Review: Furball Spy Cat

Furball is fancy. Furball is brave. Furball is the best super spy cat working for Meow-6!

Along with his spy buddies, Kit the spy-gadget inventor and Jade the karate cat, these crime-fighting friends go after the roughest, toughest villains from Klawz — the evilest organisation there is.

After a very successful mission saving the moon, the spy-trio are rewarded with a trip to Wet Willy’s Waterworld. It’s all fun and waterslides, until the spies discover something fishy. 
Waterworld seems to be lacking some… water?

Which devious villain is behind this? And what exactly are they plotting? Can Furball, Kit and Jade uncover the devious truth and stop the baddies from delivering their evil plan?

Furball Spy Cat by author-illustrator extraordinaire Adrian Beck is an action-packed and hilarious read. The jokes are endless, and the bad guy butt-kicking doesn’t stop either. I love that the story is narrated by Kit, even though the focus is generally on Furball. It’s a giant shoutout to all the sidekicks, who really run the show (in case you didn’t know!).

It’s also a shoutout to the underdogs, who sometimes feel invisible. Kit is smart and strong and a super-duper spy, but sometimes he can’t see that. But he’ll learn. They’ll all learn!

Beck’s illustrations are as big and bold as his words. Fun and funky and so expressive, they dominate the pages and immerse readers in the Meow-6 world. You will adore exploring each and every one of them.

This is a winner for junior fiction fans. If you love a funny, kooky read, this one is for you.

Title: Furball Spy Cat
Author/Illustrator:  Adrian Beck
Publisher: Larrikin House, $14.99
Publication Date: 1 October 2022
Format: Softcover
ISBN: 9781922804006 
For ages: 7 - 10
Type: Junior Fiction

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Review: An Anthology of Aquatic Life

Review: Unnecessary Drama

Guest Post: Cherie Bell on Sourcing Books For Kids

12 Curly Questions with author Michel Deverall

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I once performed alongside celebrity Daryl Somers in a stage production (kids’ pantomime) of Doctor-Do-Little.

2. What is your nickname?
I don’t have one, unfortunately. Although, I do love a good nickname. Well, as long as it’s something endearing, or cute and quirky, that is. I’ve heard some crackers over the years. That being said, my family all refer to me as Shell, which is a bit boring, but that’s OK.

3. What is your greatest fear?
I have a totally irrational fear of birds. I refer to it as 'birdie-itis'. I’m not the only one, supposedly. Apparently, it’s a thing (ornithophobia). FYI: I was once swooped by a magpie outside my workplace, which proved to be a great source of entertainment for everyone watching, including the maggie, who zeroed in on me like a guided missile, terrorising me for almost two whole blocks.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Fast-paced and humorous, with lots of unpredictability and mayhem.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Tenacious. Determined. Structured. Plotter. Hopefully funny.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory back in primary school and would have given anything to be one of the characters visiting Mr Wonka’s factory. I’m sure I would’ve also delighted in consuming a vast amount of chocolate bars in an attempt to win one of those elusive Golden Tickets. I love chocolate!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I’m not so sure I’d want to time travel into the future — too scary to even contemplate. Perhaps I could time travel back to the1970s, knowing what I know now. That’d be pretty cool. Daggy, but cool.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
Don’t let fear rob you of your joy. You are more capable than you realise. Enjoy the journey.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
In terms of writing for children, I’d have to say Andy Griffiths and Lincoln Peirce, (pronounced purse). Both for their writing style and humour.

10. What/who made you start writing?
Whenever I hear an author asked this question, the answer is nearly always the same: I’ve been creating/writing stories since I was a child. Personally speaking, I hadn’t even contemplated the prospect of writing children’s books until I had a child of my own. Reading countless picture books and junior fiction to my son when he was growing up allowed me to view them from a different perspective, and was most certainly the catalyst for me later going on to study Professional Children’s Writing and Publishing.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It varies depending on the age and genre I’m writing for, I guess. At the moment I seem to be throwing the word 'knucklehead' around a lot. It has such a comedic connotation and sound to it.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Wow! I’m not sure I could actually do that, to be honest. It would inevitably do my head in. Although, if I had to generalise, it would have to be a thriller of some sort with lots of drama and suspense. Something along the lines of the classic Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which was the very first book I read in high school.

Michel studied Professional Children's Writing & Publishing for three years, graduating with nine High Distinctions. There are so many aspects of writing that she genuinely enjoys — everything from deciding on a plot to progressively developing it into a finished manuscript. Her preferred style of writing is fast-paced, humorous stories with lots of unpredictability. For more information, see www.micheldeverall.com.

