Guest Post: Inga Simpson

Award-winning writer Inga Simpson, is the author of four novels and her memoir, Understory. Her latest piece of work, The Last Woman in the World is due for release later this year. 

Her first book for children, The Book of Australian Trees, is now available.Inga gives us a fascinating insight into her relationship with trees and nature, her favourite tree being the Ironbark.

Q. The Book of Australian Trees is the first book for children on this subject. How did the book come about?
My eco-memoir, Understory, is structured like a forest, with each chapter based around an individual tree species. A few people suggested a version for children, including my publisher, and when I found that there were no children’s books on the shelves looking exclusively at Australian trees, I felt obliged to remedy that!

Q. You are a Nature Writer. Can you define that phrase for us?
The traditional definition of nature writing is narrative nonfiction focusing on the natural world. It includes elements of natural history, but is more imaginative writing than say a field guide or scientific account. The narrative is based in the author’s relationship with the natural world and, more broadly, the human relationship with nature. 

Nature writing is inherently environmental – eco-centric rather than anthropocentric – in that it shows the natural world as central, rather than just a resource, and humans very much a part of nature, in a connected set of ecosystems. Thoreau’s Walden, Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk and Mark Tredinnick’s, The Blue Plateau are just some examples.

But I was labelled a nature writer before I published any nonfiction, because my novels focus so much on trees and birds, and characters living closely with Australian landscapes. Tim Winton’s fiction could be argued to be nature writing, too, I think. And landscape poetry, and particularly our First Nations poetry and stories. It is only really in western cultures that we see humans and nature as separate entities.

Q. When did your love for nature begin and from what did it stem?
I grew up on a farm, so the impacts of nature were central to all aspects of our existence. I helped my father with chores on the property and he taught me a lot about birds and trees and animals. He also taught me photography, which helped me focus on the details from a young age. I’m particularly sensitive to noise and movement, which has equipped me well for observing the natural world.

Q. Your relationship with trees is strong and deep. This is obvious in every carefully selected word you use about them. What is it about trees that enrich your life?
I have always gravitated towards trees. It’s human instinct I think, a genetic memory, to return to the forest. As a child, there was a wilder, treed part of the property that I liked to walk and camp in, which very much shaped my view of the world. Trees live so much longer than us, and so much of their existence is underground and inside their trunks, out of sight. There’s a wisdom there, a slower pace and broader perspective. Being around trees, particularly immersed in a forest, has always calmed me.

Trees are also how I read a landscape. They tell me what sort of country I’m in – the character of the soil, climate, geology.

As a child my imagination was fired up by Tolkien’s ents in The Lord of the Rings; I saw trees as sentient beings. And as an adult, this has been backed up by science. We now know that trees communicate with each other and perhaps even recognise individual humans. Maybe one day, we’ll be able to hear their stories.

Q. How much research was needed for your book, as there is a great amount of information included: history, height and width, their spread, roots, type of bark, flowers?
I was able to use a lot of the research I had done for Understory, and I chose trees that I know well, which helps me describe them. But I also have a considerable reference library at my fingertips, for some of the more technical information.

Q. Do you spend a lot of time in natural surroundings? If so, how does this solitude contribute to your work?
I lived inside a forest for ten years, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. And I still live very much surrounded by trees, and right by the sea. I also walk alone a lot, and camp a little. I need the solitude, and immersion in the natural world to nurture myself and my creativity. All of my inspiration comes from the natural world – or the space between the landscapes around me and my imagination.

Q. The superb illustrations by Alicia Rogerson complement your prose perfectly. Did you have an input in who the illustrator would be for your book?
My publisher suggested Alicia. I wanted someone who could capture the botanical detail as well as the more imaginative concepts, and I think Alicia is a perfect match. I love her responses to my words.

Q. The Book of Australian Trees is an extraordinary and valuable resource for children. Have you considered exploring another side of nature as follow-up book for children?
Well, I’m a bird-lover, too. But at the moment I’m focused on trees. There are so many more interesting species that I would like to write about.

Thanks for the opportunity! 😊 https://www.ingasimpson.com.au/










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Review: Daisy and Bear and the Very Ordinary Day

There are no limits to a child’s imagination. This picture book, with illustrations as delicate as fragile glass, shines a light on how expansive and powerful thoughts can be; how the imagination can transform the ordinary into extraordinary.

Siblings Daisy and Bear have ordinary days. It’s when their play becomes reality, everything changes. Their reflections confirm they are who they imagine to be.

One day they are in Paris, enjoying bagels and cake with friends outdoors on a rug. They return home flying with birds through fluffy clouds.

