of something beautiful.

Well, it’s the start of something! The next day, this private and otherwise loving situation suddenly bursts into everybody’s awareness via social media.

A meme that shows her face and makes her out to have disgusting sexual appetites circulates and gathers momentum. Frankie is being slut shamed.

As she had not told any of her friends about Benjamin, she has no idea how the story got out in the first place. Ben swears that he told nobody. But now that her meme is viral, everybody has an opinion about it.

Frankie turns to her friends. As it happens, she had been in the middle of a fight with her best friend Harriet when the meme went viral. A few days earlier, Harriet had made a poor decision to send a bra shot of herself to a teacher, and when the consequences of this hit, Frankie had been judgemental rather than supportive.

Is this Harriet’s revenge? After all, the meme first appeared on her page. Harriet protests her innocence, but Frankie is not convinced, and more concerned with saving her reputation, and keeping her parents oblivious to worry about that.

But as the trolls circle and she is threatened with rape by total strangers, Frankie must take drastic action to reclaim control of the narrative and to solve the mystery about the breach of her privacy.

Told in verse, this is a compelling story about how easily a cyberbully can ruin lives – and about turning a story of shaming around. Beautifully written with an exquisite use of sparse language, this powerful story is a must-read for every teen, and every parent of a teen.

Title: Blood Moon

Author: Lucy Cuthew
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, $18.99  
Publication Date: 1 July 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406393446
For ages: 14+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Spies in Disguise, Animated Comedy Film From 20th Century Fox, Watch Online

The film Spies in Disguise follows the story of a secret agent who gets trapped as a pigeon by a smart scientist. Watch online at Kids World Fun. …]

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Review: A World Full of Dickens' Stories

A World Full of Dickens’ Stories presents eight best-loved classic tales adapted by Angela McAllister andretold for children. This is an eye-catching and beautifully designed book that will be treasured and enjoyed time and time again.

An elegant cover decorated with images of the stories’ characters and settings, heralds the contents. Stunning, fully illustrated end pages compete with the cover for first prize.

Reading Dickens in this simplified yet artistic form, younger readers will learn about the real struggles of children within these imaginative tales set in Victorian England.

It is a historically interesting era which reveals the exploitation of orphans and unwanted children, which seemed to be the accepted norm.

The Contents page delivers a single image attached to each story title. They are Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of two Cities, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby andHard Times.

Each of these stories is introduced by a page full of portraits depicting the characters, their name and role. The faces reflect the kind of person they are – harsh, sly, unkind, gentle etc. so the reader immediately identifies them as they begin the journey though the story. The names that Dickens chose for his characters describes them so well. Bold text throughout adds elegance to the layout of every page of high quality paper.

The stories are regularly interspersed with further delightful and expressive illustrations drawn in bold lines in full colour by the talented Jannicke Hanson. What an amazing job she has done!

The stories call attention to the overpopulation, poverty, hunger and lack of all basic human needs. Death was as common as the filth and waste that flooded the streets and gutters. This is an educational tour through history that will surely be a foretaste of all the literature that awaits to be discovered.

I loved this book which is so beautiful in every way, and am thrilled to see the classics being published in a form accessible and comprehensive to younger generations.

Title: A World Full of Dickens’ Stories

Author: Angela McAllister

Illustrator: Jannicke Hanson

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $34.99

Publication Date:  28 April 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 978011247710

For ages: 10+

Type: Classics

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Review: There's a Zoo in my Poo

There’s a Zoo in my Poo takes an educational and amusing look at gut health and how an array of bugs work together to process food through our bodies.

Broken into nine sections such as You are a Bug, All about the Poo Train, Bugs in our Guts, Your Poo and You, Feed your Zoo and more, each includes fun rhymes, facts and scientific explanations.

Gurgling with captivating information, children and even adults will learn about the details of microscopic bugs, bacteria, mucus, how intestines work, how different food affects our health, even our brains, different kinds of poo, and of course how there is essentially a zoo in our poo, which we should look after as best we can.

Finishing with a section called Recipes for your Zoo, readers will leave empowered with gut health knowledge and the know-how to make Zoo-Poo Stew, Farty Toast and other funny sounding but beneficial meals.

I adore the cheerfully drawn bugs throughout; they add character and quirk to this educational resource. The illustration style and colours combined with the rhyming content gave me a slight Dr. Seuss. 

Professor Felice Jacka is a world expert in Nutritional Psychiatry and gut health, she is the author of a book for adults called Brain Changer which also explores gut health and how it affects the brain.

Title: There's a Zoo in my Poo
Author: Felice Jacka
Illustrator: Rob Craw
Publisher: Pan Macmillan, $24.99  
Publication Date: 28 July 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760783044
For ages: 6+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: The Lost Soul Atlas

Twig sneaks out one night to follow his father to the Black Market despite being forbidden to ever do so. There Twig is attacked and the two are separated. 

