Review: The Incredible Story of Sparky the Wonder Puppy

The Incredible True Story of Sparky the Wonder Puppy is one of the many tales of survival from the latest bushfires in Australia. 

Sparky’s story is full of love, hope and community. It is difficult to explain to children why fires occur. Presented within the context of a real story, this complex disaster can be understood better.

It is Christmas time. Presents beneath the tree wait to greet children all over the world. For Logan and Summer, the nest beneath the tree hides a puppy, whom they name Sparky for his exuberant nature.

He immediately is part of the family. He chews shoes, chases rabbits, and digs holes everywhere.

It is soon after Christmas that the sky turns dark. Smoke and flames fill the air close to the town where the children and their family live. They are forced to leave their home and everything they own behind, to seek shelter in a safe place. Sparky, frightened by what is happening around him, runs off.

Unable to follow to find him, the family set out. Firefighters do their best to save what homes they can.

The townspeople rally together to help each other, offering food and clothes to those who lost their homes. And to Logan and Summer.

Although brokenhearted at losing their house, belongings, and their beloved Sparky, the family and all the others that survived, are grateful to be alive.

What happened to Sparky? Did he survive? If so, where did he go during the fires that raged around the country? Was he ever found?

This simply-told story, hopes to initiate conversation between adults and children around the traumatic events that occur during bushfires.

The Australian Geographic is a not-for-profit organization that sponsors scientific and conservation projects, adventures and expeditions. Funds from the sales of this book will go to these areas.

Title: The Incredible Story of Sparky the Wonder Puppy
Author: Craig Sheather
Illustrator: Eloise Short
Publisher: Australian Geographic, $ 19.95
Publication Date: 1 February 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922388100
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Bears Don't Wear Shoes

Junior Review: Black Brother, Black Brother

Winners: The Treehouse Joke Book 2

Our lucky winners are...

Julie Paine, NSW

Joseph Spagnolo, NSW

Congratulations! 

You have each won a copy of the side-splitting new joke book in the Treehouse series, The Treehouse Joke Book 2, by Australia's most popular author illustrator team, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. 

Enjoy!

Thank you to ALL who entered. You certainly gave us reason to chuckle.

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Review: Bindi

Bindi is a verse novel told through the eleven-year old voice of the book’s namesake.

Presented in three parts – Seedlings, Cinders and Sprouts, with titled poems, it speaks of Land, bushfires that rage through the country, many caused by the lack of traditional back burning to limit undergrowth, renewal, family life, community, teachings of Elders, and caring for Country and each other.

It is written with the inclusion of Gundungurra words, of which there is a list of interpretations at the end of the book. To a great degree autobiographical, Kirli Saunders uses Bindi’s voice to describe many daily habits, her surrounding area, the animals that share it, dreams for the future, hockey, her animals and family.

Each of Bindi's siblings comes with their own gift; a calling. They have a place in life and honour the responsibility this carries. For the three children, every day is a new adventure. The beauty of this is revealed through the verse.

Like Bindi’s descriptions on what inspires her painting, each poem is a sweep of the brush. Moving, visual and expansive in a minimal way, the stunning prose allows readers to be observers of the joyous and heartbreaking scenes she experiences.

Winner of the 2019 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, and the Daisy Utemorrah Award, Kirli was also named the 2020 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year. The Incredible Freedom Machines and Kindred are her previous publications.

Dub Leffler‘s breathtaking illustrations have brought him great success. The author of two children’s books, he is currently illustrating his 25th title.

Presented in a beautifully designed gift book, with a stunning cover, this interesting verse novel is a must for your book collection.

Title: Bindi
Author: Kirli Saunders
Illustrator: Dub Leffler
Publisher: Magabala Books, $16.99
Publication Date: 11 November 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925936667
For ages: 10+
Type: Verse Novel

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Review: Here Be Dragons

Here Be Dragons is about knights, horses, and dragons. 

Or is it? Are dragons real?

Only one knight believes that dragons exist, and he is out to prove it, and perhaps he'll find some treasure while he's at it.

The trouble is, he doesn't seem to have much experience. This knight has a map, and it says where to find dragons.

So it should be easy, right? Well, maybe, if he can spot the clues. 

To find dragons, you need to be looking closely all around you.

As the knight travels through the woods and snow and fields in search of his quarry, look carefully and you may see a dragon before he does. 

Paddy Donnelly has embedded a camouflaged dragon in his illustrations. Can you spy the tail, spikes, and nostril as you read along? Oh, and is that a cave, or something else altogether? The characters are full of expression and a sense of silliness that will entertain.

Susannah Lloyd's story is full of humour and the language is ye olde style in keeping with the period. It's also not just about the stereotype. This story has a damsel in distress who turns the tables and shows that girls can be strong and clever and win the day as well.

Verily, Here Be Dragons is a story awaiting young knights and maidens who are looking for adventure and laughs. Huzzah!

Title: Here Be Dragons
Author: Susannah Lloyd
Illustrator: Paddy Donnelly
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's, $ 12.99
Publication Date: February 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780711256613
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Waking Romeo

Waking Romeo is like nothing you have read before. It spans genres, adding twist upon twist you’ll never see coming. It spans time, as characters travel back to the past and forward to the future. 

It’s a book that takes hold from page one and doesn’t let go, compelling you to spend late nights reading one more chapter, for which you will only be delighted and never annoyed.

If you love dystopian, science fiction, and/or time travel YA, this one is completely, utterly, 100% for you.

