Review: Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making

Marlow Brown is still trying to discover what she wants to be. In the first book, Marlow Brown: Scientist in the Making, she found science stimulating. 

Now she is back in Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making, interested in another challenge, and with more magic tricks than you can poke a sparkly spinning pen at.

Mervin’s Magic Show is appearing at the showground. Marlow has arranged to meet her friend Felix and secure front row seats. Influenced by Mervin’s magical ability, Marlow decides that it’s a magician she wants to become.

With a show bag full of magical incentives plus a good dose of planning and practice, Marlow is convinced this is what she was meant to become.

A new notebook records all her attempts and failures in order to help perfect her tricks.

She begins with hypnotism which she tries on Felix. It doesn’t work. Then she tries the Houdini straight-jacket escape. No results. Even the water in the upside-down glass trick is a failure. But Marlow is not a girl to give up!

When a talent show at school is advertised, Marlow decides this is her opportunity to shine, so she sets out to refine her hypnotic skills.

Regardless of the endless practice, things go dreadfully wrong. First she loses her hypnotic stone and is forced to use her sparkly pen to hypnotize her subjects. This results in chaos.

There are many shocks and surprises for the budding magician. Something so unexpected happens that Marlow can barely believe it!

This well-researched, humorous and clever series by Kesta Fleming, encourages all children to attempt things that interest them, even when they appear gender specific or too hard. Failure is always a possibility, but trying will inspire attempts at other things.

It is written in a lighthearted tone that matches the many funny situations. Marjory Gardner’s fabulous illustrations bring it all to life, visually relaying the fun through the chapters. 

Entertaining characters and strong messages are added to the curious and deceptive things to be learnt about magic! Don’t forget to check out the end pages which have historical information about pen-spinning and some Try it Yourself tricks! 

I hope this series will continue further. I find it brilliant and highly suitable for children who find reading challenging.

Title: Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making
Author: Kesta Fleming
Illustrator: Marjory Gardner
Publisher: Celapene Press, $14.95
Publication Date: 1 June 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925572193
For ages: 8+
Type: Middle Grade 

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Winner: Florence and Fox

Our lucky winner is...

Liz Dorrington, WA

Congratulations!

You have won a copy of the gorgeous new picture book, Florence & Fox by Zanni Louise and Anna Pignataro.

Enjoy!

Thank you to ALL who entered. We had some very interesting 'lessons' to mull over.

For those who missed out this time, read our review by Shaye and look out for these two gorgeous critters soon.

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Review: Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish

Do you like fish? What about weird and wonderful trivia?

Then Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish is a book you will love.

It's a rhyming, non-fiction picture book, particularly suitable for young children.

The text by Debra Kempf Shumaker is simple and rolls along like waves in the ocean. Read it out loud for the best effect.

You'll learn about fish that can sting, and fish that can coat themselves with snot! Just the kind of facts that will appeal to children of a certain age, and bound to be remembered!

This book is full of fun. From squirting fish and hibernating fish, to dancing fish and singing fish.

Claire Powell's illustrations are colourful caricatures and provide lots of detail. 

Labels tell you the official names of all the fish, and freaky and funky ratings let you know how weird and wonderful they are. The Coral Reef Frogfish scores a five out of five for freakiness, while the Batfish is given a four out of five funky rating. And there are lots more. 

As explained in notes at the back of the book, there are more than 32,000 species of fish. There are more than 25 that star in this book and you can keep track of them with the map and fish inventory provided on the endpapers. You can also explore them further using the included list of further learning resources and selected sources. 

Freaky, Funky Fish is a clever and creative book. If you want to engage children in the natural world, this is a great place to start.

Title: Freaky, Funky Fish
Author: Debra Kempf Shumaker
Illustrator: Claire Powell
Publisher: Allen & Unwin , $ 24.99
Publication Date: June 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760526733
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Oddity

I really enjoyed this quirky alternate-history fantasy novel. 

Set in the US in 1800's, where America is at war with Bonaparte's France, the story follows the adventures of thirteen-year-old Clover Elkins.

It has beautifully detailed line drawings by Karin Rytter that capture the  historical vibe perfectly.

Clover knows very little about her dead mother, other than she was a collector of "Oddities": regular looking objects that contain supernatural powers, such as a wineglass that flows with a never ending stream of wine (and drowns all onlookers). 

As these Oddities could be used as weapons in the war, there is a bounty on them. 

Clover is fascinated by the possibilities, but her father forbids Clover from seeking Oddities, knowing that they cannot be fully controlled and that ruthless forces are hunting them.

Clover's world is turned upside down when a group of cutthroats ambush and kill her father. 

With his dying words, he gives Clover some cryptic instructions about keeping a precious Oddity in his possession safe. And the adventure begins! 

Brown masterfully builds a rich and detailed world, and populates it with a variety of quirky characters. I particularly liked the rooster who had been a colonel in the American war of Independence. But the furious ragdoll was also fun!

The tension builds as the feisty and resourceful Clover has to figure out who to trust and to solve a mystery about her own past. Some of the bizarre creatures she has to fight are truly scary. 

This is a highly original and fun story. It is beautifully written and well paced. 

I'm not surprised that author, Eli Brown, won awards for his adult novel.  This is his debut children's' novel, and I hope it is not his last.

Title: Oddity
Author: Eli Brown
Illustrator: Karin Rytter
Publisher: Walker Books, $18.99
Publication Date: 5 May, 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406389272
For ages: 11-14 years
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet

Beautifully illustrated and filled with kid-friendly information about caring for our planet, Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet is a showstopper.

