Review: League of Llamas: Undercover Llamas (Book 3) & Rogue Llama (Book 4)

Review: Family

Family is the most important thing in my world, and I’d wager it’s the same in yours.

Yarning old people, endless sky, breeze through silky oak.

Family. Kinship that binds. Showing the way.

In this stunning picture book by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, illustrated by Jasmine Seymour, explore phrases, places and emotions that radiate the heart of ‘family’ and everything it means.

Join the characters — the families — as they share love and life with each other — growing, playing and connecting.

Family is a stunning celebration of families being families, as well as being a celebration of culture — welcoming readers to learn about some of the things important to many First Nations people.

The words are few, but each has been carefully chosen for maximum impact. They are words with significant meaning, and they allow readers to think and reflect as well as giving audiences space and time to explore the illustrations in detail.

Which are truly stunning! Textured, layered and filled with the colours of the earth and the bush, Jasmine Seymour has made this book feel so warm and inviting. She also highlights several cool things throughout the illustrations to spark discussion about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

Family is the second book in the Our Place picture book series, following on from Respect. The series introduces young readers to First Nations cultural philosophies and provides a brilliant way for families and classrooms to learn, share and celebrate culture.

Celebrate your family and families across Australia with this beautiful new picture book.

Title: Family

Author: Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson

Illustrator: Jasmine Seymour

Publisher: Magabala Books, $24.99 

Publication Date: 1 July 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781925936285

For ages: 3 - 6

Type: Picture Book

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/394izwc

Review: Where's Spot 40th Birthday

In this special edition of Where’s Spot we revisit the original story of our beloved Spot for his 40^th birthday. To celebrate, a ruby red tinsel background gives the cover a festive look.

Here is Spot, opening his toy box again! After all these years, still loved by children and their parents; still an active part of toddlers’ lives.

It is dinner time. The search begins. Where is Spot?

We start to lift the flaps: open doors, check the clock door, look under the piano top, beneath the stairs, in the wardrobe, under the bed, in the toy box, under the rug.

Where can Spot be?

Delightful memories of beginnings with Spot will spring to mind. Another generation will lift flaps and search for Spot with the same joy and anticipation as the previous one experienced.

Eric Hill began his artistic life as an art studio messenger and graduated to cartoonist, then art director. It was 1978 when he wrote the story of a small puppy for his son as a bedtime story. Spot was born.

Success came with the book which in 1980, saw Hill become a full-time author. He was awarded an OBE in 2008 for services to children’s literacy.  His books are sold all over the world.

Title: Where’s Spot 40th Birthday

Author/Illustrator: Eric Hill

Publisher: Penguin Random House, $16.99

Publication Date: 18 May 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9780241446850

For ages: 1+

Type: Board Book

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2CExpNK

Guest Post: Penny Harris on Helping Children to Learn Social and Emotional Wellbeing

Meet The Illustrator: Carina Povarchik

Name: Carina Povarchik (signs as Catru)

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
I’d go with eclectic, whimsical, happy, sweet, organic, and loose.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Natural light, complete silence or happy music, a clean and organized space or I’ll lose my focus. I do have tons of tools and materials though, but I need to organize them often so I can work.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I love so many mediums that I sometimes feel a bit guilty I keep jumping from one to another haha. 

But, I’d say that ink, watercolours, pencil and digital are maybe my top favourite ones. Although when I work for children’s illustrations I tend to use all digital most of the time because it’s quite practical. 

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Only 3 is really tough! In children’s illustration now I’d say Beatrice Alemagna, Ati Forberg and Isabelle Arsenault. 

Beatrice because she really keeps the inner child out there in all her works, fun, whimsical, with all the heart in them. Ati has a sublime Asian style for me, I just love how simple and strong those illustrations are. And Isabelle, I adore her style, her palette choices even if I tend to go right into the opposite direction to those soft palettes. Love their works!

 

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?

I think that in terms of fine art, going back to the impressionism time period would be a dream (that’s about 1800) because I really love that style in painting. It has so much to do with intuition and feeling, and those great old masters achieved such big emotion with such a loose technique in comparison with a more realistic style. 

But besides that, I really don’t feel the need to go back as we are experiencing such an amazing variety of outstanding talents out there right now. So much to look at now. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
The first one that made me wish to express myself through drawings was Quino. As maybe all in my generation, I grew up reading Mafalda, and I was in awe with her. Not only the content but also Quino’s ink drawings had me hooked. 