Another ordinary day sees them on an African safari, beneath trees, watching tigers lap at a pool of water.

They can be singers on a stage, with adoring fans surrounding them. Or dragon slayers with swinging swords on castle towers.

If they choose, Daisy and Bear can become artists preparing work for a museum display, or they can fly to the Moon to catch a star.

Another ordinary day is transformed when they become master chefs creating splendid tiered cakes, or divers, deep beneath the ocean.

There is one thing they love the best. It is at the end of the day, when sleep sweeps them into dreams, and they go on the best adventure of all.

Stunning fine line pencil Illustrations by Bianca Pozzi decorate the pages with Daisy and Bear’s imaginative excursions. At the end of the book, she shares her creative journal and her storyboard, so children can experience the making of a picture book.

Haylee Hackenberg shares private thoughts that gave birth to this beautiful book.

As in most, if not all Red Paper Kite books, there is a double spread image to be copied to colour. Here it is of Daisy and Bear with their parents. Exquisite end pages in pencil show the illustrator’s preparations of the characters.

Title: Daisy and Bear and the Very Ordinary Day
Author: Haylee Hackenberg
Illustrator: Bianca Pozzi
Publisher: Red Paper Kite, $25.00
Publication Date: 9 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780648674290
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author Sharna Carter

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
When I was a kid, socks drove me crazy! I had to wear plain, white, cotton, long socks (pulled right up) and even then the main seam near the toes would bug me! So I did the only thing I could do... I would cut the dangly seam ends off, which would leave me with two tiny holes in my socks! Yep, I had sock issues. OK, I still do.

2. What is your nickname?
I’m mostly called Sharna, but I have a few loved ones who call me me Sharns or Narn. As a small child everyone called me Sharna Banana.

3. What is your greatest fear?
If you saw my reaction to a dwarf skink that made its way into my kitchen the other day, you would think it was that! I do, however, have a serious fear of flipping down the visor while I’m driving. You can blame a pesky spider for that one.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Mostly funny, quirky, rhythmical, visual, genuine, dramatic, incomplete and overthought.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Random, fun, community-minded, optimistic, persistent

6. What book character would you be, and why?
The White Rabbit, because I’m an anxious person and often running late!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I wouldn’t go that far back, just to 2014 so I could meet my babies all over again and soak them up.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
‘Umm, excuse me? Why aren’t you starring on Neighbours?’

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Aaron Blabey and Julia Donaldson. They are the masters of rhyming stories.

10. What/who made you start writing?
When I had my first child I read to him every day and developed a pretty massive love for picture books. Then I started having ideas for stories of my own and my writing career grew from there.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Magic. It sparks curiosity, creativity and joy.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
On Writing by Stephen King, because there’s always something new to learn. 

Sharna Carter is a children’s author with a background in performing arts and teaching. Watermelon Pip is her debut picture book and she has had a number of stories published in anthologies. Sharna enjoys conducting author visits and is passionate about early literacy. Her stories encourage laughter, reflection and self-belief. For more information, see www.sharnacarter.com.

 

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Guest Post: Amanda Mandie - Part Two

Welcome to Part Two, of our inspiring interview with Amanda Mandie, Executive Director at Koala Kids Foundation.

Every single thing we do is to deliver happiness and provide happy moments for these children. If they are happy, you know the parents are happy. This happiness flows on to health care workers because their job is difficult as it is, but can be made so much easier by working with happy children.*

We decided a couple of years ago, not long after we took on our mantra, that the only photographs we would promote or post, would be of happy children. Happy children may have bald heads or nasogastric tubes and big black rings under their eyes. But we see the happiness; the wellness, in a child. 

We avoid the sickness so that we can deliver happiness, because as volunteers, we can’t get caught up in their sadness; in their sickness. The parents worry enough, suffering more anxiety than we can imagine.

We’re really proud of how we’ve grown and matured. We remained under the auspices of Koala Foundation. When Koala merged with another cancer paediatric support organisation called Children’s Cancer Foundation, we became a program of CCF until July 2015, when we sought independence and became Koala Kids Foundation and launched our fabulous new logo.

Our mantra has been proven right. We’ve got the most wonderful testimonials from staff, children, and young people, as we also support teenagers and young adults from fifteen to twenty-five.

During that growth period, Melbourne and Australian authors and illustrators, gave their time and would come into the Royal Children’s Hospital’s and Monash Children’s Hospital’s Children's Cancer Centres and read to the children, then engage them in activities around the theme of their book.

