Double take! a new look at opposites by Susan Hood
Ill. by Jay Fleck. Walker Studio, 2015. ISBN 9781406377293
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Opposites. Perspective. Points of
view. More than a look at opposites, this interesting picture book
is also a challenge for the reader to ponder and delve into what an
opposite really means and to think about different points of view.
Hood has written an engaging, thought provoking text in rhyme,
looking not just at what a simple opposite can mean but how it
relates to who wants to know and the perspective of the person
asking: Who knows what's BIG
unless there's SMALL?
Does SHORT mean a thing
except next to TALL?
The illustrations done in a retro style by Jay Fleck are evocative
and add much to the text. The one on the back of the book with the
blurb was particularly engaging showing a tall flower in a small pot
with a bird looking at it and a short flower in a big pot with a
mouse looking at it. Another that caught my eye was the elephant
lifting a large weight that contrasted with the boy trying to lift a
small one: Who's STRONG
and who's WEAK
is hardly perplexing
Then the reader turns the page to see a double page spread with a
giant whale and the text: But STRONG can look WEAK
when a new champ is flexing.
The use of different styles of print to highlight the point being
made also adds to the fun of the book and would lead to easy
emphasis when reading aloud.
This would be a very useful book to have in the classroom, and its
easy rhythm and fun illustrations will engage both readers and
listeners.
Pat Pledger
Where's Wally? The totally essential travel collection by Martin Handford
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406375718
(Age: 7+) Recommended. For thirty years, British illustrator Martin
Handford's Where's Wally books have delighted fans of all
ages. From the original Where's
Wally to The wonder book, his Hollywood
adventures and The
incredible paper chase, these popular seek and find
puzzle books are now available in one handy travel compendium. With
a flexible sturdy cover and a stretchy elastic bookmark, this is
perfect for a young explorer to take on a long journey, plane ride
or car trip. Six postcards tucked into the front and back pocket are
included, ready to colour in and send via snail mail to someone
special at home.
Each double page spread contains the familiar detailed settings with
hundreds of colourful people and animals busily engaged in a vast
array of activities. Wally with his red-and-white striped shirt,
bobble hat and glasses is sometimes hard to find amongst all the
other cast of characters dressed in similar colours. Two checklists
are included for each of the seven books. These add to the fun of
finding Wanda, Woof and lots of crazy people and animals hidden on a
space station, performing in the Wally Musical or fighting with the
Battling Monks. Where's Wally? The totally essential travel collection is a
wonderful way to introduce historical events, inspire creativity and
engage with a real book instead of a screen.
Rhyllis Bignell
Cowboy Pug: the dog who rode for glory by Laura James
Ill. by Eglantine Ceulemans. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408866382
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Humour. Dogs. Cowboys. Horses. Fear.
Following on the success of Captain
Pug the dog who sailed the seas by Laura James comes Cowboy Pug
the dog who rode for glory. Here the reader finds the long suffering
Pug dressed up in a cowboy hat and bandana, forced to trail behind
Lady Miranda as she goes off horse-trading. They find a very
tall horse Lady Miranda names Horsey and off they ride, meeting
Frank on the way and being carried off in a horse trailer to the
local horse show.
Cowboy Pug is a most reluctant hero. He would much prefer to lounge
in his chair, having snacks and dozing, to adventuring with Lady
Miranda. However when circumstances force him to be brave, he rises
to the occasion and saves the day.
Beautifully illustrated in reds, yellows and greys, the reader will
delight in the expression of fear on Pug's face and long suffering
on Horsey's face. The scene when they gallop around the show jumping
ring is brilliant. Lady Miranda is depicted as an impetuous young
girl and the two footmen Running Footman Will and Running Footman
Liam, who carry the sedan chair are hilarious.
The newly independent reader will sympathise with Pug as he is
forced into uncomfortable situations by Lady Miranda and
circumstances, cheer as he overcomes his fears and look forward to
the next in the series, Safari Pug.
Pat Pledger
Where is the very hungry caterpillar? by Eric Carle
Picture Puffin UK, 2017. ISBN 9780141374352
The world was first introduced to the very hungry caterpillar as he
munched his way through a menu of goodies almost 50 years ago! Now
he is back, hiding somewhere under the flaps waiting to be
discovered by little fingers.
