We are all kind by P. Crumble and Jonathon Bentley
Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781760972363.
Highly recommended. "I really really really . . . LOVE this
beautiful book!" writes Magda Szubanski on the front cover and I
really really really . . . think the same thing. I read it to
my co-reviewers, a year 5 class, just to see if I was on track and
yes, they agree.
Jonathon Bentley's illustrations delight the reader on the front
cover and throughout. The smiles on the faces of the animals are
full of interest, concern and suggest a team approach.
Each double page contains a 4 line verse beginning with repetition
of "We are All KIND" with the second and fourth line rhyming. As
each page is turned the same pattern and rhythm are repeated with a
comforting poetic effect - delightful for the reader and delightful
for the child.
Softly sketched and coloured illustrations of different animals
appear on each page. The scenarios include lending a hand, the
healing power of love, mending hurts, strangers becoming friends,
hospitality, steadfastness, healing loneliness, sharing, inclusion
and forgiveness. Larger themes about mutually caring for the earth
and doing what is right as an individual in order to look after the
group are the culmination of the book.
This book is worthy of multiple re-readings. It's so full of love
and joy. I can see it as a home staple bed time story, a favourite
in the Junior School library and on every discerning grandparents'
shopping list. With values like this, presented by such an engaging
author, read by a loving adult, the lucky child will be cocooned in
kindness and motivated to do what is kind.
Wendy Jeffrey
Wreck this picture book by Keri Smith
Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241449455.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Subtitled How to make a
book come to life this irreverent, funny and instructive book
will be adored by its readers, seeing such a range of different
words, uses and applications attributed to a book. A book this
author says, only comes to life when it is being used. It is not
meant to live its life sitting on a shelf, but to be taken down and
used.
And the uses to which this author puts the book are fanciful and
exceedingly funny. The old rules assigned to a book involves not
throwing them, not being rough, not folding the pages etc. have put
the book under wraps as if it it were something very precious,
needing to be kept under glass. But not so. A book needs to be woken
up, shaken, stirred, dressed up, played with, touched and tasted.
The whole encourages children to do all of these things: to interact
with the book, to feel it, smell it, taste it and fold it. Each
double page shows a different use to be made of the book,
encouraging imaginative play with the book, showing in the images
just what can be done. You can wear the book, or read it upside
down, throw a party for the book, hide a secret message within its
pages, be the storm described in the book, and hug the book.
Designed to take kids out of their comfort zones regarding books,
the text and images plays with the use they usually consign to
books, encouraging them to see what else can be done, how they can
interact with a book, and widen their use of them.Wonderful
illustrations, alive with colour and imagination, different fonts
and symbols, instructions and mandates, reading like a manual and
guide book cover each page, ensuring the readers will be equally
enthralled following the tutorial of how to wreck a book.
Themes: Books, Reading, Humour.
Fran Knight
Timeline Science and Technology: A Visual History of Our World by Peter Goes
Gecko Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781776573004.
(Age: 8+) The author of two previous non-fiction books, Timeline:
A Visual History of our World and Rivers: A Visual History
from River to Sea, Peter Goes, has continued his theme with
his latest book Timeline Science and Technology. This new
addition looks at the history of inventions, discoveries and
technology that has shaped our world from the Stone Age to the
present day. This book is presented as a large format read and has
different coloured double pages marking the various periods of time
discussed. There is a paragraph synopsis explaining the time under
discussion and then a visual timeline that gives consideration to
important discoveries, inventions and events. The written
information curves around the clever and comical graphic images and
while the text is rather small and confusing to follow at times, it
presents many interesting and obscure facts. For example in the high
middle ages a curfew bell rang in the evening as a signal to put out
all hearths and fires, in order to avoid blazes in wooden buildings
and in 1974 Art Fry created the first Post-It Note using the
low-stick adhesive formulated six years earlier by his colleague.
This is a book to be shared between one or two readers or perused by
an individual. There is so much information and knowledge to be
discovered and those who love non-fiction facts throughout history
will value this very different read. Themes: Timelines, Science,
Technology, Entertainment, Medicine, Inventions, Discoveries.
Kathryn Beilby
Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold
Penric and Desdemona (Publication order 9), Spectrum
Literary Agency, 2020. ASIN: B08L88PCTP.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Another novella in the Penric
and
Desdemona series is always welcome and this time Bujold
takes us back to an earlier time in Penric's life. Falling between Penric's
Fox and Penric's Mission, the story takes place in
Lodi on Bastard's Eve, a time of celebration for the people living
in this canal city. Penric is hoping for time off but finds himself
called to minister to a madman who appears to have been taken over
by a wild demon. What follows is a wild chase to try and capture the
runaway man, and when this doesn't happen easily Penric asks for the
help of the saint in finding him and taking the demon out of him.