Sometimes it was poetry, or illustration; sometimes it was graffiti. There was always a story or something that went with it.

One very special and long-time volunteer is Glenda Strong. Glenda has a rich background career in education with a passion for literacy. She used to be the head of the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Education Institute. It was that collaboration that started the story-telling and we want to bring story-telling time back.

At Monash Children’s we have reactivated our volunteer program on a Monday morning. During school holidays, we’d love to be able to provide the sessions we do, to the children at home via Zoom.

This year, the children have gone back to school, but sadly, so many with cancer are not allowed to attend school, as they’re immune-compromised. You can’t risk the child getting something as simple as a cold. Currently, the most common cancer amongst children is called Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma and there’s about a 98.6% survival rate in comparison to zero in 1960.

They’re still struggling with brain tumours and rare cancers. There are about 800 children diagnosed in Australia each year with cancer who remain in treatment. Some of them are lucky to need only six months’ treatment. The other extreme is that they are treated for life, and tragically, their lives are cut short.

Our main aim is to provide LIVE interactive connections with kids and kids’ lit creators, either via Zoom or in person.

We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to potentially connect with writers through our long-term relationships with some of Australia’s leading children’s publishers. Through our contacts there, we hope to establish some, and re-establish other relationships. Often, authors are able to donate books, other times, not. Perhaps they can donate an appearance.

We would be delighted if each month, one author can agree to donate their time to provide us with a Zoom activity; a Zoom story-telling and activity with children, and/or a pre-recorded story-telling time with their book. They can then suggest activities that children can do and maybe donate one or two live appearances to actually read with the children in the hospitals.

I’d love them to do a Zoom; to film a pre-record quite separate, exclusively for our Koala Kids children with cancer; as part of our happy base, where families with children with cancer safely store their information, so we can provide them with regular activities and offer them therapeutic items. Or in the hospitals under our care, so that we can post that on our website, available exclusively for our families, not to the public.

The thing that we’re looking forward to is to providing new books, toys and games to replace those that have been thrown out in the hospitals. We’re waiting for such time as they can start sharing things again, when we can provide all new little libraries to all the paediatric units that we support.

*We also work very closely and support: Ronald McDonald Houses, where families of children with cancer and other acute illnesses, come to stay from regional Victoria and interstate, and hospitals in regional Victoria and Tasmania.

In all, we support twenty-six units, paediatric units and adult hospitals because the fifteen-to-twenty-five-year-olds are included as well.

website https://www.koalakids.org.au/

Social media handles are:

@koalakids

#koakakids

#webelievehappyhelps

 

 

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Review: Milo's Little Secret

Awww, with those big eyes and furry belly, who could possibly resist a cutie like Milo?

Not his neighbourhood humans, that's for sure.

Everybody in town, it seems, has a soft spot and a bowl full of yummies for that little rascal.

Not that Milo objects, of course!

But his scheme to con fine food and other luxuries from the besotted fan club lead to an unexpected complication...And it's up to the neighbours to solve this conundrum by working together.

Told in rhyme, and illustrated with beautifully detailed and colourful pictures, this is a funny story about a sneaky little puss.

Everybody has a tale about a cat living multiple lives and charming food out of people. I once had a cat who could convince every human who crossed her path that she was about to drop dead of hunger, despite her ample waist line. And yet nobody resented her!

As long as there are gullible humans, this story will be totally relatable.

This is author Rebecca Ralfe's first picture book. Although Gabriella Petruso is a new illustrator, she has four picture books due in 2021, including the recently released Walking Your Human (see review here).

Both are clearly talents to watch out for!

Title: Milo's Little Secret
Author: Rebecca Ralfe
Illustrator: Gabriella Petruso.
Publisher: Larrikin House, $24.99
Publication Date: June, 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781922503145
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: A Pair of Pears and an Orange

There's a saying that two's company, but three's a crowd.

In A Pair of Pears and an Orange, however, although three may seem a crowd, there's a positive message about making friends and learning to work and play together.

Big Pear and Little Pear love spending time together. 

They play table tennis, have fun on playground equipment, and ride a tandem bike.

So when someone new shows up, and they are asked to make room for a third, Big Pear isn't as certain as Little Pear about welcoming a new friend.

Orange's presence changes things. The games the two pears used to play together don't work as well with three of them, and Orange doesn't seem aware of the impact he's made.

When Big Pear decides to join new friends, a group of three peas, she doesn't really fit in and realises that she's missing both Little Pear and Orange.

Returning to her friends, Big Pear is able to bring with her some new games they can all enjoy.