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Review: The Gecko and the Echo

Goldy the gecko is the star of The Gecko and the Echo. He's a self-assured, singing reptile who thinks he has what it takes to be famous.

Goldy sings his heart out, playing guitar and dancing along. The trouble is, he’s very loud and makes noise all day (and night) long. He’s not overly considerate of his friends and neighbours, and one day they let him know what they think of his musicality and thoughtless behaviour.

Shocked and upset, Goldy takes off and, in doing so, ends up in a canyon where he finds music and other noises are greatly amplified. Hearing a sound that he doesn’t think is particularly good, Goldy discovers that his own voice is echoing and it doesn’t sound great. He’s horrified.

Goldy takes to heart the advice of a new friend, a butterfly, and returns home with a whole new attitude. He’s a changed gecko, kind and helpful, and welcomed by the rest of the gecko colony.

The Gecko and the Echo offers a simple, yet important, message in an entertaining package. With a clever and lively rhyming story by Rachel Bright and bright, amusing cartoon-style pictures by Jim Field, this is a book that can be shared and enjoyed by the whole family.

Title: The Gecko and the Echo
Author: Rachel Bright
Illustrator: Jim Field
Publisher: Hachette - Orchard Books, $24.99
Publication Date: November 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781408356067
For ages: ages 4 - 8
Type: picture book

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Review: Australian Dinosaurs and Mega Beasts

Have you ever wondered about the dinosaurs and mega beasts that once roamed Australia? What creatures were they? Where did they live? What fossils have been found across the country?

Australian Dinosaurs and Mega Beasts is a (literally) mega book, packed full of information and illustrations that take readers on a journey to the past.

Start at the beginning, when life on earth began. Move through different eras and learn about the dinosaurs that called the lands of Australia home. Crocodile-like lizards, longnecked giants and river beasts.

Have you heard about trackways — footprints immortalised in sandstone. At low tide, across the coastline of the north-west Kimberley, you can explore 130 million-year-old dinosaur trackways for yourself.

And when the dinosaurs were all gone, explore what came next. Did you know that big, bigger and giant ancestors of kangaroos, wombats, emus and all manner of Australian animals once roamed the country. These mega beasts filled our ancient forests, swamps and grasslands for millions of years.

This book is packed full of information, but it’s delivered in a really accessible and kid-friendly way. The layout encourages page turns and information is delivered in bite-sized chunks, making it easy to dip in and out with ease.

One of my favourite parts? The sizing charts that show you just how big some of these creatures were compared to people, and how they evolved over time.

The illustrations are glorious too — deep colours, intricate details, and there are just so many. They fill each giant page with giant beasts, and they make the reading experience something truly special.

The end papers are stunning as well. They include a map of Australia and a brilliant overview of the famous fossil discoveries that have been made across the country. It’s truly fascinating and a great way to start this information journey.

If your kids love dinosaurs (if you love dinosaurs!), you need to check out this book. Packed full of addictive beastly information and lavishly illustrated, it’s the book you have to have if you want to know about ancient animal life in Australia.

Title: Australian Dinosaurs and Mega Beasts
Author/Illustrator: Myke Mollard
Publisher: Woodlane Press, $29.99
Publication Date: 1 November 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922800060
For ages: 8+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Romans Magnified

Romans Magnified is a terrific book for kids, and an especially great choice if they have an interest in history, love reading Asterix, or enjoy interactive books like Where's Wally?.

The book can be experienced in a couple of different ways. There's text to read which provides an introduction to different aspects of life in Ancient Rome. 

It starts with explaining what the Roman Empire was, and works through topics like the emperor and senate, public baths, Roman army, reading and writing, roads, Roman markets, family life, and lots more. 

There's also a page on archaeology and how we learn from the past through the discovery of ancient objects and exploring the ruins of ancient cities like Pompeii.

Importantly, there are detailed pictures to look at. They are intricate and colourful, full of the activity of life in ancient Rome. To help look closely, a magnifying glass is included embedded inside the book's front cover.

Each double page spread has a list of ten things to spot, and at the end of the book there is another list of things to find on the same pages, which will test readers to see if they can remember where to find them. Plus each picture has a mouse and a heart hidden somewhere. Altogether there are more than 200 things to find throughout the book!

A 'gallery' of famous ancient Romans includes people like slave and gladiator Spartacus, Fulvia who was the 'first living woman to have her face on a Roman coin', and several Roman emperors.

A brief timeline summarises key events in ancient Rome, starting with the founding of the city of Rome in 753 BC, and ending with the reign of the 'last western Roman emperor, a teenager called Romulus Augustus'. A glossary is also available to look up some of the words used in the book, and some of the Roman numerals.

