Welsh schoolboy, Jason, lives with his 19 year-old brother, Richie; recently orphaned, they are trying to survive on their own. Richie is valiantly trying to work to earn enough money to keep a roof over their heads, but he has made an unwise choice under duress, and this has put the boys under further pressure. Jason has a few good friends, but grieving is hard, and now he is really worried about the future. A plan to make some extra pounds from the local paper by catching a photograph of an elusive big wildcat wandering through the Welsh countryside sets Jason and his three friends on an adventurous trek. Avoiding local bullies, and a rampaging bull, the children discover true friendship as they battle cold, danger and their own fears, and demonstrate resourcefulness as they pursue the prize.
This is another heart-warming story from Lesley Parr, a writer who is not afraid to explore tough issues, but does so with gentleness and warmth. Set in the 1970s, it is during a time of industrial struggle that impacts local miners and cuts income, and all families must struggle with limited access to power and an uncertain future. Because of the Welsh setting, she also scatters Welsh language through the text. This will confuse some Aussie readers, but it is lovely to see the consonant-rich words, and also the rich vernacular words (eg lush = great/awesome). I used an online translator to assist on several occasions. If young readers aged 9-12, can get past this occasional use of Welsh, they will grow in appreciation of other cultures and language, other histories, and the painful struggle of hardship. The grief of the central character is revealed with understanding, and the reactions and support of his friends is occasionally uncomfortable. This is a ‘show-don’t-tell’ guide to how to support someone dealing with intense grief. This makes this a powerful story on many levels. The choices that Richie makes that get him into trouble are not given any glory – quite the opposite - crime doesn’t pay at all. The characters in this story are all delicately developed and I absolutely loved the huge Tam – the Rugby-loving, gentle giant with a faith-influenced view of conflict resolution, but who also struggles with how he should support Jason.
Themes Orphans, Financial hardship, Family, Friendship, Wales, UK – 1970s.
Carolyn Hull
Out of the Blue by Robert Tregoning Stef Murphy
Bloomsbury, 2023. ISBN: 9781526627964.
What happens if you live in a world of blue -
ONLY BLUE ALLOWED, by Blue government demand Anything that isn't blue, by colour law, is banned
- but your favourite colour is yellow?
What if your favourite toy is a little yellow rubber duck but you have to hide it even from your family? This is a story that not only champions diversity, difference and pride but encourages those who are different to have the courage to come forward and celebrate that. In a world that is hopefully disappearing rapidly - despite those in some US states clinging to the "old standards" by banning books and educators facing criminal charges for breaches - and conformity was the key, there were always those who preferred yellow in a world of blue whether that was colour, religion, political or gender identity, or any of the millions of other ways that humans differ. And it's been a theme in many children's books now for some time, but this one stands out for its simplicity in explaining the concept. Liking yellow in a world of mandated blue is something even the youngest readers can understand and they can start to think of things that they like that perhaps others don't, like Brussel sprouts and broccoli, then consider if that is necessarily something to be shunned for. A friend recently posted a message to social media about a daughter who "marches to the beat of her own drum" (whatever rhythm that might be) and my response was that it was wonderful that she now lives in a world that is willing to accept and embrace so many different tunes because while it might sound like a cacophony, it is actually the harmonious sound of humanity. So it doesn't matter how many times our little ones hear this vital message about being yourself, of celebrating difference, of having the courage to stand out, because now we are finally reaping the benefits. A guide is available.
Sixteen-year-old Clara Lucas' magic is wild. She longs to be accepted by the Council of Magicians as a healer. Her friend Xavier is already a wizard but she has been left behind because she cannot control her magic. When she accidentally causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father's chest she knows that she must learn a complex healing spell to save him. Xavier is the only wizard who can help her, but on one condition, she must give him her magic when her father is cured.
The gorgeous cover will entice the reader to open the book and learn about the magic of flowers. Bakewell gradually reveals a gentle fantasy and a slow burning romance. The voice in Clara's head is one that readers may well recognise; it torments her with thoughts of failure, and the pair strive not only to find a cure for Clara's father but a potion that will help people with mental health issues and anxiety.