With a gorgeous textile cover in soft blues and aquas, open the book to learn about climate change in a welcoming, encouraging and supporting way. 

This book is fabulous. It steps out exactly what climate change is, explaining the Earth’s atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases and what they mean for our planet.

There’s so much to learn in this book, and author Carol Wilkinson presents it so wonderfully. 

Coal, oil and gas are all explained, including where they come from and how they impact the earth. Renewable energies are explored, global warming and its consequences are explained and there’s heaps of facts about different kinds of waste (aluminium, plastic, glass and batteries).

There’s a lot to take in, but Wilkinson’s gentle and honest approach is really engaging, and every word has been presented with kids in mind. Big concept words are highlighted, and you can look them up in the glossary at the back. Information is presented in bite-sized chunks, allowing kids to really think about and absorb the information before moving on. A lot of care has gone into the creation of this book and it shows.

But this isn’t a book that only provides a discussion point for the ways in which our planet is hurting. There is hope in this book in the form of ideas and inspiration for taking steps to make a difference. And it’s simple stuff. Things kids and families can do to reduce their household carbon footprint today (carbon footprint is also explained!).

Turn off lights, walk or ride, buy less stuff, reuse things and be careful about what you put in the garbage bin. This would be a brilliant book for classrooms to study and for setting challenges for kids to help the planet. It’s the perfect size, with the perfect amount of text.

Add in Hilary Cresp’s illustrations, too, and wow! What more can you ask for? The beautiful colours from the cover are repeated throughout the book — all beautiful earthy colours to remind us of the beauty of our home. The illustrations are funky and fresh, bringing fun to the reading experience.

Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet ticks every box for a perfect non-fiction read for kids. Everything inside the glorious covers has been designed with kids in mind and the result is a beautiful and engaging book that entertains, educates and inspires kids to take action.

Title: Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Illustrator: Hilary Crisp
Publisher: Wild Dog Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 29 March 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742036014
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Before You Were Born

Before You Were Born is a celebration of new life; diverse, multicultural and inclusive.

Stunning covers prepare readers for the content while understated end pages of delicate blue welcome.

The book opens on an outdoor scene. 

A baby shower is taking place beneath a tree with coloured fruit. Older and younger people sit together with expectant mothers, at a table displaying various types of edibles. They are surrounded by children.

There was a party just for you.

The following double spread shows the veranda of a farmhouse. Chickens and ducks, geese and cows in the pasture create diverse surroundings that match the people of all ages that stream through the gate. They carry food and flowers.

Family and friends all gathered there.

Women waiting to give birth, share the experience of the moving baby inside their body. They speak of hopes and dreams for their coming child. They are gathered on a blanket on the ground. Full bowls of food are being prepared and shared.

All talk was of you and when you would come.

The red earth that surrounds them is being churned by feet, dogs, and bike tyres.

The pages continue in this vein with reflections on what parents would say to their child as it grew, about the time they waited for its coming. Each one speaks of love and longing; some in different languages. All of them use the same words.

Preparations are made, not only for the child, but for the changes to the parents’ lives; the emotions, the imaginings, the future. Dreams that are born with the new life.

Your toys were all waiting…for you to be there.

Helene Magisson’s exquisite illustrations encompass all that Katrina Germein expresses in her verse text, and more. Visually stunning, this outstanding picture book represents every parent, regardless of their origins.

Title: Before You Were Born
Author: Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Helene Magisson
Publisher: Harper Collins, $19.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781876288150
For ages: 0 – 2
Type: Picture Book

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Guest Post: Katie Stewart on Becoming An Illustrator

Junior Review: Wink

Meet The Illustrator: Hilary Cresp

Name: Hilary Cresp

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Pared back flat style using minimal palette

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Paper, pencils, iPad and Procreate

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
No

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Dan Santant, Roger Duvoisin, Benji Davies

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Happy where I am, thanks :)

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
My love of books

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
I have a space in the Nicholas Building on the corner of Flinders Lane and Swanston Street. It’s an artistic hub and I feel grateful to be here every time I walk in. Our space is a shared studio space with painters and other illustrators. It wraps around the internal lightwell, providing even southerly light through the day. We occasionally get visits from some little sparrows. It’s quiet and light and calm and welcoming.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
The breakthrough moment when it all falls into place.

 What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Have fun!
Draw everyday if you can (even if it’s in the sand with a stick) and it’s important to draw from life as well as your imagination
Go, be amazing!

 


Hilary has a curiosity about people and the natural world which she brings to her work: illustrating children’s books, designing characters and poster art. Her pictures evoke all the possibilities and imagination of childhood where the adventurous characters she creates play an active part in their own story.


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

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Review: The Book of Australian Trees

This book is a love song to Australia Trees. The sound of this song comes through in poetic prose.

Each tree has a harmony attached to it. It whispers to the singular bark, leaves, and especially to the living things that draw life from its existence, including humans.

It is the first book for children on Australian trees. That’s why this book stands out.

The beautiful illustrations by Alicia Rogerson allow identification of trees planted on nature strips throughout our country and happily, in the suburbs where our children pass daily.

Each tree is presented with its origins, place of residence and growth, lifespan, the type of bark that covers its trunk and the evolution of this bark. It also speaks of its leaves. For example, the colour of the bell-shaped flowers that adorn the Illawarra Flame tree – (Brachychiton acerifolius) after the leaves have fallen.

There are strong trees that withstand fires and others that don’t. Each tree’s contribution to the ecosystem is noted in an expansive and interesting form.

