Ten blocks to the Big Wok: A Mandarin counting book by Ying-Hwa Hu
University of Queensland Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780702266072. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Subtitled A Mandarin counting book, this colourful walk through Chinatown in New York will encourage all readers to say the numbers out loud in both English and Mandarin, with the Chinese character and its pronunciation prominently displayed on each successive page. Mia and uncle Eddie are off to their favourite restaurant, the Big Wok to have dim sum. As they pass various shops in Chinatown, they see one panda, two lions, three turtles, four miniature trees and so on until they spy the ten red lanterns that signify the Big Wok. Each page is similarly designed with a fan on which is placed the number, the calligraphy of the number and the number in Mandarin. Each number has a sweeping illustration covering two pages, and reflecting something often seen in Chinese restaurants and in Chinatown. So Mia sees a fish tank, a stall which sells Chinese fruits, people practising Tai Chi, a cluster of beautiful fans, a shelf of fortune kittens, and finally dim sum, with an array of treats.
Dim sum is laid out in numbers one to ten encouraging the reader to practise the words they have learnt. There are ten dumplings, nine wontons, eight shumai, three spring rolls, two egg tarts and one bowl of steamed anchovies which Mia takes to the cat outside. By now the reader will have noticed the cat which appears on each page following Mia expecting a feed as well.
The illustrations are a delight, reflecting the vistas of Chinatown and the things children will see there. Detail on each page is enticing, especially the images of food which children will recall eating.
And some teachers may bring in some of the food for them to try out.
At the end of this exciting book is a list of the numbers, and a glossary of some of the things seen in the book: panda, goldfish, paper lanterns and so on, to further inform the readers, encouraging them to read the book again. A wonderful book to read aloud and encourage children to join in to learn numbers in Mandarin.
Themes Mandarin, Chinese food, Chinatown, Dim sum, Read aloud.
Fran Knight
Kirra the koala by Beverly Jatwani. Illus. by Sarah Demontererde
New Frontier, 2023. ISBN: 9781915167354. (Age:4+) Recommended.
The fifth book in the Together We Can Change The World series, Kirra the Koala is a gentle story highlighting the core virtue of Integrity. Each of the seven stories focuses on an important virtue, is centred in one of the seven continents, and encourages children to look after Planet Earth.
Ling loves her volunteer position at the Koala Sanctuary and during the summer holidays she rides her bike to help look after sick, injured or orphaned koalas. Following a bushfire, Ling and other volunteers are called in to help search an area of bush which was burnt out. Working in pairs, Sam and Ling stumble upon a distressed joey, named Kirra by Ling, who has become separated from her mother. Sam wants to take Kirra home and tries to bribe Ling with a bike to not tell anyone. Ling easily decides to make the right choice and refuses to let Sam take the joey. Kirra is taken back to the sanctuary where she is eventually reunited with her mother.
Younger readers will enjoy the connection between Ling and Kirra and appreciate her choice to do the right thing. The koala facts at the end of the book are an added bonus and would support information report writing in the lower years. Comprehensive teacher notes are available.
A sense of finding a place to belong pervades this quietly optimistic story of a young girls’ questioning of where home is. Clicking her Doc Marten’s together and asking three times ‘Where is my home?’ she searches for an answer just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. The parallel will not be lost on younger people reading this book, as the film is readily available on streaming services, and this modern version will have an instant appeal.
The disarming story sees the young girl asking questions that relate to her idea of self and where she belongs. She scrolls through the physical, hot or cold, here or there, sea and sand, but she feels like she is one piece of a jigsaw puzzle that simply does not fit. But in all her voyages she has come to see that home is not one thing or one place; home is a warm embrace, or could be a person, a sunset, a constellation of stars. Sometimes it is not the place but the getting there, the space between the departure and arrival, sometimes it is just you, breathing deeply, feeling your ribcage, your beating heart. Dorothy comes to see that home is within her, home is her feeling at one with herself, accepting herself for what she is, accepting that home is where she feels safe and at peace. The need to keep searching is over as she learns to be herself, to accept who she is.
This is a subtle and charming story of self discovery, of acceptance, of realisation, as Dorothy stops questioning and searching, settling to a new sense of self, one she now is at home with.
The soft illustrations gently guide the reader along the path taken by Dorothy in her search for where she belongs. Myo uses a variety of techniques for her other worldly drawings, and I came across a short film made by her at https://www.lonegoatgallery.com/artists/myo-yim/biography
Jordan Collins hails from Chicago and, with Afro-American and Greek-Australian heritage, found it hard to know where they fitted in when moving to Australia. They came to an understanding that home and a sense of belonging is from within.