Romans Magnified will draw children in and entertain them, keeping them busy while also increasing their knowledge of ancient history.

Title: Romans Magnified
Author: David Long
Illustrator: Daniel Spacek
Publisher: Wide-Eyed Editions, $27.99
Publication Date: 31 May 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780711266858
For ages: ages 5 - 10
Type: Non-Fiction

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Review: One and Everything

One and Everything is many layered. It's an artwork, a message, and a prompt for thought and discussion inspired by the Endangered Alphabets project.

This is a book about: stories and storytelling, words and language, culture, oral traditions, and expression. At its heart is language and written scripts.

Who is it for? One and Everything is a picture book best suited for older readers, those in at least upper primary and into early high school, and for adults. 

It deals with complex concepts that need the support of teachers and/or parents to help understand and interpret them.

Probably most useful in a classroom setting for language and social sciences discussions. Also useful in an art and design context, due to its application of typology and colour throughout.

One and Everything will also benefit from multiple readings and detailed exploration, including the additional information at the back of the book. It includes information about 10 of the unusual language scripts used. There's also a map showing where the book's 50 different scripts come from, and a list of them in both English and the scripts themselves.

According to creator Sam Winston there are an estimated 7,000+ languages spoken around the world. His author's note explains there are questions underlying what you read in One and Everything. Questions about how languages do or will survive or not. How they change and grow or are lost.

An unusual and rather difficult to describe book, One and Everything is a reminder of the importance of language in its many forms.

Watch a One and Everything behind the scenes video interview with Sam Winston,

Title: One and Everything
Author/Illustrator: Sam Winston
Publisher: Walker, $29.99
Publication Date: November 2022
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781529509298
For ages: ages 9-13 (and older)
Type: Nonfiction picture book for older readers

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Meet The Illustrator: Sarah Matsuda

Name: Sarah Matsuda

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Colourful acrylic and mixed media in a semi-realist style.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
A good light for working at night (I have a Uniqu phone stand with LED lighting), my iPhone for listening to art podcasts, my Macbook Pro for research, a spray bottle filled with water to wet my palette - even though I use acrylic, I can use the paint over days/weeks if I spray it often and cover it after use. That way I have wet paint ready to use in those little fragments of time that exist in motherhood and I don’t have to constantly clean my palette and waste paint.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?

I love to mix it up with layers of acrylic paint, Conte pencils, Posca pens and Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils in 8B (The B stands for black and it’s quite different to other graphite pencils). Sometimes I use pastel too.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Mary Cassatt, Adrienne Stein, Elly Smallwood.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Probably the American Renaissance, because I would love to see John Singer Sargent paint. His work seems so effortless, but I have heard he carefully considered each brush stroke before he laid it down.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?

My background is fashion design, specifically couture wedding gowns. I would always draw theatrical sketches for my clients of their gown design before it was made-to-measure. I always adored looking at fashion illustrators' work such as David Downton.

 
I’m a third generation artist and when I moved to Brisbane from Sydney, I decided to give up fashion design and focus on art. I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to work with my best friend Cate Storey who was starting a new publishing house called Wet Season Books focusing on books for children about Australia’s ecology.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
I live in a two bedroom apartment with my husband and daughter. We all sleep in one room (as is the Japanese custom), so the second bedroom is a combined playroom and my workspace. We have a basement that I was planning to use as a studio, but that hasn’t worked out so far as my daughter is with me most hours of the day and it’s not very stimulating for her there.

 
My workspace consists of a simple Ikea desk. I have worked on quite large pieces there, but it would be awesome to have more space! I also have to constantly pack things away and make sure they are out of reach of curious hands!

 
I try to keep things a bit minimalistic and not waste, but I think a true artist needs to vary their methods and techniques from time to time! So I do have quite a range of materials from Lami pens, inks, pastels, watercolours!

 
I also move between spaces occasionally, going to my artist Mother Robyn Bauer’s studio. My Mum helps me look after my daughter so I can get some work done. So it’s essential that I keep my work portable.. I often have to lay artwork that is still wet on thick plywood boards on the seat or floor of the car to transfer between studios. I also carry my big palette with its cover around too and a pencil case of materials.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I really enjoy when I have planned out the picture and laid down some basic lines and I’m starting to splash around the paint. Also when I’ve done a few layers and I break out the pens and pencils and add extra brightness and sharpness.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

Don’t worry about trying to find your style. Just draw lots of different subject matters and eventually it will start to emerge. Also try to practice drawing from life, it’s so different to using a photo reference and really helps you loosen up and become a better drafts-person!