With the bold colours and readily recognisable illustrations of the
wondrous Eric Carle who has a gift of turning the mundane into the
extraordinary, it's time for little ones to have even more fun with
the little caterpillar that so many of them already know and love.
And as well as recognising the familiar foods from the original
story and perhaps even being able to read the words for them because
of that, they can also learn what other tiny creatures inhabit the
world beneath their feet and maybe tread a little more gently on
this earth.
This ticks all the boxes about helping our first readers to
understand the basic concepts about print that are so vital to their
reading success, particularly making connections between this new
story and the one they know as they learn to carry that knowledge
and apply it to a new situation. Brilliant from what might appear to
be a humble board book!
Barbara Braxton
One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus
Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141375632
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Mystery. Five students are sent to detention
for having a phone in class. Only four walk out. One of them lies
dead from anaphylactic shock, having drunk water that was
contaminated by peanut oil. All of them have secrets that they
wanted hidden from Simon, the dead boy who had a vicious gossip app
that was followed avidly by everyone in the school. And his death
wasn't an accident - who is telling lies and who is the murderer?
McManus has written a very suspenseful, high interest mystery with
all the ingredients that readers could wish for to maintain their
interest. The four student suspects' characters and secrets are
gradually revealed as each gives their story in separate chapters,
showing their strengths and weaknesses and their perspective on what
has happened. Bronwyn is the brain and normally wouldn't break a
rule; Addy is the homecoming princess, who clings to Jake, Mr
Popular; Nate is the bad boy on probation for dealing drugs and
Cooper is the all-star athlete. When it is revealed that Simon
intended to reveal their secrets they all become suspects and as the
police focus on one and then another, their secrets are revealed and
they decide to gang together to get to the truth.
Seasoned mystery readers may not be confused by the many red
herrings and work out the end, or at least part of it, but the novel
is engrossing and the suspense continues to build right to the very
end. The characters are well rounded and not just the stereotypes
that could be expected from the brain, the jock, the bad boy and the
princess, and the plot is twisted enough to keep most readers
totally enthralled.
This was a quick read and it is easy to see it being produced as a
movie. It has all the elements to attract teens, a theme of the
problems of social media, a little romance and a strongly plotted
mystery.
Pat Pledger
Stinky Spike the Pirate Dog by Peter Meisel
Ill. by Paul Meisel. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619637788
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Dogs. Shipyards. Pirates. This fun story
about a very smelly dog will delight young readers and would be a
boon to have on Talk Like a Pirate Day or any Pirate Day that is
occurring. Containing a very smelly but lovable dog, scary pirates
and all sorts of treasure it is sure to become a favourite with
newly independent readers and would also be good to read aloud to
younger children.
Divided into three chapters, with a good size print for emerging
readers, Stinky Spike the pirate dog gives the young reader a chance
to move on from picture books and to begin to enjoy a book which has
chapters and separate adventures. In Chapter 1, Shipyard Dog,
readers will learn all about Stinky Spike and the shipyard where he
frightens away sea gulls and yaps at rats, before disastrously
falling into the water. In Chapter 2 Lost at sea, Stinky
Spike bobs up and down in a barrel, surrounded by sharks and
observed by a whale, until he is rescued by stinky pirates led by
Captain Fishbeard. In Chapter 3 Sniffing for treasure, he
uncovers lots of things that smell wonderful and are treasure to
him, until he finds something else that is more acceptable as pirate
treasure.
The water colour illustrations add enormously to the humour of the
story. Stinky Spike is dressed in ragged sailor clothes and has such
fun doing his job chasing the seagulls and rats. It is easy to
imagine him and how much he smells just by looking at the pictures
of where he has been!
This is an entertaining addition to the chapter book genre and will
have fans wanting to read another book about this lovable dog: Stinky
Spike and the royal rescue.
