How Beautiful is a gentle, thoughtful story complemented by stunning illustrations. A tiny caterpillar who has happily lived each day munching on leaves is suddenly plucked from a leaf and told he is beautiful. This leads him on a quest to find out what beautiful actually means. He asks a bear who says honeycomb is beautiful. He asks squirrels who say dry leaves are beautiful. He asks a mouse who says a mushroom that is shelter from the rain is beautiful. He asks a deer who says his golden seat is beautiful. He asks a mole who says his underground hole is beautiful. Along the journey a blackbird annoyingly disputes all of the animals and their choices of beautiful. The caterpillar begins to worry that he will never find the true meaning of beautiful until he and the other animals rest under the night sky and see how beautiful it is.
The striking colour palette of purples, oranges, reds and browns used in the illustrations are reminiscent of stories from the past. The illustrations are both detailed and appealing and offer the reader the opportunity to search for hidden creatures. This story very much reflects the saying, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ A lovely book to share with children of all ages.
Kathryn Schulz writes beautifully and profoundly about the grief of losing her father, and, in the same time period, finding the love of her life, designated only as ‘C’.
Lost and Found is subtitled ‘a memoir’ and while Schulz describes in detail these two significant events in her life, the book is less a memoir and more a philosophical discussion of the experience of loss and finding. It is truly an ode to life, for life consists of both these things, the deepest grief and the most joyous happiness. These are the two parts of the whole.
For readers who are experiencing the sorrow of loss, this book reflects that grief but also offers the uplifting recognition that loss and joy are intertwined; life combines both the good and the bad, and is in the end, an incredibly special gift. Schulz describes those special moments of wonder, at the beauty of the world around us, things that always offer the infinite wonder of the word ‘and’. There is always ‘and’ – something else that lingers and will come. ‘Life is and’, not either/or, it is many things at once, connected to everything.
This book would be a welcome comfort to those who are struggling with grief, and a reminder to those who are overwhelmed by daily stresses, that life is an amazing and wondrous thing; something we should stop and just experience in the moment, the infinite variety – the sad and the sublime, the beautiful, the magic, the wonder, the joy.
Themes Loss, Grief, Love, Life, Philosophy.
Helen Eddy
Bluey: Baby race by Bluey
Penguin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761044908. (Age:2+)
Another book from the very popular TV show, Bluey: Baby race will appeal to children because of the familiarity of the characters and settings. Adults reading the story to toddlers will also appreciate the message that the book contains: that each child and parent will need to run their own race – it is not a competition to be the first to crawl or walk. The very attractive cover gives a hint to the book’s contents, showing four different dog parents and their offspring, dressed in nappies, each baby at a different stage of development, Bluey crawling, while another one takes confident steps and others try to toddle.
The illustrations are full of bright colours and happy faces and siblings will delight in tracing the development of Bluey as he learns to crawl and walk and compare his adventures to how they learnt to crawl and walk as well. This book is a fun read and should prove popular with Bluey fans.
Themes Competitions, Infants, Child development.
Pat Pledger
Wild life: The extraordinary adventures of Sir David Attenborough by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe. Illus. by Helen Shoesmith
Sir David Attenborough’s life story is told in this engaging and visually appealing picture book, Wild Life: The Extraordinary Adventures of Sir David Attenborough. This beautifully illustrated new release will allow the young reader the opportunity to share in the life journey of Sir David from the age of eight to the present day. A gift of a fire salamander on his eighth birthday began the incredible journey of this man who is easily recognisable by his trademark blue shirts and is known all over the world for his work with, and deep love, of nature.
In 1954 Sir David realised it was becoming too hard to bring animals into TV studios, so he decided to set off exploring the world and film every strange and mysterious creature he saw. One of the places Sir David found the most magical was Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. He was intrigued by the creatures and the colour he found there. In 1979, 500 million people watched on their television screens the documentary Life on Earth which had taken three years to film. The whole viewing world was fascinated.