Anna McGregor has both written and illustrated A Pair of Pears and an Orange. It's a unusually humourous tale of the dynamics of friendship, sharing, and problem solving.

Depicting the characters as different fruits, will not deter children from identifying what's going on, and adds a quirky element to the story, both in the pictures and the playful text.

Download an activity sheet for A Pair of Pears and an Orange from Anna McGregor's website.

Title: A Pair of Pears and an Orange
Author/Illustrator: Anna McGregor
Publisher: Scribble, $ 24.99
Publication Date: June 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922310750
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Giveaway: Wonderful Shoes

Guest Post: Amanda Mandie - Part One

Awarded an OAM 2021, for service to the community through charitable organisations, Amanda Mandie is the Executive Director at Koala Kids Foundation, whose mantra is we believe happy helps. 

Their Vision, that Koala Kids will touch every child and young person undergoing cancer treatment in Victoria.

Their Mission is: Our volunteers provide small things that make a difference to children and young people during cancer treatment, their families and their healthcare team, and their Purpose, is to bring happy moments to children and young people during cancer treatment, their families and their healthcare team.

Koala Kids was founded by our then thirteen-year-old son Nick in 2005 when he was preparing for his Bar Mitzvah. He studied very hard to perform in the synagogue in front of many family and friends and was given a lot of gifts for his efforts, some in cash, which he decided to donate to a cause in support of adolescents who were less fortunate than himself.

Whilst looking around for a suitable avenue to participate in, we realised our daughter was in class with a little boy undergoing final stages of leukaemia treatment. His father – Tony, had launched the Million Dollar Lunch on behalf of the Koala Foundation, a group of parents of children undergoing cancer treatment.

There was some sort of opportunity within Tony’s organisation, which is integrally involved with the children’s cancer centres at the Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Children’s Hospital.

How could young teenagers get involved in making days or school holidays brighter for siblings and children with cancer? We were told it was a great idea, but we couldn’t do it outside of hospital.

Insurance and psychosocial issues when explained to me, were obstacles. How could healthy kids from relatively normal lives, take other kids to the football or movies or hang out with them; kids whose lives have been turned inside-out by their siblings’ cancer diagnosis.

I recognised that there were already a lot of organisations filling the space, like Camp Quality, Red Kite, Challenge, Make a Wish, and Starlight, etc.

We decided to start a holiday program in the hospital. We couldn’t involve Nick and his friends because again, they had to be fifteen to be volunteers, but a group of girlfriends and I, a couple who were very arty, started doing art sessions in the Children’s Cancer Centre.

We started with school holiday sessions; creative art and story-telling, etc, for children, who with their siblings, were hanging around because they were all waiting for appointments. This went really well.

The art therapist mentioned that glue sticks, coloured pencils, sharpeners, markers, colouring books, and coloured paper were needed. Five boxes were donated from the various Officeworks stores. I took one in each week.

I had an orange basket. I would go in with it full of supplies for the art therapist and samples that I’d gathered. I became princess of the Two Dollar Shop. As a mother of young children, I knew what things would be good for children in hospital. That took off.

I continued to collaborate with the various therapists involved in the sessions for art, music, and play with the cancer kids, and assist them by procuring craft activities and other incentives that could be used to motivate or occupy the children having treatment.

That’s how we grew this gorgeous little project called Koala Kids. On my own at the start, with Nick in the background, we quickly amassed what we called a core group of girlfriends and we would meet once a month.

We’d say, ‘Mother’s Day is coming up. What can we buy inexpensively?’ We were using Nicholas’s money and by this stage, my parents had their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and asked all their friends to make a donation to Nick’s program.

For a long time, we ran it on the smell of an oily rag and got a lot of things donated. There were little things for children to do or make while they were in hospital, to give mother or a special friend for Mother’s Day.

Not long after that, the kids wanted to make cards to go with the gifts, so we put everything into an orange bag. This orange thing took off. The kids would then turn these orange bags into their cards.

There are some gorgeous stories about mothers who found the scrunched up orange bag shoved at the back of the cupboard hidden from them, only to be forgotten and found three weeks after Mother’s Day.

At that stage, we were dealing only with the Royal Children’s Hospital, where 220 children were diagnosed with cancer each year. On average, these kids remained in treatment for around three years. There were 750 children in treatment at any one time either in the ward, or as outpatients.

We then spread our wings and went to Monash Children’s Cancer Centre. A couple of years later, we established a relationship with Peter McCallum Cancer Centre where children go for their radiotherapy.

