The house with a clock in its walls by John Bellairs
Piccadilly, 2018. ISBN 9781848127715
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Film tie-in. USA.
Orphans. When Lewis Barnavelt is orphaned and sent to live with
Uncle Johnathan, a man he has never met, his aunts are dismayed. But
Lewis is thrilled: his uncle is endlessly interesting, a man of many
talents, a magician to boot, and later, Lewis finds out that he is a
wizard. And there is a mystery in his amazing house - apart from the
unusual Mrs Zimmerman from next door, who cooks for them, the walls
seem to tick.
This wholly engrossing story was first published in 1973 by United
States' author, John Bellairs, and has been released as a film,
starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett.
The ticking walls draw Uncle Johnathan from his sleep and his
prowling the walls each night wakens Lewis. Eventually they both
meet during their nightly prowlings and Johnathan is forced to tell
Lewis some of the story. But Lewis is having trouble fitting in at
school. He hates sport and wears glasses. One boy seemed to take an
interest and when this wains, Lewis betrays some of Johnathan's
secrets to entice him back to being his friend. At the graveyard one
Halloween, Lewis practises some of the wizardry he has been shown
and releases the old owner of the house from his grave. The Izards
used to live in Johnathan's house and their clock is ticking along
nicely, ticking off the end of the world.
Lewis must do something to repair what he has done, and Mrs
Zimmerman is there to help. This lively and engrossing book is most
unusual, not your usual fantasy fare, but one that intrigues with
the idea of a clock ticking within the walls of the house, spelling
out impending doom.
Lewis is an amiable character with all the flaws of youth, trying
desperately to find a friend in a new school, willing to do anything
to keep him, despite the bullying and name calling. I will be
interested to see how far the film strays from the book.
Fran Knight
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
The Text Publishing Company, 2018. ISBN 9781925603828
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. A mix of misfit and
misunderstood genius, Ophelia possesses two special gifts: the
ability to read the pasts of objects and to travel through mirrors.
Her peaceful existence on the ark of Anima is interrupted when she
is promised in marriage to Thorn, a member of a powerful clan from a
distant ark, the cold and icy Pole. Ophelia must follow her fiance
to the floating city of Citaceleste, where nobody can be trusted. In
the company of her inscrutable future husband, Ophelia realises she
is a pawn in a plot that will have consequences not only for her but
for her entire world.
Dabos weaves a story of politics and manipulation in which the
stakes are heightened by the fantastical setting and the characters'
magical abilities; however, the story's messages still ring true for
our society. The clever use of mirrors as a metaphor highlighted the
need to search for truth in a society filled with subterfuge,
manipulation, incredibly complex relationships, and social dynamics.
The rich imagery was delightfully whimsical and was detailed enough
to make the scene feel intimately real.
The main character Ophelia stands out in her mannerisms and
attitudes; an unlikely protagonist at times, but as a mirror walker
with a thirst for truth, she suits the story and grows along with
it. The growth and development of her and many other characters in
response to the trying times endured is thought provoking, providing
a glimpse into the inner workings of our own society and how we as
humans respond to pressures.
The pacing of the novel was overall steady, but sometimes slowed and
became sluggish due to the long building of a revelation, or raced
by as the characters whirled from place to place and emotion to
emotion.
It was a great read with a wonderfully twisty plot as Ophelia
unravels the secrets hidden from her. While the revelations were
never expected, they always reinforced the poisonous nature of
deceit and the need for candour.
This novel was a compelling analysis of society and gives rise to
many questions about human nature.
Stephanie Lam
And the ocean was our sky by Patrick Ness
Ill. by Rovina Cai. Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406383560
(Age: 14+) If Patrick Ness was to write a fractured fairy tale then
this is it. It is the story of Moby Dick but turned completely
upside down and inside out. The protagonist is 'the devil himself'
the elusive Toby Wick who travels the ocean on a man ship.
In this story, the whales are the hunters and man is the prey. The
whales travel the beneath the ocean in upside down ships led by
captains who are supported by their crews of apprentices and
'sailors'. The crew on this ship is led by Captain Alexandra and one
of her apprentices asks the reader to call her 'Bathsheba' (not her
real name but is a biblical reference) and we see this tale unfold
through her eyes.
The hunt for Toby Wick is cruel, bloodthirsty, and appears to be
driven by a myth or legends of the past where the only reason for
being is to avenge the deaths of those before them. In Bathsheba's
case, it is her mother's death that drives her hunt.