Set in the future when time travel is possible, a small community has decided not to jump ahead like the rest of humanity and are trying to survive in an abandoned and decaying world.

Juliet, or Jules, is part of this community. She’s an average teen. She hangs with friends, goes to parties and has fallen deeply in love with the boy from across the street. 

But that is all before the night that everything goes wrong. 

We step onto the stage of this story almost two years after everything falls apart for Jules — after the night she almost dies and her boyfriend Romeo ends up in a coma.

Names sound familiar? Of course they do! This is the story of Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague. It is the story you remember, but it’s also not. It will put everything you know about the Shakespeare classic into question and make you fall in love with it all over again, but with a unique twist that, to me, makes a lot more sense than the original.

But this is only half the story. At the very edge of time, rescued from the past and living with a small group of time travelers, is Ellis. Following the instructions of his rescuer, Ellis and his friends are trying to save the world. But when a mission forces Ellis to cross paths with Jules, and things don’t go exactly to plan, Ellis and Jules are forced to travel through time to try and fix things. And if they fail... well they better not fail.

Waking Romeo could not be more original. It’s thought provoking, spine tingling and more and more addictive with every chapter. Filled with complex and interesting characters who face the end of the world in different and complex ways, it explores the good and bad in humanity and the things we do when facing the darkest of moments.

I love that there is no sugar coating in this story. There is bravery, but it comes at a cost and is always earnt. There is jealousy, secret keeping, shame, guilt and bottled-up anger alongside love, passion, friendship and humour. This soup of emotions makes this book real and raw. It's a true reflection of the world and human behaviour weaved through an unpredictable story that leaves you deeply satisfied and craving more.  

Kathryn Barker’s ability to immerse readers into a layered, and time-bending, world is awe-inspiring. Romeo and Juliet isn’t the only classic novel to have importance in this story, and to weave these elements in and not only make it logical, but also make it seem this book imparts a hidden truth about them, is magical. And a challenge I am sure.

Waking Romeo is a seed that plants itself inside your mind and grows steadily as you read. It never leaves, even when you’ve finished the book. And it will remain there inside you, making you think and question and remember for months to come.

If you’re searching for a powerful YA read with strong characters and an enthralling plot, I highly recommend Waking Romeo. And if you’re a dystopian, science fiction and/or time travel fan, you simply have to read it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Title: Waking Romeo
Author: Kathryn Barker
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $19.99
Publication Date: March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760297152
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Review: 100 Things To Know About Saving the Planet

Look What I'm Reading! Lorraine Marwood

Lorraine Marwood is best known for her children’s verse novels and poetry. Her latest verse novel Footprints on the Moon (UQP) was published in February. Leave Taking (UQP, 2018) was a CBCA shortlist finalist and a joint winner of the NSW Patricia Wrightson Award.

 Lorraine writes in regional Victoria and her first love is poetry, history, fantasy, inspirational historical romance, and all things children’s literature. 

She has a passion for motivating children and adults into writing, especially through poetry using simple, enjoyable techniques she has devised herself.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
Bindi by Kirli Saunders.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
I can really only go by the blurb at the back of the book as I’ve only just begun, but I love what I’m reading.

 Bindi explores climate, bush fires and healing, but I’m loving the book for the choice of words, atmosphere and line setting that Kirli uses. 

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?
I love savouring the way Kirli has cut away unnecessary words to provide readers with the joy of poetic writing as well as a narrative that provides us with setting, character information and the moving of plot.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?
A well-read friend said to me, ‘you will love this book, you must read it.’ I love friends sharing the information about their must-read titles. And of course because the book is written in verse novel style, it’s my kind of read.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?
Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus by Steven Herrick, Raven Flight by Juliet Marillier,  Catch a Falling Star by Meg McKinlay,  A Curse so Dark, Brigid Kemmerer,  The Secrets of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt, Firefly July: a year of very short poems selected by Paul B. Janecko, A Jane Austen Devotional compiled and written by Steffany Woolsey, Deed of Murder by Cora Harrison, Girl of the Southern Sea, by Michelle Kadarusman, Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?  Zoe, Max and the Bicycle Bus by Steven Herrick, I bought a copy as I enjoy Steven’s work and it’s in my genre of writing. Bindi through a friend knowing that I’d love this book- a verse novel. Raven Flight because I’m a great fan of young adult fantasy and read the first book in this series. A Jane Austen Devotional because I love Jane Austen’s work and delving into sections and looking at faith and issues seemed like a winner. Firefly, because I want to read poetry and see what other poets write (a library borrowed title)

For A Curse so Dark and Lonely I read a recommendation on a blog I follow and I’m not disappointed so far. Magnolia Moon, a friend loaned me her copy. Deed of Murder I’ve been hooked on Cora’s 16th century mystery series for a while, I obtained second hand copy as her books are hard to find.

Girl of the Southern Sea was a request from my publisher and because this book has the same release date as my Footprints on the Moon. Writing Picture Books a new edition and a long wait for it to arrive - I passionately want a published picture book!

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?
Children’s literature - fantasy, verse novel, historical fiction. Sorry not an exclusive favourite genre at all - I read vicariously children’s literature titles but also love a murder mystery - mainly historical - inspirational historical novels, poetry…

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.
I mainly read printed books - so convenient and tactile. I borrow e-books or buy them and have a stack lined up on my kindle but prefer tactile books, I suppose It just doesn’t seem the same, to place a bookmark in, to turn a page, to keep them visibly on a bookshelf under subject matter, to stroll through a second-hand book shop or op shop and chance upon an author you’ve been looking for quite a while.