Although the conclusion seems a little rushed this unique look at anxiety combined with an engaging friend to lovers romance is sure to appeal. Readers who enjoyed this may also like books by Margaret Rogerson.
Lou has an important job . . . as the neighbourhood toilet for dogs on their walks, particularly as he is across the road from a doggy day care centre.. All day, every day, they come and sniff, and twirl and twist and lift and...
Useful as he may be, he gets the feeling that deep down inside, there might be more to him than that. He just doesn't seem to know exactly what yet. When disaster strikes, will Lou find out what he's made of and save the day?
Young readers will giggle their way through the start of this book as the recognise a very familiar scenario, but the astute ones will also be looking at the pictures and discovering a whole different scenario playing out in the background while Lou is musing about his lot in life.
This is one to encourage young readers to read the pictures as well as the words because in quality picture books they are integral adding to both the plot and the meaning. Like Lou, this story shows that there is more to each of us than first meets the eye, and that each of us has hidden qualities that others might not appreciate at first. Little ones who are usually the least empowered can have fun identifying just what it is that makes them unique and special, perhaps adding to a group collage that shares their particular talents. Who knows what future hero or champion might be lurking.
Themes Dogs.
Barbara Braxton
Duckling runs away by Margaret Wild and Vivienne To
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761065804.
Duckling is angry with her mother and declares she is running away and "never coming back. Never, ever." And off she goes - past the chickens, puppies, kittens, piglets, lambs and bunnies who are all playing games together and having fun. Even though they invite her to join them, she refuses saying that she is running away. But as she is running, day turns to dusk and not only is Duckling unsure of the dark but she can't remember why she ran away in the first place! She may not know where she is but she knows where she needs to be...
There are a handful of authors whose name on the cover of a book is a guarantee of a great story, and Margaret Wild is one of those. Together with Vivienne To, (the team who gave us The Sloth Who Came to Stay) she has created an engaging, familiar story that you can imagine evolved from a foot-stamping, tantrum-throwing toddler saying exactly the same thing. Not only has Wild captured such a common occurrence in the lives of our little ones and turned it into a story that resonates but doesn't threaten, To's soft illustrations add to the atmosphere, particularly as the sun starts to sink and we wonder what Duckling will do when night falls. There is as much atmosphere and drama in the illustrations as there is in Duckling's announcement!
While there is a subtle underlying theme of unconditional love between parent and child, this is a pure celebration of story reflecting real life that will endear our youngest readers to the printed word and strengthen those special bonds they have.
Themes Ducks, Mothers.
Barbara Braxton
The great Aussie Easter egg-and-spoon race by Sophie Sayle. Illus. by Daron Parton
After the Easter Bilby leaves eggs for the bush babies, they paint the eggs and then hurry off to participate in the Great Easter Race. Wombat, Kangaroo and Bandicoot collect colourful things from their environment to decorate their eggs, but Echidna is still asleep. Kookaburra doe his best to wake her up, reminding her about getting ready for the race. The three animals share their decorations with Echidna and they all rush to the beach to start the race. Running off Echidna drops her egg, but Kookaburra urges her to get up quickly and finish the race. Kangaroo hops back and opens her pouch for her to get in. Several leaps later they cross the finishing line, Echidna winning by a nose.
A gentle story of cooperation and working together, the Great Easter Race is more about the friends sharing, than eggs and chocolate, which makes a wonderful change from the books usually offered at Easter. .
The illustrations remind readers of the range of animals that are found in Australia, along with some flora they will recognise. The text alludes to games played in the past, egg and spoon race as well as the old tradition of decorating and painting your own Easter eggs. Classroom and homes may copy the hints given in the book to try it out for themselves.
Themes Australian animals, Easter, Bilby, Sharing, Cooperation.
