CUMMINGS, Phil (text) Sara Acton (illus.) Bridie’s Boots Working Title Press, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781921504723 SCIS 1674875 When Bridie turned five, she got a pair of boots for her birthday. They were the best boots ever – perfect for jumping in puddles, crossing wild rivers and having adventures. A year passed, and just before Bridie’s sixth birthday there was a big storm – time to wear her boots again! Unfortunately they no longer fit, but Bridie’s mum knew exactly what to do with them. Every child has experienced outgrowing a favourite piece of clothing or pair of shoes, so…
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CRUMBLE, P. Animal LOLZ Scholastic, 2014 80pp $12.99 ISBN 9781743624210 This promising hardback book of close-up animal photos with cute captions, has arrived on my reviewer’s desk as a thirty-page soft back sampler marked ‘uncorrected proof’. So I cannot, as a reviewer, vouch for the final quality of the photo reproductions, the paper, or the success of design and binding. The captions are witty interpretations, mostly, of what these animals, caught in sometimes unusual poses, might be thinking. For instance, the joey looking into its mother’s pouch calls out, ‘Mum, I can’t find my soccer ball anywhere!’ The concept for…
CAISLEY, Raewyn (text) Karen Blair (illus.) Hello From Nowhere Viking, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9780670075003 SCIS 1675360 Eve lives in a roadhouse in the middle of the Nullarbor. When her much loved grandmother finally comes to visit, Eve delights in introducing her to the menagerie of wildlife that live around the roadhouse and the numerous locals and backpackers who regularly call in. The most memorable shared experiences happen at dawn and in the evening, with a tender depiction of the joy of sharing special times that will resonate with many young readers. The illustrations depict Eve as an endearing, intrepid…
BRISLAND, Toni (text) Michele Gaudion (illus.) The Tree House Little Steps, 2014 unpaged $19.95 ISBN 9781925117011 SCIS 1670389 This is a story about family and overcoming adversity, told through the eyes of one sister sharing her desires for her less-abled sibling. Emma recognises the glint of adventure in her sister Teresa’s eye. Undeterred by Teresa’s wheelchair Emma rallies her family and friends to help devise a plan that will enable her sister to enjoy a tree top adventure. Amidst the excitement an unfortunate accident occurs. Teresa is taken by ambulance to hospital. Even after this setback, the family work together…
BRIAN, Janeen (text) Anne Spudvilas (illus.) Our Village in the Sky Allen & Unwin, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781743318140 SCIS 1674005 Two of our most talented picture book creators have combined to produce a beautiful book about life in an unnamed Himalayan country. The children of the village are shown carrying out various mundane tasks such as fetching water, washing clothes and herding goats but their sense of play is also shown with an improvised seesaw and a game of knucklebones. The illustrations, which appear to be pencil or ink with watercolor, are spread across each double-page spread with the…
BOYLE, Angela (text) Carolyn Rose (illus.) Marvellous Me Little Steps, 2014 unpaged $14.95 pbk ISBN 9781925117127 This is a great book for building self-esteem in children. It takes the reader on a marvellous journey of self-discovery, exploring that it is not what we do or what we have but who we are that makes each of us special. The magic inside each of us and that ‘just being ‘me, myself and I’ is the most wonderful gift you’ve got!’ Beautifully illustrated, each picture is a wonderful depiction of our inner angels, exploring how special and unique each person is, and…
BLAND, Nick Monster Chef Scholastic, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781742838267 SCIS 1675359 Marcel the Monster has mastered most of the skills needed to do his job – to scare little kids before bedtime. However, Marcel is the object of scorn from other monsters because somehow he just isn’t scary enough. Consoling himself with some recreational cooking at home, Marcel eventually learns some new tricks by which to frighten the children – and take revenge on those other jeering monsters. With lively illustrations and engaging verse, this rollicking tale by the versatile Nick Bland should engage both parents and kids in…
We all know how important it is to read to your baby, but could you narrow it down to just nine good reasons? CBCA Director Jenni Connor was asked to do just that by the Features Editor of babyology.com.au Find out which reasons Jenni chose in the article on the babyology website. In your opinion, what is the one most important reason to read to your baby?
Elizabeth Farrelly tells Reading Time how her own love of adventure and story resulted in her new novel for younger readers, Caro Was Here… People often think it’s a bit weird for an architecture writer and opinion columnist to take up children’s fiction. But to me, fiction seems the perfect flip-side to critical analysis. The last chapter of my second book, Blubberland, paints a possible planetary future. Reading it, my publisher accused me of being a closet novelist. I realised she was right. For me, writing fiction engages the same curiosity about how character and place weave together into narrative as…
Tony Thompson talks to Reading Time about the inception and writing of Summer of Monsters and the allure of Mary Shelley… The phrase ‘hard act to follow’ didn’t really cover this one. I was on a panel at an English teachers conference. The topic was horror and I was the third speaker. The second speaker was a vampire. I’m not speaking metaphorically here or attempting some kind of elaborate literary move to make a point. This man was a vampire or, at least, a legal vampire, as he put it. And a good speaker. He had a roomful of English…