The one, though, that made me actually end up working as an illustrator and pursuing it as more as a career was my dad actually. 

I first graduated in computer science, and I taught, well I still do, programming. But I had few years where my job changed and was no longer teaching programming (what I love about computers) so in that specific time my dad surprised me with a small drawing tablet. And one thing lead to another…

 
Well, the rest is history, I then started learning arts in the local school, got a private portraiture teacher, and did all kind of online courses. 

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
Of course! I have about 2 main working spaces at home, a whole small room, that I call it my studio, a whole table in the living room. I have tons of different materials and tools, because I always get tempted to do something different in the week. Sometimes I want to draw with pencil, other times I want to paint a landscape in acrylics, then I want to do some ink work. Of course, if having deadlines things get adjusted accordingly. I’m lucky to have a nice natural light in my working spaces. And lots of birds coming to my backyard. I love that. 

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

The moment I finish the piece and I can finally see it outside my head hahaha. But, no, to be honest my favourite part is coming up with the idea, even though sometimes it can be stressful, especially when it’s a commission and you have deadlines. But, that part of the process of sketching ideas is super fun and I end up laughing out loud often. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Take the time to learn it all, the best you can. Art foundations, and everything you can afford to learn in the specific area you may want to end up illustrating for.
Then, take the time to forget it all.

It may sound crazy, but learning it all will give you self-confidence when drawing and painting, you will develop a way of yours with the tools, materials, art concepts.
Some people can do their amazing thing without going to any art school, that’s true. But it may not be the case for everyone. So, learning can be a really useful thing to do.
Then, you need to forget it all and simply be yourself, so you can really give your something that’s unique to you, to the world. To others. You see, you need to know the rules of art well in order to break them in a brilliant way :) 

Have fun, draw what you love. Draw things just because you love those. Embrace your bad days and bad drawings, those also let you know what you don’t want to do again, what technique went wrong, what concept you want to study and improve, what happened, and so on. 

Born and living in Argentina. Carina has illustrated 3 published books. Besides being an illustrator, she loves birds, running and chocolate. 

For more information, please vist Carina's website or follow her on twitter or instagram

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2CCelzO

Review: Dogography: The Amazing World of Letter Art Dogs

Review: The Space We're In

It is twenty-six days before Max starts at his new school.

Max is five and has autism. He doesn’t speak, just hums and destroys. Frank, his brother, is ten. He wants to do normal things; be normal. He can’t because his house is a howling jungle and Max a hurricane.

Frank has his books on detectives and codes and space. And a lock on his bedroom door.  Before Max was born, he wanted to be like Tintin who solved puzzles and codes and crimes. He wanted to learn coding used in computers. But dad never had the time.

Mum was an artist until she gave it up when Max was born. Now her life is Max’s needs while Frank has become a glass child.

Mum tries to share special time with Frank; to create memorable activities to make up for the repetition of daily life required by Max. In particular, Mum’s tapping of Morse code in Frank’s palm is an invaluable resource to Frank; to his love of numbers and coding. It makes him forget the bully Noah who constantly makes fun of Max in an attempt to get Frank fired up. It helps him remember how life was before. Although he loves his brother deeply, he resents the demands on Mum’s time and his life.

But there is Mark next door and his dog Neil. Both are a healing balm to both boys.

There is a lightness of tone in the paragraphs describing the closeness shared by Mum and Frank. This lightness is juxtaposed with the heaviness contained in the paragraphs about Max and the family’s struggles, such as when raging hot screams inside Frank can only be expressed in words of red ink on as much wall as he can reach.

The feelings, experiences and emotions are given to us in chains of descriptive images, so beautifully constructed, that the eyes refuse to leave the page.

It is one hundred and nineteen days since Life gave Frank and his family a devastating blow from which they believed they will never recover, and Frank’s eleventh birthday. Can the family find the courage they need to survive the greatest tragedy of their life?

Katya Balen in her debut novel, gifts us an exquisite narrative voice in Frank in a unique style. The reader is drawn into the emotional turmoil of the family’s life, and shares their experiences and coping mechanisms. Laura Carlin’s fine lined, black and white child-like images, accompany the text.

Change occurs; hope is born and more than ever, it is love for one another that keeps the family from slipping into the chasm that has opened before them.