When addressing the Moreton Bay Fig – (Ficus macrophylla), its size and volume is what stands out. Green catbirds, wompoo fruit-doves, topknot pigeons, regent bowerbirds and grey-headed flying-foxes feast on its fruit.

This tree grows up to sixty metres high and spreads as much. Famous for their massive roots, the Morton Bay Fig trunks expand and twist as if swaying to an invisible sound.

A symphony of sound, Latin and English, is the ancient Antarctic Beech – (Nothofagus Moorei), which now grows in the areas known as Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. They also have twisted trunks covered in moss and lichen. Their new spring foliage is bright red or orange.

We are surprised on every page by the information offered to accompany the stunning images. Facts about each tree are a pleasure to read and learn about as the prose has a light-hearted joy to it, as if the writer sees for the first time, what she describes.

Inga Simpson is a tree lover that spends a lot of time walking through forests. Author of Understory and Where the Trees Were, nature dictates her life by singing its song to her heart.

Title: The Book of Australian Trees
Author: Inga Simpson
Illustrator: Alicia Rogerson
Publisher: Hachette, $ 29.99
Publication Date: 26 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780734418531
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Common Wealth

12 Curly Questions with author Cristina Sanders

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I’ve got a second-degree black belt in karate.

2. What is your nickname?
Fastest uphill runner in the world (haha, I wish)

3. What is your greatest fear?
Dying. I can get over pretty much anything else.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
There’s space between the lines. Readers can figure stuff out.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Tenacious, authentic, grounded, mercurial, perspicacious.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Scarlett O’Hara. I’d love to have that sass, though I wouldn’t be quite as mean.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
1840s to sort out the blokes’ attitudes and kick start the women’s revolution. It would be a different world today.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
You go, girl.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Sir David Attenborough. He is my moral compass. If I have a problem, I just ask myself: what would Sir David do? And when I’ve finished saving the turtles with him the problem has disappeared.

10. What/who made you start writing?
My 10-year-old self. It just took a while to listen to her.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Plum. Go on, say it. Feels good, ae?

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
War & Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. The rest of my life is a long time and I’d hate to be bored.

 

Cristina Sanders is an historical fiction novelist from Wellington, now living in Hawke's Bay. She writes, runs on the hills, plants native trees to regenerate the forest her ancestors cut down and, whenever she can, sails away on tall ships with groups of crazy but charismatic kids. For more information, see www.cristinasanders.me.

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Review: I Hate Reading: How To Read When You'd Rather Not

Review: Everything We Keep

Agatha at thirteen, has been shuffled around from home to home for years with an orange suitcase that she takes everywhere with her.

In and out of foster care, Agatha has accepted that nobody really understands her predicament. She believes no one can help her. Each return home to her parents is agony. She feels like their house is swallowing them alive.

She has stopped going to school as her classmates and others in the school yard make fun of her, and tease and ridicule her family to the point where she can’t bear to go.

Then Agatha stays with Katherine and doesn’t want to leave. Although she knows her placement there is only temporary, she wishes it was permanent.

The reason for Agatha’s extreme unhappiness is slowly peeled back , clue by clue, to reveal her family circumstances. With heart-wrenching sympathy for this extraordinary main character, we begin to grasp the reasons for her desolate life but still, the pivotal reason is held back.

When she meets Tully, for the first time in her life, Agatha has a friend. But her family secrets, even so far from home, threaten to steal everything from her again. As Agatha gets a longer placement with Katherine and the possibility of a semi-permanent stay, Agatha begins to believe that things just might change.

It is when her friendship with Tully strengthens, Agatha feels compelled to show her what she has kept secret.

It is the things unsaid in this novel, that keep the reader riveted and longing to reach the real reason for all that has gone on in Agatha’s life. Every chapter cleverly focuses on and around the child, her feelings and emotions. This does not stop the reader from feeling a deep compassion for the position of the parents.

Walker has succeeded in creating a deeply moving story that tears at the heartstrings. A strong impulse to hold and comfort the lost and lonely Agatha will creep in and catch you unaware.

 Everything We Keep is Walker’s second book. Her debut novel, Unpacking Harper Holt, was published in late 2018. I look forward to what comes next.Title: Everything We Keep
Author: Di Walker
Publisher: Scholastic, $ 18.99
Publication Date: 2 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760972349
For ages: 9+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Mirror's Edge

Prepare yourself for a fast-paced, action-packed story. 

Mirror's Edge, the third book in Scott Westerfeld's Impostors series, opens as a team of young rebels begins a bold and risky stealth mission to Shreve.

It's a city where your every move is watched by surveillance dust. A place where lives are controlled by a dictator. 

Frey and her comrades are out to rescue Boss X who is being held by the dictator, Frey's father.

To succeed in outwitting the city's surveillance, and her father in particular, Frey has had camo-surge, a special medical procedure to change her appearance so she is not recognisable.

This is the latest of many challenges for Frey, who is struggling with her identity and place in the world.

Frey's world has been rocked by revelations that change her understanding of herself and the people around her.

Like the books that came before it, Mirror's Edge continues to explore themes that are incredibly relevant. First and foremost it will make you think about identity and image. It will make you think about privacy, artificial intelligence, history, and the environment. 

It will also make you think about what is real and what is not, how our lives will be remembered and recorded, and how the actions we take today – the way we live – will impact the future.

Scott Westerfeld is a master at world-building, and it feels as if what he's created could be remarkably prescient if we're not careful.

Mirror's Edge is surprising, shocking, sad, and thought-provoking. It's difficult to imagine where the story will go next, but I will again be waiting eagerly to read it.

