Reviews

Du iz tak? by Carson Ellis

Ill. by Carson Ellis. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406368413
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Language. Insects. Seasons. Read aloud. Insects will never look the same again after readers have wandered through this inviting book, eagerly sharing the language that the insects are given to speak. From the title, to every word on every page, children are encouraged to work out what is being said, and it is not that difficult for eager minds to do this, imagining what is being said and developing their own responses.
The amazing changes in a garden are explored with insects speaking to each other, many asking questions of the other about the garden they are in and what is happening in it.
Over the whole year, many things happen in the garden: a caterpillar strolls to the end of a stick where it becomes a chrysalis, eventually becoming a moth which has one bright night to find a mate, a small shoot appears above the ground and then grows into a plant which flowers and then dies when the snow falls, only for the seedlings to appear again the following year, ladybirds fly into the garden along with small insects, ants, spiders, birds and beetles, mushrooms rise up and then fall away, flowers appear then die, and all the while the insects make use of the plant in the centre of the garden, using their unusual language.
The arresting and highly detailed illustrations make full use of the white of the page, with the same plant and stick placed on every page, showing how they change over the year. Readers will have fun following images as they change, replicating the changes made through the seasons while reading the book aloud will add another level of humour to the classroom. A wonderful introduction to a class garden encouraging children to look more closely at what surrounds them and how things change over a year.
Carson Ellis' first novel, Home appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and her work can be viewed on her website.
Fran Knight

The wolves of Currumpaw by William Grill

Flying Eye Books, 2016. ISBN 9781909263833
Wolves. Hunting. Conservation of wildlife. New Mexico History. At the turn of the century in New Mexico, European settlers not only clashed with the native population but they also brought farming methods which displaced native animals. Wolves were particularly targeted for their attacks on stock. In the contest between man and beast it is inevitable that the wolves were hunted almost to extinction using cruel methods like trapping and poisoning. One of the last was a legendary wolf which came to be known as King Lobo. Wolf hunter and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton is called in, eventually trapping his cunning prey, but at the last moment he questions the killing of such noble animals. In this graphic retelling of Seton's short story, Lobo: The king of Currumpaw 1898, William Grill beautifully puts the story in perspective with a lovely sense of place and time. The pastel illustrations graphically tell the story both in series of small pictures and double page spreads. The text lightly links the images, inviting sharing the large format book and reading aloud; there is much to look at while listening to the story. Seton's legacy is that his changed attitude led to him devoting the rest of his life to conserving American wildlife especially wolves. His inspiration, nearly 100 years later led to the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park.
Younger readers will find the pictures easy to follow but may need help with the text. Older readers may find a lot to discuss in the evolution of man's relationship with wild animals and how attitudes may be changed over time and through experience. There is a lot to learn too from the graphic storytelling in the illustrations.
Sue Speck

Not just a piece of cake, being an author by Hazel Edwards

Brolga Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781922175809
Recommended for budding writers, adult fans and anyone who loves to read autobiographies. Memoir by author of best-selling There's a hippopotamus on our roof eating cake and author of over two hundred picture books and novels. Hazel Edwards' writing journey has taken her from Nepal mountaineering with spirited women, walking the Milford Track in New Zealand, to Antarctic adventures. Her approach to life's challenges shows her spirit of adventure and her passionate desire to encourage readers from a very young age. She loves to share her love of literature with all ages.
What a delight to read all the humorous hippo antics and adventures. Imagine being stopped by the police with a large stuffed toy hippo strapped in the passenger seat. Many little grubby hands cuddling the animal have required some very ingenious cleaning solutions. Hazel's one hundred random hippo memories are funny, poignant and show just how much the character is loved around the world. A country mum learnt to read sharing them with her Prep child whilst the Australian Government gifted a set of books to Princess Mary on the birth of her daughter. These much-loved books printed in Braille, shared in Auslan, became plays and even a film.
An important part of her writing career is publicity, packed days sharing her stories with parents and toddlers, kindergartens and primary and secondary schools. The carefully planned days are filled with author talks, book signings, question time - just how much does an author earn, and creative writing sessions. Book Week is one of the busiest times of the year, a logistical challenge, sometimes a navigational dilemma as well. Losing her voice is a common occurrence and Hazel even provides tips to soothe a sore throat - bananas perhaps.
This autobiography is an enjoyable read and provides motivation and gives insight into the life of a busy author.
Rhyllis Bignell