Pat Pledger
With my daddy by James Brown
Ill. by Cally Johnson-Isaacs. Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781509834426
(Ages: 2 - 6) Recommended. Picture Book. Each page of this
delightfully illustrated picture book features different zoo animals
from tigers to rabbits, bears to turtles, lions, mice, crocodiles,
penguins and pandas developing and enjoying unique relationships
with their dads. Rather than living in a zoo though, each animal is
transported to the human family scenario, undertaking the daily
activities little reader might enjoy participating in with his/her
Daddy. Whilst Daddy turtle playing frisbee with little turtle does
stretch the suspension of disbelief a bit for the adult reader, the
young one seems to have no trouble; such is the flexibility of the
very young mind. All readers should be gratified to see the
different dads pitching in with a wide variety of routines of both
traditional and non-traditional roles; great stuff for role
modelling both to the young reader and also to the reading dads and
mums. Doggy daddy for instance, has no qualms with regard to the
wielding of brooms, vacuum cleaners and pink feather dusters I'm
pleased to say. My granddaughter Maple has an especially close
relationship with her dad and loves to cook with him. She found this
well rhyming tale particularly engaging. A companion title to this
one is With my mummy also by James Brown and Cally
Johnson-Isaacs.
Elizabeth Avery
The midnight mystery by Clara Vulliamy
Dotty Detective bk 3. HarperCollins Children's Books, 2017.
ISBN 9780008132422
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Mystery. Detective. Camps. The Join the Dots
Detectives have a brand new adventure to enthral fans. Dot and Beans
are off on an Adventure Camp. They're looking forward to being away
from home and going grass tobogganing and sitting around a campfire
at night. Under the guidance of their teacher Mr D the class is
divided into groups and all want to win the Adventure Camp Prize but
Laura is up to her old tricks again and weird things start to
happen. Meanwhile back at home McLusky has been entered into the
Larks in the Park Dog Show and Dot really wants him to win something
in the competition.
Vulliamy once again brings an exciting book for young fans who might
imagine themselves as detectives. She introduces her young
detectives and their school group at the beginning of the book in
such a way that readers new to the Dotty Detective feel comfortable
in picking up the book, even if they haven't read the first two in
the series, Dotty Detective, and Dotty Detective: The
pawprint puzzle. The adventures at the camp are vividly
described and Dotty is very clever about finding out why strange
things are happening and is also very compassionate when she
uncovers the unexpected truth at the conclusion of the camp. McLusky,
her gorgeous little dog, also trains hard at home for his appearance
in the show.
This is a delightful tale that will appeal to children who may be
afraid about going to Adventure Camp as the illustrations give a
good idea of what to expect and will be reassuring about what will
happen there. Her depiction of the teacher and helping hands at the
camp was also encouraging for children who may be a little scared
about being away from home.
Written in the very popular diary form this will have immediate
appeal for the young reader who is just starting out on junior
novels. Large print with lots of bold words will help the emerging
reader and funny little illustrations add to the humour and suspense
of the story and the picture code that Dot and Beans used will be a
challenge for children who like to solve problems.
Pat Pledger
Once and for all by Sarah Dessen
Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141386690
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Adolescent. Feel good book.
Resilience. I am a fan of Sarah Dessen's novels and Once and for
all did not disappoint. Louna is the daughter of a wedding
planner and helps out at the wedding functions that are held in all
sorts of places - on the beach, in fancy hotels and in lovely
gardens. She has seen all types of brides, from the tearful to the
pushy and is rather cynical about happy ever after endings
especially as she has had a tragic love affair. Ambrose, a happy go
lucky young man who dates different girls all the time, comes to
work with the team and Louna is determined to keep him at bay as she
tries to overcome her grief about her former romance. She ends up
having a bet with Ambrose: for 7 weeks he has to stick with one girl
and she has to date multiple guys.
As the story progresses, the reader is taken back in time showing
the heart breaking journey that Louna has taken with her first love,
Ben. Telling what happened would spoil the story but it is journey
that gives Once and for all so much depth and poignancy. The reader
gains a deep insight into Louna's feelings about romance and love
and aches for her as she gradually come alive and begins to open
herself to a new romance. Ambrose too has to come to grips with his
butterfly approach to dating and gradually he becomes aware of the
meaning of love. Dessen has surrounded Louna with a supportive
mother and business partner, William, who both have to come to grips
with their need for partners and her friend Jilly is a great
character.
Insight into the wedding planning business and flashes of humour
round out what is a most appealing story that will remain with the
reader, as they ponder first loves and the moments that are most
important.