Eventually, our super hero program evolved. We decided that the children having radiation were super heroes. We registered Koala Kids Super Heroes. We believe happy helps became our mantra. From then on, children could nominate their favourite super hero. We’d source the costume and its accessories, wrap it all in white paper, tie it with an orange ribbon and give it to the children. At the end of their treatment, they would receive a custom designed Koala Kids Super hero certificate.

* Please join us on Monday 14 June at 5pm for the second half of our inspiring interview with Amanda Mandie on the Koala Kids Foundation and her special wish that includes our authors and illustrators.

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Meet The Illustrator: Rachel Horne

Name: Rachel Horne

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
I’d say my work is whimsical, quirky and simple

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
I’ve had a few different creative spaces but one thing that has been present in all of them (apart from hot drinks and music) is found objects. I love collecting things I find outside, be it bits of nature, metal, anything really that spikes my interest. What I really like is then being able to incorporate them into my work, though this is probably more visible in my 3d work like my paper-maché houses.


Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I like to use varied materials when I’m working and hardly ever just use one but I really love to paint and my current favourite is acrylic-gouache.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
There are so many but three artists that come to mind straightaway are Mary Fedden, Alfred Wallis and Laura Carlin.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I’m pretty happy where we are to be honest. I love the fact that art is so easily accessible these days and there are so many different ways of making art and sharing it too.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I loved reading as a child but would get really excited by books that had illustrations, even the black and white ones - I felt like there was so much more being said in the pictures. I suppose my love of illustration began then.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
This is my studio which is in the upper part of my house. I feel lucky to have such a big space. Despite my best efforts, I make quite a bit of mess when I’m working so it’s looking quite tidy here.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I love it when I’ve almost finished a painting and it’s just a question of adding the finishing touches, the little things that can often just bring the whole piece to life.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I’d say if it’s what you really want to do then just keep going, work regularly, be open to learning new skills, nurture your own style and when possible avoid comparing your work to other people’s.

Rachel lives in France but was born and grew up in the North of England. She feels lucky to spend most weekdays in her studio with her dog-come-studio-assistant, Ziggy. In other news Rachel is working on some illustrations for a couple of children’s books she has written.

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

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Andrew Dittmer on Three Different and Creative Story Time Ideas

Review: Off the Map

Collections of short stories are not published frequently enough to satisfy those who love compact reading. Scot Gardner’s gripping collection in Off the Map, will surprise and satisfy even the most discerning reader.

One thing that connects these life situations is the setting. Each story is a profile of a young person on the cusp of adulthood, some dilemma they are experiencing or some wisdom that they will gain. In many, there is an unexpected twist which you won’t see coming that will throw you off balance, in a good way.

Filled with life lessons, these superbly structured stories mirror the Australian landscape and all its beauty and challenges, which are also reflected in the characters’ lives.

Trying to list the themes that are covered is like presenting a list of a restaurant’s menu.

There is the naturalness of death, the lack of importance for a materialistic world, secrets kept from children by their parents and the pain at their revelation, how truth can be stranger than fiction, the abject fear of being alone on an isolated property during a storm without power, music and the different things it means to different people, family breakdown, and what glues families together including grief and loss.

The desserts are not listed, but are there to be discovered.

Every word is in its place and there for a purpose. Gardner knows his characters intimately, and reveals their weaknesses and strengths, and their natural place in the world.

This is for picking up and putting down. But there is no guarantee that you will be able to put it down once you have started. Too good for words!

Title: Off the Map
Author: Scot Gardner
Publisher:Allen & Unwin, $19.99
Publication Date: 30 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760877101
For ages: 14 – 18
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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10 Quirky Questions with author/illustrator Ruth Waters

1. What's your hidden talent?
Well, I’ve been sitting here for quite a while trying to work out if I actually have a hidden talent! Whilst doing that, my mind began to wander and 10 minutes went by before I remembered that I’m supposed to be answering this question... So back to this question — my hidden talent would be my ability to daydream. Not often recognised as a talent but for me it helps enormously with my job as an author and illustrator, thinking up stories and characters.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Oh, a great question! So, it’s either Mr and Mrs Twit or The Grand High Witch from The Witches. I vividly remember my dad reading The Twits to me when I was aged 6 or 7 and finding them fantastically revolting. The way Roald Dahl describes the little bits of food Mr Twit has living in his beard is just so disgustingly evocative. That said, I didn’t find them frightening, unlike the wicked Grand High Witch. Even now, I find her absolutely terrifying!

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Ohhh… Has George Clooney ever written a book?! Seriously, I would go for Agatha Christie, CS Lewis, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens and Philip Pullman.