Phoenix burning by Bryony Pearce

Little Tiger Press, 2016. ISBN 9781847156709
(Age: Young adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Revenge; Junk-Punk; Dystopian; Religious cults; Survival; Challenge; Trust and betrayal. The first book in this series, Phoenix Rising, introduced the reader to the world of post-cataclysmic environmental disaster, where the ocean is a seething mass of caustic junk, roiling in the corrosive waters that take life rather than support it. In Phoenix Burning, the second book of the series, we join the junk pirates as they variously fight one another and work together to solve a mystery and to recover the missing component to enable their salvaged energy system to become functional. In the process Toby and Ayla must work through their sabotage and distrust of each other to complete the task that they cannot achieve alone. This takes them into the enclave of the sun-worshippers - a cult that engages in bizarre rituals as part of their religious fervour. They must work together to steal what they need, while being involved in complex challenges, where loss means they become silent monk-like devotees and winning means they become blind but 'holy'. (This is a little like a Hunger Games fight to avoid death and where winners bear the burden of their win.) Toby and Ayla's relationship is always going to be challenged because of their family history, but Pearce has cleverly woven a tale where we are able to detect a growing but fraught dependence on one another and a hint of closeness, but with trust in jeopardy.
The winner of this text is the very different setting, where normality has been so badly damaged by environmental disaster. The ocean is a chemical wasteland, detrimental to life. The problem this has created for the world and the survivors has created a fantasy environment that is unlike any other. Sailing on a pirate ship where everything is cobbled together using junk salvaged from the sea or the spoiled shores allows for some impressive imagination leaps. Pearce writes in a compelling and exciting way and from the prologue we realise that there is danger to follow.
This is a book that can be highly recommended to YA readers (male and female), particularly those who have enjoyed Hunger Games and other dystopian literature.
Carolyn Hull

Time Stoppers by Carrie Jones

Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408872581
(Age: 9-11) Recommended. Annie Nobody's life is truly sad; she has survived placements in eleven foster homes, and now she is placed with the Wiegles in their filthy trailer with their pack of dogs. Her carers treat her like a slave and make her sleep outside into the snow, where she is forced to sleep with the dogs. Things become worse for her, when an evil force chases her through the forest. In the same town Mount Desert, twelve-year-old Jamie Alexander's family life is also difficult. His grandmother and father are really trolls, waiting for him to turn thirteen because trolls love to feast on human's bones and brains!
At the very last minute, Annie and Jamie are rescued, then swept away on snowmobile-hovercraft to the magical city of Aurora. Their rescuer is a dwarf called Eva, who is rather opinionated and sassy. This supernatural place is filled with magical creatures protected by a woman named Miss Cornelia. Annie Nobody has a purpose, a special role - she is a Time Stopper with magical powers. The townsfolk expect her to save them from the evil Raiff.
Carrie Jones' novel is one of darkness and light, of action-packed adventures, fantastical creatures and is filled with a range of quirky characters. The protagonists rise up to meet the challenges, as they begin to draw on their inner strength, their resilience and start to believe in their own capabilities. The story ends with a cliff-hanger and sets up the beginning of the Time Stoppers series. The exposition and rising arc of the narrative are extremely dark and confronting, and this may be of concern to a younger reader.
Rhyllis Bignell