You can also read our reviews of book one, Impostors, and book two, Shatter City.

Title: Mirror's Edge (Impostors book 3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 24.99
Publication Date: April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760528263
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Giveaway: Florence and Fox

Review: The Biggest Thing of All

The Biggest Thing of All is a delicate representation of love; an emotive picture book in which the seasons become metaphors for the circle of life. 

Romina Galotta’s poignant, immersive translation keeps step with Kathryn Thurman’s excellent text in a visual display of all life and its beauty.

Lily has a warm and loving relationship with her grandparents. She shares everything with them and they with her, and in this way learns lessons about the connection of everything in the Universe.

The smell of Grandma’s lavender fills the house as they pick and dry the bundles. Rain is setting in and outdoor activities slow and then stop due to the weather.

So does Grandma. She sits more often in her chair and then one day she is not there.

Winter comes early. Sadness fills the house. Anger fills Lily. She can’t accept the unfairness or bare the weight of her loss.

Grandpa keeps to his room. He has lost his smile as has all the family.

Then Spring arrives. The garden is overrun with weeds. Lily looks for signs of life beneath rocks and in the dirt. She remembers Grandma’s words: everything is part of something bigger.

The ground begins to move and come alive as things that live beneath, surface. Flowers start to sprout; a hedgehog is found in the bushes. The whole family joins in to celebrate the rebirth of the earth after its winter burial under the snow.

With a new season, a new circle of life begins. Grandma is everywhere; in the garden that they cared for, in the stars that they looked at together, in the baking and other countless activities they shared with love and togetherness. These memories keep Grandma alive in their hearts.

Title: The Biggest Thing of All
Author: Kathryn Thurman
Illustrator: Romina Galotta
Publisher: New South Books, $ 16.99
Publication Date: 18 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781789561173
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Junior Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Review: Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive.

Bestselling author, Derek Landy, returns with the fourteenth book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Reader beware!

At around 600 pages, tackling this book is an undertaking.

Then again, the length of the previous books has not put off Landy’s legions of fans.

Initially published as a series of three trilogies, the story arc was rounded off in the ninth book in 2014, with the evil Darquesse finally being vanquished by our heroes, Valkyrie Cain and the sharply dressed skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant.

However, a new series was launched in 2017 featuring the old favourites, the old antagonists plus some new characters.

This is the fourth in the series of five.

Considering that Valkyrie has grown up and is now in her twenties, Landy introduced some new teenage protagonists, and retained the characters who survived through the first nine books.

In this installment, the near-end of humanity draws near. Plus, more frighteningly, end-of-year exams are approaching for Omen, Never and Auger.

Landy throws time travel into the mix, and Valkyrie is given a glimpse of a future about twenty years’ time in which the Faceless Ones are in power, most of humanity is enslaved and sorcerers’ power enables the domination. Her sister, Alice, has transformed into a swaggering bully who is part of the powerful elite.

Skulduggery and co decide that drastic action is required to prevent this future from transpiring and plan to assassinate the charismatic leader. Maybe not their smartest move.

It’s a fast paced book. However, it covers multiple threads and would leave those who are unfamiliar with the series and characters flummoxed. I don’t recommend that those who have never read any of the series to start with this one. Nevertheless, it is full of Landy’s trademark wit and sparkling dialogue, and I therefore encourage those who have not read any of his works to sample the superb first book in the series (see review here ), or one of the many novellas set in that universe. 

The humour had me smiling in places. However, as his fourteenth book, I was left with the feeling that I had seen it all before and found the set-up a bit strained.

One for the fans.

Title: Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive.
Author: Derek Landy
Publisher: Harper Collins, $19.99
Publication Date: 21 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008386313
For ages: 11+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Cuckoo's Flight

Continuing in the same fantasy world as her two previous novels – Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance, Cuckoo’s Flight’s main attraction is the shared prose and verse style that Wendy Orr employs to create vivid images that bring every scene to life. 

The powerful, generous-hearted, disabled protagonist, Clio, powers the story.

Full of resilience and courage, compassion and kindness, and on the cusp of womanhood, Clio refuses to allow her disability to define who she is or steal from her, what she is capable of becoming.

Bronze Age Crete is an era of tightly held traditions and customs, priestesses, oracles and sacrifices – animal and human. Close to the sea, sailors, traders, potters, and other technicians live guided by the tides and the Moon.

Envy and greed play a large role in this story. Juxtaposed beautifully against these negative emotions, are the unchanging bonds that tie the women and girls together. 

Frequently, compassion, trust and friendships are tested but never severed.

Preparations draw closer for the annual sacrifices demanded by the Great Mother to keep the town safe. Leira, Clio’s grandmother, creates a priestess image to offer up in place of a live sacrifice. Then she dies. Clio must safeguard this offering in her place.
 

When Clio’s best friend Delia is chosen as the sacrifice, Clio, regardless of her limitations, will move heaven and earth to save her. This seems small in comparison to what awaits the town.

With her father and the men away on a trading mission, raiders decide to attack in order to steal and enslave the women and children.

But Clio is determined to fight till the end to save her town. Driving the chariot her father built for her, she goes at the Lady’s bidding, to take messages and bring help by offering trust and purpose to the poorer, purple people who have lived till then, as slaves in poverty.

Cuckoo’s Flight is multi-layered with sub-stories entering and exiting. Fast-paced drama, action and emotion, build tension, especially in the descriptive battle scenes.