Title: The Space We’re In

Author: Katya Balen

Illustrator: Laura Carlin

Publisher: Bloomsbury, $16.99

Publication Date: November 2019

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781526610942

For ages: 9 - 12

Type: Teenage Fiction

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/3j63UFd

Look What I'm Reading! Zana Fraillon

Thanks for having me! I am an author of children’s and young adult books, and have had eleven books traditionally published so far, with another picture book due to be published next year. I have been lucky enough to win awards both in Australia and the UK. I love writing for young people. I love the way their minds are so open wide to possibilities and how ready they are to explore.

 Which children’s book are you currently reading?

This week has been a huge reading week for me! It started with Danielle Binks’s debut MG book The Year the Maps Changed, then to Nation by Terry Pratchett, followed by a Sonia Hartnett book – Thursday's Child. That was sold as YA, but I actually feel is it more of an adult book, and last night I started reading Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?

Ghost Birdis about twin sisters living in a remote Australian community. When one of the sisters goes missing, the remaining twin starts dreaming of what has happened to her.

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?

I have only just started reading, but I am hooked! I love the intertwining of real and possibly imaginary, the family and cultural stories handed down and how they are eeking into the everyday, and the voice of the character is wonderfully strong and appealing.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?

I saw Ghost Bird recommended on Twitter by a friend whose reading advice hasn’t yet led me wrong. And as soon as I looked up the blurb, I phoned my local bookshop to set a copy aside for me. It promises excitement, mystery, and hinted at magical realism which is a genre I love. I was also excited to read a new YA voice on the scene.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?

It is a very large pile at the moment! I have just started a PhD, so a lot of the books are non-fiction – The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben; The Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane; and A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit. Then I have the fiction pile! Everything Under by Daisy Johnston, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, The Way We Roll by Scott Gardner and Night Waking by Sarah Moss are a few of the ones on the top of the pile, along with a handful more by Terry Pratchett (I am a relatively new fan...). And then there is my writing craft pile! I have a couple of books on writing by Urusula La Guin, and two more by Terry Pratchett, as well as my old favourite by Margaret Atwood called Negotiating with the Dead, which has to be one of the greatest titles for a writing craft book that has ever been written.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?

All of the titles mentioned there are personal choice, or were books recommended to me by someone (although I do have a couple of ARCs waiting to be read too!). A few I heard mentioned on podcasts with authors I admire, or after hearing an interview with the author themselves.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?

I love magical realism, and always have. The way the lines between what we know and what we don’t know blur, the surprising direction stories can take, the fantastical and the real overlapping – all of it! I find it a very exciting genre to read, and it has definitely influenced my own writing. The first author I read in this genre was Isabelle Allende, and she was writing about serious issues and politics, and what struck me was that the same seriousness was given to the magical elements. She took the magic seriously, and that is what makes it work.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.

If I could choose, I would always go printed. I love the tactile sense of holding a book in my hands, the smell of the pages, the heaviness of the book in my bag. Also, when I read I am often book-marking pages for myself – when there is a particularly beautiful turn of phrase, or a subject that I want to investigate further, I will dog ear the bottom corner of the page so I can go back to it and think about it a bit more. And although there is the bookmark function on a kindle/ipad/etc I find it not nearly as easily accessible to go back and find again. (Having said that, I am sure that is probably in all likelihood, much easier on a device...)

However! The wonderful thing about using a device to read on, is how quickly you can have the text in front of you. I use a kindle a lot for my PhD, purely because otherwise I would have to wait days or weeks to have the book in my hand.

www.zanafraillon.com

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/3j3DML6

12 Curly Questions with author Sharon Giltrow

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I am the youngest of eight children so, I was an aunty before I was even born. My mum and two sisters all had babies in the same year. That was a great year in our family. My first niece was born three months before me. Needless to say, she never, ever called me aunty.

2. What is your nickname?
Shaz, or Shazza, which is a great Aussie nickname for Sharon.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Being on a boat, falling off a boat and having to swim to shore. I only learnt how to swim freestyle as an adult. Now I’m not so afraid of boats. I do love swimming in the ocean but only if I can touch the bottom. So perhaps it is deep water that I am truly afraid of.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
Humourous, slice of life, entertaining, heartfelt, how-to…, role reversal.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Funny, persistent, thoughtful, caring, fantastic.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
The pigeon from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Because he is funny, cheeky and very motivated.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
2035, so I could read my book to my grandchildren. My own children were a little bit too old for picture books when Bedtime Daddy came out.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
‘Well done you followed you dream’ and ‘See you don’t have to be a good speller to be a writer.’ My spelling as a child was atrocious. This is how I spelt library in Year 3: ‘lubrey’. I know because it is in front of one of my childhood books that I had in my home: ‘lubrey’.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
I would say Mo Willems. I love his style of writing. It is simple and very, very funny. I love how his writing breaks the fourth wall. Jon Klassen would be a close second.

