Illus. by Jon Klassen. Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760525484.
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended for mature readers. Everything
about this book is delightful. The textured and beautifully
illustrated dust jacket compels you to touch and pick up the book,
while inside it is full of personable animal characters and
illustrations which immediately evoke comparisons to classics such
as Wind in the Willows and Winnie the Pooh.
This is book one of a planned trilogy and tells a charming version
of the well-worn 'odd couple' story.
Badger is a gruff rock scientist who leads a solitary life ruled by
routine. When his calendar is marked with an X he undertakes
Important Rock Work and is not to be disturbed. He has never met a
chicken and wouldn't know what to say if he did.
One day Skunk knocks on the door, barrelling into Badger's quiet
life, disturbing the Important Rock Work and bringing his
chicken-whistle with him. During their first conversation Skunk says
"Not everyone wants a skunk" and that is true.
But the new roommates start to settle in and enjoy getting to know
each other (along with a LOT of chickens). That is, until an
unfortunate event leads to harsh words, hurt feelings and a sudden
split.
The actions taken after the split are heart-warming to read as life,
neighbours and surroundings are all viewed in a new light.
Timberlake is an award-winning children's author and has created a
wonderful and complex story full of warmth and humour. Mature
readers will enjoy the morals about friendship and being open to new
opportunities. Younger readers would struggle with the storyline and
language if left to their own devices, but the use of onomatopoeia
makes this an ideal book to read alongside or aloud to them perhaps
a chapter at a time.
Klassen is a perfect illustrator for this work. The end pages at
front and back are covered in different rock types, all hand drawn
and labelled. There are simple as well as more detailed black and
white illustrations throughout the book as well as several coloured
plates that bring the story and characters to life.
Themes: Geology, animals, friends, feelings.
Kylie Grant
Bees and their keepers by Lotte Moller, translated by Frank Perry
MacLehose Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781529405262.
(Age: Senior secondary / Adult) Highly recommended. "Through the
seasons and centuries, from waggle-dancing to killer bees, from
Aristotle to Winnie-the-Pooh" - the subtitle gives an idea of what
the book is about. It is not a how-to guide but more a social and
cultural history of beekeeping. That said, Moller, the author, did
keep bees herself for many years, and she has included factual pages
on the life cycle and duties of the bees within the hive. There are
also chapters on enemies of bees, pests and diseases, all things
beginning beekeepers would be advised to learn about.
The first section of the book is full of historical references to
past beliefs about bees and beekeeping. It is the kind of book that
you can just pick up and read something interesting from any page
but the true enthusiast will be rewarded by reading from beginning
to end. Readers will learn about early hives, the surprising
discovery that the bee community is centred around a queen not a
king, remedies for stings, stories of swarms, the different
varieties of honey, and the development of the Buckfast bee. This
section of the book is ordered by months of the year, but southern
hemisphere readers need to remember that the author, being Swedish,
is referring to a northern hemisphere calendar.
The second, shorter, section of the book raises current issues in
beekeeping - questions about the best kind of hive, Langstroth,
Warre or top-bar hives, 'natural' beekeeping and arguments about
original or hybrid bees. However readers will find no mention of the
Australian invented Flow Hive - perhaps the uptake in Europe has not
been as high as in Australia, U.S. and Canada.
There is much people can learn from bees, yet as Moller says, we
have made things so difficult for them that their very survival is
now in doubt. Keeping bees has had a groundswell of interest from
urban beekeepers and hobbyists, but this does not solve the
pollination problem in our agricultural industries based on
monoculture cultivation and widespread insect sprays. Perhaps
reading about past discoveries and innovations will inspire future
problem solving and a renewed appreciation of the amazing
contribution bees make to our world.
Helen Eddy
The whales on the bus by Katrina Charman and Nick Sharratt
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781526603432.
(Age: 2+) Highly recommended. Children will have lots of fun singing
along to this humorous version of the well-known song, The
wheels on the bus. The narrative starts off with The whales on the bus ride round the town, Round the town, round the town. The whales on the bus ride round the town, All day long!
Then with clever internal rhyming, the story continues with cranes
on the train, bees on their skis, ducks on the truck and the very
popular baboons in balloons. Children will delight in shouting out
the "Roar, roar ROAR!" of the dragon in the wagon and hissing with
the snakes on skates as they slip and slide. What a wonderful read
aloud!
