Bilyana Di Costanzo (text) and Mauro Di Costanzo (illustrator), A Flair for Fun, New Holland Publishers, June 2021, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760792862 Car racing gorillas, cycling goats and surfing lions are just some of the characters readers will meet in this action-packed book for the very young. A wide range of sporting activities from team to individual sports are presented in a fun and accessible way to children through rhyme and bold colourful illustrations; the enlarged and coloured font to highlight rhyming words may also encourage the child to connect with sound and letter combinations. A great…
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Christopher Maxell, He was Tremendously Scary and Extraordinarily Hairy, Little Steps Publishing, March 2021, 32pp, RRP $29.95 (hbk), ISBN: 9781925839074 Aspiring illustrator Christopher Maxwell tells the tale of a shy little girl’s bravery through this achingly beautiful, wordless picture book. Inspired by Christopher’s own winter adventures in Europe, readers are drawn into this little girl’s world as she leaves her warm, cosy house to venture into a frozen world of snowy mountains, shadowy pine forests, and boundless awe and wonder. As the child journeys on, a little further each day, the comforting glow of coloured lights, adorning the occasional…
Ashleigh Barton (text) and Martina Heiduczek (illustrator), What Do You Call Your Grandma? ABC Books, March 2021, 32pp, RRP $17.99 (hbk) ISBN 978073334084 What Do You Call Your Grandma? follows author Ashleigh Barton’s debut book What Do You Call Your Grandpa? which came out in August 2020 and made it onto the Notables list for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. In every country around the world are grandmas short and tall.Though they go by different names, we love them one and all.A Granny here, a Nanna there – or maybe she’s a Nan?Turn the page, let’s meet a few of the finest in…
Renee Peters (text) and Andrew McIntosh (illustrator), The Quirky Smelling Lunch Box, Little Steps Publishing, March 2021, 32 pp., RRP $16.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781925839968 The Quirky Smelling Lunch Box is a picture book story about Dylan who enjoys the variety of unusual meals that his mother painstakingly prepares for his school lunch each day. On one day he finds prawn salad in his lunch box, and on another a platter of snail and cheese – just to name a few. Tiana, who has boring butter sandwiches every day, is fascinated. But not so the other kids who rudely express disgust…
Katie Flannigan (text) and P.J. Reece (illustrator), A Boy, His Bear and a Bully, EK Books, September 2021, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925820898 His bear, Buttons, attends school with Scott every day to help the boy as he is bullied by Duncan. Duncan harasses and steals from Scott. It all comes to a head when Buttons disappears, and with the help of his friend Rosie (and his dinosaur suit) Scott finds he is able to confront Duncan and discover Buttons. We are told that Scott finds his courage. Apparently it starts with a thumping in his heart, but…
Vanessa Parsons (text) and Angela Perrini (illustrator), The Rainbow Connection, Little Steps Publishing, February 2021, 28 pp., RRP $14.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781925839913 As I write this review, Sydney has entered a four-week extension of a lockdown that began at the end of June, and Queensland is entering a snap lockdown. People are protesting said lockdowns – but while all this is going on, our children, nieces and nephews are still home schooling, still missing their friends, and are starting to wonder when life is going to go back to normal. Which is why I appreciate The Rainbow Connection so much.…
Aaron Blabey, Pig the Monster, Scholastic Australia, July 2021, 24 pp., RRP $17.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760979010 Welcome to a rhyming adventure of the absurd as Pig the Pug causes havoc on Halloween night, drooling, gobbling, grabbing, snaffling, and binging his way through any treat in sight. And for those in his way, watch out! Supported by Aaron Blabey’s wild, colourful illustrations and the varied font sizes to help drive narrative action, this crazy romp, that invariably leads to a sticky end, will introduce the young reader to a range of sound and letter combinations, vocabulary, and colloquialisms. Although this may…
Gareth Ward, The Thaumagician’s Revenge (The Rise of the Remarkables #2), Walker Books Australia, July 2021, 352 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760652227 With her magic powers diminished by the Minster Schism, Brasswitch Wrench faces her biggest challenge yet. The Remarkable Rebellion is gaining ground and a vengeful Captain Flemington seeks to destroy Cabal Thirteen and put Wrench and her maverick mentor Bot before a Grand Cabal Inquisition. As time runs out, Wrench must discover how to rekindle her magic before the Autumn Equinox, or all will be lost. The Thaumagician’s Revenge is the second book in Gareth Ward’s fast-paced…
Catherine Meatheringham (text) and Deb Hudson (illustrator), All Dogs Bark, Windy Hollow Books, July 2021, 28 pp., RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922081353 This fun book celebrates doggy love around the world, and how their barks are described in different languages. Dogs in France bark Jappe Jappe Jappe, dogs in Brazil bark Au Au Au, and my dog barks Woof, Woof, Woof. All Dogs Bark will have toddlers and young kids joining in with the story as they copy the fun doggy noises. The simple text and short length are perfect for younger readers. In exploring this book, children will be…
Idan Ben-Barak (text) and Philip Bunting (illustrator), We Go Way Back, Allen & Unwin, August 2021, 36 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760526085 This is, as the cover says, a book about life on Earth, and how it all began. The cover illustration is intriguing and inviting with two colourful bubbles, slightly intertwined with one eyeing the other and the second looking straight at the viewer. The opening page directly engages with the reader, suggesting a whole range of different people all of whom have one thing in common – they are alive. The book then goes way, way back…