There are eleven word for love in the Arabic language and each of these is shown in this impressive picture book, as a family flees their homeland for safety in another country. They carry only a small suitcase, but it is full of the love shared between the members on the family. Their journey reveals the love between friends, that sudden feeling of love when a new baby appears, or the love of strangers showing kindness. Each form of love is shared with the readers, showing the Arabic word and calligraphy for that word. So kindness is al-Hanaan, love between friends, al-Wid. The family knows all the words for love as they become refugees searching for safety. In fleeing they recall cherished moments, particularly of people who have died, and of those who have died on their journey. They recall the love that hits you, the love that keeps growing, the love that makes you yearn for your homeland left behind, but wanting to go back one more time.
All the words relate to someone leaving their country for another, forced to flee, but taking memories and a connection with them that will stay forever in their heart.
The dazzling illustrations reveal a family with a suitcase of love, pictured in postcards and images from an album, underlining the transient nature of their journey, sending cards to loved ones left behind, taking photographs to send to relatives in their homeland to show they have arrived at their destination and as a record of their family together.
There are more than 50 words describing nuances of love in the Arabic language. And this remarkable book focusses on just eleven. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Love, Family, Refugees, Kindness.
Fran Knight
Be careful, Xiao Xin! by Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng
Working Title Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781922033932. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
Xiao Xin (little heart) longs to take on the world as a Red Fire Warrior. He dreams of adventures outside his home, but is confined by an overprotective family. Brought up to the mantra of ‘be careful Xiao Xin’, he knows nothing else except being rugged up for the cold outside, of being told not to fall or slip or jump. He sees other children playing with their parents, running and skipping, without being told to be careful. When his sister arrives he is told he must watch out for her, not to let her fall, to stop her from trying to walk in case she slips over. He is saddened that she is being overprotected just as he was. But he believes that he needs to fall so that he can walk. He must take a chance. He must show his family that he is old enough to try different things, to act independently of them. So one night as they search the house for him, he tucks his dog under his blankets and leaves the house. He does not slip or fall or freeze and comes home with more confidence. a confidence reflected by his parents.
Sher Rill Ng’s graphic novel style of illustration adds another layer of interest and intrigue. The dark shapes permeate the pages giving an ominous ambience, underlining the dark world which exists outside the home, propping up the family’s fears for Xiao Xin. But in his Red Fire Warrior guise he can do anything, and is able to show his family that with their help he will cope with life away from them.
Inspired by Alice Pung’s home life where her grandmother would rug her up against the cold even in summer, so much so that her arms stuck out like those of a penguin. Pung has created a story to encourage all members of the family to take a chance. And this book is presented in both English and Mandarin. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Confidence, Over protection, Helicopter parents, Growing up.
Fran Knight
News Hounds: The dinosaur discovery by Laura James. Illus. by Charlie Alder
For readers who love dogs and a little bit of crime or mystery this book is perfect. It is told from a dog’s perspective and is a wonderfully funny adventure story.
Puddle Train Station is run by the stationmaster and Bob is his dog, he is also a reporter for The Daily Bark, a newspaper for dogs. It is up to Bob to ensure the trains run on time and who better to sniff out all the comings and goings of the people and animals than Bob. Bob has his station running like clockwork until he hears about the scoop of a lifetime, someone has dug up bones, and not just any bones – a dinosaur skeleton.
Now Bob’s life is crazy as he and the other News Hounds try to catch a sniff of a despicable dinosaur thief and keep life at the station running like normal.
This is a fabulous first chapter book for children, especially those who know that dogs don’t lie in the sun waiting for their owners to come home from work. It is filled with fabulous illustrations that are sure to engage children and ensure their enjoyment on the story. I loved this book and would thoroughly recommend it for any school or home library as a great first step to reading alone, it would also work as a read together or read aloud but I think this is one that children will want to spend time exploring the illustrations and the imaginative text on their own.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781838992262. (Age:4+) Recommended.