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Guest Post: Brian Falkner on Writing Camps for Kids

Review: Rajah Street

Junya lives on Rajah Street with his mum and dad and little-bit-older brother. He loves his family and he loves eating eggs, but his most favourite thing ever is Wednesdays.

Because garbage trucks come on Wednesdays.

The only problem is… Junya doesn’t exactly know what day it is, nor how to tell when it’s Wednesday (other than the garbage trucks!). 

Junya is a smart boy, though. He’s observant and curious and determined to figure things out.

With a patient mum answering all his curious questions, Junya watches Rajah Street out his window and waits.

Rajah Street is a charming step inside a child’s world. It explores curiosity, imagination and the simple joy of just being. Kids will love this book. They’ll get it more than adults do and be enthralled by Junya’s view of the world.

Author/illustrator Myo Yim teams her story with stunning mixed media illustrations. Funky, colourful and filled with intricacies, each page is a delight to explore as the real world and the world Junya sees mix together to create a beautiful collage of fact and imagination. 

On one page you'll see a crocodile sauntering down the street. On another, a giant blue cat hides behind a tree. The stunning thick and blue-tinted end pages are also a delight to explore, extending beyond Junya's street into the bigger world around him.

Join Junya and his family on Rajah Street and explore a world of possibilities.

Title: Rajah Street
Author/Illustrator: Myo Yim
Publisher: Walker Books, $25.99
Publication Date: 3 March 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760651480
For ages:  3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Myo Yim

Name: Myo Yim

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Nostalgic, pithy, metaphoric, poetic, warm and soft

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Enough time to focus on to work, my kids boosting me into the other magic world, sweets.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
Clean and good erasers, graphites, pencils, and cotton fabrics.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Sydney Smith, Beatrice Alemagna, Christopher Corr

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I love current this period blended with neo arts and retro arts at the same time.
I think we are lucky to live this generation.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

Proudly to say it is my spouse. My husband Sem is a good teacher and a great whimsical artist. He taught me how to love myself and the arts.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most

often? Talk us through it.

Like any mum workers (not everyone maybe), I started at the kitchen table. As my kids grew bigger, my work grew too. I took the small study room as my studio and put two desks on the side but only one chair. One side is for digital works, and the other side is for analogue drawings. Most of the time I spend  leaning against the drawing table then turn around to finish the work at the computer. Very practical.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I enjoy every moment of the process. However, if you want me to pick only one, it is definitely the moment of pencil touching the new papers. All my senses are awakened and focusing on the pencil line.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Never stop practicing. I still believe what Luc Besson says ‘Creativity is a muscle, you have to train it every day’ (Yes, I was one of those cine kids.)

Myo Yim is a Korean children’s book illustrator/writer based in Australia. She loves to make anything with hands like bear hats, sewing, baking and more. Listening to your inner voice is her main subject since recently.

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

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Review: The Valley of Lost Secrets

The Valley of Lost Secrets is a marvellous debut novel by Lesley Parr set in late 1939. 

English children are travelling out of London to the safety of the countryside, to be billeted with families for the duration of the war.

Jimmy and his little brother Ronnie are amongst a group from the same school that end up in Wales. They are taken in by a childless couple, Gwen Thomas and her collier husband, Alun. Jimmy’s best friend Duff and his sister are both taken in by the Vicar, and Florence, a girl Jimmy thought no one would want because of her dirt and smell, is chosen by the shopkeeper, who has a son of her own.

Ronnie easily adapts to his new environment in the valley. But Jimmy is unresponsive.

 

Resentful at having to leave his Nan and Dad and all that’s familiar, he just can’t or won’t fit in. He distances himself from the friendliness the other children have formed with his brother.

There is active spite in the village against the Thomases, and Jimmy can’t discover why.

While Jimmy is wandering and feeling sorry for himself, he finds a human skull in the hollow of a tree. Who put it there? Who does it belong to? Questions fill his head. He wants to share his find with Duff, but something between them has broken, as Duff has joined the bully gang whose leader is Jack, the Vicar’s son.

Gossip flows when the collection money from St Michael’s goes missing. Evacuees are blamed. It worsens when the Red Cross tin also disappears.

Duff is not the only one changed by the evacuation. Florence is now clean and confident. She has been taken into a family and shown love and interest, something unavailable in a home filled with poverty and too many siblings. Jimmy finds this new Florence intelligent and he warms to her after shamefully insulting her.

He finds he can trust Florence, so he shares the skull secret with her and Ronnie. They agree to try and find information on how to identify the skull and how long it has been there. Could it have been a murder?

The bullies kidnap and beat Ronnie in order to find out what Jimmy is hiding. Secrets hidden for years in the Thomas family are shared. A string of events take place and links to a chain are joined.

This is a well-constructed mystery, with a most enjoyable and interesting storyline that contains lots of diverting paths that join up beautifully.

Title: The Valley of Lost Secrets
Author: Lesley Parr
Illustrator: David Dean
Publisher: Bloomsbury, $ 14.99
Publication Date: 2 February 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781526620521
For ages: 10+
Type: Historical Fiction

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Guest Post: Tristan Bancks on Online Writing Courses For Kids

Review: What do you Call Your Grandma?