Bujold has added another city to the wonderful world that Penric and
Desdemona inhabit, and it was fun to follow Penric's adventures as
he travels across to islands, uses canals and searches the
warehouses of this water bound place. The saint too, is unexpected,
a young inexperienced girl, who is intelligent and has hidden
talents. Other characters are fully fleshed out, and some plot
twists will keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
Fans of the series will enjoy the warmth of this novella; Bujold
always manages to write a feel-good story that leaves the reader
satisfied. Those new to the series would probably enjoy them more by
starting with the first one, and reading them in chronological
order, rather than the publishing order.
Pat Pledger
Dog by Shaun Tan
Allen & Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760526139.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Dog (2020) is a reissue of a
story published in 2018 in Tales from the inner city, which
explored many vistas of city life and the relationship between the
city and its inhabitants. In this excerpt, Dog, Tan explores
the relationship between humans and dogs, showing the continuous
cycle of life and death, of rebirth and renewal, seen through the
panoply of time and place.
'Every time I see people walking their dogs at my local park, I
never cease to be heartened by the endurance and affection of this
bond, its strangeness, its apparent naturalness' (Tan, included as an
afterword in this book)
He goes on to tell stories of dogs mourning their owners' deaths,
one waiting patiently at a railway station for nine years,
underlining the bond that exists between people and their dogs.
Over millennia, dogs have been brave, loyal, trusted companions, and
Tan shows this in his glorious images produced with thickly applied
oil paint, covering each double page.
In the beginning a person and a dog see each other across the way
and walk together side by side. Tan shows the pair walking across
the yellow sun lit pages, a stunning contrast to the pages which
follow: black, greys and dark blues showing a death, separation and
a decline in the relationship between human and dog. Following,
Tan's half dozen or so pages uncover the progress of history. In
great luminous spreads of colour, Tan reveals a range of historical
eras, fires, ice ages, the advent of agriculture, the industrial
revolution, the rise of the railway and roads, the last unveiling a
look passing between a dog and a woman on the other side of the
road. They come together, appropriately on a zebra crossing, and
walk on as if they have never been apart. In this way the pair seem
destined to walk together for millennia to come, a natural place for
both to be, a stunningly positive note on which to end.
Tan's images are stunning, with hints of Jeffrey Smart adding to
their realistic portrayal of our surrounds. The swathes of colour
across each page recall journeys, roads, destinations, pilgrimages,
bridges, rail lines, as the person hunts, fishes, toils in the
field, fights in a war.
Children will pore over the images, reading the sparse prose for
greater elucidation, developing their understandings of how an
exceptional artist works.
Themes: Understanding, Dogs, History.
Fran Knight
The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
The Trials of Apollo. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9780141364087.
(Age: 11+) Recommended. In a return to Percy Jackson's world, Apollo
- in his human form as teen, Lester Papadopoulos - must go into the
final battle against the opposition of Nero and his extreme power,
to enable Apollo to return to Mount Olympus. The fight is also
against every awful and mythological enemy that has come under the
power of the last emperor Nero. Meg is at his side and she is trying
to overcome her history as Nero's adopted daughter while being
Lester's 'Master' in the fight. The engagement of oracles,
underground troglodytes and other demi-gods all work together to
assist Lester (Apollo) to finally face the worst of the conflicts,
but there is wounding, fear and the possibility that Apollo may lose
his challenge and be trapped in human form without the opportunity
to return to his godly form . . . and does he even want to give up
his humanity?
In the world of Greek Mythology and the Percy Jackson
series, this is a concluding story in the Trials of Apollo.
Although it would best be read after the preceding four episodes of
the trials, it is not impossible to read without prior knowledge.
Fortunately, there is a glossary to explain all the mythology
terminology and creatures. Rick Riordan has been able to introduce
young readers to ancient mythology through his exciting quest and
battle scenarios and they love the 'fantasy' elements and the
adrenaline-charged action. With Haiku to foreshadow each chapter and
fast-paced writing, there are no dull moments. Needing some maturity
to deal with the aggressive combat within the myths of ancient
worlds, this is best suited to readers aged 11+. But they will love
the action! Themes: Mythology; Action/Adventure.
Carolyn Hull
The Missing Prince by John Flanagan
Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger, bk. 4. Random House
Australia, 2020. 295pp. ISBN: 9781760890452.