On Sir David’s travels he became more and more concerned about the environmental damage happening to our planet. He met with world leaders to express his concern and inform the world of the need to take more care of our declining habitats and the damage humans are causing. The final pages of the book showcase some of the unique animals from Sir David’s adventures and examples from his own childhood mini museum.
This wonderful book would make a perfect gift for a young child who loves nature and is a must-have for schools and public libraries.
Themes Sir David Attenborough, Biography, Nature, Wildlife, Naturalists, Conservation.
A lift-the-flap book that is sure to really appeal to toddlers, The Boo! Zoo is a colourful, humorous book by Campbell, author of the very popular Dear Zoo. The young child is invited to play Boo! with the animals at the zoo. Each double page spread greets a different Zoo animal, with a 'Hello … I can see you! And … said Boo!' when the flap is lifted. The refrain is one that young children will really enjoy repeating and they will have fun guessing what animal is under the flap, by looking at the small detail that protrudes – a lion’s paw, and an elephant’s trunk.
The flaps are brightly coloured with a single word labelled on it, and all the animals have such happy expressions on their faces as they say Boo! that readers and listeners will be unable to stop smiling.
This is sure to become a favourite read aloud in a family and is a book that beginning readers might like to try and read to younger siblings. The clear black print, the refrain and the labelling of the animals would all lend to a feeling of success.
The Boo! Zoo would be a perfect gift to a young child and one that would become a family keeper.
Themes Zoos, Animals, Games.
Pat Pledger
Wombat underground: A wildfire survival story by Sarah L. Thomson. Illus. by Charles Santoso
Little Brown & Co., 2022. ISBN: 9780316707060. (Age:4+) Highly recommended.
The story of animals sharing a wombat’s burrow to escape a bushfire has reached the ears of US author, Sarah Thomson. Intrigued with the idea she has built a story to present to children for whom Australian animals are very different and has produced a charming picture book sure to be loved by all who read it.
Now living in Sydney, artist, Santoso loves drawing little things and the illustrations in this book showcase his close observation of the Australian bush and its creatures. Readers will readily understand how the wombat can build such deep burrows when spying the long claws on the cover, and seeing it sleeping in its burrow, claws prominently displayed. The illustrations reveal a whole range of Australian animals, framed within the bush they live in, looking for a place of refuge when the sky turns red with flames. The immediate impact of the bushfire is comprehended by the animals and the readers as they realise there is no place to hide, nowhere to run, finding refuge with the wombat when all seems lost.
The text reveals the wallaby and echidna nibbling at the grass, the skink soaking up the heat from the sun’s rays. But as it get hotter, the water dries up, the skink needs to find shade and the grass becomes brittle.
Suddenly lightning ignites a wildfire. Flames and hot winds cause the animals to run towards the hole in the hill, where wombat sleeps on, unconcerned. The animals arrive at the entrance, and wombat initially bares his teeth and readies his claws defensively. But seeing the state of the animals blistered, burnt and with stinging eyes, he relents offering them his shelter. There they take cover through the night. Safe from the flames.
At the end of the book are two pages abut Australian bushfires, how they start and the destruction they cause, and while talking about something so specific, the wider message is one of offering refuge to those in need, putting aside differences and history, being ready to help in times of crisis. It is a lesson we can all digest, ponder and discuss, particularly in the classroom, where some children may be refugees and others from families who have come to Australia because of flashpoints in their own countries.
The illustrations describe the Australian bush in detail. Younger readers will delight picking out the animals they can see, recognising plants and terrain, seeing the way a bushfire takes hold and destroys - causing them to think back to the images they have seen recently on television when bushfires had seemed to be raging across Australia.
A number of other books on fire in Australia have been recently published and an astute teacher or parent will gather them all to discuss what lessons can be learnt. (Fire (2014) Jackie French, Spark (2016) Adam Wallace, Where there’s smoke (2019) Phil Cummings to name a few.) Teaching notes are available.
Themes Bush fires, Wildfires, Australian animals, Wombats, Refugees, Shelter.