Orr has immersed herself completely in the places she writes about to build authentic settings and exciting characters,

This brilliant novel claims the reader’s attention from the first page and doesn’t release it till the last word.

Title: Cuckoo's Flight
Author: Wendy Orr
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $16.99
Publication Date: 2 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760524913
For ages: 9 – 13
Type: Junior Fiction

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Guest Post: Peter Millett on Making A funny Audio Book for Kids

Review: Upside Down Friday

The unexpected that comes with change can be a good thing, even for children. It means surprises, and buddies that bring balloons and friendship, and new things to learn and share.

Is Hugo ready for all this?

Mum is calling Hugo to get dressed. It is Friday and Hugo doesn’t want to go to school. He is grumpy and hides beneath the covers. 

Friday makes things upside-down.

Hugo wants his days to be the same. He knows what follows what.

Why does Friday have to be different?

But there is a reason why teachers call it Upside-Down Friday!

Hugo drags his back-pack across the room as he thinks of what he does each day.

He is sad and sullen. His porridge gets cold waiting for the spoon.

His mum explains why Fridays are different. Her words echo in his mind as he heads off to school.

Do others feel the same as Hugo does? 

Can the day become as light as air again?

This delightful, emotive picture book is made more so by the alliteration and descriptive metaphors that make up the clever text by Lana Spasevski.

The stunning illustrations by the talented Nicki Johnston make the story float. Her perfect choice of delicate colours and the use of animals as characters, adorn the pages with expressive images, whether upside-down or right-side-up.

Each turn of the page brings new emotions into the story. Pictures and words are in perfect sync.

The brilliant cover picture shows the carefree Hugo swinging from a branch between two trees. This invites the reader inside. The end pages are covered in branches of colourful leaves.

Title: Upside Down Friday
Author: Lana Spasevski
Illustrator: Nicki Johnston
Publisher: Exisle, $ 24.95
Publication Date: 7 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978192820850
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author Caroline O'Donoghue

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I once got in a fight with the band Little Mix!

2. What is your nickname?
Most of the people close to me call me Car or Caro.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my dog while on a walk.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
“Just trying my best to tell an interesting, funny story”

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Cheerful, interested, and rarely late.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Laura Chant from The Changeover, by Margaret Mahy. She’s so brave and funny, and she becomes a witch to save her brother!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Paris in the 1920s – provided I was invited to all the good parties, of course.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
I think she would be curious as to why I don’t have a pony.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Diana Wynne Jones. She was a fantasy writer who wrote extremely complex books but they could all be understood by children.

10. What/who made you start writing? 
I wrote my first story when I was about seven. It was about a magic tree, and the teacher said it was good. I went home and showed my parents, and they were so pleased and proud of me. I’m from a big-ish family so getting singled out for anything felt amazing, so I kept writing, and haven’t stopped!

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It changes all the time, but right now it’s 'vaccination'.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. The book has so many layers, I don’t think I’ll ever understand them all.

Caroline O'Donoghue is a journalist and author. She has published two adult novels, Promising Young Women and Scenes of a Graphic Nature, and is currently working on a collection of personal essays exploring her experiences of feminism and witchcraft. She has a regular column in The Irish Examiner, and has written for The Irish Independent, Glamour, Buzzfeed and Vice, among others. Caroline also hosts Sentimental Garbage, a podcast in which she reviews commercial women's fiction titles with other authors. All Our Hidden Gifts is her first novel for young adults. Visit Caroline on Twitter: @Czaroline

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Guest Post: Vikki Connelly on Sensory Storytelling

Review: Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble

Event: National Simultaneous Storytime ... from space!

This Wednesday is the annual National Simultaneous Storytime event.

This will be the 21st time it's been celebrated, and in recognition of this special milestone, the chosen story will be read from space!

Give Me Some Space!, written and illustrated by Philip Bunting, is the book being featured and will be read by an astronaut from the International Space Station.

In Give Me Some Space!, a young girl dreams about space and learns all about it. 

Will she be able to make her dreams come true? What will travelling into space be like?

Check your local public library for special screenings and events.

Last year's National Simultaneous Storytime had more than 1.2 million participants, so you will not be alone when you join the fun. You can take part from wherever in the world you are. Whether it's your library, home, school, or even outdoors.

Visit the National Simultaneous Storytime website for links to science-related videos including Moon Webcam, and astronaut skill tests you can try at home. Learn From Play have also provided a bunch of downloadable space-themed art and craft activities.

Don't miss out on this super special story time, all the way from space!

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Review: Pawcasso

Summer break has just begun, but utter boredom continues for Jo. Her dad is away on business a lot. This causes her sadness. Her sister Tina, always angry at her, makes fun of Jo’s lack of friends which adds to her misery.

Gazing through the window, Jo sees a dog carrying a basket in its mouth. Curious, she follows to see where it will go. This gets her out of the house at last.

Jo’s repetitive days come to life as she follows the route the dog takes to collect things written on a list in the basket.

But dogs do other things too. They sniff at everything, mark their territory, and roll in smelly things.

Forced to wash the dog, Rachel the dog washer, becomes Jo’s first friend. They see cranky Mr ICCC (I will Complain to the City Council), watching them from across the road.

At the Dog Ears Bookstore where the neighbourhood children are attending holiday art classes on the subject of Picasso, they forget the subject of pears, and want to paint the dog. Words slip easily from Jo’s lips when asked what the dog’s name is, and she answers, Pawcasso.

Little lies are worth the attention Jo gets, as she is drawn into the painting circle and new friends. She finally fits in.