Another book in the Little Wombat series, (Swim, Little Wombat swim!) by Charles Fuge Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise is a lovely story to read aloud for young children just before Easter. Little Wombat is having fun collecting Easter eggs when he spots somebody rushing past, someone with great big ears and long bouncy legs, a long nose and tail. He thinks that it is Rabbit in disguise. A pull on the tail and the nose of the little creature prove that they are not false – in fact it is Bilby who has been looking for Easter eggs too. Then Rabbit comes along, and the three little animals compare what they can do. Bilbies have long noses for sniffing things out, both Rabbit and Bilby have long legs for jumping high, but it is Little Wombat who is the best digger of all. The three friends decide to camp out for an Easter party and invite Koala along too, all enjoying singing and munching Easter eggs.
As well as being a very attractive book with bright colours and very engaging animals, youngsters will enjoy learning about the differences between Bilby, Rabbit and Little Wombat. They could find out about the Bilby being a symbol for Easter in Australia and may even find they are given a chocolate Easter Bilby instead of an Easter Rabbit. The value of friendship and sharing is also emphasised but not in a didactic way, as Bilby, who has a very large basket of eggs, puts some into her friends’ burrows as a surprise.
An engaging story, Little Wombat’s Easter Surprise is sure to become a favourite Easter story for families and in the classroom.
Themes Australian animals, Bilby, Rabbit, Wombat, Koala, Easter, Eggs, Sharing.
Pat Pledger
Peppa Pig : Peppa loves Easter
Ladybird, 2021. ISBN: 9780241476406. (Age:3-5)
These Peppa Pig picture books hit on all the themes most beloved by young ones: Christmas, birthdays, mermaids, dinosaurs and Easter! They are much longer than the Peppa Pig board book series so are perfectly suited to the upper age group of Peppa fans. In Peppa Loves Easter Miss Rabbit has planned an Easter Eggs-travaganza for all the playgroup children. The eggs-travagana isn't an egg hunt and it isn't a bonnet competition, but an activity trail. The children follow the signs to all the creative stations, including cupcake decorating and Easter card making. Finally they arrive at the end of the trail with a basket full of their creations. What's the surprise in the giant egg? It's Miss Rabbit of course!
This would make a perfect Easter gift for little Peppa enthusiasts, especially those who love all the fun and excitement of Easter. The glittery front cover and the colourful easter bonnets worn by the children will entice and engage again and again. The story cleverly takes the focus off chocolate and the often competitive egg hunt and will hopefully inspire some creative and collaborative Easter endeavours or traditions in the form of making bonnets and cards and decorating egg cups.
Themes Easter.
Nicole Nelson
The Easter rush by Alexandra Yap
Little Steps, 2021. ISBN: 9781922358257. (Age:3+) Recommended.
This delightful story will entertain younger children with its Easter theme and clever references to the now all too familiar use of technology. Easter Bunny is finding it very hard to cope with the stress of getting everything organised for his delivery of eggs all over the world on Easter Sunday. He has so much to do and cannot go out to play when his friends ask him. He has Post-it notes with reminders, a map on the wall with his route planned out and ready to be programmed into his GPS as well as lists of allergies he needs to check. Unfortunately, his technology breaks down and that leaves him feeling absolutely shattered. His three loyal friends, Henrique the Hare, Brooklyn the Badger and Marianna the Mole are worried about him and all pitch in to help. They work together to make sure Easter deliveries happen on time all over the world.
Valery Vell’s beautiful illustrations especially the expressions on the faces of the characters add to the endearing nature of this enjoyable story.
Bluey: Easter is a colourful and appealing spin - off book from the award-winning and popular preschool show about Bluey, a blue heeler pup, and her family which airs on ABC KIDS. In this story Bluey and Bingo are waiting for Easter Bunny but worried they will be forgotten as they were last year. Their parents adamantly tell them Easter Bunny will deliver some eggs but Bingo is not convinced. On waking Easter morning there are no eggs inside their Easter pouches but there is a box and a letter. This leads Bluey and Bingo on a very long and at times frustrating hunt for clues that need to be solved in order to move on to the next step to find their Easter treats.
Children who love Bluey will enjoy this story as they will be hoping Bluey and Bingo are rewarded for their effort in solving some quite tricky clues.