10. What/who made you start writing?
I loved writing as a child. I never let bad spelling stop me. But then I stopped writing as an adult, until my first child was born and I wanted to start writing children’s books. I wrote one story and then stopped writing again, until my second child was born. I formed a short story writers' group and after a great year writing short stories, I realised that I really wanted to write children’s books. So, I guess my childhood started my writing, my children fuelled my desire to write and my monthly writers' group got me writing consistently.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
‘Lubrey’. I mean ‘library’ because that is where all the free books are kept. ‘Bookshop’ would be my second favourtie word for the same reason, except you have to pay for those books.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Well that’s easy — my book, Bedtime Daddy!

Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. When not writing, Sharon works with children with Developmental Language Disorder. Sharon was awarded the Paper Bird Fellowship in 2019. Her debut picture book is Bedtime Daddy (EK Books). For more information, see www.facebook.com/sharongiltrowwriter/.

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2Zn7h2W

Review: The Daddy Animal Book

The Daddy Animal Book is the partner to The Mummy Animal Book, released earlier this year. The depiction of father and baby penguin on the light blue and teal cover, introduces the colourful contents.

Design and layout are identical to The Mummy Animal Book with the left page defining what the daddy animal is called and beneath, what the baby animal is called.

A daddy polar bear a called a boar.

A baby polar bear is called a cub.

Interesting factual information on each animal follows in brief.  A boar can be as heavy as a car but its cubs are born no heavier than a jar of honey.

The right page shows the daddy with the little ones in fine line illustrations. Each double spread is individually presented in full colour with eye-catching images. The naming text matches a specific shade used in the illustrations.  Tender pictures of baby animals with their dads encourage discovery at the turn of a page.

The book is produced in a compact format to match the content and is ideal for little hands and children’s bookshelves. It can be delved into at any time, at any place.

Highly educational and informative for adults as well as children, Jennifer Cossins creates books for inquiring minds that improve language and literacy. She focuses on resuscitating valuable infrequently used words and showcasing them in a unique way. This is reflected in all her publications.

Dedicated to nature, animals and all living things, Tasmanian-born and bred Cossins, is a CBCA award-winning artist and writer whose creativity extends to homeware design, textiles and stationery.

Other books by Jennifer Cossins are 101 Collective Nouns, A-Z of Endangered animals, A-Z of Australian Animals, and amongst others, A Flamboyance of Flamingos. Her newest offering, The Ultimate Animal Alphabet Book, with over 400 species of animals and facts about them, will be released in early November.

Title: The Daddy Animal Book

Author/Illustrator: Jennifer Cossins

Publisher: Hachette, $9.99

Publication Date: 30 June 2020

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9780734419873

For ages: 4+

Type: Non Fiction

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/32c7ibR

Review: How Cities Work

This fresh addition to the growing list of educational resources from Lonely Planet Kids is a city themed activity book, which will keep kids busy for hours.

How Cities Work Activity book explores the ins and outs of cities, it includes fascinating facts, over 200 stickers and an abundance of captivating activities. Some activities include spot the difference, search and find, sticker puzzles, drawing, designing, and that’s just a small portion of what’s inside!

Some city themes explored include buildings, homes, gardens, forms of transport, sports stadiums, street art, constructions, tourist locations, hospital, jail, emergency services and even future cities. My kids and I most enjoyed exploring the hospital and trying to find all the hidden bones; there was both laughing and learning all the way.

I like how this book uses clear instructions, has answers to activities in the back and the stickers grouped and labeled to show which pages they can be used on. Everything rolls together to create a magnificent learning experience.

How Cities Work Activity book would be perfect to bust boredom and keep kids learning during the school holidays, or at any time. It has over 40 pages of high quality, thick, large pages. How Airports Work Activity Book is also available in this series and board books Cities, Trains and Airports are available for a younger audience. 

Some of the many other wonderful educational Lonely Planet Kids books include Dinosaur Atlas, First Words - French, Cardboard Box Creations and Sticker World - Airport.