Pat Pledger
Contagion by Teri Terry
Dark Matter, bk 1. Orchard, 2017. ISBN 9781408341728
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Science fiction. Infections. Dystopian
fiction. When Shay sees a poster with the face of a missing girl,
Callie, she knows that she saw her get into a car with a man over a
year ago. She contacts Callie's brother Kai and together they begin
a search which leads them into a terrifying epidemic that is
sweeping the land.
Terry immediately grabs the reader's attention with a frightening
prologue and then switches to Chapter 1 and the topic of Subject
369X, who is taken off to be 'cured' in a horrendous scene. Subject
369X is Callie and she is transformed into a shocking state, able to
see what is happening and to travel, but no longer having a body.
After the lab she was held in explodes and oil rigs nearby
disintegrate, the epidemic takes over Scotland. Kai and his doctor
mother appear to be immune and Shay manages to survive the disease.
The scenes of what happens when the disease takes over, the dying
people, the disposal of their bodies and the quarantine by the army
are all described vividly, but it is Kai and Shay's quest to find
Callie that takes centre stage. The narrative consists of short
alternative chapters by Callie and Shay, each adding to the suspense
and the reader's understanding of what is going on.
The action and suspense are so gripping that it is difficult to put
Contagion down, and the themes of revenge, survival and
romance keep the reader enthralled. There is a cliff hanger ending
that will ensure the next instalment in the series is picked up
immediately it hits the shelves.
Pat Pledger
Supertato: Run, veggies, run by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
Simon and Schuster Children's, 2017. ISBN 9781471121036
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Humour. Vegetables. Sports Day. Supertato has
decided that it's time for all the vegetables in the supermarket to
get fit and so he organised a sports day with lots of prizes. Then
along comes the Evil Pea, with Gloria, a giant watermelon, who is
determined to win all the prizes. Supertato gets things going and it
looks as if the Evil Pea will walk away with everything, until
Supertato comes up with a brilliant idea that derails Evil Pea's
dastardly plan.
The third in the series with Supertato as the star (Supertato
and Veggies assemble) will keep readers giggling as they follow the
antics of the vegetables on Sports Day and try and work out just
what Supertato will come up to foil the Evil Pea's plan to have all
the prizes. They will also have fun identifying the pictures of the
vegetables in the races and in the background of the story and there
is the added incentive of working out what Gloria is supposed to
resemble.
The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the expressions on the
faces of the veggies will bring a smile to the faces of readers and
listeners.
This will be a firm favourite of young children with its original
storyline, subtle hints on healthy veggies and exercise and fun
characters.
Pat Pledger
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare and others
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy bks.1-10. Walker Books,
2017. ISBN 9781406373585
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Fans of Cassandra Clare's series will
be delighted with this compilation of ten illustrated stories
previously published individually as e-books. The stories by Clare,
Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman follow the
adventures of Simon Lewis, star of The Mortal Instruments,
as he trains at the Shadowhunter Academy. Simon doesn't know who he
is anymore as he has lost most of his memories so he decides to
train really hard to become a Shadowhunter, hoping that he will
regain his identity as he goes.
This compilation is very clever and engrossing. People who have read
all the books will gain insights into the backgrounds and what has
happened to different characters as Simon progresses through his
training. I was particularly interested to read about Tessa Gray and
what happens to her as an adult, revealed in one of the stories when
she is a guest lecturer at the academy. Other characters appear,
like Jace Herondale and Magnus Blane, but each story grows on the
back of the previous one, and the reader gets to know and sympathise
with Simon as he struggles with his memories of Isabelle, his
feelings of worth and his friendships at the Academy. It makes for a
complete view of the Academy and what is involved in training to
become a Shadowhunter.
Some big themes are touched on - class and privilege, stereotypes
and duty of care, all done in an engrossing way, with Simon having
to make some difficult decisions about who he is and where he
belongs. Each story is illustrated at the beginning, with graphic
novel type of illustrations, which are interesting to peruse.
For readers who are not familiar with the Mortal Instruments,
Infernal Devices, and Dark Artifices series, there is
enough in the stories to ensure that they will pick up the series,
just to find out what has happened in the past and readers familiar
with the books will be eagerly awaiting the upcoming Last Hours
series. Readers may also want to go on and read other books by
Brennan, Johns and Wasserman.