Sarah Matsuda is a fine artist and illustrator interested in maternal themes and the human figure. She has illustrated two children’s books: Snuggled Away about Australia’s nocturnal wildlife and The Perfect Hollow about a Greater Glider searching for a home. Sarah is currently working on book three about Australian birds.

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

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Review: The Heartbeat Of The Land

12 Curly Questions with author Yvette Poshoglian

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you. 
I once wanted to become Prime Minister. Or play cricket for Australia.

2. What is your nickname?
Posh/Poshy/Poshington

3. What is your greatest fear?
Driving along a cliff road.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
My writing style adapts to the story I wish to tell.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Connection, change, warmth, community, imagination.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
I always wanted to be George from the Famous Five – she was so brave!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I would have loved to visit Shakespeare’s times in Tudor England, perhaps around 1600. Also, Sydney in the year 1878, a year I spent researching about Cockatoo Island. Sydney was changing and developing as a colony at that time.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
You may not be Prime Minister, but you can still change the world for the better through words and actions.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I’m inspired by strong and powerful women like Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Julia Gillard, Grace Tame and others through history such as Anne Frank.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I had so many stories I wanted to tell. I love to escape into other worlds, so hopefully I can create these for readers too!

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It’s a secret word that my brother, sister and I invented as kids. We still use it and we’ll never tell you what it is or its meaning!

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My mum’s old recipe notebook with handwritten notes. It’s our connection to our past and contains wonderful stories as well as delicious recipes if you look hard enough.

Yvette Poshoglian is the author of over 40 books for children and young people, including the bestselling Ella and Olivia series. Born and raised in Sydney, Yvette taught secondary English in southwest Sydney and now manages major education projects for the NSW Department of Education. Currently, she works at the intersection of pedagogy, technology and innovation with the Technology 4 Learning team at the NSW Department of Education. Many of the STEM and technology developments occurring in schools around NSW are captured in Dear Greta. Yvette has loads in common with her character Alice Boghosian, apart from Alice’s horrible nickname. For more information, see www.yvetteposh.com.

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Review: A Walk In The Dark

Review: Dirt By Sea

Guest Post: Cassie Veselovsky on Making Reading More Musical

For over 20 years I have been serving as a youth librarian providing storytimes and programs for the children and families in my community. I am loud, goofy and I make mistakes, but I hold dear an unwavering commitment to support the kids and their grown-ups.

I strive to help grown-ups recognize how easy it can be to help their children learn by utilizing the five early literacy practices of reading, writing, talking, playing, and singing.

I am passionate about early literacy and encouraging and supporting grown-ups in their role as a child’s first teacher. Throughout my years I have created numerous songs and rhymes when I couldn’t find something to fit a storytime theme or program plan. Sure, many times my songs were met with chuckles, but kids and grown-ups sang and had fun together!

Singing is one of the five early literacy practices that many people struggle with and in my humble opinion, it is the most fun! Singing can make everyday activities exciting; it can make daily chores more fun!  To top it off, because of the magic that is music, creating a song about something you need to remember, can help you remember it!  (Try teaching your kids their address using a song!).  And when it comes to early literacy development, songs help children hear the individual syllables of words and develop their phonological awareness.

We all are not blessed with golden vocal cords, and that is ok! Years ago, when I had my daughter, all my education and experience flew out the window. I couldn't remember one single lullaby.  I felt lost.   I'm dating myself here, but the songs I turned to were TV show theme songs from my childhood:  Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island.  I used the themes and made up my own songs at 2am trying to soothe my dear one and get her back to sleep. 

Familiarity is comforting.  It didn't matter that I wasn't singing a proper children's lullaby or that my voice was off key; I was singing and engaging with my child. She relaxed with the sound of my voice, and I grew confidence as a new mother.  There are many picture books written to the tune of old, familiar songs, but you can make up your own songs as well. Take any five-letter word and create a song to the tune of Bingo. How about a new counting song about over in the park instead of Over in the Meadow. Don’t sing about Five Green and Speckled Frogs; sing about Five Blue and Furry Monsters! The options are endless. Yes, they are silly and goofy, but if they bring about positive engagement with you and your child and you are spending quality time together, then the songs are golden.

Cassie Veselovsky has worked in or for libraries for 40 years (which obviously means she’s part time lord). Her passion for early literacy has led her to be an active member of many youth services committees as well as present at conferences, in classrooms and via the internet.

Her commitment also drove Cassie to write. She is the author of the Bingo Books series as well as Over in the Outback, Old MacDonald had a Cat and Five Tasty Tacos sharing her love of reading and singing (and goofy songs) with the under-5 crowd and their grown-ups.

Discover more at: lonecow.blogspot.com or connect with Cassie via her socials: Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest

 

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