(Ages 10+) Highly recommended. In The Missing Prince John
Flanagan has written another very satisfying and thrilling adventure
which ends on a knife edge. This is the fourth in The Royal
Ranger series in which Rangers, Will and Maddie, are sent on a
recovery mission by King Duncan of Araluen. The two have to travel
into the Gallic kingdom and find King Philippe's son Giles, who is
being held against his will by power hungry Baron Lassigny in
Chateau des Falaises. Rangers are trained to have superior skills
and 'use their brains first to avoid fighting' and these two are no
exception. Will is the older mentor and teenage Maddie is second in
line to the Araluen throne. They disguise themselves as father and
daughter entertainers. Will is a jongleur, or minstrel, and Maddie
becomes deft at knife throwing and juggling. On their journey they
successfully keep their real identity secret and humorously thwart
ham-fisted attempts to follow them and rob them by a bunch of
thieves called the Black Vultures. Things turn very serious and
nail-biting once they arrive at the Baron's Chateau and come under
his scrutiny. Maddie must do the tricky work of locating Giles in
the Chateau and then they must try and rescue him.
Flanagan writes for young people but never talks down to his
audience. Hence this book can even be enjoyed by adults who want an
adventure set in imaginary medieval-like times. He uses interesting
descriptions and we learn about castles, weaponry and fighting
tactics. Flanagan conjures up very likeable characters. Maddie is a
welcome brave and determined female character who can't sing for
peanuts. Will is a little more complex with a simmering dislike of
bullies and arrogance that he only just keeps under control. Some of
their foe suffer quite brutal wounds but they all deserve it! It is
possible to read this book without having read the three prior to
it, however they are definitely worth reading to see the growth of
Maddie in her role as Royal Ranger. The Missing Prince
continues in volume 5.
Jo Marshall
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780063056718.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. The first chapter opens with
Enchanted slowly regaining consciousness in the chaos of a
blood-splattered room, Korey hanging face-down across a bed, and
police pounding outside the door. Then we are stepped back to the
events that led to this day. Enchanted Jones is a 17 year old, in
her last year of school, a champion of the swimming team, but her
real interest is singing and she is determined to overcome her
parents' reservations and win an auditioning competition.
A chance meeting sees Korey Fields walk into her life. He is 28
years old, famous, a singing idol, and he is interested in her and
her songs. It is a gradual process, text messages, snatched moments,
he is genuinely impressed by her voice, cares for her and wants to
help her succeed. It is easy to be drawn to him, but before she can
really work out how it happened Enchanted finds herself trapped by a
violent manipulator.
Jackson's description of the gradual process of grooming by Korey is
very realistic. He is charming, he shares her taste in songs, and he
reveals episodes from his own path into the music industry as a 14
year old, so that Enchanted sees his vulnerable side. But with time
she discovers there is also a 'Mr Hyde' side to him that is angry,
cruel and violent. And she has become so isolated from the people
that care about her that there is no way of escape from him.
The book comes with a content warning about mentions of sexual
abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping and addiction to
opioids. But the scenes are not graphic, the focus is more on the
gradual sense of degradation, fear and powerlessness that trap
Enchanted, and provide insight into the situation of many victims of
domestic violence and sexual assault.
The story is fast-paced, with short chapters that carry the reader
along, and there is a twist in the narrative that adds another
element of mystery, keeping readers guessing. Readers of gritty
books like On
the come up by Angie Thomas will also enjoy this book
about an aspiring young black singer who finds herself alone facing
a situation that is beyond anything she could have predicted.
Themes: Entrapment, Sexual abuse, Violence.
Helen Eddy
Rain before rainbows by Smriti Halls
Illus. by David Litchfield. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781406382358.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Rain Before Rainbows is
a very poignant and thoughtful story of the journey a young girl and
fox take while filled with worries and sadness. They have
difficulties to overcome and do so through their own courage and
resilience. Along the way they find companions to support and guide
them as they journey to reach a happier and more hopeful place.
The visually stunning and colourful illustrations support the simple
yet meaningful rhyming text, i.e. "Thunder will rumble, and
lightning will flash. The wind will start blowing and tall waves
will crash." The reader is drawn into exploring each illustration
with great delight and awe.
This is a story to be shared and discussed with younger readers as
the message and meaning may not be necessarily obvious at first
glance. It is a story that will fill both adults and children with
hope that things can get better. Teacher's
notes are available.
Themes: Worries, Journey, Courage, Friends, Hope.
Kathryn Beilby
It's ok to cry by Molly Potter
Illus. by Sarah Jennings. Featherstone: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
ISBN: 9781472942425.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. It's ok to cry is a refreshing
read covering many scenarios with children and their feelings. The
book begins with a thoughtful introduction for the reader explaining
that it is ok to cry and that everyone needs to express how they are
feeling. The contents page covers a myriad of feelings and
situations that enables a quick search on a particular area of
interest or need. There is a particular focus on boys and emotions
before delving into more general areas for both genders. Topics
under discussion include positive and negative feelings, feelings
that take over, feelings that can make you cry, feelings that
involve other people, uncomfortable feelings as well as many others.