Any young child who is interested in dinosaurs will love to join Aimee, a Priddy Explorer, to learn some amazing facts about their world and how to identify them. A very useful Contents page starts off the book and gives a simple guide to what the reader can hope to find: What is a dinosaur? Identifying dinosaurs, In the sea, and a quiz, glossary and index.
Like Space in the Priddy Explorers series, the book is full of fun facts and colourful illustrations to enhance the information given in bite sized portions. Photographs of dinosaur skeletons and maps provide further information while Aimee has a Did you know? section on each double page spread with a fascinating piece of information about dinosaurs.
This a well designed, interesting book about dinosaurs that will be welcomed by young children and very useful in a class discussion of dinosaurs.
Themes Dinosaurs.
Pat Pledger
Priddy Explorers: Space by Roger Priddy
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781838992279. (Age:4+) Recommended.
A young boy named Nick is the Priddy Explorer in the series Priddy Explorers as the author aims to teach young children about space. Nick guides the reader through some amazing facts and illustrations about space. Starting with a comprehensive but simple Contents page (What is space? What is the moon?), the reader is invited to explore the contents of the book, either from start to finish, or popping into a section that is of interest. Children will learn about the sun, moon and stars, the solar system and the planets and can check what they have learned with a quiz. A glossary and index are also included at the back of the book.
The book is a sturdy board book, full of colourful drawings. There are also photographs which illustrate topics like telescopes, artificial satellites, rovers, rocket ships and astronauts and the exploration of Mars. Each of the photographs has a caption with fascinating information which will intrigue readers, and Nick the Priddy Explorer is featured on each double page with a Did you know? question for the reader.
This is an ideal book for the young child who is curious about space and wants to learn more. It would be very useful in a classroomwhen learning about space.
Winner of the 2022 Locus Award for Best Collection, in Even greater mistakes, Charlie Jane Anders has written 19 short stories that span her writing career. The publisher’s blurb states: ‘Here are delightful upending’s of genre cliches, and heartfelt revitalisation of classic tropes. Here is social commentary with teeth, and here are scenes of pants-wettingly funny comedy. Here are characters and situations that by their very outrageousness achieve a heightened realism unlike any other. Here is one of the strongest voices in modern science fiction, the writer called by Andrew Sean Greer, 'this generation’s Le Guin.'
These stories are challenging to read and will be enjoyed by lovers of science fiction and fantasy. The first in the book As good as new, has a survivor isolated in a panic room and she turns the fairy story of the genie in a bottle upside down into a memorable tale. Rat catcher’s yellows is an intriguing take on being a carer of a life-time partner and brings all the heartbreak and diffuclties alive for the reader.
All the stories are original, unique, and often strange. Some are not easy to read but for hard core fans of science fiction and fantasy this will be a compelling collection. Some may like to try her novel Dreams bigger than heartbreak.
Themes Short stories, Science fiction, Fantasy, LGBT.
Pat Pledger
Guinness World Records 2023
Guinness World Records, 2022. ISBN: 9781913484231. (Age:8+) Highly recommended.
Guinness World Records books are borrowed constantly by students of all ages keen to catch up on a variety of quite extraordinary records achieved by individuals and groups. The latest 2023 edition will provide endless reading and browsing.
The striking cover and end papers of year’s book has a space/final frontier theme and indeed the introduction is called Missions. The Contents page this year lists ten chapters to browse through with the headings of Space, Life on earth, Human Body, Extraordinary Exploits, Around the World in 300 Records, Epic Engineering, Entertainment, Modern World and finally the ever-popular Sports. Each chapter lists the topics or people discussed with adjacent page numbers and recognises one Hall of Fame award under each main heading.
In the Around the World in 300 Records section, Australia’s list of six records includes the Lone Pine Sanctuary which is the world’s oldest koala sanctuary set up in 1927 by Claude Reid as well as the oldest rainforest, the Daintree, which dates back to around 180 million years.
Towards the end of the book is a Stop Press section where entries that came in after the closing date for submissions are added. This makes for very interesting reading. Did you know the longest time standing on one leg blindfolded goes to an Australian, 12-year-old Max Petoe who stood for 35 minutes? There is always so much to discover in the Guinness World Records book and this latest edition will fly off Library shelves.