I loved the fleeting images of the rainbow, a nod to the old Dorothy, and the wonderful environments illustrated by Myo and was captivated by the dreamy ending, with Dorothy striding out, confident and at home with herself. A wonderful model for all readers.
Author and illustrator Matt Robinson has written another fun filled fact book to complement his first three Do you LOVE books about bugs, dinosaurs and exploring. This latest release is all about oceans and begins with a vibrant double page showcasing many ocean creatures. The book does not have a contents or index page but is set out clearly with a labelled double page spread covering the following topics: Coral reefs, Sharks, Ocean giants, Shipwrecks, Mangrove & Kelp forests, The Deep, Frozen oceans, Seashore, Weird fish, Oceans and finally Protect Our Oceans!
Each page has facts galore with changes in text and spacing, as well as brightly coloured, labelled images. Two of the double pages are cleverly presented in a vertical format: the first one being the Ocean giants page, which looks at ten top oceans giants beginning with the Giant Oceanic Manta Ray measuring 7 metres and ending with the Blue Whale measuring 33 metres and the second is The Deep, highlighting depths measuring from 200 metres to 11,000 metres and the creatures that inhabit those depths. One interesting creature that lives at about 4439m is Siphonophore which is extremely long but is made up of many creatures forming a straight line. The final double page shares hopeful stories about how people are trying to protect our oceans.
Throughout the book are simple questions to engage the young reader in deeper thinking as well as speech bubbles with comments, facts and humourous conversations. This will be a popular read for primary school aged children as well as a shared read at home or school for younger children with an adult to guide them.
Themes Oceans, Information, Humour.
Kathryn Beilby
The super adventures of Ollie and Bea: Bunny ideas by Renee Treml
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761068119. (Age:5+) Highly recommended.
Ollie and Bea is a great graphic novel for beginner readers. Bea and Ollie are good friends who have lots of fun together with each other and the other characters in the book.
In Bunny Ideas, Bea has created some fun games to play with her friends but they have to play by her rules, which she keeps changing so that she can win or stay in the game. This leads to some very funny interactions between the characters and a range of emotions.
With bright illustrations and minimal text, Ollie and Bea remind me of the Elephant & Piggie books with more characters and in-depth examination of friendship and emotions. Ollie has to tell Bea why her friends are upset and not playing with her and help her to find a way to play her games without being so bossy and upsetting her friends.
These easy to read books are a step up from picture books and will entertain and encourage children to read as the characters are so relatable and fun. The friendship issues and resolutions are realistic and recognisable to the reader, with the way the animals talk adding to the fun, these books truly are “owl-some”!
I would recommend these books for a home or school library as they are bound to be ones that are read over and over again. Definitely more a read alone or with help rather than a read aloud but so much fun to share with friends reading together.
50 years after the Fallen Star crashed into Earth and obliterated the majority of dinosaurs, the survivors have developed speech and divided into warring herds, vying for the remaining resources.
When small dinosaur Eleri is exiled from his Mountain herd for his allegedly-traitorous actions, he is banished to the desolate Deadlands populated by ravenous carnivores. There he finds unlikely allies in three other exiles and a spy, despite them originally belonging to opposing groups.
As they travel through Melki-Wegner’s vividly imagined world, their distinct personalities emerge. The inspiring storyteller Eleri, mighty triceratops warrior Tortha, keeper of legends and sage philosopher Lorithon, and gentle mathematical savant, Sorielle make a motley group. However, they discover how they can work together and achieve their goals, drawing on previously untapped inner strengths.
After a somewhat slow start, the action is fast-paced and varied, and plot twists are delivered when warring factions and mercenary spies clash. The dinosaurs’ characters are well-developed and distinct. They use their various strengths to overcome numerous physical attacks, potential starvation and dehydration, and lethal obstacles such as barren wastelands, tar pits and poisonous gases. Their unique and endearing personalities emerge as they ponder such philosophical issues as the importance of family, the morality of killing, the roles of traitor, informer and betrayer and the role of storytelling and mythology in keeping a group’s history alive.
YA fantasy novelist Melki-Wegner has created a comprehensive world and engaging characters for the first book in her Deadlands dinosaur adventure trilogy. The plot takes a little while to get up to speed, and there are numerous references to death and killing, but for middle-grade readers looking for high-stakes dinosaur action as well as those more interested in character development and relationships, this is a recommended read.