Fran Knight
The burpee bears by Joe Wicks and Vivian French. Illus. by Paul Howard
Along with author Vivian French, fitness coach Joe Wicks has written his first children’s book in a new series, The Burpee Bears. This brightly illustrated and energetic picture book is about a busy family of bears who share their everyday life. The very active Daddy Bear is awake first and encourages his three young bear cubs to get up and ready for the day. Young readers will identify with each of the diverse personalities of the three bear cubs who want different things for breakfast or do their own special activities and take ages to get ready to go out. Daddy Bear is full of encouragement to get moving and go on a big adventure. The family has a fun day outdoors, despite the changing weather, and have a family meal under the stars. As an added bonus for readers, the recipes for the healthy meals are included at the end of the book as well as warm up and wind down exercise activities.
Joe Wicks may be unfamiliar to many Australian readers but is known to millions of British fans as 'the Body Coach'. Given the title, 'the nation's PE teacher' during the 2020 lockdown, he delivered online fitness sessions to children and adults every day. He was awarded an MBE in October 2020 for this work during the global pandemic.
Set in the world of Fable and Namesake, The last legacy is a stand-alone novel that delves deep into the world of the Roths, a family notorious for selling false gems and with a name for dire deeds. When Byrn receives a letter from her Uncle Henrik Roth, she returns to Bastian, hoping that she will find a place in this family. She has been brought up in faraway Nimshire by her great aunt Sariah as a proper young lady knowing what to wear and how to behave, but dreams of being accepted for the skills she could bring to the family. When she arrives, she finds an infamous family ruled over with an iron fist by her Uncle Henrik who wants to make the family business legitimate by joining the Guild. He thinks that Bryn will be able to teach them manners and how to dress but also has plans for her to join in marriage with another of the influential families headed by Simon. Bryn however has other ideas, especially as she is drawn to the silversmith Ezra.
Young makes a study of the world of the merchants and guilds, and the machinations that take place when the Roth family wants to move up the social ladder away from the business that caused her parents’ deaths. Bryn takes her time trying to work out the power structure of the Roth family, while being drawn into the dangerous work that Henrik presides over.
The slow burning romance between Bryn and Ezra is a plus for romance lovers, and the descriptions of Bryn’s tea house, the beautiful silver and fabulous clothes are wonderful. But it is the engrossing story of a strong, intelligent, and thoughtful young woman coming of age and taking power to find a place in the world that keeps the reader’s interest.
Fans of Young will delight in The last legacy while those new to the world will want to read the other books in the series, or move onto Six of crows by Leigh Bardugo or Devil’s ballast by Meg Caddy.
The boy who hatched monsters is the third in The Imp Child trilogy written by WA author and teacher T.C. Shelley. These books spring from such a fertile and rich imaginative world that it is recommended that they are read in order, starting with The Monster who wasn't and Werewolves who weren't. Beginning with the third means that too much of the complicated character and plot evolution is missed leaving too many gaps for the reader to be able to fill in. The trilogy is recommended. It is a complicated but satisfying read.
There are many characters in these books. In fact, it seems, the whole of "monsterkind' inhabits these pages. There are leprechauns, pixies, trolls, boggarts, imps, banshees, brownies, goblins, trolls, ogres and more. The kingdom they inhabit is "The Hole"- a deep cavern which is the hub of the monster's lair deep under the earth's surface but accessible through street drain holes. At street level are the humans. We meet Russell who lives on the streets and his dog Kylie who first warns our hero Sam of the danger of Maggie an ancient Banshee who is hunting him down. Sam lives in the Kavanagh household with his "parents" Michelle and Richard. Sam is half monster/half fairy. He spends much of his time on the roof of the house at Brighton Beach. The house must be a magnificent old house because on its roof are gargoyles and if you didn't know it before - gargoyles are living creatures - of a sort! They are Sam's friends along with Daniel, the angel and a dove Yonah, so another layer of heavenly characters are added into the mix.