Title: How Cities Work Activity Book
Author: Lonely Planet Kids
Illustrator: James Gulliver Hancock
Publisher: , $12.99
Publication Date: 8 June 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN:  9781838691035
For ages: 6 – 8
Type: Picture Book

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2OhPDXV

Review: Slam Your Poetry: Write A Revolution

Poetry is raw and comes from a place of emotions and, in turn, speaks directly to the readers’ emotions. Slam poetry ramps this up a notch. It’s about not just reading, but performing poetry in front of an audience...of actual people. Without props, music or costumes. Slam poets are much braver than I could ever be.

Miles Merrill, the founder of the Australian Poetry Slam, and Narcisa Nozica, a Secondary teacher, describe it as a terrifying ride, of the poet making themselves vulnerable, but they also provide the tools for the poet to develop the confidence to pull it off and win the audience over by forging a connection with them. All in two minutes.

The authors have run slam poetry classes to school children and adults for years, and have distilled their knowledge into a comprehensive guide. 

The process is simplistic but detailed. Merrill and Nozica expertly guide the readers every step of the way: composing, revising, rehearsing and...(gulp) performing. And (while they’re at it), how to run their own slam poetry event.

Full of examples of slam poetry, the book is easy to read and suggests how anybody can find ideas to write about. I loved the hint about finding ugliness and turning it into something beautiful. 

The poets featured in the book varied between the well known and the unknown. Many of the poems scattered throughout the text were written by kids who have been taught and mentored by the authors, and they tell stories of their struggles, their marginalised backgrounds, of their pain and longings, of isolation and rejection - but also of hope, laughter, acceptance and love.

Ultimately, poetry speaks to the human condition and provides a voice to those who have none.

Title: Slam Your Poetry: Write a Revolution
Author: Miles Merrill and Narcisa Nozica
Publisher: New South Books, $27.99
Publication Date: February 1, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978142236094
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult Non Fiction

 

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2BZnCBO

Giveaway: The Mummy Smugglers and The Promise Horse MG Fiction!

More marvellous middle grade fiction to keep your heart melting and thumping, although perhaps not at the same time! Thanks to the gorgeous people of Walker Books, we have two new middle grade titles to giveaway this month: The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin' Castle by Pamela Rushby and The Promise Horse by Jackie Merchant

The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin' Castle and The Pony Question both deal with forms of the past and history, whether that be personal, or on a grander scale.

For the chance to win both of these new Australian Middle Grade books, in 25 words or less let us know your favourite historical fact!

Email your answer along with your name and postal address to dimity. The response we like best will win a copy of each of these fabulous new releases. Competition is open to anyone, worldwide, so long as they have an Australian postal address for delivery of the books. Please note, we cannot deliver to PO Boxes. Entries without a name and street address will be ineligible. Winners will be announced right here on our website on 20 July 2020.

Competition runs from 5.00 pm 11 July 2020 to 5 pm 18 July 2020. Adults can enter for those aged 17 and under. This is a game of skill, not chance. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/38Kfotk

Book List: Gifts for Newborns

When a new baby is born, what better gift to give than a book or two? Books make wonderful keepsakes and will be loved and read for many years. The KBR team has pooled their resources and compiled this list of favourite books to give at special times like this. Some are classics that have stood the test of time, while others are newer and will soon create their own memories. We hope you enjoy them and make this a 'go to' list whenever you want to find something particular to give.

1 2 3 of Australian Animals by Bronwyn Bancroft, Hardie Grant Egmont, $14.99, 9781760501860.

Boo! by Margaret Wild and Andrew Joyner, Penguin, $19.99, 9780670078073.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carl, Picture Puffin, $16.99, 9780141379500.

Classic Nursery Rhymes by Chris Riddell and Dorothy M Wheeler, Bloomsbury, $29.99, 9781472932389.

The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall, Harper Collins, $14.99, 9780732284350. (Read our review)

The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs, Harper Collins, $49.99, 9781460756218. 

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, Harper Collins, $17.99, 9780064430173. (Read our review)

Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram, Walker Books, $16.99, 9781406300406. (Read our review of the pop-up edition)

Hello Little Babies by Alison Lester, ABC Books, $14.99, 9780733339882.

Hug by Jez Alborough, Walker Books, $16.99, 9780744582734.

Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester, Penguin, $19.99, 9780670076758. (Read our review)

Mummy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera, Holiday House Inc, $32.99, 9780823444748.

My First Animalia by Graeme Base, Penguin, $19.99, 9780670077489. (Read our review)

My Sunbeam Baby by Emma Quay, ABC Books, $24.99, 9780733333552. (Read our review)

Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr Seuss, Harper Collins, $9.99, 9780008385156. (Read our review)

On the Day You Were Born by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks, Allen & Unwin, $14.99, 9781760633004. (Read our review)

Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas, Harcourt Brace & Co, $15.99, 9780152632243. (Read our review)

Rudie Nudie by Emma Quay, ABC Books, $14.99, 780733331732.

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, Harper Collins, $17.50, 9780064430180. (Read our review)

Smile Cry by Tania McCartney and Jess Racklyeft, Exisle Publishing, $14.99, 9781925335378. (Read our review) 

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury, Penguin, 24.99, 9780670072392. (Read our review)

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Harper Collins, $19.95, 9780060256654.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Penguin Random House $12.99, 9780723247708. (Read our review)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Penguin Random House, $16,99, 9780140569322. (Read our review)

The Very Noisy Baby by Alison Lester, Affirm Press, $19.99, 9781925475616. (Read our review)

Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide for New Arrivals by Mo Willems, Walker Books, $24.99, 9781406383584.

Where is the Green Sheep? By Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, Penguin, $19.99, 9780670041497. (Read our review)

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2WnEJEH

Junior Review: Wonderscape

Arthur has always had a simple, ‘normal’ life. He would go to school; enjoy his science lessons and he’d love to spend time with his father. That was until he and his friends Ren and Cecily discovered a portal to the future.

There had been exploding gnomes outside the house the same morning and Arthur, Cecily and Ren all went in to investigate. Before they knew it, they were transported into the extraordinary game Wonderscape.

This was not just any ordinary game. This was a game where the player was transported into a real dimension. There was a catch though.

Arthur had always lived in the 20th century, but they had now been transported to the 25th century into a live video game populated by characters from throughout history.

And if they stayed in this Wonderscape game for more then three days, they were condemned to turn into snot. To find their way home they had to find the missing Milo, the creator of Wonderscape, and his time key. On the way this small trio met many allies and friends which they will forever treasure.

I loved this book because it gives me a sense of what the 25th century could be like. And I love Jennifer Bell’s writing style. It is both simple and complex at the same time. The way she set out the plot line was perfect moving from excitement to hopelessness to relief. I love this author.

One thing I didn’t like about this book though was the action seemed to start a little too soon, so I didn’t get to properly meet or understand the characters until around halfway through the book.Title: Wonderscape
Author: Jennifer Bell
Illustrator: Paddy Donnelly
Publisher: Walker Books, $14.99
Publication Date: 4 June, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406391725
For ages: 8+
Type: Junior Fiction

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/321zBJZ

Review: Puffin Little Cook: Snacks

Get your kids in the kitchen with Puffin Little Cook: Snacks.

This is a brilliant little book filled with fun and easy recipes the kids can try. And with breakfast snacks, lunch snacks, dinner snacks and sweet snacks, there’s something for everyone.

The recipes really are simple ones: Anzac biscuits, dippy eggs, vegetable pikelets and more. 

There are also recipes that require no actual cooking (like energy balls), so kids really can make them from start to finish.

There are kid friendly tips and tricks at the beginning of the book, kitchen tools, kitchen rules and a food pyramid. I love this. It creates the whole cooking experience and educates kids about the kitchen.

Unlike other recipe books for kids, this one doesn’t just have recipes for foods kids will like. The recipes chosen are easy and simple (Each of the recipes has very few ingredients and not many steps), so kids really can give them a go and enjoy the cooking experience (not just watch from the side). When the oven or other hot things are needed, the book will let you know, so kids and parents can judge who needs to do that part.

There are no photo images of the finished meals in this book, but they’re not really needed. There are, however, fun and funky illustrations of the food you’ll be preparing and lots of bright orange on every page. It’s loads of fun.

As a very first cookbook, Little Puffin Cook: Snacks ticks all the boxes. It will teach the kids a range of great recipes and is sure to inspire a love of cooking for many.