Unable to locate his Da, Twig finds himself alone on the streets, fighting to stay alive. He meets the homeless Flea with whom a friendship is quickly built. He learns how to survive amongst the countless homeless children that are ignored, pursued and swept aside.

Then Twig wakes up in the Afterlife. His memory has been wiped clean except for a few foggy remembrances. 

He has with him a key, a raven named Krruk, who is a guardian, and an atlas to find his way home. He also has riddles and rhymes to solve if he is to pass through the Crossings.

These serve to soften the tragic parts by adding an ordinary, childish and playful aspect to the story.

Zana Fraillon uses an extraordinary adventure through fantastic scenes and terrains, to magnify issues that she loves to write about. Here it is the daily struggle of homeless children and youth to survive, while providing for the little ones that depend on them for sustenance. With her expertise in drawing attention to the weaker strata of society, Fraillon cleverly exposes flawed systems that refuse to take responsibility for their shortcomings and the cracks in their social structures.

The strength and resilience the children gather to overcome difficult circumstances is poignantly displayed. They toughen and harden, in order to withstand life’s continuous blows. They become wary; untrusting, for they have learned that any kindness offered, is an investment attached to a lifetime repayment.

It is also a stunning and powerful novel full of hope by the author of Wisp, The Ones That Disappeared and the award-winning bestseller, The Bone Sparrow, amongst others.

Title: The Lost Soul Atlas

Author:Zana Fraillon

Publisher: Hachette, $19.99

Publication Date: 14 July 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780734419934

For ages: 12+

Type: Fiction

Zana Fraillion is a KBR favourite. Discover exactly what Zana is reading right now in our recent, Look What I'm Reading post or learn more about Zana from her 10 Quirky Questions interview.

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Review: Hound the Detective

Join Hound as he tries to unravel a mystery.

This is a tricky case, with a big surprise at the end.

Hound is a canine Sherlock Holmes, without the Watson sidekick.

He's a detective with a 'beagle eye' and uses his nose to 'sniff and snuffle' the clues and track down answers.

In this story, the trail begins with a riddle arriving in the mail.

As Hound follows each clue to a new location, he explores places like the creek, manor house, train station, general store, a cabin in the woods, and the village fair.

When he finally discovers the secret behind the clues, Hound is able to celebrate.

Readers can help Hound each step of the way as there are clues in the pictures. Look closely and carefully and see if you can work out what has happened.

Also to be found in the pictures throughout the story, is a tiny green caterpillar. How many of them can you spot?

Author and illustrator Kimberley Andrews created Hound the Detective using pencil and photoshop. It's a story that is both modern, and yet olde-worlde and packed with detail. The endpapers also have a trail to follow through a complex of tunnels.

Hound the Detective is great fun for curious kids, wanna be sleuths, and dog lovers.

Title: Hound the Detective
Author: Kimberly Andrews
Publisher: Picture Puffin, $17.99
Publication Date: August 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143774655
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture book

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Review: Mop Rides the Waves of Life

12 Curly Questions with author/illustrator Jules Faber

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I’m really quite good at MarioKart

2. What is your nickname?
I don’t have one, but I always wanted a cool one as a kid.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Going bald.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Eclectic thoughts, funnelled into a narrative and distilled into paragraphs.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Ambitious, enthusiastic, driven, tangential, reflective

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Last time, I said Max of the Where the Wild Things Are. But today I’d be the Phantom. I’ve read this comic since I was a kid and his world is so fantastic, plus he has an unerring sense of justice. Not to mention his unique trait – he’s a superhero all the time and only dresses like a regular person to blend into the crowd.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
2120. When thinking about how much the world has changed since 1920, I think it’d be incredible to see the world of the future. Hopefully we’ve got ourselves together by then.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Stick to it. It’ll get tough now and then but never lose sight of your dreams.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
There have been many, so hard to choose one. Let’s say Mr Squiggle (Norman Hetherington), Maurice Sendak, Brian Bolland, Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel), Roald Dahl, Frank Miller and Carlos Ezquerra. There are tons more.

10. What/who made you start writing?
My early love of reading certainly helped, but my high school English teacher was a huge influence.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Unless. The ending of The Lorax proves a single word can have incredible power.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’ve been reading Judge Dredd comics since I was eight or nine, and whilst it’s technically not ‘one book’, it’s one story, so I’ll go with that. I definitely will read this for the rest of my life.

Jules Faber is a multi-award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. He has published numerous comic strips, worked for various newspapers, taught cartooning around Australia, been in multiple art exhibitions and has worked as an animator on a Disney show. Jules has served three terms as President of the Australian Cartoonists Association, the world's oldest cartoonists organisation. And on top of all that, he loves illustrating children’s books, including Anh Do’s WeirDo series (Scholastic), Helix and the Arrival by Damean Posner and the new Leo da Vinci series by Michael Pryor. For more information, see www.julesfaber.com.