This is a beautiful, richly illustrated book that celebrates the unique relationship between children and their grandmothers in all its diverse glory.

Grandmothers of all colours, shapes and sizes are portrayed in this book.

From Nonnas to Jajas, Ba Nois to Bibis, thirteen diverse and distinct ethnicities, are illustrated in vibrant and joyful colour.

Barton and Heiduczek go beyond the stereotypical knitting and pie-baking lady, by also portraying children and their grandmas undertaking a wide variety of adventures together: hiking, singing, cheering at the soccer on tv, sharing their wisdom and stories as well as zipping around in a sports car.

Ok, there's some knitting and cooking happening, too. But it looks pretty cool in this book!

However, the most poignant is the child and grandmother who are separated by distance and rely on letters to have a relationship.

All grandmas and kids have the common thread of revelling in each others' company, with no parent to be seen!

Overall, this book celebrates the joy of childhood when it is shared with a beloved and special lady - grandma.

Title: What do you Call Your Grandma?
Author: Ashleigh Barton
Illustrator: Martina Heiduczek
Publisher: Harper Collns, $19.99
Publication Date: 17March 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780733340840
For ages: 2+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author Jamila Rizvi

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I broke my nose a few years ago and had it replaced with a part of my rib. That means I now have a really fabulous party trick, where I can ask children to wiggle my nose and it doesn’t move at all.

2. What is your nickname?
Most of my friends call me Jam but my family call me Mela.

3. What is your greatest fear?
My family and I live on the edge of lots of bushland, which is beautiful but also means there are often snakes about. I am not a fan.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Lots to say. Often rushed. A little bit silly. TA-DA!

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Enthusiastic. Opinionated. Fun. Empathetic. Vulnerable.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Like every other millennial on the planet, I am an enormous fan of the Harry Potter series. Possibly because I am part Hermione because I always follow the rules, part Ron because I am clumsy and not afraid to be silly, and part Harry because my hair always falls in my eyes.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I would travel back to 1590 and ask Shakespeare if he really wrote all those plays or if it was really his wife’s genius.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
What do you mean lime green doesn’t look good on anyone?

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My dad. For better or for worse he is the voice in my head, pushing me to work harder.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I loved writing as a child, but the passion got lost in amongst high-school drama classes, teenage angst, and boys. I never really wrote creatively again until I landed a job at a women’s website in my twenties and rediscovered how much I love it.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Serendipity. I like the way it sounds as well as what it describes.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I could read Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay 1000 times over and still find new passages that surprise, delight, enrage and invigorate me.

 

 

Jamila Rizvi is an author and columnist, Chief Creative Officer of the Nine Network’s Future Women and co-host of The Briefing and Anonymous Was a Woman podcasts. Jamila lives in Melbourne with her husband, Jeremy, son, Rafi, and many loads of clean but regrettably unfolded washing. For more information, see www.jamilarizvi.com.au.

 

 

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Review: Storybook House

Many visible and invisible ghosts and spirits circulate within the Storybook House. A murderer lurks in the guise of friendship and loyalty. This mystery-filled, multi-layered debut novel with slow reveals, will keep you glued to your seat until the last page.

After living in one place all her life, sixteen-year old Sophie and her parents are moving to another city and into an historical but dilapidated mansion bequeathed to them by Poppy, a distant relative. It is where Sophie had spent many of her holidays roaming the rooms and secret passageways that hold more than the imagination can; as far back as the slave era.

Everyone calls it the haunted house. And that’s exactly what it is.

But her experiences at Storybook House and the people she shared them with, have been lost somewhere in her memory.

Something has caused a block and she is unable to reach them. She can’t remember her friend Charlie next door, her other mate Gus, the gardener’s son, or their countless escapades.

On a stormy night when Sophie is alone in the house, she follows a shadow down to the dock. The rotted boards give way and she falls into the water. Charlie saves her. Her memory of him and Gus returns.

It is when Gus’ ghost then Poppy’s, become visible to her, that Sophie learns there is unfinished business for her to take care of so that their spirits can cross over. Sophie now has the opportunity to discover what happened that day on the boat when Gus drowned. Was she in any way to blame? Is that why those memories are still elusive?

Secrets and mysteries are revealed that the Storybook House has hidden for years. Can ghostly bodies touch living ones? Can she find out who murdered Poppy? Sophie must uncover the murderer before the Halloween party, for that is when the sealed rooms containing bad spirits will open and chaos will reign.

Title: Storybook House
Author: Katie Jones
Publisher: New Holland, $ 22.99
Publication Date: 2 January 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760791452
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Review: Oswald Messweather

Some kids crave adventure and novelty, but for others, just maintaining equilibrium in the face of the ups and downs we face daily is an overwhelming challenge. 

These individuals need to dig deep into their reserves of energy just to cope with the buzz and chaos of an ordinary school day, or even an average home.

Life’s not always easy for Oswald. A tangled, messy environment triggers tangled, messy thoughts. And messes are everywhere! 

Messes confront him from the moment he gets up until he can finally close out the world at the end of the day.

Oswald’s life raft comes in the form of his crayons – counting them, arranging them provides predictability and stability. His rituals soothe his revved up mind, and provide a sense of order and control in the maelstrom – and he uses them constantly, both in preparation for the challenges of the day, and when faced with a big untidy mess.

But the cost of this is mental exhaustion.

Powell takes the reader on a journey of discovery with Oswald. One day, when faced with the exuberance and confusion of a group activity, Oswald learns that his orderly and methodical disposition has some benefits. In fact, being valued for his unique contribution leads to some lovely outcomes for him.