Pat Pledger
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406373189
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Friendship, Grief, Single parents,
Aged care, Competition. When her father leaves, Raymie is
distraught. She joins a baton twirling class in the hope of winning
Little Miss Central Florida Tire 1975, so having her picture in the
paper to lure him back home. She knows that doing a good deed will
sit well with the judges and tries to find one. But her soul does
not seem to be getting much bigger. At the class she meets two other
hopefuls, Louisiana and Beverley, each of whom have quite different
reasons for being there. Beverley is a take it as you see it type of
girl, no holds barred, straight talking and often abrasive, while
her cynical comments about baton twirling, cat homes, families and
the outrageous Ida Nee will have the reader laughing out loud.
Louisiana is an orphan but quietly determined and lives with a very
odd grandmother, always on the lookout for the authorities who may
take her to a children's home. All three girls are quite different
but come to work together to achieve their goals.
But the class does not turn out as it should, partly because of the
antics of the very odd teacher, Ida Nee, and Raymie decides to read
to someone at the aged centre instead of going to class, so
embroiling Louisiana and Beverley in her attempts to retrieve the
library book which she loses under one aged person's bed. Beverley
wants to sabotage the baton competition, while all Louisiana wants
is to get her cat, Archie back. Losing any possibility of winning
the money for baton twirling, the girls decide to take matters into
their own hands and go to the cat shelter to get Archie, making use
of Beverley's skills.
A very funny, darkly humorous episode at the end sees Louisiana in
hospital with an array of parents and caregivers arriving to tend to
their girls. Raymie's soul becomes larger as she develops
friendships and helps solve some of their problems, while accepting
that her father is not returning.
Beautifully written, this tale is most appealing in detailing the
lives of three young girls who do not quite fit in and are certainly
not what they seem. The story evokes understanding and pathos,
sympathy and humour as The Three Rancheros set out to right some
wrongs.
Fran Knight
Animal activity: Cut, fold and make your own wild things by Isabel Thomas
Ill. by Nikalas Catlow. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408870068
(Age: Independent readers) Recommended. The subtitle 'Cut, fold and make your own wild things!' gives a good indication of what the user can find inside. Once opened the words 'This book will self-destruct' are sure to intrigue and make the reader wonder just what they are going to find inside and just how one makes a book destroy itself. The instructions on 'How to wreck this book' will take any user off on an adventure learning about the natural world. Choosing 'Make a flower explode' (page 37) gives instructions on pulling a flower apart and naming its parts. 'Turn paper back into a tree' gives instructions for making a paper tree, and peopling it with creatures. The reader will have fun going outside, shaking a tree and seeing what living creatures fall out!
There are many such activities in the book, each providing hours of fun while the user learns about the natural world and animal activity.
Many require scissors, glue and paint and some need an adult to supervise, but all will keep the reader occupied and interested. Certainly the book will not be intact after children start using it.
This would be a wonderful book to have on hand for holiday enjoyment or to use to pry young children away from their screens. Teachers may also find that many of the activities could be useful in the classroom.
Pat Pledger
Forever Geek by Holly Smale
Geek Girl series. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780007574667
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Humour. Feel good book. In the finale to the
very popular Geek Girl series, Harriet Manners, the geek, the model
and the control freak is on her way to Australia with her
grandmother Bunty and her best friend Nat. She has said goodbye to
Jasper, her not quite boyfriend at home and statistically, she
believes that it is unlikely that she will bump into her Australian
ex-boyfriend Nat in Sydney. She is completely unprepared to see Nick
and she faces quite a few sticky situations that her list making and
preparation can't help her with.
This is a very fitting conclusion to a humorous series that fans
will be sad to see finish. Harriet is her usual self, inundating the
reader with numerous strange facts about all sorts of things. Her
witty comments will give many laugh out loud moments and there is a
lot of good advice about fitting in, being yourself and having
friends that the reader will appreciate as Harriet comes to grips
with who she is and what she wants out of life.
Readers will be waiting for whatever Holly Smale writes next.
Pat Pledger