How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy

Nobrow, 2016. ISBN 9781910620069
Themes: Arctic exploration, survival, Inuit/Eskimo women, resilience. This graphic novel interleaves three stories, two based on factual accounts of expeditions to the arctic and one contemporary fictional thread about a disgraced academic who happens to find the arctic accounts in the university archives. All three are about poor decision making, endurance and survival by taking control and making the best of a bad situation. The book opens at the lowest point of each storyline, differentiated by colours which help the reader throughout the book. The two arctic exploration accounts are linked by Wrangel Island somewhere between Canada and Russia (a map would have been informative). The first captained by Bob Bartlett who heroically trekked over the ice to Russia to get help when their ship was crushed and the crew marooned on the island. The second expedition 7 years later was to claim the island for Canada. Again the group was trapped on the island and the Inuit seamstress, Blackjack, was left to look after an injured member of the party (who later died) while the others went to get help. Her story makes this worthwhile reading, with only a cat for company she endures extreme hardship, teaching herself to use a gun to hunt for food, resilient even though she has no idea if anyone knows she is there. The account of the first expedition was less well articulated and the fictional thread has the complication of the academic being disciplined for having had a homosexual relationship with a student, not something a young reader may understand. Older students might find some life messages in these flawed characters and the book is interesting for its graphic design and accessible illustration style.
Sue Speck

The twelve days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash and Lily bk 2. Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760293826
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Following the success of Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, Cohn and Levithan have collaborated again to bring the likeable pair back in a Christmas tale. Lily has had a very tough year with her grandfather suffering a heart attack. She has taken on much of his care, and her usual optimism has begun to flag. She has had no inclination to do the usual Christmas planning that she loves so much, and her romance with Dash seems to be flagging as well. Dash, her brother Langston and her friends decide to get together to help Lily recover the Christmas spirit.
With typical humour, Lily and Dash tell their stories in alternative chapters. It is not as light hearted as Dash and Lily's book of dares, as this time the story concentrates on the themes of change and communication. Lily is finding it very difficult to come to terms with the change in her grandfather's health, as are her parents who are arguing seriously about where to live for the first time. She is also finding it difficult to communicate her feelings to Dash, who also doesn't make his feelings known either, so the two of them seem to be at odds at times. But Dash is determined to cheer Lily up and with the help of his friend Boomer, brings in a Christmas tree to start off the twelve days of Christmas. From then on, there are quite a few adventures around New York told in the authors' humorous style and which will really appeal to anyone who likes reading about stories set in that city.
Some of the advice about communication, change and love will also resonate with readers, as they follow the plight of the two young people.
This is sure to be a hit with readers who like to enjoy the holiday season with a Christmas story that is engrossing and enjoyable.
Pat Pledger

My Lovely Christmas Book

Laugh-out-loud Christmas jokes for kids by Rob Elliott

HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780062497918
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Jokes. Christmas. There are lots of laughs in this latest joke book from Rob Elliott. Kids will delight in the wacky humour - although adults may groan at some of the jokes. There are many of the favourite Knock Knock jokes that kids love eg.:
Knock, Knock
Who's there?
Muffin
Muffin who?
Naughty kids get muffin for Christmas
There are hundred of jokes that will delight children who love telling jokes to each other and adults. They will have lots of fun dipping into the book and finding their favourites and tricking friends and family. Here is another sample:
Why was the snowman so mean?
Because he was coldhearted.
Cute little illustrations are scattered throughout the book, which is a small paperback size, ideal for newly independent readers as well as older children.
This would be a great Christmas stocking filler or a fun book to have in the classroom to get a smile on children's faces during the countdown to Christmas.
Pat Pledger