Nick Sharratt's bright illustrations are brilliant and really add to
the story. Little details like a fish driving the whales' bus and a
crocodile driving the cranes' train will give children an
opportunity to look further at the pictures and find that one extra
zany detail on the page that stands out. The animals have cheeky
grins on their faces and the vivid colours and cheerful backgrounds,
and black outlines make for a memorable read. Beginning readers,
too, will enjoy having a go at reading for themselves, as the rhymes
are supported by the pictures, and the repetition and rhymes will
make it easy to predict the text.
I can see this becoming a favourite read aloud that will join the
popular Car,
car, truck, jeep by this talented duo.
Pat Pledger
Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526621979. Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron is a fairy-tale
rewriting with an evil Prince, beautiful descendants of ugly
stepsisters, and a protagonist that is as unlike Cinderella as you
can get. The story is based several hundred years after Cinderella's
death, in which Cinderella has become legend, and every girl in the
kingdom tries to recreate her fairy-tale - literally. Once of age,
every girl in the kingdom attends a ball to find a suitor. Upon
attending three balls without being chosen, girls are never seen
again. That is - if women are unable to live their lives to the
standard of a perfect princess, they are deemed unworthy. The
obsession surrounding a princess who died centuries ago is as
haunting as it is intriguing, and the Cinderella tale is told
multiple times throughout the novel, the focus and facts shifting
and changing. This doesn't just leave the reader with the question,
'what really happened to Cinderella?', but also, 'why does this
fairy-tale matter so much?'
This re-working of Cinderella throughout demonstrates the impact of
fairytales on collective conscience, particularly the impact of
those left out of fairytales, such as queer women, women of colour,
or both, as in the case of the protagonist. Bayron's passion on this
topic shines through the book.
While occasionally, characters fall into archetypes, more often,
these archetypes are broken. The Fairy Godmother, in particular, is
intriguing, and Sophia's passion in creating a better world is
perfect to fuel the story. The relationships within the story,
whether they be platonic, familial, or romantic, were another
driving force. Sophia's relationship with Candance is at times
hesitant, and at times ardent, perfectly encapsulating queer
relationships in a world in which this is not the norm. The
#OwnVoices element of Sophia's character makes her experiences
realistic and authentic, in the best ways possible.
Ultimately, Cinderella is dead is definitely one of the most
successful debuts of 2020 so far. While it's not perfect, it's
fast-paced, action packed, and passionate. Bayron creates a world
that is both horrific, and horrifically similar to our own. It is
the hope that the characters cling onto throughout the entirety of
the novel, the hope that things will change, because they must, that
makes this novel so powerful.
Sara Peak (Student)
The mysteries of the Universe: Discover the best-kept secrets of space by Will Gater
D.K. Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9780241412473.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Stunning photographs and interesting,
easy to read information make this a must have for libraries and for
people who love astronomy. As with all DK publications, the lay-out
is beautiful and the information is excellent, and The mysteries
of the universe stands out with its sparkling cover and gold
edged pages.
The author, Will Gator, is an astronomer, author and science
presenter and his text is easy to read and understand. Most pages of
text are accompanied by a beautiful photograph or illustration and
are short enough to be read aloud with a class or a family member.
They are also short enough for an interested child to manage to read
alone. The well organised Table of Contents and Index will help
eager researchers to discover what they want to delve into and
people who like to flick through books will find themselves stopping
and reading sections. All the planets are beautifully illustrated
with excellent descriptions, most with two or more pages of
information accompanied by pages of photographs or illustrations.
The striking colours of the photographs of Nebula caught my eye and
I had to stop and read about them. This section on Nebula introduced
them and then there was a page about an emission nebula, with a
superb red and black photo of the Lagoon Nebula on the opposite
page. The next section gave information about Planetary
nebula, with equally gorgeous pictures, leading onto dark nebula and
reflection nebula. This format was followed in information about the
Night Sky, the Solar System, the Kuiper Belt, the Oort Cloud, Nebula
and Galaxies
This is a hard-covered volume that will become a family favourite in
those homes where people are fascinated with the night sky. It is
equally an excellent volume for the classroom or library.
Pat Pledger
Where the dragons live by Serena Geddes
Aladdin (Simon and Schuster) 2020. ISBN: 9781481498760.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Writer and illustrator, Serena Geddes gained
much of her training at Walt Disney Studios in Sydney working on
well known animated films. Illustrating other people's work led her
to try her hand at both sides of the creative process and Rosie
and Rasmus was published in 2019. This delightful story is
followed by a new publication, Where the dragons live, as
the character Rasmus goes off in search of other dragons for
company. Flying to the nearby island he comes across a clutch of
fire breathing, rock kicking dragons who deride him because he is
small and has tiny wings and doesn't like the things they like to
do. Forlornly, he sits and watches them, deciding to at least try
some of the things they do, but without much success.