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Oh the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of course!

5. What are five words that describe your illustrating process?
Handmade, messy, tactile, imaginative, time consuming.

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer or illustrator?
She was good at cutting. (I make my illustrations using collage!)

7. Picture your favourite creative space. What are five objects you would find there?
Big window (I like lots of natural light), good chair (I’ve got a sore back), big desk (as a collage artist, I am consistently surrounded by a lot of paper and mess, and can never have a big enough desk to contain it all!), good lamp (I tend to work late into the evening, so a good lamp is essential for when I’m illustrating), good computer with lots of storage space!

8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
Fur. His fur is black, his stripe is white. So I’ve slightly cheated as the nearest book was one I wrote – Love from Australia!

9. If you could ask one author or illustrator one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
Rather than ask a question, can I just sit quietly in the corner and watch the process of how an the illustrator makes their artwork? I’m a big fan of Britta Teckentrup’s work so I’d love to get an insight into her making process.

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write or draw another story or never read another book'?
Oh my goodness. You can’t ask me that! That’s almost impossible. I think begrudgingly I have to say never read another book. I just can’t imagine not being able to draw again. It keeps me sane!

Ruth Waters has written and illustrated picture books, including Not So Scary Bear, Not So Quiet Mouse, Not So Busy Bee and Love from Australia. She also illustrated There's a Tiger Out There written by Sophie Masson. Ruth creates her illustrations using collage. Made by hand, she paints, cuts and layers paper to make unique, colourful and fun pictures.  She has been long-listed for the World Illustration Awards 2020 and was short-listed for the World Illustration Awards 2019, Children's Book New Talent category. For more information, see www.ruth-waters.com.

 

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Look What I'm Reading! Kesta Fleming

Kesta Fleming is a writer and poet, and author of the Marlow Brown chapter book series for seven-to ten-year-old. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, two teenagers and a Brittany Spaniel, and divides her time between writing for children and her therapeutic work helping people manage stress and anxiety. Her latest book is Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I’m reading The Call by Peadar O’Guilin.

 
 

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
It’s a YA book about the revenge of the fairy people from Irish folklore who have been banished by humans over a 1000 years ago to a parallel, nightmarish realm. Irish teenagers are snatched in turn for 3 minutes of human time (24 hours in the fairy realm) where they are hunted down and killed unless they can outrun the fairy people.

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?
I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far! It reminds me of The Hunger Games, which interestingly, I didn’t enjoy. (Too much horror and I’m not into horror.) Somehow, being human vs non-human makes the concept and the grimness in The Call more palatable in my eyes. It’s hard to put down.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?
I belong to an excellent book club of children’s authors, librarians and lovers of kid lit and our theme this month was Ireland. So, we’re reading a picture book, a junior fiction and a young adult book by Irish authors. The Call is the YA choice. One of the things I like about this book club is that I get to read books I wouldn’t necessarily pick up myself. This is one of those books.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?
My ‘to read’ pile is a combination of actual piles scattered around the house—like the toppling stack of picture books on the floor in my study—and a virtual stack of books I’ve noted for future reference on Goodreads. It’s also a mix of adult fiction and non-fiction, and children's. Amongst these piles are The Hug by Eoin McLoughlin and Polly Dunbar, What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible by Ross Welford and Raymund and the Fear Monster by Megan Higginson.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?
The Hug is the picture book pick for book club this month – another Irish themed book. What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible is a junior fiction personal choice as I really enjoyed Ross Welford’s Time Travelling with a Hamster, and Raymund and the Fear Monster is a picture book by a fellow writer in an online group I belong to which I’ve been meaning to read for a while.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?
I don’t have a single favourite genre, but I do enjoy fantasy, particularly those books where the characters go between the known and a fantasy world, and those where the two worlds blur in some way. Time-slip and paranormal stories have always intrigued me. I think it’s because they feel almost possible somehow.

It’s easier to put myself in the shoes of a real world character who then experiences something out of the ordinary, than it is to identify with characters who aren’t human, or who don’t inhabit the same kind of world as me in the first place.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.
I read printed books. I find it far more relaxing to curl up with a paper book on the couch with a cuppa to hand, than to read from a screen. I spend a lot of my day on my laptop, and screens feel like work to me. I find printed books easier on the eyes too. And if we’re talking picture books, then of course it needs to be the physical book if I’m going to fully appreciate the art work.

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Review: Where The Magic Happens

Review: Puffin Little Historian: Dinosaurs

Do you love dinosaurs? Do you know someone who does?