Jo’s popularity increases as much as Pawcasso’s star level. So do the lies, as the Saturday excursions to the painting program continue. But the mystery to whom the dog really belongs is yet to be solved.

This is not the only problem Jo faces. Frequent complaints about the dog being off the leash by Mr ICCC puts pressure on Jo. When the dog is caught and taken to the pound, she must find the owner as soon as possible.

Who is the owner and what is Pawcasso’s story? Is it connected to cranky Mr ICCC? Can Jo repair the damage her lies may have done to her new friendships?

Important themes are addressed in this graphic novel. References to art and artists present a new interest for children. The topic of how lies can quickly spiral into something irreparable is the central thread.

These added to the importance of love and friendships, the need to fit in, and teamwork, addresses collectively, many issues that young children face today.

Title: Pawcasso
Author/Illustrator: Remi Lai
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 16.99
Publication Date: 1 May 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760526771
For ages: 8 – 12
Type: Graphic Novel

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Review: Becoming: Adapted For Younger Readers

Review: Wonder Earth. Exploring our Living Home.

This is a non fiction picture book that invites children to explore the world around them and to understand the wonders that surround us in the natural world.

Rather than being didactic, this is a celebration of the beauty of the planet around us.

The authors invite children to feel, to listen and to imagine. 

This is a collaboration between veteran author Zanni Louise and environmental educator and first time author, Tiff Bollhorn.

Louise, Bollhorn and illustrator Smith depict the sensory nature of the world and encourage readers to interact and to engage in a soft way that fosters respect and awe.


In this richly coloured book, a diverse range of children are portrayed examining the details that surround them.

On each page, children are interacting with plants, animals, birds and insects, frolicking in the rain, listening to the song of the planet and generally having fun in the outdoor world.

Glasgow-based illustrator, Sophy Louise Smith uses colours that manage to be both soft and vibrant, in pictures brimming with detail.


Overall, this is a book to read through slowly and to savour, to explore the details and to discuss.

The ultimate aim is for children to interact more deeply with their surrounds and to consider the depth and breadth of the ever-changing, growing and developing landscape that exists outside their doors.

Reviews of some other works by Zanni Louise can be found hereand here.

Title: Wonder Earth: Exploring our Living Home.
Author: Zanni Lousie and Tiff Bollhorn
Illustrator: Sophy Louise Smith
Publisher: Five Mile Press, $24.99
Publication Date: 28th March 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781922385529
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Meet The Illustrator: Anna Pignataro

Name: Anna Pignataro

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Expressionistic, evocative, classical but contemporary, whimsical, quirky, magical, heartfelt, innovative, creative.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Pencils ,brushes, coloured pencils, charcoal. I mostly use drawing paper and paint from England, Japanese and Chinese ink and Italian watercolour paper. I use tracing paper to do all my storyboards and character sketches so I can layer my ideas. I make coloured pencil swatches and paint washes of colours and patterns to use for collage. Notebooks filled with nature studies , people, travels, words, and everyday things, are abundant.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I adore watercolour and pencil.  

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Modigliani, Charles Blackman, Egon Schiele, Vali Myers, Arthur Rackham
Sorry that’s five! It’s so hard!

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
The 20’s/30’s especially Paris . An era of new movements and exciting ways of expression in painting, music, dance, fashion and literature. They were amazing times of exploration and liberation. I myself love trying new media and techniques. Everything adds to my illustrative style, I have never liked being closed into a particular box and I am always expressing myself creatively in different ways. I think I would fit in there. Then, of course, the 60’s London , which was similar in many ways.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

When I was very small I remember my mum reading to me from a very old fairy tale book. It was Grimm’s Fairy tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham. The minute I saw it I knew that I wanted to be a book illustrator.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
At the moment my studio is a room in the front of my home so it’s quite open and very much part of the house. Around me are old musical instruments, books, sketches, paintings and icons. I have candles and special things collected and treasures that have been given to me. Paddington Bear from London, a handmade doll and other woodland creatures, gumnuts, plants, trees, feather quills from Venice, flowers from my garden, fairy lights, ivy and snow globes. I barely have room to work!
But actually all the things around me here are an inspiration, a fond memory, a spark of a new idea and all make this my very own magical space where I can escape.
We are building a new studio that will be added on to the back of our house. It will have much more space and a place to sit outside too. I love to look at the stars.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Creating the character and their world is a lot of fun. I enjoy choosing their clothes and giving them a quirky little trait then building their home. It might be a room or a tree but it’s always a special place all their own. I love the whole storyboarding part too because its challenging and full of possibilities. That said the very first piece of finished art for the book always turns out to be my favourite one.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Draw, draw, draw and work hard, very hard. Dedication is everything. Develop you’re own way of seeing. It’s a great thing to really master in a technique or two. That way you will grow your own style. At art college I enjoyed all types of art but I decided to specialize in watercolour and it has become the medium I am most known for. I practiced so much and I still do.
When I first started out I was told that I wouldn’t make it, that I would never find work in Australia as my style was too European! If I had listened to this person I wouldn’t be doing what I do today.
So I guess my biggest piece of advice is to listen to your heart, follow your dreams and believe in yourself. For me being an illustrator is a vocation, a way of life not just a job so finally, I’d say always try to enjoy the journey, the highs and lows along the way to your first book, to every book, are all wonderful.

Anna Pignataro is an author and illustrator of over sixty picture books. Published

internationally and translated in more than fourteen languages, her stories include the

award winning Agatha and The Heart of A Whale. Anna works from her studio by the beach

inspired by the little everyday things, the landscape and characters around her.