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Review: Little Lon

Little Lon refers to the area around Melbourne’s Little Lonsdale Street. This stunning picture book relates Marie Hayes’ joyous childhood memories in the multicultural community in which she lived, and the people whose lives grew and changed together with hers.

It is a life in a timber house with green wooden shutters, that faced a road where children played all day and adults stopped to speak to one another. Built in the 1850s, Marie’s mother lived there until the 1950s.

The front door opened into the sitting area, as did my childhood home. All the neighbours were European shopkeepers that lived above their stores. The Syrian fruit shop, Lebanese bootmaker, the watchmaker and jeweller in Cumberland Place, the Syrian taxi driver, and the Chinese cabinet makers, were the foundations from which this diverse area was built.  

Street food was always available. Hawkers spruiking their wares echoed through the air. A Yugoslavian man sold chestnuts in the winter and ice cream in the summer from his wagon. St Joseph’s was the school at the end of Marie’s street, where their routine rules included being inspected for lice.

It was a time of spinning tops, sailing boats on overflowing gutters, City Baths on Saturdays and places where Sunday roasts were cooked and ready for you by the time church was over.

This is not an emotive retelling of a life full of memories alone, but a history of a special place and time, a story behind the story, when migrants from all over the world, made Australia their home and were accepted no matter where they came from.

The exquisite illustrations with green the dominant colour, come from husband and wife team, Heather Potter and Mark Jackson. The images drag you back through time to feelings waiting to be re-experienced. Both end pages portray a map of Little Lonsdale Street and the surrounding area.

Amongst Potter’s long list of work, is the brilliant and award winning, Pearl Versus the World by Sally Murphy. Jackson has illustrated many picture books including The Beach Wombatand The Snow Wombat by Susannah Chambers.

Andrew Kelly is the Yarra Riverkeeper and author of Wilam: A Birrarung Story with Aunty Joy Murphy. This is Andrew’s second children’s book.

Title: Little Lon

Author: Andrew Kelly

Illustrator: Heather Potter & Mark Jackson

Publisher: Wild Dog Books, $24.99

Publication Date: July 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781742035970

For ages: 9+

Type: Junior Non fiction

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Review: The Sloth and the Dinglewot

A flowing, rhyming story of Samuel sloth who craves adventure beyond the banks of his home in the Lazy Lagoon, and the thrills he encounters when he overcomes his fears with an intriguing feathered friend by his side.

Days are slow in the Lazy Lagoon where a sloth family laze, stretch and yawn, too slow for Samuel who yearns to explore. Despite his family thinking he’s crazy, Samuel climbs to the top of the trees where he catches a glimmer of something funny and feathery darting around; a jingly jangly bird called the Dinglewot Jinglewot Dingledum Dee.

A fabulous journey follows between the two new friends, delving from misty mountains to dark scary caves, meeting creatures, and passing a glittering lake. Each exciting discovery comes after Samuel faces one of his fears, empowering him and fulfilling his thirst for adventure.

I adore the illustrations which buzz with happiness, especially the night scenes which show a beautiful moon, glowing glimmers of light and reflections amongst the black night sky. Combined with the gorgeous illustrations, eye-catching gold details on the cover make this book one which will stand out on a shelf. 

The Sloth and the Dinglewot would be great to read aloud to a group or to enjoy with loved ones. It includes wholesome messages about fears, bravery, trying unknown things, friendship and fulfilling your dreams. Teacher’s notes with discussion topics and activities are available on the New Frontier website. 

Title: The Sloth and the Dinglewot
Author: Nicole Prust
Illustrator: Amanda Enright
Publisher: New Frontier, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 June 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN:  9781925594966
For ages: 3 – 6
Type: Picture Book




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Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Giveaway: How Do You Make A Baby? Non Fiction Picture Book

Informational, funny and warm, How Do You Make a Baby? is about an eternally relevant topic, giving parents and children a starting point for discussion and is suitable for children aged 4 and up.

Thanks to the always phenomenal people of Walker Books Australia, we have a copy of this comical new non fiction picture book up for grabs.

In How Do You Make A Baby, Anna Fiske addresses questions about families and their creation in a child-friendly and humorous way. But addressing these curiosities is not always so well-timed! 

For the chance to win a copy, in 25 words or less, share the most awkwardly hilarious (in hindsight!) location your kids have asked you about how babies are made.

Email your answer along with your name and postal address to dimity. The response we like best will win a copy of this amazing new release. Competition is open to anyone, worldwide, so long as they have an Australian postal address for delivery of the books. Please note, we cannot deliver to PO Boxes. Entries without a name and street address will be ineligible. Winners will be announced right here on our website on 10 August 2020.

Competition runs from 5.00 am 1 August 2020 to 5 pm 8 August 2020. Adults can enter for those aged 17 and under. This is a game of skill, not chance. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

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