Kokoda by Peter Fitzsimons

Hachette, 2016 . ISBN 9780734417435
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Peter Fitzsimons has done an excellent job of creating a teen edition of his book Kokoda. The text reads like a novel yet there are no fictional elements and the work does justice to the amazing exploits of those 'ragged bloody heroes' without the inclusion of content inappropriate for teens. The stunning performance of a poorly trained, inadequately supplied militia, who fought to the death to stop a ferocious enemy, whilst grossly outnumbered, sickened by tropical diseases and suffering malnutrition, is the main focus of this book.
As an Australian who is proud of those who gave military service to our country, I am simultaneously conscious of the need to avoid any hint of glorification of war in literature. Fitzsimons shows unashamed reverence for those who endured almost impossible conditions in the New Guinea jungle as he recounts the courage shown by military units and the almost unbelievable bravery of individuals. Whilst doing so, he emphasises terrible suffering, almost unimaginable fear and the trauma, both physical and mental, which affected those soldiers for the rest of their lives.
The exploits of these soldiers have become legendary in the Australian mindset and it is important that we are reminded of the historical facts, to help us remain grounded, avoiding myth and imaginative dramatisation. In explaining the significance of the 'chocolate soldier' militia and the enormous respect that the 39th Battalion earned, Fitzsimons does not shy away from acknowledging the fact that the 53rd Battalion largely failed its military objectives and did not serve with distinction. Importantly, the author notes that these servicemen had completely inadequate training and suffered from terrible organisation and planning in the early stages of the operation. Similarly, Fitzsimons is to be commended for having the courage to openly criticise the Australian General Blamey for his arrogance, ignorance and incompetence during the campaign. Further, the author is also bold enough to voice that General Douglas MacArthur was similarly incompetent and that many Australian and American lives were wasted due his idiotic orders influenced by an inflated ego and an unawareness of reality due to being nowhere near the action. This is important, given that MacArthur was accorded heroic status by a tame press and film industry.
I recommend this book to teenagers of 12+ years and to adults who will enjoy it whilst learning a great deal.
Rob Welsh

Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs

Quirk Books, 2016. ISBN 9781594749025
(Age: Young adult) Recommended. This is a quirky fantasy tale of a young boy's quest to uncover the story behind his grandfather's dying words in very unusual circumstances. The fantasy tale reveals a community of very peculiar children locked in a time loop, and their struggles to overcome an attack from an unusual source.
The story is very readable once you get past the first few chapters where the main character is undergoing psychological struggles and treatment. The book also includes some very bizarre photographs (set in 1940's).
There is nothing unsavoury in this story but it is most unusual and I can recommend it for young adult readers.
Carolyn Hull

Home in the rain by Bob Graham

Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406368239
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Families, Relationships, Rain, Home. This story of family and home replicates themes Graham has always used, ones which are persistently asked for by readers of all ages, ones picked up eagerly when seen in the library, classroom or shop. My now 35 year old son was not a reader, but when a book seller came to town and set up his display, my son ran to the Bob Graham books, recognising their familiarity, grabbing them with a please buy these for me look to his parents, and sitting down to read in the shop.
This will be just as eagerly sought by younger readers, as Francie and her mum and only just showing new baby sister drive home from Grandma's house in the teeming rain. They are caught between huge lorries plying the motorway, one of which pushes their little red car onto the verge. In the parking bay they take a rest from the incessant rain and traffic, and eat the lunch that grandma made for them. After drawing her family's names on the windows Francie asks her mum about her new baby sister. She is interested in what this new baby will be called. Mum tells her that no name has been chosen, but when an idea comes she will know. They go on their way, with the rain and then hail still making their journey difficult. At a service station, mum has an idea about a name, and so Francie is able to write that name on the car's window, just as she did with her own and her parents.
Bob Graham has the ability to make a small moment one of significance and portent. A child and her mother deciding on a new name for a baby sister is full of significance for this small family, with their father working away from home and grandma also living far away. It will not have been noticed by any other person but for this family, it is remarkable. And this is reflected in the beautiful drawings, as the sun comes out guiding their way back home.
Graham uses his masterful technique to bring the feeling of their journey to life, as they are squeezed between the many trucks on the highway, slowed by the rain, shown in large white lines across most of the pages. Their small car is diminished by the stream of trucks, but it stands out in the sea of grey, while the edges of the pages and the highway are tinged with blackberry bushes and small animals, bringing the countryside into view. Each page offers a perspective to think about: the highway signs pointing to home, the sweets found in the car pockets, mum kicking off her shoes to rest, the other people at the service station, the view of the oil rig out to sea, perhaps showing us where dad works. I love every page and all who pick up this book will too.
Fran Knight