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

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Review: Life Skills

Keilly Swift, author of How to Make a Better World, returns with Life Skills, a valuable and informative book on the important points of creativity, problem solving, mindfulness, empathy and teamwork; assets that cement the foundation of childhood learning and growth.

Five chapters of valuable building blocks are presented in detail, accompanied by visual images of options available under each heading. These reinforce the pivotal part of the text.

Tips on how to develop these necessary skills are plentiful with lots of examples included. Easy to understand processes of thought, expose alternate choices for navigating difficulties.

Mind mapping, going on your intuition which is frequently called a ‘gut instinct’, and lists of useful tools for problem-solving are presented in brilliant colour-coded images.

Mistakes! Everyone makes them! Although at times it seems we are trying to find an exit in a maze, there are ways to deal with them. If things look too big to get around, approach them in small steps.

Creative thinking is a essential asset to gain. Look at, or approach things, in a new way. To wonder is wonderful! Ask, what if?

Who, what, why, when, where and how, are the nuts and bolts of thinking critically. Reflect on how you convey what you want to communicate, through your body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and not only what you say, but how you say it.

Teamwork, understanding feelings, coping skills, maintaining healthy habits, and seeking support when things are tough, are the type of skills that will preserve a positive approach to all interactions.

A list of Help, Advice, and Information can be found at the end of this instructive book on life skills and how to execute them. It is a learning tool not only for children. Impressive in content and application, Life Skills will prove a priceless resource for all ages!.

Title: Life Skills
Author: Keilly Swift
Illustrator: James Gibbs
Publisher: DK, $ 19.99
Publication Date: 2 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780744027693
For ages: 5 – 9
Type: Non-Fiction

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Junior Review: Aru Shah And The City of Gold

Review: The Hatmakers

Actor Tamzin Merchant adds another feather to her cap – that of writer, with her debut novel, The Hatmakers. It is the first in an imaginative adventure series, that will thrill readers of magical fantasy.

Set in London of the 1700s, the Makers are rival families that make clothing of different kinds. Cordelia belongs to the Hatmakers, a long line of milliners that weave magic into their creations. She lives with her Aunt Ariadne, Uncle Tiberius and the very elderly great-aunt Petronella.

On a stormy night, she gets news that her father, Prospero, is lost at sea after his ship, The Jolly Bonnet crashes against rocks and sinks.

Cordelia has learnt that what is lost can be found. She refuses to believe that her father is dead and is determined to find him.

She sends out her Quest Pigeon Agatha with a message. If he is alive, Agatha will find him. This is the beginning of a search that will lead to the greatest adventure of her life.

The Hatmakers are currently in the process of making a Peace Hat for Princess Georgina to wear at her meeting with King Louis of France. The hat will guarantee peace between the two countries.

Not everyone wants peace. There are those that will go to extremes for money and power. Someone wants war. Just as the Peace talks are ready to go ahead, the Peace Clothes are stolen from all the Makers. Then the Menacing Cupboard is broken into. Who has them and what else are they prepared to do to stop the talks?

This is a fast-paced, action-filled magical read full of twists and turns through London’s alley ways where urchins will steal anything for a dry crust of bread. No one is who they pretend to be. Evil masters of sabotage that use the politics of power to get what they want, are constantly in play.

Will Agatha find Prospero? Can Princess Georgina succeed in escaping the clutches of the powerful that threaten peace and her life? Can Cordelia save the day?

The Hatmakers is cleverly told in a unique style and voice. Intriguing historical information keeps popping up adding interest. Fabulous illustrations are scattered throughout the chapters. that excite the readers' minds

This novel heralds a new writing talent whose stories will be gobbled up by lovers of this genre.

Title: The Hatmakers
Author: Tamzin Merchant
Illustrator: Paola  Escobar
Publisher: Penguin, $16.99
Publication Date: 2 February 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780241509029
For ages: 9 – 12
Type: Junior Fiction

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Guest Post: Alexa Moses on Character Crushes

Winner: Mother's Day Pack

Review: Ancient World Magnified

Explore ancient history with this fun, large format book, Ancient World Magnified.

It's a trip through time, and kind of like reading detailed postcards from the past, as far back as 50,000 BC.

The book comes with a handy and sturdy cardboard magnifiying glass (with 3x magnification), so that readers can look closely at the contents.

Hunt for a long list of things in the detailed illustrations. There are at least ten to find on each double-page spread.

In the Kingdom of Kush in north east Africa, also known as Nubia, young historians can hunt for ostriches, count pyramids, uncover hieroglyphics, and find seven other Nubian society features.

In the illustration of the Mayan civilisation there are farmers, carved stone tools, and cocoa beans which were used to make chocolate.

Other ancient civilisations featured in Ancient World Magnified include Olmec (in what is now Mexico), Greece, the Kingdom of Aksum (where today's Ethiopia can be found), the Xiongnu Empire (northern China), Carthage in the Mediterranean, the Indus Valley (in modern day India and Pakistan), and others.

There are 16 ancient civilisations in all, and the end of the book showcases a famous personality from each of them in a 'Gallery of Famous Figures'. A timeline, glossary, and answers section are also helpful.

Ancient World Magnified contains lots of entertainment combined with trivia, and just might be what sparks a love of history in the youngest of readers.

Title: Ancient World Magnified
Author: David Long
Illustrator: Andy Rowland
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions, $ 27.99
Publication Date: May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780711249707
For ages: 5+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Florence and Fox

Florence and Fox are friends, but they have different ideas about what friendship means.