Join little puffin in his dinosaur museum and learn about the prehistoric world in this lovely non-fiction gem.

Part of the Puffin Little, Little Historian series, Dinosaurs explores everything about dinosaurs, from what exactly they are (and why no dinosaurs swam in the seas), evolution, extinction, fossils and palaeontology.

The book explores the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and goes into loads of details on a range of different dinosaurs from each period.

There’s all your favourites and the well knowns, plus lots of others you’ll likely never have heard of. The info is easy to read in large text, the explanations are simple and kid-friendly, and there’s loads of extra details for the dinosaur-extremist who wants to know all the things!

In typically Puffin Little style, the book is scattered with lovely illustrations in black, white, grey and a featured coloured (this time purple). It’s very welcoming and engaging — the perfect bite-sized fact book.

And for more great non-fiction gems, check out Little Scientist: The Solar System, Little Scientist: Robotics and Little Environmentalist: Composting.

Title: Puffin Little Historian: Dinosaurs
Publisher: Puffin, $12.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761041716
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: I'm Fabulous Crab!

Henry the hermit crab is sick of hiding away, creeping along the sea floor trying to avoid predators. 

Enough is enough.

‘I’m done being dreary.
I’m done being drab.
I’m done being Henry… I’m Fabulous Crab!’

When Fabulous steps onto the scene, his fabulous-ness really shines. He finds glimmering, shimmery sparkle and piles it onto his shell. 

But when he goes a little bit too far, and some big fishy meanies come after him, what will Fabulous do?

This is a fun and funky rhyming tale about daring to be yourself — taking risks and being brave. With a fun surprise ending, it’s fresh and giggle-inducing, and will 100% bring a smile to your face.

Nicki Greenberg’s colourful illustrations shine in this picture book. With splashes of mixed media and loads of colour, it’s a visual feast for the eyes, and there’s lots to explore as you turn the pages. 

Inspired by the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef, which Nikki explored by snorkeling to research for the book, I’m Fabulous Crab! is a beautiful showcase of our ocean and the beauty that can be found at the bottom of the sea. And who’s to say there aren’t fabulous crabs down there just like Fab!

Filled with fun, humour and inspiration to be fabulous, I’m Fabulous Crab! is a glorious, sparkly read. Perfect for classroom and family reading time, it’s a picture book winner!

Title: I'm Fabulous Crab!
Author/Illustrator: Nicki Greenberg
Publisher: Affirm Press, $19.99
Publication Date: 27 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922400734
For ages: 3 - 6
Type:  Picture Book

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Review: Baz & Benz

In Baz & Benz, two delightful owl characters take readers on a cute and thought provoking exploration of true friendship. 

As Baz and Benz sit wide-eyed in a tree in the afternoon light, Baz the small owl asks Benz if they are friends, in sure confidence Benz answers that they are in fact ‘bestest friends’. Then, like an inquisitive child, Baz continues, page-by-page through the night and into the morning with a series of curious but innocent questions about their friendship, Baz even tests their bond along the way. 

The engaging two way conversation between the characters builds momentum and excitement with each page turn, especially when there are fun ‘meeping’ sounds to make! 

I adore the digital design with minimal, cosy colour palette, bold shapes and textures which roll with the story oh so perfectly. The use of light to show night to day is wonderful, and those big round owl eyes bring an array of character and story telling in themselves. 

Ending with a wholesome, feel-good message about genuine friendship and what it can withstand, this story is perfect for groups or one-on-one reading. It’s also well suited to young primary aged children who are learning to read. 

Heidi McKinnon is an author and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. Baz & Benz was released in 2019, it is Heidi’s second author illustrated picture book, following I Just Ate My Friend.

Title: Baz & Benz
Author/Illustrator: Heidi McKinnon
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $24.99
Publication Date: 4 March 2019
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760523688
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Ernest the Elephant

Anthony Browne is a British author- illustrator who has produced over fifty books for children. 

He is also a former British Children's laureate.

In his latest book, Ernest the Elephant, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, brimming with colour and detail.

The narrative takes the classic story structure of the hero leaving a secure base to pursue an adventure and ultimately discovering there's no place like home. 

This story, however, had something missing. Ernest had very little agency in his quest other than deciding to leave the herd to go and explore the jungle, and getting himself lost. 

Sacred and confused, Ernest asks for help from the various big and powerful creatures he encounters, and gets flatly refused. These animals were illustrated beautifully, but their indifference to Ernest's plight was left unexplained. 

In the end, a small creature approaches him and offers to help. It basically solves the problem for Ernest. Browne's message was that smaller doesn't mean less effective. 