But his friend Rosie has decided to sail to the island. Here she
finds a dejected Rasmus who explains that the other dragons do not
like him. She tells him that he is a dragon; he has all the things
the other dragons have, but he is different because he has heart.
Buoyed up by her words he decides to fly his kite and is gladdened
when one of the dragons asks to play with his kite with him. He
finds a friend without having to change but simply by being himself.
The soft watercolour illustrations evoke the love and support at the
heart of the friendship between Rosie and Rasmus. The ferocious
looks on the faces of the other dragons will win readers as they
sympathise with the lonely Rasmus, trying hard to fit in. Readers of
all ages will recognise the feeling of being left out, of not
fitting in, of being expected to change to fit the image that others
want, but will equally recognise that being yourself is the issue at
heart.
For more information about Geddes see her fascinating website.
Themes: Friendship, Confidence, Fitting in, Being yourself, Self
esteem, Mental health.
Fran Knight
The vanishing sky by L. Annette Binder
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526616715.
(Age: Adolescent - Adult)This is an extraordinarily chilling story,
beautifully written and deftly constructed to expose the reality for
one particular family living in a country town in Germany, seemingly
towards the end of the Second World War. We learn how they
experienced the growing lack of food, and of the money to buy it,
Binder describing their response to the horror of the bombs that
were dropped intermittently in the early part of this story, this
terrifying situation becoming more frequent as the narrative
progresses.
Binder positions us to understand the emotions experienced by the
people, particularly the fear and the dwindling hope experienced by
one particular family - Etta, Josef, and their children, Max and
Georg. Josef suffers deeply from his emotional response to the
events, his fear preventing him doing much at all, and it falls to
Etta to work out how to provide them with food. While the boys are
taught some basic skills and then expected to work in a supporting
role for the army, we understand that while this is seemingly apt
for Georg, it is dreadfully overwhelming for Max.
Ultimately, the narrative plunges us into the darkness of 'ordinary'
life in Germany at that time, as we are made aware of the outcome of
the increasing number of bombing raids, the growing lack of food
supplies, the fear that they all experience, and the terror of the
bombs. Undoubtedly this was a terribly harsh and frightening time
for all the people of Europe, Binder suggesting that while they knew
something of the actual state of the war, their focus was definitely
on survival. This stunning new work would be appropriate for
adolescent and adult readers.
Elizabeth Bondar
The haunting of Alma Fielding, a true ghost story by Kate Summerscale
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781408895443.
(Age: Adult) Recommended. This account of the investigation into the
Alma Fielding poltergeist case of the late 1930's is not historical
fiction, it is a meticulous examination of the extensive records of
ghost hunter Nandor Fodor, which author Summerscale had the good
fortune to recover from the Society for Psychical Research archive
in Cambridge in 2017. She recreates the events of Fodor's
investigation, in the context of the time just before World War II,
where the public imagination was seized by stories of ghosts and
demonic possession along with seances seeking messages from lost
loved ones after the first war.
Nandor Fodor, a Jewish-Hungarian refugee, wanting to affirm his
reputation as a psychical researcher, became obsessed with the case
of Alma Fielding, sensationally reported in the newspapers as a
young housewife who with her husband, son and lodger, had become the
centre of a maelstrom of flying household objects, a smashing
wardrobe and other strange disturbances. Fodor, open to the idea of
spirits and mediums, yearned for proof of another realm, and wanted
to establish scientific evidence for the spiritual world. Many times
he was disappointed, with his research exposing hoaxes and
fraudulence, but with Alma Fielding he hoped to have at last found
the genuine thing.
The story moves through three sections, the ghost hunter, the ghost
hunt, and then the ghost herself, as Fodor moves from hauntings to
gradually develop a theory of psychological disturbance and buried
memories of loss and abuse.
In continually wanting to establish scientific evidence, in the
determination to remove any chance of artifice, with the tests of
Alma's truthfulness and searches of her body, Fodor finds himself
facing the same dilemma as the protagonist of The
wonder by Emma Donoghue (2016) - is he complicit in
contributing to the young woman's psychic disturbance? Is he also
causing her harm and compounding her distress?
However, unlike Donoghue's work of historical fiction, with
Summerscale's non-fiction approach, we are just presented with the
known facts, and are left to imagine the rest for ourselves. It is
an intriguing story nonetheless, of the ideas at the time of Freud's
notion of female hysteria, and would appeal to readers who like a
fact-based approach.
Themes: Poltergeists, Ghosts, Spiritualism, Mental trauma, Psyche.