Fox would like to borrow Florence’s hammer, but Florence says it isn’t possible because it isnt Sharing Day.

Fox has never heard of Sharing Day, but he lets it slide… until Florence wants something from Fox, and now Fox is confused. 

The sharing rules keep changing, and Fox doesn’t know what to do. He wants to be friends with Florence, but is Florence being a good friend to him?

Florence and Fox is a charming step inside kid life and a fun look at the struggles we all must navigate when it comes to sharing and generosity. Zanni Louise brings Florence and Fox alive on the page in this stunning picture book, delivering a story that is just so kid. The characters talk like kids and behave like kids. They think like kids and react like kids.

The story is real and relatable and not all picture books nail this. Louise’s writing draws you into the story world so much, the book reads like a movie playing out on the pages.

Anna Pignataro’s gorgeous illustrations help with this, too. Each spread is so richly detailed, so full of Florence and Fox’s world, a whole community lives on these pages in the most stunningly soft colours. Explore the park, the street, the neighbourhood as you turn each page and delight in the details through Pignataro’s unique mix-match illustration style. It’s a real treat.

Charming, fun and truly authentic. That’s Florence and Fox.

Title: Florence and Fox
Author: Zanni Louise
Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Publisher: Walker Books, $28.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760651350
For ages: 3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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Review: You're The Best, Mum!

Review: Eliza Vanda's Button Box

Master storyteller Emily Rodda , author of the incredibly imaginative and successful, His Name was Walter, has created another magical story. 

Fantastic characters flow through sub-stories whose twists and turns deliver something new with each diversion.

Milly lives in Tidgy Bay with her dad Rory, stepmother and new sister. They rent out cabins for holiday makers. School holidays are approaching with High School at the other end. Rory is building an attic room for Milly to move into, reflecting the change taking place in Milly’s life.

 

 

The spiteful Mrs Meaney and her strange cat Sultan keep Rory and Milly on their toes with threats of reports to the council and lots of trouble-making.

A quiet and shy child that mostly keeps to herself, Milly’s life shifts when the mysterious Eliza Vanda moves into one of their cabins.

When Milly goes to give Eliza her receipt and finds the cabin empty, curious, she enters a world of unimagined surroundings, including a treadle sewing machine.

Eliza is working on a wedding dress and there are boxes of beads, buttons, laces and all things connected, in rows on shelves. Where did they come from if she came with only two bags? She discovers a button box on the shelf and opens it.

Unknown to Milly, the contents of the box are instrumental to time travel, magical places, and communication.

After Eliza asks Milly to deliver something to someone for her, she offers her a warm coat to wear, with three buttons sewn into the pocket. She puts a mouse named Oliver inside the collar to accompany her. Eliza whispers a rhyme in Milly’s ear and tells her that by reciting these words, she will return home safely.

Oliver transforms into a boy on arrival in Blanca, a place where people display their emotions through some decorative but strange form or another. They call this their mysie.

After Milly resolves a difficult situation, Oliver realises she has a gift for Travelling, and is a talented mender of problems. This display of strength of character and perception, gives Milly the chance to see herself through other's eyes.

Although these magical adventures reshape Milly into a glowing, confident girl, Eliza’s time at Tidgy Bay is nearly over and one last dilemma needs to be solved.

Title: Eliza Vanda's Button Box
Author: Emily Rodda
 Publisher: Harper Collins, $ 22.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781460759608
For ages: 10+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Bear and Rat

‘Bear,’ said Rat. ‘I’ve been wondering. Will we always hold hands like this, even when we are old and wrinkly…

Bear and Rat are special friends. The best of friends. Forever friends. Soul mates.

As they journey together through the seasons, Rat ponders and asks Bear...

...will they remain together forever? Will they always hold hands, even if Rat is cranky or sick or does something bad?

No matter the scenario, Bear always says he will be there for Rat, no matter what Rat does or needs.

‘Of course I’ll hold your hand,’ declared Bear. ‘And I’ll even rub your toes until they get better.’

But then Rat asks a different question. Rat asks what will happen if she has to leave and go somewhere Bear can’t go.

What will happen then?

Bear and Rat is a heartfelt, emotion-filled, tear triggering masterpiece. It explores the true meaning of friendship and love and loss and grief. But it does it in a way children will understand and relate to. And more than that, it speaks to readers about the time after someone leaves and what you can do to hold onto memories so they are never truly gone.

Christopher Cheng has infused real and raw emotion into this story, and you feel it on every page. Written to help him work through his wife’s cancer diagnosis, with the characters being their favourite animals, the book is a true look at what it means to share a love and friendship so powerful it can never fade.

Filled with hope and truth and love, this is a story that shows readers a path to forever friendship. A magical place of being that will never disappear if you hold onto the memories that make up your life, history and the people you hold dear.

Stephen Michael King brings so much to this story with his beautiful illustrations. On every page, Bear and Rat stick together through the changing seasons, each bringing different challenges for our friends to overcome. But on every page they support each other, even when the wind blusters and the rain falls.

With its layered meaning, the book will be interpreted differently by different kids at different stages of their lives, and that in itself is a gift because it means you get more from the book each time you come back.

Thank you Christopher Cheng for giving us this book and letting us into your world. And thank you Stephen Michael King for bringing these magical words to life on the page so that we might get to know Bear and Rat more intimately. I for one will never ever forget them.

Title: Bear and Rat
Author: Christopher Cheng
Illustrator: Stephen Michael King
Publisher: Puffin, $24.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760896287
For ages:  3 - 6
Type: Picture Book

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