Monsters can only be produced by the evil ogre King Thunderguts who sighs beads into being. As sighs are made of regrets, fears and sadness, the beings produced are bad. Sam has produced a being through a sneeze and Queen Maggie wants him to produce an army of wicked ogres. When Sam refuses, Maggie wreaks sinister and vicious vengeance in the style of The Pied Piper of Hamelin on the children of Brighton and Hove. Outright warfare breaks out and it's bloodthirsty and violent.
The boy who hatched monsters, even more fanciful and populated by even more fantastic creatures than C.S Lewis's The lion, the witch and the wardrobe, nevertheless is reminiscent of the latter. The ending is climactic and mirrors, in a way, the rising of Aslan, although it is far more direct and not in the least reliant on symbolism. This makes the book (and the series) very powerful in its conception and unusual in the current literary environment because of its recognition of Christianity.
The foreword of the book contains a section from The Odyssey, Book X11, attrib. Homer, translated by Solomon Jedidiah (1865) about the Sirens. This reference sets the tone for the monsterlife that emerges from the pages of The boy who hatched monsters to be battled and changed for the better. Some very deep and important humanitarian themes arise.
You will never fail to notice gargoyles on a roof again and you will be looking out for monsters after reading The boy who hatched monsters.
Themes Magical, Mythical creatures, Humans, The soul, Good and evil, Belonging, Leadership.
The Last Firefox by Welsh writer Lee Newbery is a warm and easy read for young people as they bridge the years from primary into secondary school. The story unfolds in the first person voice through the eyes of the wholly likeable main character Charlie Challinor. Charlie is a worrier. He is quiet and nervous. The story opens with Charlie escaping from a goose and the reader quickly realises that Charlie has many fears including being the target of two bullies - Will and Zack.
Charlie is in year six. He has two dads who are planning to adopt a baby. This is unsettling for him but he has a tree house to escape to and hang out in with his two best friends, Lippy and Roo. The current politically correct penchant for presenting a mixture of characters and family dynamics is addressed in a natural way.
Looming over the small town of Bryncastell, in which Charlie lives, there is a crooked grey castle. Charlie ventures there alone as part of a game that he is playing with his friends. Through a mysterious vine covered door he encounters a boy from another world and he is forced to rescue and guard the last remaining firefox in the world. The agonies and dangers of trying to keep this lovely, vulnerable, furry, flammable fox secretly from everybody and safely away from a frightening otherworldly hunter make Charlie grow up and develop bravery fast.
The difficulties of the subterfuge, the need to protect a vulnerable fox and the risk from the sinister hunter enable Charlie's growth of trust in a widening group of people and the ability to stand up to bullies. With the development of maturity he is able to face the worries in his world.
In The last Firefox, Newbery has written a warm and engaging story that encompasses adventure, excitement, humour, a little bit of magic and a wonderful depiction of a young boy's development of confidence as he negotiates the personalities in his year six school classroom, changes in his home life and finding his place in his small town community.
The text is accompanied by the delightful illustrations of middle grade book illustrator, Laura Catalan.
Young people, especially those in year six, will find The last Firefox an easy to engage with, enjoyable and relatable story.
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760526870. (Age:8+) Recommended.
Well-known Australian children’s author Anh Do has written a new book to join his very popular Wolf Girl, Sky Dragon, Ninja Kid and E-Boy series already in print. For those children who love sport and competition, The Champ contains similar themes to the other books but has a focus on many things sport related.
Summer and her older brother Carl have lost their parents in an accident and must look after themselves. Carl excels at sport but Summer struggles with any sort of physical activity until one day something mysterious happens and life for Summer and Carl changes in an instant. A strange purple light appears and the house the children live in is badly damaged. Flaming purple goop showers Summer and then she is knocked out by falling bricks and timber. She awakes in a hospital and while she in not badly injured her older brother Carl is. He has lost the use of his legs and will need to rely on a wheelchair for mobility. While he remains in hospital, Summer discovers she has amazing sporting powers and strength.