Helen Eddy
Ruby and Graham by Lucy Barnard
New Frontier Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781921928758.
(Age: 4+) Ruby seems to be the life of the party. She loves to have
fun and all the animals in Acorn Wood love to have fun with her.
Graham on the other hand, loves to organise things, but finds one
day that the animals ignore him, wanting to be with Lucy.
Despondent, he tries to think of ways he can be more like Lucy. He
begins to dance, wear cool clothes, swing up high on the swing in
the tree, the fun pendulum swinging Graham's way. But now everyone
is having fun and partying in the wood, and chaos erupts. No one is
there to organise or clear up or simply be sensible. Lucy admits
that she wishes she was more like the old Graham, while Graham says
that he quite likes being more like Lucy. But this is a problem.
Together they decide that Lucy could learn to be more organised and
he retrieves his clipboard and they set to work. The whole group
cleans up the forest, and all is set for the two animals to see that
there is merit in both their abilities.
A neatly resolved story about finding your feet and using what
skills you have to the best advantage, neither animal is derided for
their difference, but each skill is seen as a positive skill to have
although the consequences of neglecting one skill can be dire for
the whole community. Both animals have a skill that can be shared to
advantage, and the sharing of the two skills means that all share in
the outcome. Teaching
notes are available.
A story that celebrates difference, and encourages children to work
together, joining their skills for a mutually agreeable outcome.
Themes; Difference, Sharing, Friendship.
Fran Knight
That's Not My Wombat by Fiona Watt
Usborne, 2020. ISBN: 9781474980470. 10pp., board book.
The latest in this series
of over 150 charming board books for our very youngest readers that
encourage them to use their senses to discover the world around them
focuses on the wombat, such an iconic Australian creature. With
shiny claws, smooth paws, soft tummy and several other distinctive
features. little hands will enjoy exploring the textural elements
that are the hallmark of the series. Like its companion That's
not my koala, which highlights the koala, it teaches our
littlies to look more closely at the details that distinguish the
wombat from other marsupials. The repetitive text and clear pictures
encourage prediction, thus developing those early concepts about
print that are so essential while engaging them with the reading
experience in a way that only print books can.
Definitely one to add to the Christmas stocking or baby shower gift!
Barbara Braxton
The mission house by Carys Davies
Text Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922330635.
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. I enjoyed this book from the first
page; I loved how scenes in India were conjured with just a few deft
words, and the unusual characters drew me in. I found myself reading
more and more slowly because while I wanted to get to the heart of
the mystery, I was enjoying the story so much I didn't want to come
to the end. The writing style is sparse but with just the right
words dropped into a sentence to convey a place and a feeling. And
there is a gentle vein of humour that made me smile but still
empathise with the anxieties that torment the main character Hilary
Byrd.
Hilary Byrd is a man too much in his own mind, he has come to India
to find himself again following a prolonged period of depression,
possibly a nervous breakdown, in his past life as a librarian in the
UK. A chance encounter on the train escaping from the heat of the
plains to the coolness of the hill stations of south India leads him
to accept an invitation from the Padre to stay in the mission house
while the young missionary, Henry Page, is overseas. And it turns
out to be just what Byrd needs - cool, peaceful, undemanding, and
with a small circle of people that he can get to know gradually on
his own terms: the kindly Padre himself, the orphan Priscilla with
the limp and missing thumbs, and the auto driver Jamshed, uncle to
another orphaned young person, Ravi the hopeful Country and Western
singer complete with guitar and horse.
Byrd seems to have finally found a place where he feels like there
is some meaning to his life, some sense of fulfilment, and where he
feels comfortable as his friendships grow. But early on, the author
Carys Davies lets us know that something does go wrong, with just
the side mention of a police statement and witness recollections.
It's enough to alert us that Byrd may be deluded and there is some
kind of tragedy ahead.
I found this to be a really intriguing story of the fragility of
people's hopes and dreams, the unsaid words, the good intentions,
the mistakes and misunderstandings, set within the context of a
country with a history of oppression and simmering conflict. The
takeaway in the end? - probably the treasure of kindness and
friendship in unexpected places and the personal rewards in giving
to others. It is an unusual story of small lives impacted by larger
political events.
Themes: Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, Post-colonial India,
Friendship, Relationships.