Title: Little Puffin Cook: Snacks

Publisher: Puffin, $12.99 

Publication Date: 2 July 2020

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781760897000

For ages: 5+

Type: Non-Fiction

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/2BRIniU

Meet The Illustrator: Rebecca Crane

Name: Rebecca Crane

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
A mass of characters with interesting personalities.

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Lots! My desk space is always a bit chaotic, which is how I like it. Sticky notes are particularly essential – I have them everywhere, with tiny sketches and ideas hastily scribbled and stuck somewhere. Antique prints and photos, small ceramics, stacks of books, bottles with plants and flowers…I like to be surrounded by things I love and find inspiring.

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I’m actually a big fan of plain old graphite pencil on paper. I work in coffee shops a lot, so I tend to take a sketchbook and pencil with me wherever I go. I find sketching very relaxing and can spend hours doodling ideas. 

Name three artists whose work inspires you.

Too many to list. However, Egon Schiele deserves an honourable mention because of his exceptional line work.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?

Art nouveau. Many of my favourite artists are from this period, and I’ve always been drawn to artworks depicting the bohemian lifestyles of the late 1800s. 

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I don’t think there was a particular thing or event that inspired it. I haven’t put a pencil down in 25+ years so it just kind of happened, really. I do think a childhood of reading adventure stories and beautiful children’s books from my grandma’s bookshop might have had something to do with it though. 

 
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
Right now I’m in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales. My current desk has a lot of bottles with pheasant feathers, driftwood, and small odds and ends I’ve found on walks. I travel whenever I’m able so sometimes I live out of a suitcase for fairly long stretches. This particular space is only temporary, but it’s been a nice space to work in. 

 
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
Oh, easily the developing ideas stage. I love it. There’s nothing better than thinking about new stories and designing characters, compositions and colour scripts. In fact, I’d probably be very happy doing that for the rest of my life if I wasn’t also keen on seeing a finished book on the shelf from time to time!

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrators?
Perseverance is key! Being resilient and talking to people in the industry are both incredibly helpful as it makes you realise that everybody goes through ups and downs and disheartening and exhilarating times as an illustrator. Freelance life can be tough but rewarding.

Rebecca is an illustrator and designer from Scotland. Growing up in Australia, Rebecca has a deep appreciation for beaches, farmers markets and good coffee, and enjoys her job of writing and creating children’s books and visual development for animation.

For more information please follow Rebecca on instagram.

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/3iIWbNj

Review: Rabbit's Hop

Look What I'm Reading: Yvonne Mes

Yvonne Mes is a children’s author and illustrator, book reviewer, Write Links coordinator and early childhood educator. 

She buys more books than she can read, comes up with more ideas than she can get on the page and has more children than she can manage (3 boys). 

But she does try very hard, and best of all, she is NEVER bored.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?

The Tale of Despereaux, The Graphic Novel. This graphic novel is based on the motion picture screenplay, which in turn was based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, which was then adapted and illustrated by Matt Smith and David Tilton. It was published in 2008 by Candlewick Press.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?

A brave mouse, who follows a knight’s code of honour, battles rats, cats and darkness to bring the light AND soup back to the city of Dor.

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?

My youngest child and I have enjoyed this story together. His teacher read his class The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and he has been talking about it for weeks! 

I remembered I had this book on my ‘to read’ pile, so it was our bedtime reading for a few days.

 What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?

Kate DiCamillo’s novel, The Tale of Despereaux, has been on my wish list for a long time. I have read many of her other titles and enjoyed most of them, so when I found this book in a second-hand shop, I snapped it up! I will still get to the novel!

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?

The Love that I Have by James Moloney, YA, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, MG, Owning It, A Creatives Guide to Copyright, Contracts and The Law by Sharon Givoni, NF for adults

My bed rests on a frame that is set up as a bookshelf and surrounds the entire bed. This is where I keep my ‘to read’ pile, though I also have a nightstand which houses even more books. There is a mix of books from nonfiction for adults and children, graphic novels, YA novels and junior fiction. Most are children’s books.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?

These are all books that I have bought either at independent local bookshops or at second-hand stores.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?

I love picture books; there is so much to discover in a good picture book. It is amazing how much goodness can be packed in a book with just a few words and illustrations.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.

I mostly read print books. I l enjoy the feel of the pages and the weight of the book in my hands.  I will read the occasional book on my Ipad if I need a book quickly, and sometimes I listen to books when I am driving.

www.yvonnemes.com

from Kids' Book Review https://ift.tt/38zcR57