Each double page spread has colourful illustrations with an easy to
follow text. There is a 'It's good to know' box at the end of each
double page to sum up the feelings and situations discussed. Towards
the end of the book is a page full of children and their feelings
which allows the reader the opportunity to offer ideas as to why
they are feeling a particular way. There are notes for parents and
carers about helping boys to become emotionally intelligent and
ideas for strategies to help children to deal with uncomfortable
feelings.
This book is an important read for parents to share with their
children or a teacher to share with their class. It is also a
perfect book for an independent reader to browse through on their
own. Themes: Feelings, Well being, Children, Emotional intelligence,
Boys and feelings.
Kathryn Beilby
Perfect tunes by Emily Gould
Scribner, 2020. ISBN: 9781471175053.
(Age: Adult) This is an intriguing story of a talented woman who has
grown up with music at the heart of her early life. Laura has always
loved music and in her adolescent years she wrote a 'perfect' song.
This impacted on her life choices, defining her 'self' and her
career. As she matured, however, she gradually became unsure of
herself and felt that she had been changed by particular events in
her life, particularly in her experience of motherhood.
Later in life, living in New York, Laura meets her old friend and,
in considering how much her friend has changed, wonders how much she
herself is also very different to her younger self, and obliquely,
how much her old self is still yearning for the excitement of her
youth. As a mother she is more wary of situations where she may be
tempted to return to her youthful ways. When she is walking through
the museum one day, she wonders if 'the music in her head has gone
silent'. Yet she dreams of whether she might still be considered as
the hot entertainer of her youth, as she is younger than most of the
other mothers whose lives she shares.
The yearning to recreate herself and to enjoy the excitement of the
musical world is in contrast to her role as a loving mother. This
narrative positions us to consider whether we are the same person we
were in our youth, or if growing old has changed us totally. We are
left to ponder whether the challenge to pursue her old talents, that
may take her back to the excitement of her previous life, would be
satisfying, or whether motherhood will remain as her role and thus
define her life, but confine her talents.
With its explicit sexual description and references, and its adult
themes, this novel would be appropriate for adolescent and adult
readers.
Elizabeth Bondar
Santa Jaws by Mark Sperring
Illus. by Sophie Corrigan. Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781408897812.
(Age: 2+) Highly recommended. Shelly the shark is all set to make
this Christmas a very festive one. She turns her cave into a Santa
grotto and invites the little fishes to come in, but they are very
wary and swim away. However, Sid the squid is very excited as he has
not met Santa before: . . . today's my LUCKY, LUCKY day. Golly, whizz and gee! For guess WHO's meeting Santa Claus? Yes, me! Yes, me! Yes, me!
When he swims in finds that it is Shelly the shark in her diving
Santa suit. Can he trust her?
This is a hilarious read aloud, from the creators of Mince
Spies. The cadence of the rhythm and rhyming words make
a rollicking read and young children will love to sing out the 'Yes,
me!' And 'I am!' refrains along with Sid. The person reading it
aloud can also make the story lots of fun by coming up with voices
to suit the two main characters, who each have their own
characteristics. Readers will identify with Sid and his desire to
meet Santa, while relating to Shelly who has no friends and is not
trusted by anyone. She is a misunderstood creature, and it was
lovely to see Sid working with her to bring joy to all the sea
creatures.
Illustrations are cute with lots of fishy details to examine and
giggle over. Sid the squid with his long pink tentacles and big
black eyes is a hoot. The double page spread where he realises that
there was not a real Santa in the cave is hilarious, showing
Shelly's gleaming white teeth and little Sid's tentacles bunched
together. Newly independent readers will love to give this one a go
as well with the illustrations complementing the narrative.
A fabulous fun Christmas book, it is perfect as a bedtime story as
well and has become a firm favourite with my little grandson.
Pat Pledger
Tinsel: The girls who invented Christmas by Sibeal Pounder
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526619273.
(Age: 8+) Highly Recommended. Tinsel: The Girls who Invented
Christmas is a cleverly written book by Sibeal Pounder, author
of the popular Witch Wars and Bad Mermaids series.