Summer is keen to test her new sporting and physical abilities at the local fair she attends with her best friend, Wilbur, and wins two tickets to the Gladiator Games. She takes Carl and while he does not want her to compete, Summer goes against his wishes, and dresses in disguise to take on the robot, Gemini. Needless to say, Summer excels but has come under the radar of the dreaded People’s Services who enter the arena. She escapes from them but must now be careful. Carl decides that Summer should use her new powers for good and help those in danger especially against the evil librarian who is terrorising the city.
This book has plenty of fast-paced action to keep the reader engaged. With illustrations throughout and highlighted key words, this book will appeal to those middle grade readers who respond well to the use of visuals to break up the number of words on the page.
This is graphic novel version of the well-known book The Famous Five: Five go adventuring again by Enid Blyton (this one is by Beja and Natael).
I must admit that I never read this series as a child, I was more taken by the Enchanted Wood series, however I recognise the writing style of Enid Blyton, even though it is a graphic novel.
This book tells the story of the Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog on Kirrin Island. Although it is meant to be holidays their Aunt and Uncle bring in a tutor to help the children revise over the holidays and an architect to work through a renovation.
The children sense that these two men are suspicious, and the story follows their adventures to find out what they are really doing on the island and then they hatch a plan to get the evidence.
I think this graphic novel version is a great way of introducing this series to younger or more reluctant readers, as it is easy to follow and understand and still seems to keep elements of Enid Blyton’s writing style – even with the story being 80 years old!
The illustrations are great, and I think they are a good mix of the original style of images from the books and drawings that enhance a graphic novel. The use of large words, speech bubbles and facial expressions enable to reader to use the pictures to add meaning to the text.
I think that this graphic novel is a good edition to the Famous Five/Enid Blyton series and am now keen to find some of the others and read them too. Readers from approximately 7 years and up would love these, in particular those who are reluctant readers and enjoy illustrations to assist the text.
The tempting front cover belies the title, as Alfie is shown with some consternation about the mouse above his head. Alfie’s eyes look upward with some trepidation, his ears in a sad flop across his face, complete with a dejected mouth. What wonderful characteristics are displayed with a few strokes of the illustrator’s pen, enough to make any reader want to look inside.
Alfie longs to be brave like other dogs. After all he comes from exceptional stock, but he loves nothing more than to snuggle into his mum’s lap on the couch, especially when he finds things a little upsetting. The garden is a good place to hide, while going on a walk sees him baulk at a cat that crosses his path. When taken to the beach he prefers sniffing at the seaweed, rather than face the waves, while going to a farm with those very large cows sees him chat to the birds somewhere else. He knows he is not brave, and wishes that he were, but small things scare him. Young readers will love hearing about Alfie, recognising their own fears of things out of the ordinary in their lives.
His family loves him and that is what is important but he would like to be brave.
Each group of sentences ends with ‘he was not the bravest dog’, a refrain that reads will love to remember and join in when it comes around.
The vibrant illustrations show a loving family with Alfie at the core. The illustrations model good behaviour with a pet, taking him on walks, taking him on family outings, allowing him to be on the couch, and loving him no matter what. The look on Alfie’s face says so much, and kids will enjoy seeing how a few strokes of the pen can give so much expression to the dog’s face.
Of course in the end, Alfie shows his worth, barking at a snake to alert his dad’s attention. All is right with the world, Alfie is the bravest dog.
A delightful picture book by Australian of the Year (2018) recipient, Dr Richard Harris, himself revealing a courage and level of bravery we can only marvel at.
Simon Howe has illustrated a number of picture books, and is well known for his work in animation.
Themes Bravery, Courage, Dogs, Family.
Fran Knight
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup by Andy Sagar
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup by London and Cambridge based author Andy Sagar, is a wild trip into a world of pure fantasy. The story begins within the setting of a travelling circus (probably of the mid to late 1800s) when human oddities (freaks) were displayed to the crowds as part of the show. Our hero, Yesterday Crumb, is such a freak, an orphan, dumped with the show - a girl with fox ears. Despite the jeers and horrified curiosity of the crowd and the cruelty of her minders, Yesterday is feisty. She escapes from the circus into a world of magical cake and tea, witches and magical folk of all kinds.