Every child who is different must find a way to interface with the world whilst remaining true to themselves, and this story depicts the way that suited Oswald best.

Oswald’s world is beautifully depicted by Siobhan McVey’s vibrant illustrations, which capture the thoughts and distress that Oswald faces when intersecting with the external world.

Oswald Messweather is a picture book that will help children who are different feel less isolated, and comforted knowing that there are others with similar challenges.

For those fortunate enough to reside in SE QLD, Dimity will be introducing Oswald to the world on Saturday 10 April 2021 at The Mad Hatters Bookshop in Manly, Brisbane. Visit the Facebook Events page for details and to reserve your spot.

Title: Oswald Messweather
Author: Dimity Powell
Illustrator: Siobhan McVey
Publisher: Wombat Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 28 March 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781761110184
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

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Giveaway: AlphaKid: An A - Z of Antics

Annoying, bored, creative and daring, AlphaKid is every kid-at their best (kind, loving), worst (impatient, unreasonable) and in between (smelly, odd). Packed with heart and humour, kids of all ages will smirk and titter at this A to Z of antics, from dawn to dusk, chaos to calm.

A graphic-design style ABC book for little ones, AlphaKid is a humorous riff on the parent/child relationship. An overarching narrative takes the alphabetical entries from waking through to bedtime and the various careening childlike states the kids (and parents!) find themselves in during waking hours.

Written and illustrated by KBR Founder, Tania McCartney, and published by Windy Hollow Books, AlphaKid is a book that crosses genre - perfect for kids and adults alike, and a fabulous new baby gift.

For a chance to win the perfect gift book for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and adults (!), tell us, in 25 words of less, what your child does to make you laugh out loud.

Email your answer, along with your name and postal address to booksATtaniamccartney.com. The response Tania likes best will win a copy of the book.  

Competition is open to anyone, worldwide, so long as they have an Australian postal address for delivery. 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  May 2021. 

Competition runs from 5pm Sunday 21 March 2021 to 5pm Sunday 28 March 2021. 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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Review: The Way of the Weedy Seadragon

The Way of the Weedy Seadragon is a wonderful journey with this most unusual creature, learning about its lifecycle and home beneath the sea.

It's been created by the duo of Anne Morgan and Lois Bury, who each live on Bruny Island.

Seadragons are rather appealing, with a long thin snout, decorative body, and curling tail.

They may not have scales like fish, or be fast swimmers. However, they have an unique eating style, snorting seawater, and with it, their food. 

Seadragons are great at camouflage, dance with their mate, and use their tails to steer.

Reading The Way of the Weedy Seadragon really is a journey. The text is presented in a narrative way, speaking directly to the reader; and the illustrations are full of soft colours and detail. It makes you feel like you are swimming along with the story.

More information about seadragons is summarised at the end of the book. A map shows where in Australia they can be found, and a labelled diagram explains the seadragon's physical features. There's also a short glossary.

The Way of the Weedy Seadragon explores the natural world through a winning combination of carefully chosen, informative text and beautiful illustrations.

Visit the CSIRO Publishing website to download teachers' notes with lots of questions and activities linked to the curriculum (science, English and media arts).

Title: The Way of the Weedy Seadragon
Author: Anne Morgan
Illustrator: Lois Bury
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, $ 24.99
Publication Date: February 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781486313952
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Be Exactly Who You Are!

Do you like trucks and pirates and superheroes? Do you like ballet and tea parties and pom poms?

Do you like race cars and kittens and football? Do you like rockets and fairies and mermaids?

Whatever you like to play with, whatever you like to do, Be exactly Who You Are! encourages you to be the YOU you want to be!

It starts with the stereotypical. Girls liking pink things and boys liking trucks.

But turn the page and things change, with one of the characters taking another's cherished something and enjoying it just as much as they do. By the end of the book, everyone is doing what they want to do, being exactly who they want to be. Everyone is enjoying everything. Together!

Author Laura Gehl delivers this one in fun and flawless rhyme, letting kids know it’s okay to be who they are through joy and humour. It’s a great jumping off point to start discussing stereotyping and prejudice, but in a fun and easy to understand way for kids. I love that!

With bright and colourful illustrations, the book is super engaging. My kids delighted in pointing out the things they loved on each page, and we had fun talking about the fact we all liked different things. Illustrator Joshua Heinsz has infused so many varied loves and passions onto these pages, which means no matter who you are, you'll find yourself as you read and explore the book. Every kid will see something they like and relate to the characters.

A fun and charming picture book for all, Be Exactly Who You Are! is a beautiful reminder to every child to love who they are and accept the differences of others.

Title: Be Exactly Who You Are!
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Joshua Heinsz
Publisher: Affirm Press, $19.99
Publication Date: 23 February 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781922419101
For ages: 3 - 6 
Type: Picture Book

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Giveaway: The Treehouse Joke Book 2

Review: The Amazing Case of Dr Ward

Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward was a doctor and nature lover, who in the mid-1800s, invented the Wardian Case, which was later used for transporting plants from around the world. 

This little known piece of history comes alive under Tull Suwannakit’s hand in exquisite artwork from cover-to-cover. It portrays Ward’s life and the impact his imaginative invention had on world gardens.

Nathaniel had a passion for plants. They were so versatile. Some could be eaten, others used for building things, and for making medicines.