Clash is the fifth book in the series and Olive is still being the same friendly and supportive person she has always been, but this leads to her taking on too many commitments so that she can support her friends.
Olive loves to try new things but between Berry Scouts, dress code reform, making a short film and guitar lessons there is no time for Olive to rest or just relax. At first Olive manages to fit it all in and seems to be coping but as schoolwork and home life become busier and the time commitments and friends needs keep piling on she finds herself struggling to accomplish all her goals without disappointing her friends. What is interesting about Clash is that Olive is the one who is overloading her schedule and pushing herself to be involved rather than her parents, it is Olive being Olive.
This is a wonderful book for reading alone but like with the others in the series this one would be good to read with parents as it would help to open conversations about wanting to excel, being stretched too thing and burnout. Whether it is the child feeling this way about activities that the parents are scheduling or about the commitments they have made themselves, this book could give them the language to talk to their parents about their feelings.
I believe these books are a fabulous way for children and parents to talk to each other about typical teenage issues as they can discuss Olive in the third person which removes the personal aspect from the conversations.
Themes Friendship, Middle school, Conflict, Overloading schedules, Taking on too much.
Being told she will be a big girl soon sits uneasily with the story’s hero as she imagines what might happen when she is big. Will this mean she can run faster or jump higher or help get things that are too high for others to reach. Does it mean she will be bigger than Gran and so be able to help her, or will she be so big that she no longer fits in the bath. Then other thoughts strike her, will she be too big for her bed, or even her house. Will she be too big to play with her toys. Being big seems very problematic as she imagines walking between buildings, and no one her size to play with. Telling Mum her concerns she comes to realise that the bigness is only in relation to the new baby, which will be small, just like she once was. Being big simply means taking on new responsibilities as a sibling.
A charming story of siblings, of welcoming a new baby into the household, of allaying the fears that may be harboured, told through the idea of size. The young girl cannot comprehend what people mean when they say she will soon be a big girl and imagines all sorts of literal meanings, hilariously brought to life in Blair’s lovely illustrations. Told with humour, readers will laugh at the image of the girl trying to get into the swimming pool or sleeping with her feet in the garden, or talking to a giraffe, now smaller than she. The concept of size will be discussed as she finds that being a "big girl" means something quite different than the actual meaning.
A lovely gentle book for children about having a new baby in the house, or to talk about size, or simply about families, the book lends it self to a variety of ideas in the classroom and at home.
Tommy, a waiter at Sunset Estates retirement community, realises that the new staff-member Gabe is his grade 5 summer camp crush. However Gabe appears not to recognise or remember him. To add to his stress, while training Gabe, Tommy has to prove to the floor manager Natalie that he deserves her recommendation for the elite culinary school that he wants to attend.
This is a story about finding your own path in life; are Tommy’s attempts to rekindle a previous crush a good idea or even a possibility? Should he continue to try to live his father’s dreams? How is he going to manage coming out to his mother?
Lose you to find me is a story that explores the daily difficulties and insecurities that young people face, as they navigate friendships, relationships and career and life choices; these being amplified if they are gay. Specific to the American setting, it was also sobering to see the characters worry about college debt, whether the state they lived in allowed abortions, and the pressures caused by college admission choices. On a lighter note, readers get an insider’s behind-the-scenes view of kitchen and restaurant staffing where much of the story is set, a lot of random facts about cooking and films, and some sound advice and amusing banter between older gay residents and young staff.
The cheating, drinking, casual gay hook-ups and online revenge that also feature in this overall light-hearted coming-of-age novel are integral to these flawed but endearing characters. In Lose you to find me Brown has created a large cast of minor characters embracing a variety of cultural, sexual and socio-economic backgrounds, who in the main, offer friendship, advice and support to each other.
Two dogs, Jack and George have a day full of excitement when a round object falls from the sky at their feet. George asks Jack what it is. He touches it concluding it is too soft to be a boulder. They push it, Jack suggesting it may be a ball and as it keeps rolling, getting faster all the time, he concludes they may be right. But it rolls over a cliff, the pair falling down with the ball, as it turns into a parachute and they fall into the river below. Still, George asks, ‘What is it Jack?' as it becomes a raft and they float down the river, bumping into a whale. Cold, the question George asks again, 'What is it Jack?' sees the object turning into a blanket to keep them warm. They sleep and in the morning the object is back to its original shape, hovering above the ground.