The next setting is a teapot called Dwimmerly end which is capable of travel. It is a fantastical, quirky multi-coloured and patterned teapot, full of quirky characters, rooms and gardens, which functions as a magical tearoom serving magical teas to magic folk. The teapot travels to imaginary and real settings in England on its flamingo legs. Yesterday encounters a cast of characters who help her on her quest to remove the shard of ice that has lodged in her heart through the evil machinations of Mr Weep, the King of the Dead. She discovers that she is a changeling and that she has lost her magic. Under the tutelage of the sweet witch, Miss Dumpling, Yesterday learns to regain her magic. She learns some truths about her past, some of which are very hard to accept. The cast of characters include the quite quirkily delightful Jack, Widdershins, Madrigal and Miss Dumpling, the villainous Mr Weep and the powerful Lady Saturnine. We learn of the roles and regulations in the witch kingdom as Yesterday learns to perfect her potions in order to become a licensed witch permitted to practice by the Royal College of Witches.
The magic is in the tea, with such potions as Jumbling Jasmine, Verdant Vanilla, Steeped Storm and Perfect Panacea being able to be used for a variety of powerful purposes. With time running out, Yesterday has to consolidate her powers, face the evil Mr Weep and complete her quest. The matter of her disappeared mother is still an unresolved mystery at the end of the book. The reader has to wait for the next book in the Yesterday Crumb series for more adventures of the teashop.
Note to teachers, librarians and parents: Chapter 18 and 19 deal with the kingdom of death/ the afterlife and the passageway to that place. The place is described as very grim. This may be unsuitable for children who are dealing with death or serious illness themselves or in their family. Sensitivity is needed around this subject. Although children know that this book is fantasy, they may not be able to distinguish that the depiction of the afterlife is also imaginary.
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup drops readers into a very strange world. It is a richly descriptive, imaginative romp that is full of the warmth of friendship, the acceptance of difference and the power of friendships. It may be a challenge for young readers to acquaint and adapt themselves in order to sink into this peculiar imaginary world. It will be very interesting to see the take up of readership of Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup and whether children will be capable of the suspension of reality that this book requires.
Themes Magic, Fantasy, Belonging, Celebration of difference.
This graphic novel is about a couple of ghosts (which although they are illustrated as ghosts, seems like a metaphor for people who do not want to be in the limelight, who are quiet, shy and hide away due to worry and darker days), who meet and begin to form a friendship.
Very quickly we see that Socks is struggling. They talk of their trouble being around people and it is easy to see that they overthink everything that happens around them. SG (the other Ghost) is a bit more outgoing and tries very hard to make Socks feel comfortable, however unfortunately in their mission to find other like them, they overwhelm Socks and they go home to bed, not surfacing for a number of days.
Essentially I think this book is about depression, the realities of hard days and loneliness but also of friendship and how finding someone who gets you and will listen is so important. The Sad Ghost Club 2 explicitly deals with someone who doesn't want to get out of bed or answer the phone for days, how they go back over every single thing they say, do or experience and how a simple thing can become very overwhelming.
These topics are presented in a graphic novel form, and although there are lots of textless images, or minimal text this book says a lot. As I was reading it I imagined middle school to upper secondary students (even young adults) accessing this text and being able to identify with the characters and how they were feeling. It gives simple strategies such as going for a walk, getting out of bed, trying a yummy food as examples of ways to improve your day and then goes to finding your tribe of people who are similar to you, and being able to form connections and friendships whilst being your true self.
I think this book would be a great addition to any secondary library, and even though it is very simple it easily puts its message on the page for the reader to engage with. The illustrations are to be commended as they are the true hero of this book. There are lots of pages with no or minimal words, however the pictures really do tell a thousand words when you begin to look closely and put it all together. It would be a great to study as part of a literacy topic or through Health lessons.