Helen Eddy
Meesha makes friends by Tom Percival
Big Bright Feelings. Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526612953.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Meesha a shy girl who loves making pictures
from scrap materials, numbers and sounds, cannot make friends. Other
children are loud and boisterous and do not like the things she
likes, so she avoids them. One day her parents go to a party taking
her along. She is worried but takes the friends she has made with
her. These friends, made from paper, cardboard, and scrap materials
are not loud or boisterous but sit in her carry bag just waiting for
her to take them out. At the party the other children are noisy and
chaotic, ignoring the little girl with the carry bag. Meesha
withdraws to a safe place under the stairs and takes out her friends
to play. A boy named Josh comes long and asks if he can play too.
She is unsure but allows him to play with her friends. He is
impressed with Meesha's handmade toys and makes some too, suggesting
that they show the others. Meesha is unsure, but it all works out
well in the end and she has a bevy of new friends all of whom try
out their new skills making the toys.
This charming tale of being yourself will appeal to younger readers
who can recognise their own fears and concerns through Meesha. They
will understand what it means to be alone in a group, to have no
friends, to feel unsure of yourself when in a new situation, of
being a little reticent when others offer friendship. All of these
concerns will have resonance with younger readers as they navigate
the world in which they live, where friendship is important to your
self esteem and being part of a group offers security. The fourth in
a series of books about anxious moments in a child's life, these
provide a great starting point for discussion amongst students at
home, in the classroom or library. The other three, Perfectly
Norman, Ruby's
worry and Ravi's
roar are part of a series called, Big Bright
Feelings, and support mental and emotional health issues
amongst children.
Themes; Emotional health, Mental health, Self esteem, Confidence.
Fran Knight
Tiny pieces of us by Vicky Pellegrino
Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9781869713850.
(Age: Adult - Older adolescents) This most unusual narrative is
about the donation of body parts to those in need, captured in a
narrative that is riveting, heart-warming, and thought-provoking.
When her young son is killed in a traffic accident, Grace decides to
donate as many parts of his body as would be useful for those in
need. This decision will change her life.
Mourning her son's death, Grace feels very lonely. Spending time
alone pondering her life, she decides to create a new family by
asking all of the recipients of his body parts to meet her and thus,
potentially, to become linked, as it were, like a family. Most are
somewhat skeptical of such a connection but gradually see her
rationale and so decide to accept her offer to meet. This decision
is not suggested by the medical experts as appropriate, yet the
connection is surprisingly accepted and becomes something that
changes how they view their lives.
This narrative would be suitable for older adolescents and adults as
Pellegrino raises some interesting points that reflect aspects of
the modern world in terms of both medical and social issues.
Elizabeth Bondar
Mini Rabbit must help by John Bond
HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008264888. 32pp., hbk.
Mother Rabbit has written a very important letter to Granny Rabbit
and Mini Rabbit offers to take it to the post box. His mother agrees
he can do this but he has to be very careful and he also has to get
to the post box before five o'clock because that is the last
collection. So Mini Rabbit packs some cake, some slime and a stick
and sets off. What could possibly go wrong?
Not only is this a charming tale that will make young readers laugh
at all the mishaps Mini Rabbit has, but they will also have fun
predicting what might happen next. It is also excellent for mapping
the events of the story to help them understand sequencing and the
language of time.
A new series from a British creator that will become a favourite.
Barbara Braxton
One of us is next by Karen M. McManus
Penguin Books, 2020. ISBN: 9780241376928.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Author Karen M. McManus has done it
again - written a fabulous YA mystery novel that readers won't be
able to put down. One of us is next takes readers back to
Bayview High, the setting of her first book, One
of us is lying, with a different cast of characters.
Phoebe, Knox and Maeve are the key characters in this story, which
starts out detailing the notoriety of the case that took over the
school and the media the year before - the death of Simon Kelleher
(see One
of us is lying). These three characters are high school
students at the same high school where Simon died, and while he is
now gone, his 'legacy' has continued. Other students have vied for
the top position of gossip-monger, but after the school cracked down
on it, things settled down. That is, until now. The entire student
population of the school gets a message from 'Unknown', inviting
them to play 'Truth or Dare'. After the first student, Phoebe,
refuses to respond, her 'Truth' is revealed to the whole school. The
rest of the school learns to always take the dare.
Coming from each of these three main characters' points of view, the
narratives are interwoven so well that the story flows incredibly
smoothly. The suspense builds nicely, with plenty of drama,
intrigue, changing relationships and mystery. There is a lot of hype
around Karen McManus's books, and after having read this book, I
have to say it is well deserved. I highly recommend this book, along
with her other two One
of us is lying and Two
can keep a secret. Ideal for readers who enjoy
contemporary YA mystery and suspense novels, more suitable for older
readers.
Themes: Secrets and lies, Relationships, Social media, Mystery.
Mel Phillips