What if history had it all wrong and Christmas and the Santa story
was really begun by two young girls? This very exciting and humorous
story brings in traditions of Christmas that readers of all ages
will relate to. Blanche Claus lives under a bridge in London of long
ago when poor orphaned children struggled to survive. She has no
inclination or resources to embrace the festive season and would
prefer to sleep through it. However on one special evening she is
given a magical red bauble by an old woman. In the bauble she sees a
surprising image and this begins her journey. She finds an abandoned
horse she names Rudy and promises to care for her forever. While
riding Rudy she meets Rinki, another orphaned child, and they share
a mince-pie picnic. They lose touch but eventually find each other
again and the mince-pie picnics become significant to the storyline.
Blanche, disguised as a boy, becomes one of the best carters in the
docks. She meets Captain Garland who entrusts her with a precious
box which she delivers to his home not realizing Rinki is now living
there with her two dads. Given their earlier impoverished
circumstances Rinki and Blanche make a promise to try to provide a
present for every child on Christmas Day. The evil neighbour Mr
Krumpus and the three jealous carters play important roles in trying
to thwart everything the two girls' attempt.
Throw in elves named Carol, a larger than life fir tree, a young
cook called Santa, a new home in the North Pole, a magical sleigh
and you have an entertaining story full of adventure and magic. An
enjoyable and exciting read. Themes: Magic, Fantasy, Adventure, Good
Vs Evil, Friendship, Christmas Traditions, Humour, Loyalty.
Kathryn Beilby
What cats want: An illustrated guide for truly understanding your cat by Dr. Yuki Hattori
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526623065.
(Ages: 10+) Written by Japan's leading cat doctor, Dr. Yuki Hattori,
this illustrated guide to what cats want is a wonderfully light and
informative book. Starting with 10 rules for understanding cats, the
book has six main chapters broken up into short segments. After the
10 rules, it moves to cat biology (primarily covering cat senses)
and wellbeing (including diet and home environment). The next
chapter covers cat behaviour and how to 'speak cat'. Next up is the
chapter focusing on everyday care, ranging from sharing your home
with a cat to health care. The fourth chapter covers cat happiness
and how owners can best treat their cats to ensure they are content.
The following chapter details how to make your home cat friendly,
while the final chapter describes how to work towards a long and
happy life for your cat.
The topics are covered in such a succinct manner, with illustrations
and 3 main points for each topic. These also have illustrations and
text in two different colours - black indicating facts, history and
useful tidbits; orange indicating suggestions, causes or
explanations. Having had pets throughout my whole life, many of
those being cats (including my girls I rescued when they were
kittens: 16 year old, Mindy, and 12 year old, Persnickety), I found
this book delightful. I could easily associate behaviours exhibited
by my two fur babies, as well as cats I've known over the years. A
few things I learnt include that Mindy is considered a geriatric as
she is 16 (!), and that essential oils are essentially poison (thank
goodness I never use them!). I highly recommend this book to those
who are considering getting a cat, those who have a kitten and those
who have had cats for years. Also ideal for those interested in
animal psychology and wellbeing.
Themes: Pets, Cats, Pet care, Cat biology, Pet wellbeing.
Melanie Phillips
The Two Lost Mountains by Matthew Reilly
Jack West series. Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781760559083.
(Age: Secondary/adult) The Two Lost Mountains is the sixth
in the Jack West series. Jack again teams up with his
extraordinary group of loyal friends who are ready to die for their
beliefs and put their trust in his leadership.
Again Jack finds the powers of evil: Sphinx (aka Hardin Lancaster
X11), the Omega Monks and unexpectedly General Rastor, all aiming to
find The Supreme Labyrinth in order to gain ultimate power. At their
beck and call are seemingly endless supplies of arms, aircraft,
ingenious technologies, robotic armies of bronzemen and silvermen
and of course allies all willing to aid their cause in the hope of
gaining wealth and power.
Jack's daughter Lilly has been abducted and is in peril for her life
and as the evil plans of Sphinx, Rastor and the Omega monks unfold
so are the lives and freedoms of humanity. As usual the odds are
stacked against Jack and his friends, but just when situations are
most desperate some how Jack and his crew are able to escape.
However there are some casualties amongst Jack's nearest and
dearest, which I will leave the readers to discover.
The pace of the narrative is unrelenting, with disasters happening
all over the globe. It's like a violent video game on paper. There
is mayhem, explosions, destruction of major historic buildings and
an enormous body count.
Reilly is able to blend classical mythology and his own rich
imagination to create a world that is his own unique narrative. It
may not be for everyone but for his legion of fans I'm sure they'll
not be disappointed. However be prepared for the fact that the story
does suddenly and abruptly end just as all the players reach their
goal. There will be a wait to find out what fiendish twists and
turns await the hero as he and his chosen few battle through the
labyrinth.
Themes: Adventure, Evil.
Mark Knight