 

Others exuded a perfume, created shade, or were simply beautiful to look at. He learnt all their scientific names and after his medical studies were completed, he started to experiment with plant growth.

Nathaniel read countless stories about the discovery of unique and exotic plants carried across continents that didn’t survive the journey. He also studied the individuality of each type and what special feature they possessed.

It was in 1833 that a friend of Dr Ward’s shipped a load of his glass cases, (what today we call terrariums), to Australia to collect plants. Most of them survived the trip back to London and transformed lounge rooms through startling displays of ferns and spikemosses in ornate Wardian Cases.

This amazing book is a revelation. Within the preservation climate that we live in today, children thirst for knowledge about plants and living things and how to protect them.

This gorgeous book will inspire in young people, the belief that they too can become someone unique with something to offer the world. With the focus on STEM education growing rapidly, this book is a valuable and timely publication.

A perfect addition to any picture book collector’s library.

Title: The Amazing Case of Dr Ward
Author: Jackie Kerin
Illustrator: Tull Suwannakit
Publisher: FORD ST, $ 24.95
Publication Date: 1 March 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9871925804690
For ages: 8+
Type: Non Fiction Picture Book

 

 

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Guest Post: Lucy Thatcher on The Power of a Tale

Review: There Is No Magic In This Book

Review: Reggie Red

Reggie’s school is having photo day, and some of the girls plan to get all fancy for their photo.

With big red hair and freckles, Reggie feels so different from the other girls. She’s worried that her looks won’t measure up.

She tries to tame her hair and cover her face, but nothing works. How will Reggie face her class and step in front of the camera? What do you do when you don’t look like everyone else?

Reggie Red is a heart-warming picture book wrapped in fun. Written in rhyme, the story is upbeat and filled with Reggie’s humorous attempts to get her hair and face to behave. But the message of the story is heartfelt and emotion-filled, reassuring readers that true beauty lies within.

Reggie is a very real and relatable character for kids. Author Josie Layton reveals Reggie’s fears and frustrations through her actions, pulling readers into the emotion of the story. I also like how the book is relevant to kids today. Mobile phones and the internet feature in the story, creating a great opportunity for readers and audiences to explore the media, internet, and how these things impact body image and self-criticism.

Bright and funky, the illustrations by Rebecca Timmis are so much fun. They bring pizzazz to the pages and compliment the tone of the story so well.

Reggie Red is a laugh and a hug mixed together. Fun and funny, with a heartfelt message to love who you are, it’s the book everyone needs to remind them that being different isn’t a bad thing.

Title: Reggie Red
Author: Josie Layton
Illustrator: Rebecca Timmis
Publisher: Larrikin House, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780648872207
For ages:  3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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Review: AlphaKid: An A - Z of Antics

Review: Hugo's Runaway Legs

Hugo Holt woke up one day, to find his legs had run away.

In Hugo's Runaway Legs, it’s the legs that are the stars. What a beginning! What a funny and fabulous idea to draw attention to an important issue. Our children’s current, sedentary habits due to electronic stimulation, need our attention. This book will get it!

Hugo’s legs run away in protest of his sitting-all-day habit. They jump on a bus to escape and try to teach Hugo a lesson. For legs were made to jump and play, run and swim and move all day.

What was Hugo to do? He had to get them back!

To do so, he borrows the nearest thing – a frog’s legs. But they only jump and cannot run to catch the bus. At the Zoo he tries a fawn’s legs but they are too frisky and springy.

He moves on to a hippo’s; far too fat; then to a cheetah’s, they refused to go. The giraffes, well, you can imagine. This is pure disaster! Hugo cried. He’ll never catch the bus and get his legs back.

Who will be fast enough to catch the bus and stop it for Hugo to reclaim his legs?

What must he change to keep those legs with him?

Stunning illustrations in vibrant colours are enhanced by the use of a white background throughout. Leigh Brown’s impressive translation of Amy Jackson’s clever and humorous rhyming text, tells an extended story.

This is a brilliant idea that shows children with specific examples, how important movement is. Sitting too much has created a health problem for the young in many countries . Perhaps, with Hugo’s help, we can show them what can happen if we stay seated too long. This applies to adults too. If you don’t use them, you lose them!

Title: Hugo's Runaway Legs
Author: Alys Jackson
Illustrator: Leigh Brown
Publisher: Larrikin House , $ 24.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780648804987
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture B

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Review: The Dragon and Her Boy

Introducing: New Junior Reviewer Nia Shetty!

In case you weren't aware, we LOVE share great kids' reads here at Kids' Book Review. 

When kids share their favourite books, it becomes even more real and exciting, which is what we are...excited to introduce our newest KBR team member, Nia Shetty. 

Nia is a 11 year old from Texas , USA. She is an avid reader, a budding author of poems, short stories and loves relaxing with TV shows and books. Nia can also be constantly found swimming competitively. 

In 2020 during the start of the pandemic, she started reviewing books @niaspage2page to encourage others and does book drives to help her community. Discover more about Nia in her fabulous first 12 Curly Questions Interview.

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
Not many people know that I love to actively participate in sports.