Themes Easter, Bluey, Bingo, Egg Hunt, Family.
Kathryn Beilby
Duckling runs away by Margaret Wild. Illus. by Vivienne To
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761065804. (Age:3+) Recommended.
After a serious squabble with his mother, duckling runs away, determined never to return. Several animals that she sees on her run offer her a spot in their game. The chicks are playing hopscotch and invite her to hop with them, the magpies are playing hide and seek and offer to help her hide, the kittens are swinging and want her to swing with them. But each time she repeats that she cannot join them as she is running away.
By now the listening audience will have joined in with the repeated refrain, 'I’m running away' and wait for its next appearance with anticipation.
The piglets are paddling in the stream and ask her to join in, the lambs are playing leapfrog, the bunnies are skipping rope. But nothing sways the determined duckling and readers will see that the images are losing colour as the sun sets. The darkness makes her stop and think about why she is running away.
When an owl asks her if she is lost, she makes up her mind to return home, after all, she knows exactly where she should be. And she returns, seeing all the animals she passed in her rage, nestled comfortably with their mothers for the night. And she finds her own mother and tells her how sorry she is and that she loves her and these feelings are reciprocated as the pair snuggles in for the night.
A sweet tale of being where you are supposed to be, of home being the one place where unconditional love is offered no matter who or what you are or what has happened. This reassuring text will remind readers that home is the best place to be, that it is unconditional, uncritical and loving. I love the highlighted words used by each set of animals as they swing, hop, paddle and skip, each one reflecting the activity they are involved in. I love the words used to show each animal as it snuggles, squashes, nestles and cuddles up to its mother. These words are all highly emblematic of love and comfort, of being together without rancour.
The soft edged illustrations reveal each of the animals on the farm, and children will love seeing them and imagining the play that they're involved with. Promoting outdoor activity, this book will be eagerly sought after as a read aloud, joining in, with its predictive text and lovely words. The illustrations will ignite children’s interest in the outdoors, looking out for all the detail shown in and around the farm and the woods. A small hint of caution is given as the night draws in and the presence of an owl looking for its dinner intrudes on the duckling’s journey.
The story of the Gallipoli Campaign resonates with Australian and New Zealanders because of the recognition of the incredible fortitude of the ANZAC soldiers in the face of insurmountable odds against them. In this story by the inimitable Jackie French, the account of the withdrawal of troops is fictionalised to bring understanding and empathy for the individuals who were still there in December 2015. There is nothing easy or comfortable about this story, because it is based on the oral history of those who were there, but Jackie French has imbued the history with humanity and compassion as she enables us to see the conflict through the eyes of 16-year-old ‘Nipper’. With his gently naïve, but courageous attitude, he relates the tragedy of Gallipoli with the Aussie laconic acceptance of the awful situation of a conflict that was being fought in dreadful circumstances. The withdrawal from Gallipoli Cove needed to be secret and quiet to protect the last soldiers, minimising the potential for casualties from the Turks’ gunfire. Miraculously the retreat was glorious in its success.
Jackie French has an amazing capacity to write about history with real heart. This is an awesome piece of historical fiction written for younger readers. The subject matter is confronting. War, described with raw and horrific detail, is not easy for young readers to consume. Although this book is Children’s fiction, I would not recommend it for those under 11, but its audience could stretch to those much older. As an adult reader I found it a compelling journey and was incredibly impressed at French’s ability to paint the picture of the horrors of war without brutal detail of injuries. However, the stench and mud, rats, cold and food miseries were laid bare in her descriptions and she was able to find some lighter moments amid the squalor. Death is present, and bodies are part of the setting, but there is a gentleness in the way this aspect of the story is conveyed. The Postscript section of the book explains her sources, some of the factual detail that was included in the story and Jackie French’s own reflections on how difficult it was to write about this part of Australian history and honour those who fought and died in the Gallipoli conflict. This is certainly a great book, and it will move readers with compassion. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes World War 1, Gallipoli campaign, courage, resilience, sacrifice.