Now George’s question becomes 'What was that, Jack?' As the object takes to the skies and returns to where it came from. Jack is amazed at their adventure. He does not know what it was and cannot answer George’s question, but he concludes what ever it was, it was wonderful.
What exciting thoughts will come from this story as the animals have a very different adventure over the day. They have rolled down a hill, fallen into a river, used a parachute, bumped into a whale while rafting, finally sleeping the night outdoors. A very different day from the one shown in the first page with the two sitting under a tree, looking not a little bored, their house in the background, safe and secure. They have ventured out of their comfort zone, tackled new horizons, seen different things, stretched their experiences and been excited by new vistas, all the while George asking the same question. Kids will love repeating this question as each new page is turned, watching the response of each dog to the new setting. A stunning book to read aloud and encourage imaginative thoughts about the ball and what it could be. The wonderful blocks of colour ensure the story is foremost while the words splash or bomb, aaaah and oomph stand out for kids to repeat and wonder at. I love the swathes of pinks and blues contrasting with the touches of yellow and green. Each page is a treat.
The thicker than usual pages ensure its long life with many fingers grabbing it to read and be read to them.
Cédric Ramadier studied at the Camberwell College of Arts in London, before moving to Paris to work as an art director, graphic designer, editor, and author. Vincent Bourgeau lives in Marseilles, France, where he works fulltime as a children’s book illustrator. It is translated by Antony Shugaar who is highly esteemed in his field, winning the Strega Prize.
Mountainfell is in a world far from our reality, but imbued with many of the problems we recognise - the abuse of power, the challenge to fit in, the degradation of the environment we share. In this place lives Erskin, a young girl raised with the fear of the mountain and the dragon who calls it home. But Erskin feels that she doesn’t fit and her community looks at her askance - could she be magic-addled? When her older sister, Birgit, is taken by the dragon, Erskin sets aside fear, and taking her strange cat, and a tag-along companion sets out on the quest to rescue Birgit. The quest has unexpected dangers and consequences and everything Erskin thought she knew is turned upside down. But magic happens and the strange children become heroes with the help of the environment that is also under stress from attacks from those who wish to take without consideration of the future.
This is an adorable fantasy tale with youthful heroes who rise above their own insecurities which makes it a wonderful Primary years story. The ability to hear and communicate with the world around them gives a magical environmental feel to the problems the characters face. I loved the slow growth in confidence of the central character, Erskin, and her sidekick Leif demonstrates wonderful friendship attributes. As they realise that they have been lied to all their lives, and that the dragon is not to be feared and that they are in a position to set things right, they must do all they can before it is too late. There are hints of classic fantasy quests like Rowan of Rin or Tolkien’s fantasy world, but with a youthful simplicity that makes it immediately appealing for younger readers. The quest and adventure aspects within the fantasy and magical settings have unique qualities and readers aged 9-13 will absolutely love this story.
This is a well written story. Spanning over 60 years, telling the stories of two very different women, Agent ‘Colette’ a secret agent and Amy Novak an archivist. These two women are living not just years apart but worlds apart despite this they are not so different. They are both struggling with devastation in their lives.
Amy Novak is an archivist and when the declassified file of Agent ‘Colette’ a well-kept secret from World War Two appears on her desk she is drawn into the woman’s story and with encouragement from a friend becomes determined to tell the story of Agent ‘Colette’ and ensure that she finally receives the recognition for all her work during the war.
As the secrets start to unravel you are drawn into the two women’s lives. Amy learns not only about Agent ‘Colette’ but also about herself. Things are not always as they seem. As Amy digs deeper into Agent Colette’s real identity and what it must have been like for her during the war, she begins to understand how to move on in her life and begins to deal with the grief she has been bottling up for the last year.
This book is inspired by incredible true events and heroines of the Resistance; it is a story of lost love and one woman’s bravery during World War Two.
I highly recommend this book.
Themes Resistence, World War 2, Women.
Karen Colliver
The Easter bum book by Kate Mayes and Andrew Joyner
This inevitable next installment in the Bum Book collection is sure to delight fans old and new. If you've read The Bum Book and The Christmas Bum Book you'll be completely unsurprised by the content, but for the uninitiated it truly is a book full of bums. In fact, we don't see a single face. Andrew Joyner's signature illustrations, that tend to exaggerate bodily forms anyway, are positively perfect for rounded derrieres. As with the predecessors, The Easter Bum Book is full of humour in both clever writing and inspired illustrations that connect seamlessly.