2. What is your nickname?
My nicknames are kind of embarrassing, so maybe we'll discuss this at another time :)

3. What is your greatest fear?
I worry that with climate change becoming more of a problem, our lifespans will be substantially shorter.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
I’m still learning and have a long way to go, but as of now my writing is emotional and comes from my heart.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Spontaneous, sensitive, inclusive, truthful and fun.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I would be Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series. To me she’s the perfect example of a strong woman. To be in her shoes, you get the opportunity to save lives and be a symbol of hope for the people of an oppressed republic.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I would love to travel to the era of World War 2. Not only to be a freedom fighter, but maybe be a secret agent. Possibly sneak up behind Hitler and put an end to the war.

8. What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
My 10 year old self lived in 2020, in the middle of a raging pandemic here in the US. My 10 year old self would tell me as an 11 year old to take all the chances that come in my way and to not hold myself back from anything.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
My mom is my greatest influence, because she motivates me and gives me all the love I need to be the best person I can.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I started writing as assignments in kindergarten, so I must thank my kindergarten teacher, Ms Fox for starting a great love of words. As I grew older, I just picked up a pencil and let my thoughts run free.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
My favorite word is imagination. This word gives you endless limits and I feel when there are no limitations you can create your best work.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That life would be extremely sad to imagine and it’s a really hard question to answer, but I would choose Wonder by RJ Palacio. It’s impossible to forget this book.

You can follow Nia via her KBR reviews plus her Facebook - Page2Page account and on Instagram.

 

 

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Review: Music: A Fold-out Graphic History

This extraordinary book from the Royal Albert Hall is like an encyclopedia of music in compact form. Beautifully designed with a wealth of information, it’s for anyone even slightly interested in any form of musical sound and its origins, and the people connected to it.

From 5000 BC turtle shells were used to rattle out music. Conch shells were used in religious rituals.

Maps are used to weave through the history of music and its use. This 2.5 metre fold-out with numbered timeline, is an historical journey back into ancient times and forward into modern ones.

The oldest piece of music was engraved in symbols on a tombstone in Turkey in 100 CE (Common Era). Whether it’s the reed flute, the seven-string guitar-like qin (Confucius’ favourite instrument), or the drone of the didgeridoo, from one side of the world to the other, some significant historical fact of musical origin can be found in Music: A Fold-out Graphic History.

More than adequate sections are allocated to music maestros, the recording of music, and recording technology up to digital times and others. Singers, countless music styles and their history are showcased in images and information.

The generous Glossary allows the reader to browse and find any era they are interested in. Due to the volume of research, and the selections made, there is a list of Principal Sources available for interested readers.

Notes from the Authors is a stimulating and informative section that relates to the techniques used to source material for this book.

Access to a Playlist of songs, musicians and styles used in the book has been created on the Spotify platform with instructions listed on how to log on.

The book can be opened from both ends as its sturdy cardboard fold-out pages are printed on both sides.

This intensively researched and carefully designed publication starts with musical information from 60,000 years ago till today and is definitely not one to be missed.

Title: Music: A Fold-out Graphic History
Author: Nicholas O'Neil & Susan Hayes
Illustrator: Ruby Taylor
Publisher: Walker Books, $ 34.99
Publication Date: 3 November 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781999967949
For ages: 10+
Type: Non Fiction

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Guest Post: AlphaKid - My Illustration Process

Love behind-the-scenes peeks at the picture book illustration process? KBR Founder, Tania McCartney, joins us to talk through her process for the creation of her recent book AlphaKid: An A to Z of Antics.

An alphabet book has long been on my bucket list, and - like many of my book ideas - the concept dropped in unannounced - a clatter of hooves and trumpet toots. 

Noisy koalas? Of course. Teeth-brushing orangtans? Natch. And yes, giraffes do eat pancakes, they really do. Towers of pancakes with rivers of syrup.

The pandas were the first to arrive. They actually arrived many years ago - I was experimenting with digital art at the time, and, along with the lizards and the flamingos (A is for Annoying and C is for Creative, respectively), mum and her two 'B is for Bored' babies sat, finished, on my Mac for quite some time before I finally found time to revisit this entire ABC book concept. 

I wanted AlphaKid to be as much for adults as for kids. Each page has a thread that will appeal to both sides of the generation gap. Kids will find their own slice of humour/relatability, and adults the same - I mean, who hasn't made a mad dash for the lid-less blender about to be whizzed - and who hasn't tried to dodge the parental hand wielding a loaded toothbrush? 

The remaining 22 pages descended quite quickly once the AlphaKid concept fell into place. I then passed the four illustrations featured here past my publisher at Windy Hollow Books - on a whim - and within a year, my alphabet book dream was finally in hand.

The illustrations for this book were actually created in Adobe Illustrator. I've since moved my entire digital production process onto my iPad, using the genius of Procreate. Working on the computer was putting enormous strain on my body, and after creating three major books in a row - Fauna, This is Home and Australia's Wild Weird Wonderful Weather - my body nearly packed it in after AlphaKid. 

I still potter in AI, but Procreate is the way forward for me now, as it's so much easier on the body.

My process for creating these AlphaKid images in Illustrator was to create shapes using the pen/vector tool and sometimes the shapes tools, manipulating the vector points. I then used clipping masks on a series of hand-painted and -printed textures, adding overlays and filters to create the looks you see here. At the bottom of this post, you can see a video on how I actually put the pandas together.

For the colour palette, I used colours plucked from photographs of retro advertisements and TV shows from the 1950s and '60s. I often do this and it ever results in a delicious combination. When using greens and browns, I'll also eyedropper hues from photos I take of plants and trees, as they make for such authentic colour.

Below are two of my favourite images from the book, and scroll down to see my YouTube video. You can also view it right here.