The Hello Atlas by Ben Handicott

Ill. by Kenard Pak. Wide Eyed Editions, 2016. ISBN 9781847808493
(Age: Primary) Recommended. Theme: Language; Social Atlas.This is a language atlas that can be read - but it is also linked to a child-friendly free downloadable App that 'speaks' basic phrases in each of the languages that is highlighted in the pictorial Atlas.
The book is organised by Continents, highlighting the array of languages that are spoken and gives basic information about the 'age' and features of these languages. Following this main page are picture pages with basic phrases used by each language. (Used in conjunction with the App, a child could also learn how to pronounce each phrase as well as see it written - a valuable feature for a book about language.) Even Antarctica has languages highlighted - for the researchers and scientists who are stationed there. Note: Only a small number of Aboriginal languages are highlighted in Australia, but it does mention that there are more that exist.
The text also indicates where languages are at risk of extinction and why, and also why it is good to retain an original language. For children just learning that their own language is not the only one in use in the world, this book makes a delightful resource, particularly when used in conjunction with the App (easily downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.)
Recommended (Particularly as a School Library resource for Primary Schools)
Carolyn Hull

The giant's necklace by Michael Morpurgo

Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406357127
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Coming hot on the heels of my review of Michael's Such stuff is this absolutely beautiful short story/novella which is both poignant and thrilling. And of course, now I also want to know the 'prompt' for this particular story.
A family is on their annual summer holiday on the Cornish coast in the same cottage in which they always stay. As usual the secluded little beach is all theirs and for the entire stay, Cherry, the youngest in the family, has been vigilantly collecting perfect pink cowrie shells and stringing them into a 'giant's' necklace much to the amusement of her four older brothers.
On the last day of the holiday Cherry is short of her target by only about a hundred shells and knows that she can achieve her goal. Knowing the child is safe on the beach the family go back to pack up ready for the next morning's departure leaving Cherry with her fixation.
But when the weather turns bad and the sea turns worse Cherry is cut off from her usual path home. At first she is frightened but realises she should be able to climb the cliff to safety. A strange light from a cave attracts her attention midway and she finds herself in an old copper mine where two old-fashioned Cornishmen are working away. They sense her distress, warm her and comfort her and eventually the younger man leads her to the surface and she is able to find her way home.
No spoilers here - to find out the twist in the tail/tale you will have to read it for yourself.
Beautifully presented in a small hardback with stunning illustrations and delicious glossy pages, this is a treat for the senses.
Highly recommended for readers from around nine years up.
Sue Warren

A first book of animals by Nicola Davies

Ill. by Petr Horacek. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406359633
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Animals. Poetry. A large format, hard-covered book filled with glorious illustrations of a vast variety of animals on our planet, accompanied by poems of varying styles and length, each of which talk about their habitat will be pored over by younger readers. They will read the poems out loud or share them with friends, laughing at the antics of the animals presented, but also taking in a great deal of information.
Entitled A first book of animals, it is not what most would expect, a tome with lots of pictures and a catalogue of information in a non fiction style, with perhaps maps and a fact file. Instead we find poems of varying length and style, some blank verse, others with rhyming lines or stanzas, some almost like limericks, but all readable and accessible for younger readers. The illustrations give the pages pizzazz with most colourful and engaging pictures, covering the whole double page. Younger readers will love searching out the various things in the background of each page against which the animal is set.
I loved the pages on the zebra and the camel, and can now work out the difference between the one humped and two humped camel.
The contents pages show the book is divided into five sections: Big and small, Colours and shape, Animal homes, Animal babies and Animals in action, and each section contains about a dozen animals to consider. Younger readers will learn about using a contents page and be able to select which animal they wish to look at in detail.
Fran Knight