I loved this book, and I really wasn't expecting to. As much as I like Adam Hills, I was expecting this to be another TV star writing a book and it isn't, this is a book with twists and turns that is well written and enjoyable.
The story starts with Charley and her best friend George being accused of stealing a priceless painting, the two friends are enjoying a European tour as Charley is the latest internet singing sensation and George is the one who made her videos. As they continue their tour of Europe and keep up with their schoolwork - they are only 12 after all, they now need to solve the building case against them as artefacts go missing from each place they visit.
Charley and George must face accusations from their schoolmates, principal, and international police forces all while trying to keep the tour on track and convince the adults in their lives that they can handle anything the world throws at them. The two friends work together to solve the crimes and clear their names, even when faced with jealousy and sabotage from others in their class.
This is a brilliant book and would be great as a read aloud or as a class text. It is really well written and will engage both young readers and adults alike.
Where’s Wally? Destination: Everywhere! is the 30th anniversary addition of the ever popular Where’s Wally series. As fans of Where’s Wally will know, his journeys can take him to the past, present and future. This well-presented hard cover edition contains 12 classic scenes from past books which have been given a more complex makeover! These scenes include The Great Portrait Exhibition, Jurassic Games, Cake Factory, Pirate Panorama, Dragon Flyers and finishing with The Land of Wallies. This latest book offers the reader the opportunity to find more things that Wally saw on his travels but with multiple surprises instore. Each double page has a paragraph of information explaining what might be found as well as clues to something that may be hidden, doubled, or changed. So many clever twists to each page. This book would make a wonderful gift for all fans of Where’s Wally.
Themes Where’s Wally, Travel, Activities, Clues.
Kathryn Beilby
Storm Goliath by James Sellick and Craig Shuttlewood
New Frontier, 2022. ISBN: 9781922326546. (Age:5+)
Storm Goliath is a brightly illustrated picture book from the Dealing with Feeling series. The book tells the tale of one very angry gorilla called Goliath who finds it hard to manage his anger. Even the smallest things can set him off such as birds singing or the warthog whining. He is not a settled gorilla and once his anger sets in, he is destructive and very unkind. The detailed and expressive illustrations manage to convey the range of emotions that Goliath is expressing and the use of capital letters to shout the words to the reader allows the emotions to be felt.
Goliath is feeling BIG feelings as do so many children nowadays. They find it hard to self-regulate these emotions but as Goliath shows us it can happen with practice. The descriptions of hanger – anger made worse by hunger and sanger – anger expressed with sadness mixed in - are important words to share with children.
This book would be a valuable tool to share with children who are struggling to contain feelings of anger. My only personal concern is the use of the words ‘shut up’ in the first couple of pages. If I was reading it out aloud I would change it to ‘be quiet’.
One Last Secret is the latest thriller from prolific writer of popular women’s fiction, Adele Parks. The novel centres on British escort Dora, who has finally decided to leave her profession, marry her best friend and start a new life. The only issue is, Dora has received an offer too good to refuse from a long-time client. Daniel asks her to take one last trip with him, to pretend to be his girlfriend at a house party being held at a chateau in Southern France. He promises a few days of luxury, sunshine and fun and Dora reluctantly agrees. What should be a simple and straightforward job however, rapidly turns sour when she realises that Daniel’s eccentric group of friends might turn out to be downright dangerous.
Adele Parks is known for producing slick and suspenseful contemporary thrillers with a strong focus on their female protagonists. One Last Secret is no different. Every character has a hidden backstory and secret purpose. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns and the backdrop of the luxurious chateau is an excellent contrast to the dark dealings happening within. The sense of oppression builds throughout, as both Dora and the reader try to discover who is the sinister presence moving events along. One Last Secret will keep you guessing until the end. This book is recommended for all those who enjoy a dark and sultry thriller. However, be advised of the extremely adult and at times disturbing content.
Themes Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Secrets, Relationships, France.