See www.taniamccartney.com for more on Tania's work, and click here to read more about Alphakid.

Title: AlphaKid: An A to Z of Antics
Author: Tania McCartney
Illustrator: Tania McCartney
Publisher: Windy Hollow Books, $25.99
Publication Date: 1 November 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781922081865
For ages: 0+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: The Missing

Michael Rosen was the UK Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. He's responsible for books like We're Going on a Bear Hunt, What is Poetry?, A Great Big Cuddle, and many others.

The Missing is 'the true story of [his] family in World War II'. It's a very personal and moving book.

Michael grew up hearing only that his paternal great-uncles had been 'there' before World War II, but not afterwards. 

No one could tell him what happened to them.

As an adult, Michael began seriously searching for information. He asked questions, travelled, and met American cousins he'd not known before. 

Over the course of many years he uncovered the truth, and in The Missing, he shares the story of his journey to discover what happened to the relatives who had disappeared.

This is a family history with a difference. It's a memoir that pays tribute to his family, who are Jewish, and remembers those who died in concentration camps during the Holocaust of the Second World War. 

The book is a combination of poems that Michael Rosen wrote over the years, and a narrative that begins in his childhood, follows him through adulthood, and finishes with insights into the fate of his great-uncles, including those discovered as he was in the final throes of writing. 

The text of The Missing is succinct, and language and explanations simple so that readers of all ages can be in no doubt about what happened. It's spare, like the information he uncovers and pieces together.

Michael Rosen sees parallels in the world today, and wants us all to reflect on the plight of refugees.

With a serious and heartbreaking subject, The Missing is a prompt for much thought and discussion, including the author's desire for readers to be hopeful about the future.

You can watch the video below as Michael Rosen himself introduces The Missing.

Title: The Missing
Author: Michael Rosen
Publisher: Walker Books, $ 22.99
Publication Date: March 2020
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781406386752
For ages: 10+
Type:  Junior Non-Fiction

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Penguin Bloom, Young Readers' Edition

“All pets are therapy pets – some are just undercover” said a meme I saw recently.

This could have been written about Penguin, the orphaned magpie who came into the Bloom family’s lives just when they needed her the most.

Based on a true story, this novel portrays the Blooms as a family reeling after a devastating accident that left the young mother of three, Sam, a paraplegic.

The previously active, happy woman struggles to cope with the pain and grief of her acquired disability. 

Sam tries to remain positive, but every day becomes a battle, and she increasingly shuts herself away, becoming more despondent and hopeless.

In turn, the whole family spirals into depression.

Told from the point of view of the eldest child, Noah - who blames himself for the accident - this story tells how he happened upon the orphaned magpie chick, and brought her back to the house.

Initially seen to be yet another burden for the already overloaded family, the small bird gradually wins all of them over. They call her Penguin due to her black and white plumage. The family nurse the injured magpie to health. Her resilience, her odd quirks and general goofiness managed to lift their spirits when they were all down.

The family teaches Penguin to fly, and she teaches them to live again.

Based on the 2017 bestselling novel by Cameron Bloom, as Penguin Bloom, The Odd Bird who Saved a Family for an adult audience, it became a feature movie and, this, the young readers’ edition, tells the story from the son’s viewpoint.

It is an uplifting and inspiring tale about growth and forgiveness, and even though (like many books adapted from movies) the writing is sometimes clunky, it nevertheless brought a tear to this reviewer’s eye.

And now I want to read the adult book, too!

Title: Penguin Bloom, Young Readers’ Edition
Author: Chris Kunz
Publisher: ABC Books, $14.99
Publication Date: 21 January 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780733341670
For ages: 8 – 12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Rise of the Mythix: Flight of the Griffin (Book #3)

A unicorn, a Minotaur and a griffin: heroes, a prophecy, the Mythix.

The evil Collector wants to trap them within paintings, but the Mythix have other plans… except Kelly and Minh are currently trapped within the Collector’s compound and the their only hope of escape is one of the Collector’s guards.

A daring escape, a hike up a magical mountain, enemies closing in, evil plans by super villains, this book has it all.

Flight of the Griffin is book three in the Rise of the Mythix series by Anh Do. Filled with action, adventure and surprises throughout, it’s a wild ride of a novel with more than one smash, slam and pow!

While not a comic, the book is written in a comic book style. It moves fast, has loads of action and it jumps between the heroes and the villains as you read. 

With funky and detailed illustrations by Chris Wahl on every spread, it’s a great book for kids who love a good visual to support their reading, and even the illustrations are action packed. Very engaging and fun to explore.

Kids who love a fast paced read, will love this series. With lots of cool characters, who have lots of cool powers, it’s a story to inspire imaginations and kick start a passion for the mystical.

I haven’t read book 1 and 2 in the series, and I got up to speed with the action quickly, but I do think this series is best read from the beginning. It’s a compelling and engaging read, but each book concludes with an exciting cliff-hanger, so I believe the next book in the series will have more impact if you’ve read what’s come before.

Loads of fun and fast-paced action, this one is for the kids who love a mystical adventure where the heroes really kick butt!

For more action adventure from Anh Do, make sure to check out Rise of the Mythix: Golden Unicorn and the E-Boy series.

Title: Rise of the Mythix: Flight of the Griffin (Book #3)
Author:  Anh Do
Illustrator: Chris Wahl
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $15.99
Publication Date: February 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760876418
For ages: 10 -14 
Type: Junior Fiction

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