You can read reviews of other of Browne's books  here and here.

 

Title: Ernest the Elephant
Author: Anthony Browne
Illustrator: Anthony Browne
Publisher: Walker Australia, $27.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781406395099
For ages: 3 +
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Can't Say It Went To Plan

Review: The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle: Butter O'Bryan Mysteries #2

Book 2 in the Butter O'Bryan Mysteries finds us at Howlers Beach in 1932 during the Depression. Dr O’Bryan is away with Gil on a journey of repair, recovery and healing after the boy contracts polio.

At the Very Small Castle, Butter is no longer lonely, because Gil, Tish, Olive and the three-legged dog Woofer, have now become family.

A monster appears at their door one stormy night. Of course, the three Aunts – Cake, Elephant and Peculiar, rally to feed him and discover what he’s doing there. 

Tish takes an immediate liking to the giant Marvin, who is not really a monster but an actor. Where fear and horror should have reared its head, kindness and friendship is offered and accepted.

Hot on his heels, filmmakers Rose and her sister Marigold appear.

They are wanting to use the castle for a monster movie with Marvin and the fabulous vaudeville star, Delilah Divine in the leading role.

The Aunts agree on the condition that the family takes a small part in the film.

What starts as the story line for the film, ends entirely different with the shuffling around of the script to accommodate the children.

When Delilah disappears in the middle of the filming, it is up to Butter, the mystery solver, to discover what happened to her.

During his search for Delilah, Butter becomes aware that no one is what they say they are or appear to be. The plot thickens when deception is peeled away layer by layer, and the raw truth is exposed.

This brilliant mystery series presents a strong sense of time and place. The representation of compassion and generosity frequently shown toward the susso communities by people better off, is paramount to the story, as is the character of Marvin the monster.

His role subtly accentuates the despair of soldiers who returned from the war damaged in body, mind and spirit, haunted for the remainder of their lives by what they had seen and done. 

Brought to attention, is the crucial fact that there was no support or help of any kind offered to return soldiers.

Jackie French once again, serves up a wonderful novel based on Australian history, full of startling characters, wonderful scenes and important underlying messages.

Title: The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle: Butter O'Bryan Mysteries #2
Author: Jackie French
Publisher: Harper Collins, $16.99
Publication Date: 7 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781460757734
For ages: 10+
Type: Historical Fiction

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Review: The Oo in Uluru

Video: Ginger Meggs

Australia's longest-running comic strip is Ginger Meggs, which was first created in 1921 by Jimmy Bancks. Now his great great nephew, author Tristan Bancks has created four new Ginger Meggs stories to celebrate 100 years of Ginger Meggs. They've been illustrated by cartoonist and illustrator, Jason Chatfield, who is the current Ginger Meggs cartoonist. This new Ginger Meggs collection will be enjoyed by new, young readers as well as adult readers who may want to reminisce about reading the comic in their younger years.

Title: Ginger Meggs
Author: Tristan Bancks
Illustrator: Jason Chatfield
Publisher: Puffin, $ 24.99
Publication Date: May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760894818
For ages: 8+
Type: Comics

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Review: Puffin Little Environmentalist: Gardening

Gardening is loads of fun, but there can be a lot to it, and sometimes it's tricky. 

With Little Environmentalist: Gardening, you’ll have everything you need to get your garden started.

Find out how plants grow, how to plan a garden and how to care for it. 

Learn about garden wildlife, planting natives and growing for the kitchen.

I love how the book steps you through what is a plant, outlining the different parts of plants and how they use water and the sun to grow. 

It also goes through germination, so you get a real understanding of the life cycle of a plant, as well as how to grow your new plants.

The information is super easy to understand and laid out in bite-sized sections, so it’s easy to work your way through the book.

There’s also loads of ideas and inspiration for creating simple gardens, like using egg cartons and old gumboots for garden beds. And there's a glossary at the back so you can cement your learning or double check terms you don’t know.

Very fittingly, green is the colour that features in this book, along with darling black and white images peppered throughout.

Little Environmentalist: Gardening is a perfect book for kids interested in plants, but it’s packed full of really helpful information for adults too (I learnt a lot!). It would be a great book to read as a family or classroom and start a garden growing adventure together.

And if you love this one, you may also enjoy other non-fiction gems in the Puffin Little series, including: Little Scientist: The Solar System, Little Scientist: Robotics and Little Environmentalist: Composting.

Title: Little Environmentalist: Gardening
Publisher: Puffin, $12.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761041709
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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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