There are some obvious entries: 'bunny bum' and 'bilby bum', some punny entries: 'lily bum' (illustration is of a boy from behind, holding white lillies and with a completely naked bottom) and some simply ludicrous entries: 'skipping through the tulips bum' (a naked person bouncing through a field of tulips and holding a violin) and 'hot-cross-bun bum' (a chef with a gigantic hot cross bun for a bottom). All the typical Easter activities are covered, including family road trips, Good Friday fish and chips, egg hunts, chocolate coma and bonnet parades. This is a fun jaunt through Easter with a bum twist that all kids are going to think is ridiculously funny. And adults will probably appreciate how well it hits the toilet humour brief in a clever and un-gross way.
Book 4 of the Click series of graphic novels does not disappoint. I really like this series of graphic novels especially as the themes of friendship and moving from Primary school to secondary and the challenges that are faced are so well discussed.
In Clash, Olive has to deal with a new girl in town, from the very beginning everyone can see that Natasha is cool and wants to be her friend, including Olive. However, this is not as easy as it first appears. Olive has to deal with feeling like Natasha is taking over her friends and that they like her more than they like Olive and in actual fact Natasha is doing this in the subtle way that bullies do. Whether she is a perpetual bully or is angry at the world and taking it out on Olive does not change the fact that she is not a nice person to Olive. The realistic portrayal of this age groups friendship interactions that lead to feeling of inadequacy and trying to fit in are so carefully and accurately covered by Olive and the other characters in this novel is the reason why I would recommend this book to most students and their parents. It is a great book for opening up conversations about friendships, conflict and teenage angst, along with the way that the adults handle the conflict and the bullying. My biggest issue was that Natasha was really mean and a bully and it wasn’t addressed in the way I hoped, in the end Olive welcomed Natasha and accepted the explanation for her behaviour which as a parent of the teenage girl really bothered me. However, while this could cause some huge feelings to come up if the reader is being bullied, especially if the reader is being told that they should be more understanding, Olive is told that it is hard for Natasha being the new student. Natasha takes advantage of this, again this helps students to look at the conversations they have within their own lives and the feelings this causes.
This is a read alone but I think it should be one that children read and then discuss with their parents as it is a great book to stimulate conversations.
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761068423. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
A young Muslim girl, Deenie, explores Ramadan as she and her family celebrate this month that makes the year, setting them up for a strong family centred community for the next 12 months.
She explains through the story why Muslim families observe Ramadan, building up the strength to concentrate on the big issues of life and part with those things that do not matter.
As the youngest member of her family, Deenie comes to Ramadan properly for the first time. She wonders about going without food or water until sunset but her story shows how she copes and why the ritual is important.
Fasting is not compulsory for children, but it is seen as a rite of passage as people learn 'patience, gratitude, self-control, mindfulness and a sense of solidarity with everyone on the planet' as well as a strengthening of their faith and link with Allah.
The story shows some of the problems for children during Ramadan, and this is especially apt for teachers who have Muslim children in their classes. The picture book shows Deenie sitting out of sport because she is not eating, and finding other things to do when her friends open their lunch boxes. Her mother’s coffee group plans to do something that does not involve eating and drinking to keep in touch with their friend.
An opportunity exists for kids to see that some of their classmates hold different beliefs and ideas, and reading this book will promote an understanding of what being a Muslim is. When Deenie goes to the mosque with her family readers are shown the differing customs that exist as part of their day. It is here money is given for families in need (sadaqar and zakat). Deenie knows how it is to go without for a day and so is thankful for what they have. Deenie and her family volunteer at the care home nearby, take old clothing to the shop, help older people with their forms. During the month they practise kindness, not only in the way they behave towards each other, but in words and gestures, deeds and thoughts.
An introduction by Ahmad Zahri tells us just how different it was for her coming from Malaysia where everyone celebrated Ramadan together to Australia where she had to fast alone. This served to strengthen her conviction.
This picture book serves to tell Deenie’s story of coming through her first Ramadan telling the reader the reason behind this custom while showing how it strengthens family ties. Ahmad’s illustrations are most informative showing the readers the different customs that are part of Ramadan.
At the end of the book is a glossary outlining the different words for the custom involved in Ramadan, adding another level of information to educate the readers. Muslim students will be able to share their knowledge with their classmates, while they will be in a position to ask questions.