Dinosaur Chew! The Iguanodon is another in the popular The World of Dinosaur Roar! series and this time explores the life of the iguanodon who loves to laze around chewing grass. After being challenged by Dinosaur Munch to try something new he decides to go on an adventure.
In rhyming text, the pre-schooler will be introduced to this grass eating dinosaur, learning about some of its habits and habitat on the way. He will meet other dinosaurs in the series and will have fun looking at the brightly coloured pictures of the land and its inhabitants.
The third in the series about Aaron Falk a federal investigator, following finds Aaron at a festival in the wine country in South Australia. A terrible discovery is made – a baby has been left by herself in a pram and her mother Kim Gillespie, has disappeared, never to be seen again. A year later Aaron is back, this time for a christening, and deep rifts and fractures appear in the tight-knit community as the community begins to remember the events of the night and the truth begins to surface.
Jane Harper is a clever author, drawing on the atmosphere of a wine growing area as she explores the relationships in the families that Aaron is close to. The festival is running again, and questions are being asked about what was really seen on that night. Aaron is also drawn to Gemma, the organiser of the festival and to her stepson Joel, who is grieving the loss of his father who had been killed by a motorist who left the scene. These two mysteries begin to fascinate Aaron as he reconstructs what has happened in the past.
I was left pondering the title Exiles and the sentence on the front cover ‘We see what we expect to see,’ as I tried to follow the clues and spot the red herrings in the plot. I was also fascinated by the relationships – Aaron’s growing feelings for Gemma and the life of the missing woman, Kim.
As always, there was depth and complexity to the story from Harper who is an outstanding author of rural noir and Exiles is a worthy successor to her other novels, The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.
Themes Mystery, Thriller, Australia Crime, Suspense, Family relationships.
Rabbit is traumatised after watching his father die in the woods and he and his mum have moved to a caravan park near the coast which she manages. Helped by his counsellor Louise, Rabbit is no longer mute but Joe Fludd, who befriends him, says he is “quiet as a rabbit” and the nickname sticks. Joe’s family are outsiders, associated with local thefts, vandalism and fires, especially Joe’s older brother Billy, but Rabbit is irresistibly drawn to Joe, with his smile "like daytime lightning”. "Me and Joe, we’re closer than mates. Close as you can get without being brothers.” p17. Rabbit’s internal life is soaked in dreams of impending doom, often featuring a white horse, a great, beautiful creature, so when Joe asks Rabbit if he wants to see a dead horse the two set out on what proves to be a dangerous mission.
The sensitive, stilted first person narrative, with its short sentences and staccato feel cleverly communicates Rabbit’s vulnerability and the intimacy of the boys’ relationship. Rabbit’s courage and bravery in the face of trauma is somehow redemptive, helping him make sense of the world he has been thrust into. The text is beautifully supported by atmospheric ink and wash pictures and page borders, a thoughtful book with a special feel to it. This is the sequel to We were Wolves but it does stand alone successfully.
Quickly slowly day by Martin Baynton and Rob Foote
Little Steps, 2022. ISBN: 9781922678515. (Age:2+) Recommended.
Quickly slowly day is one of the Book Hungry Bears book collection from stories used in The Book Hungry Bears TV show. In this brightly coloured story the concept of the passage of time is explained to the very young. On each double page spread the little bear is involved in an activity that is slow and then fast. Scenes of events during a typical day for a toddler are show, for example catching a bus, going to the park, going shopping and playing at home. So the reader will see the bear slowly waking up in the morning, and then quickly jumping out of bed; the bears race quickly to the bus stop and go slowly into town; little bear slowly climbs the steps to the top of the slide and then quickly goes down the slide and so on. Finally it is bed time and the little bear has a story read slowly and then quickly falls asleep
The text is minimal, ‘Quickly make a big mess, Slowly clear it up’, and it reads aloud very well. The very engaging illustrations are rendered in soft water colours and I loved the happy expressions on the faces of the parent bear and little bear. The drawings complement the text and make the familiar scenes come alive, reenforcing the notion of time. Children will have fun doing some of the activities in the teacher's notes and the book would be a very useful addition to a childcare centre or home library.