Carolyn Hull
Say freeze by Miranda Birthisel and Rebel Challenger
An old adage about the wind changing, is given a bright and breezy reimagining in this funny tale of the lengths Josie goes to make people laugh. ‘If the wind changes, that face will stick’ is one incarnation of the warning given by adults when a child makes a scowling face. Josie is a prankster, one the teacher, Miss Place, can do without and on photo day Josie pulls the biggest face she can conjure to make the class laugh and so spoil the photograph. Miss Pronounce gives her the warning, but to no avail, and when the wind does change, faces of both students and teachers are set.
Readers will laugh out loud at the rhyming text, full of puns on the teachers’ names, drawing out lots of fun in predicting rhyming words and words that go with the particular teacher.
The catastrophic storm whips iron from roofs, turns the clouds black, sends some teachers up the trees, while others hide beneath a table. But all have had their faces frozen into the grimaces caused by Josie’s prank. Miss Hap’s tongue is hanging from her mouth, Miss Fortune is very out of sorts thinking about her imminent wedding and needing to be able to speak. Miss Fit send them all back to their classrooms, but Miss Pronounce looks like a hermit crab and Mr Meaner blows up the science lab, Miss Diagnose the school nurse is busy in the sick bay but their new headmaster is appallingly distorted.
Readers will heartily enjoy the reimagining of the adage and think of a few more lines to add with other ingenious teachers’ names. They will enjoy the hilarious illustrations, giving range to a wide variety of scowling faces, and very frustrated teachers. The very witty twist in the tale with cause gales of laughter as they can see the possibilities of an evening with the oddly faced teachers.
Themes Humour, Read aloud, School, Weather.
Fran Knight
Animal factopia! Follow the trail of 400 beastly facts by Julie Beer
Britannica Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781913750732. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
Welcome to the fourth book in the FACTopia! series, Animal FACTopia. This book allows the reader to follow the trail of 400 amazing beastly facts, about animals from all over the world; all shapes and sizes, and all linked in some way to the next. This is a book full of surprising and humourous titbits of information that will entertain any reader.
This colourfully presented book begins with a contents page with connecting dots to each new engaging topic. The first striking image presented combines a drawing of a balance scale across a double page with a photograph of a newborn female African elephant on one side balanced with 28 newborn babies. This then leads to further information about elephants and snorting which then leads to other sounds made by animals.
The clever connections throughout the book are enhanced by the wonderful drawings and stunning photographs. Readers are also given the opportunity to move away from the broken lines to turn to noted page numbers about other interconnected topics. There is a detailed index at the end plus information about the FACTtopians as well as a sources page and picture credits. The FACTopia! Series is a worthy addition to all home, school and public libraries.
Themes Animal Facts, Knowledge, Humour.
Kathryn Beilby
The forgotten song: Saving the Regent Honeyeater by Coral Vass. Illus. by Jess Racklyett
The critically endangered Regent Honeyeater is the focus of this new book by two very well-known creatives, Coral Vass and Jess Racklyett. This striking 20-24cm long, black and yellow bird, is native to parts of Eastern Australia but in 2022 it was estimated that there may be only 350-400 left.
The decline of Regent Honeyeater numbers is due in part to loss of habitat and urban sprawl but more significantly, it is the loss of older males of the species who can no longer pass on the mating call to younger males. Without the ability to attract a mate, numbers are declining and are cause for great concern.
This stunningly illustrated story begins with the sounds of songs from many birds but as the bush is decimated by developers, many birds vanish. A young male Regent must begin a search for his song. Along his journey he hears the songs of other species, the fiarbirds, rosellas and currawongs, and wonders if any are his song. Sadly, he cannot make their sounds but eventually he recognises the sound of a ‘sweet song’ from a nesting box and is able to finally sing his song and attract a mate.
The glorious full-page illustrations are a clever mixture of vibrant paint with collaged photographs, articles and paintings from over 100 years ago in order to show how the environment has changed over time. In the final pages are facts, a map, a valuable timeline, glossary and a note from the artiest and image credits. A very engaging book.
