REYNOLDS, Alison (text) Heath McKenzie (illus.) The Littlest Bushranger Five Mile Press, 2013 unpaged $16.99 ISBN 9781743464977 SCIS 1609822 Jack is left to play with Hector, the dog, in their yard, while his lucky big sister, Lil, gets to go to school. However, after the snatching of Lil’s telescope by an evil flying outlaw, Jack and the fearless Hector go on a very exciting adventure to retrieve it. Thanks to Jack’s magnificent imagination and plenty of ingenuity, the adventure includes: riding a magnificent steed (formerly a bicycle), hurdling a slithery tiger snake (garden hose), ploughing through a scorching desert (sand…
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REGAN, Fiona (text) Louis Shea (illus.) Prank Alert $3.99 pbk ISBN 9781742838564 SCIS 1644932 CARTER, Felicity (text) Louis Shea (illus.) Skateboard Stars $7.99 pbk ISBN 9781742838571 SCIS 1647144 Scholastic (Double Trouble), 2014 64pp Twins Tommy and Coop, known as ‘double trouble’, are given to practical jokes. They patronise the local joke shop but also create their own pranks. They constantly trick their school teacher and their parents, for example, by setting every alarm and timer to go off at different times, putting blue dye in the family’s and dog’s shampoo… Their greatest feat is to win a skateboarding trick competition…
PELLE, Dominic My Frog Pete Self Pub, 2013 unpaged $18.95 pbk ISBN 9780646905952 My Frog Pete tells the story of an unnamed boy who finds a tadpole in a dam on his Grandpa’s farm. Naming his new pet Pete, the boy watches him grow into a frog and then hop away, only to turn up in a most unexpected place. The text is written in verse, occasionally awkward in its metre and rhyming, and set in very large font. The right-hand side of each double-page opening is a full-page illustration in colour. The art style is very childlike, using what…
PAULSEN, Michael (text) D. K. Jacobs (illus.) Monster Primary School Bizy Bug, 2013 unpaged $16.95 pbk ISBN 9780646905372 This is a cleverly rhyming story of young Patrick McSweeney’s first day at primary school. His principal is Mrs Doom, his teacher is Mr Gloom and Pat’s class is infested with brats of all sorts (some with warts). At least that’s how it felt for Pat for most of that first day until he was given a chance to show his true character. First impressions can be scary so be warned children. I am not sure that the ending will be as…
NOONAN, Diana (text) Elizabeth Fuller (illus.) The Best-Behaved Bear Scholastic (NZ), 2014 unpaged NZ$19.50 pbk ISBN 9781775431879 SCIS 1651148 Here is another title in this popular series. The teddy bear is an icon of childhood and the necessity for children to feel comfort and safety. Hence Tim really wants to take Toby, his teddy bear, to a remote Pacific island where Aunty Sue is about to get married. When it comes to the paraphernalia of weddings, how can you squeeze a teddy bear in to the luggage? This is Toby’s problem and he finds, eventually, a solution. But it has…
NILAND, Amanda (text) Claire Richards (illus.) Waiting for Hugo Windy Hollow, 2013 unpaged $25.95 ISBN 9781922081216 SCIS 1635044 Although he only turned four last month, Hugo loves to count things. This can be frustrating for his big sister and his family, who have trouble getting Hugo to hurry up. When the family go to the school fair, his sister has to wait for ages, but in the end, Hugo’s obsessive counting turns out to be a very worthwhile talent. Both text and illustrations beautifully convey a feeling of warmth and caring love as the family accommodate Hugo’s fixation on counting…
LOWE, Kirrily (text) Henry Smith (illus.) Patience Wombat (The Invisible Tree), 2013 unpaged $18.95 ISBN 9781921632587 SCIS 1632962 Patience is the fourth book in this series. The picture books are designed to instil in young readers an appreciation of such virtues as love, joy and peace. They are centred around the notion that ‘There is an Invisible Tree/That lives on the inside of me/It wants to grow big and tall/Even though I’m very small.’ So with an awareness of these values in their early years, it is hoped that children will grow to understand their importance and practise them in…
LALARA, Rhoda (text) Alfred Lalara (illus) Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa, When We Go Walkabout Allen & Unwin, 2014 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781743314562 SCIS 1648933 Produced as part of the Emerging Indigenous Picture Book Mentoring Project, this book is written in both English and the Anindilyakwa language of the Warnindilyakwa people of Groote Island. Placing the indigenous language side-by-side with English provides a rich and thoughtful context for the book as it explores the natural wonders to be found during a walkabout. Talented indigenous artist Alfred Lalara uses traditional Groote Island line work as the cornerstone of the memorable and unique illustrations which…
SEDEN, Paul (text) Karen Briggs (illus.) Kick With My Left Foot Allen & Unwin, 2014 unpaged $19.99 ISBN 9781743313442 To teach the concept of left and right, the creators of this picture book have blended the instructional content with the fun of Australian Rules football. Set against the red dust and broad, blue sky of the outback, a young indigenous boy puts on his football socks and boots with the right/left distinction being clearly identified. These initial impressions are reinforced by illustrations depicting the boy and his dog in a series of running, bouncing and catching manoeuvers that further distinguish…
DARLING, Pollyanna (text) Kirsty Chalmers (illus.) Heartwood Imaginaria, 2013 58pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9780987116444 SCIS 1642016 In a magical wood of ancient trees, families of squirrels, magpies and faeries coexist independent of each other until their habitat is threatened by the approach of the bulldozer ‘Smashbasher’. Motivated by a shared purpose the inhabitants develop winning teamwork which saves the day, and the future of this section of forest. The author’s website describes this book as a ‘first chapter book for 7-9 year olds’ although it may work better as a story told to younger children. reviewed by Christine Oughtred