Adele Geras (text) Fiona McDonald (illus) Two Fearsome Fairy Tales from France, Christmas Press, 1 May 2015, 32pp., $19.99, (hbk), ISBN 9780992283841 The traditional French fairytales Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard are beautifully retold by Adele Geras in this attractive picture book. The clever alliteration in the title and the striking front cover illustration both lead the way into a fascinating journey through two stories that have a touch of gothic creepiness about them. The language is fluent and vividly descriptive with storytelling skill which propels the stories forward with suspense and mystery towards a satisfying conclusion. While Beauty…
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P. J. Tierney, The Lost Soul (Jamie Reign #3), HarperCollins, 23 March 2015, 416pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN : 9780732295219 Jamie and his friends Wing and Jade have set off with Mr Fan on a seemingly impossible quest. They seek an ancient legend that will help return Jamie’s lost soul and provide the power to heal Wing’s deteriorating wounds. To complete this task they must travel upriver through the lands of Guangzhou. As a believer in reincarnation Jamie must access his knowledge of his former lives and use his present intuition to piece the puzzle together. Where is the relic they seek?…
Anna Walker, Mr Huff , Penguin, 26 June 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 978067078042 Mr Huff appears on the front cover as a huge grey shape, like a dark cloud, looming over a small boy. We then encounter the front endpapers, which are different to the back ones. The differences provide important clues about the story and would be a good way to invite young children to explore and then share ideas about what they think the story might be. Huff is in the front scene but not at the back and this could further initiate discussion before reading. We…
Phil Cummings (text), Owen Swan (illus.), Newspaper Hats, Scholastic, 1 July 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781743622544 The gentle watercolour paint illustrations with pencil detail reflect the sentiments of this story. The newspaper theme is reinforced by the newspaper article end papers, the flying newspaper hats across the title page and certain key words of the text made to look like they have been cut from a newspaper. There has been great attention paid to the design of this book and this enhances the reading experience. Georgie and her father go to visit Grandpa “behind his sky-blue door, his room…
Nick Bland, The Very Noisy Bear, Scholastic, 1 July 2015, 24pp., $16.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781743627853 Having read the very cranky, itchy, hungry and brave renditions of Bear, I was determined to be fair minded with the latest version – a very ‘noisy’ bear. Nick Bland has created a lyrical text that flows along in perfect rhythm, opening with “In the Jingle Jangle Jungle, there was music in the air”. Bear’s friends Sheep, Lion, Zebra and Moose all play their respective instruments well, but when Bear tries each one there is a problem. His friends find a wonderful solution and in the…
Cat Rabbit, Isobel Knowles, Too Much for Turtle, Thames & Hudson, 1 April 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780500500491 Turtle lives in a tree house because she is shy. When the flooding rain comes, her home is a safe place for a menagerie of creatures that pack in and create havoc, which they work together to fix later. Turtle unexpectedly makes friends and the creatures all decide to build their own homes safely high in the tree. The storyline contains a crisis and happy resolution but is composed around a collection of animals that would not live in trees or…
Rose Stanley (text) Lisa Allen (illus.), A Hot Cup of Chocolate, Starfish Bay, 1 April 2015, 32pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780994100283 This entertainingly illustrated story for independent readers reveals how simple gestures like offering a friend a cup of hot chocolate can make a difference but sometimes there are difficulties where more than chocolate is needed. Johan has friend called Henry who does not ever say much about his family. Then one day at school Henry gets angry and chases and frightens another boy. After school at Johan’s place Henry has hot chocolate but still seems grumpy and then asks…
Rose Stanley (text) Lisa Allen (illus.), Tilly’s Big Problem, Starfish Bay, 1 April 2015, 32pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780994100306 Younger readers will immediately be caught up by the concerns of Tilly whose funny friend Ned helps her begin to find an answer to her big problem. He wisely helps her devise a plan to help her test for the best big person at school to talk to about her problem. The bright illustrations are entertaining even though they introduce characters who have difficult underlying issues. Young readers will feel invited to look for assistance from suitable adults by the warmth and quirkiness…
Nicki Greenberg, Teddy Took the Train, Allen & Unwin, May 2015, 32pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760112134 Dot is a little girl with a mop of ginger curls. She and her Mum and her Ted, an iconic teddy bear, visit the markets and hurry to catch a train when the rain begins. Ted stays on the train to go to a bears’ picnic he has been invited to at Bear Bend. Ted has such a good time at the party that he sleeps past his stop on the way home and reaches Flinders Street. It is quite likely that all Ted’s…
Carson Ellis, Home, Walker Books, 1 April 2015, 40pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN : 9781406359428 Home is a beautiful whimsical meditation on the notion of homes. A home is more than mere shelter, it is more than a dwelling. It is a personal space created from the resources at hand, its design shaped by the culture in which it is located, its ambiance reflective of the individuality of its occupants. American illustrator, Carson Ellis, in her debut as an author-illustrator, takes young readers on a tour of homes across history, across the world, through folklore and mythology, and into the realm…