O’BRIEN, May L. (text) Angela Leaney (illus.) Badudu Stories Fremantle Press, 2014 (2nd ed) 78pp $12.99 pbk ISBN 9781922089823 SCIS 1651561 These four delightful school stories come from experiences among Aboriginal children of the Wongutha (Wongi) people of the Mt Margaret Community on the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia near Leonora north of Kalgoorlie. Each of the four stories illustrates the difficulties the indigenous children found in learning English, becoming confused by everyday English expressions and practices. Landy becomes a hero for his school football team playing against the Laverton School but is confused when someone from the crowd calls…
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MURPHY, Sally (text) Gabriel Evans (illus.) Roses are Blue Walker, 2014 102pp $16.95 pbk ISBN 9781922244376 SCIS 1662578 Amber Rose longs for the mother she had before the car accident. She remembers her stories and songs, her lovely garden and her beautiful pictures, how she would pick her up from school in her gardening clothes. Now her mother is confined to a wheelchair, and cannot feed herself, or sing, or paint. Amber still loves her, but she is ashamed of how her mother looks, and that she doesn’t speak properly and, most of the time, doesn’t speak at all. When…
IBBY have announced details of their 35th International Congress, to be held in New Zealand, 18-21 August 2016. The congress celebrates the multiplicity of literacy and of literature. Throughout the world, literacy, and literature, are in many languages and many scripts. Ideas, imagination, and feelings central to literacy and to literature are conveyed through many modes… written, oral, visual, gestural; and in many media… print, digital, performance. Details can be found on the Congress website.
Our congratulations go to Patsy Jones from the CBCA Tasmania branch, who was nominated for the Senior Australian of the Year Award. At the centre of environmental politics in Tasmania since lobbying against the flooding of Lake Pedder, Patsy Jones’ remarkable history of volunteering has spanned a wide range of community organisations. The widow of United Tasmania Group founder Dick Jones, Patsy was Tasmania’s first Greens politician to be elected to a local council in 2000. An advocate of healthy living, Patsy successfully secured a ban on smoking in public enclosed areas which has reduced the incidence of respiratory illness. …
MORGAN, Sally & Ezekiel Kwaymullina (text) Craig Smith (illus.) One Rule for Jack Omnibus, 2014 58pp $9.99 pbk ISBN 9781742990330 This is a most amusing story about Jack whose attempts to sabotage all the domestic tasks that his parents give him backfire and make his situation so much worse. Jack is irrepressible and never learns but he always comes up smiling with more harebrained ideas for avoiding work. Children will readily identify and sympathise with him and would surely welcome a series with more of his adventures. With short chapters, large type and humorous illustrations on every page, this book…
MILLARD, Glenda (text) Stephen Michael King (illus.) The Duck and the Darklings Allen & Unwin, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781743312612 SCIS 1649632 Peterboy and Grandpapa live in a hole in the land of Dark. Although Dark is a sorry, spoiled place, their home is built with care and lit by love. All memories of the brighter better place that came before have been ‘disremembered’ except by Grandpapa. When Peterboy returns from his nightly excursions to the finding fields with tales of mysteries he has seen outside, he sees the light of memories past shining in his Grandpapa’s eyes. Searching for…
FALK, Nick (text) Tony Flowers (illus.) First Bite ISBN 9780857983053 SCIS 1649889; Werewolves Beware! ISBN 9780857983077 SCIS 1649894 Random House (Billy is a Dragon), 2014 140pp $12.99 pbk This new series begins with an original premise. Nine-year-old Billy is bitten by a lizard in a pet shop and soon after finds that he gradually turns into a dragon. The description of his final metamorphosis in the toilets at school is funny and his friend Jeanie is supportive. The story finishes with a lead in to the next book and the first chapter is given as a taster. There are clever…
APEL, Kathryn Bully on the Bus UQP, 2014 133pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9780702253287 SCIS 1662759 The bully on the bus is big and mean. She has hurting hands and sneaky feet but worst of all, are her red-hot, dangerous words that burn deep inside. Leroy does not know how to make her stop. Ruby, Leroy’s sister, is the only one who sticks up for him, but she is not always there. He keeps his worries inside, afraid of the bully’s threats to get him if he tells. When his secret finally comes out to mum and dad, they visit Mrs…
WORTHINGTON, Michelle (text) Giuseppe Poli (illus.) Hootie the Cutie New Frontier, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781921928000 SCIS 1657428 As the smallest owl in her family, Hootie is always missing out on the pixies’ parties and fairies’ games. However she is the only one small enough to rescue a baby dragon and to help him to fly home. A simple, endearing tale to encourage any child who is constantly told they are too small or too young to participate. This is a large format book and the illustrations have been well designed to fill the pages with action and colour. With…
WEBB, Cassandra (text) Michaela Blassnig (illus.) Adorable Alice New Frontier, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781921928017 SCIS 1661970 After reading this story about Alice, the adjective ‘adorable’ is probably rather tongue-in-cheek. Alice is a rather trying young lady who likes ‘to do something different every day’. Examples include not talking to anyone all one day and wearing a thick beanie so she can’t hear anyone. But the most demanding day is the one when she puts on a blindfold and tries to negotiate her way around the house by smell and touch, with somewhat disastrous consequences. However the denouement involves Alice…