Bathsheba is not as ruthless as her captain Alexandra even though
the memory of her mother's death haunts her and this is depicted
through the relationship she has with a human male prisoner,
Demetrius, held captive on their ship. Captain Alexandra believes
Demetrius holds information to where they can find Toby Wick and
instructs Bathsheba to do whatever necessary to extract the
information out of him. Demetrius knows he is doomed to die by the
hands of the whales whether he gives the information or not.
The ending comes to a crescendo where we see the results of the
whale's quest, of Bathsheba's relationship with Demetrius and the
final confrontation with Toby Wick.
In Patrick Ness style, it is a dark and graphic story and supported
perfectly by the illustrations that enhance the story.
Gerri Mills
Splat the Fake Fact! by Adam Frost
Ill. by Gemma Correll. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889503
(Age: 8+) Splat the Fake Fact is a puzzle activity book
filled with information that has escaped from popular author Adam
Frost's Amazing Fact series. He encourages you to splat
them, doodle on them or even lasso them! After the disclaimer is
signed, he asks that you take any measure needed to completely
obliterate the wrong facts. Which Barmy Beasts has Frost created, is
it the bone-eating zombie-worm, the Javanese Tree Sheep or the
Raspberry Crazy Ant. Luckily the answers are easy to find. For those
who love fart facts and gross jokes there are plenty. There is a
vast array of weird, wacky and unusual information on topics like
Mad Monarchs, Camel Claptrap, Killer Creatures and Leonardo's Lab.
Guess which Surreal Sports is an imposter! Is it Worm Charming,
Toilet Racing maybe Wife Carrying? There are disgusting facts about
snot, vomit, ridiculous rules and exploding underpants. Frost's fake
facts are fun to share, sometimes the most obvious answer is
incorrect!
Gemma Correll's cartons, doodles, diagrams and crazy characters add
to the humour of Frost's fact collection.
This is a fun activity book with plenty of opportunities to
embellish, lasso, draw, solve the codes, decipher hieroglyphics and
identify the truth.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Prince and the witch and the thief and the bears by Alistair Chisolm
Ill. by Jez Tuya. Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406365139
(Age: 4-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Storytelling, Fairy tales,
Bedtime.
"What kind of story shall we have tonight? asked Dad . . . "A made up one!
said Jamie.
As Dad tuck his son into bed, they are ready to share a bedtime
story, a creative one filled with a cast of fairy tale characters.
Jamie's level of excitement increases as he constantly adds another
person and creature, changes the plot and questions then redirects
the actions. Dad's enthusiasm and his willingness to accommodate his
son adds to the delight of this story. The youngster even questions
his father's choice of the prince riding off to rescue the princess
trapped in the dark tower. They decide that the prince can do it,
this time. They often digress: How evil is the witch?
Can she turn you into stone or even jelly? When the villain falls to
her death, Jamie's a little hesitant. Dad's imagination changes the
fairy tale again because the former princess really a jewel thief
uses her grappling hook to catch the falling evil witch-ninja.
Jez Tuya's vibrant digital illustrations imbue each character with
attitude and make Alistair Chisolm's cumulative fairy tale comical.
Inside a star-filled border, a handsome prince rides his dappled
grey stallion whilst an ugly witch, a beautiful princess and a
flying fire breathing dragon wait ready for the story to begin. Atop
the tall mountain is a lofty castle and there's a large brown bear
lurking at the edge of the forest. The stallion sits back on his
hind legs, helps with the map and waits for the prince to work out
how far away is his kingdom. When Dad mentions the fierce bears and
dragons, Jamie needs a clear definition on their ferocity, so the
illustrator adds enormous shaggy coats and vicious claws. Each
double-page spread is filled with big, bold pictures that
delightfully express Jamie and Dad's dramatic fairy tale.
Alistair Chisolm's fast-paced story is a perfect read aloud with
many twists and turns. Jez Tuya completely captures the humour and
builds the drama through his energetic and colourful visual
storytelling. The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears is an
enchanting narrative for Junior Primary classes to engage with plot,
setting and characterisation, stereotypes and the structure of fairy
tales.
Rhyllis Bignell
Tales from the inner city by Shaun Tan
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523534
(Age: middle school to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Design,
Cities, Animals. Twenty five stories about the relationship between
humans and animals is explored in this richly illustrated book from
Tan, a companion volume to Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008)
and one Tan has been working on ever since. Every page has something
startlingly new, making the reader pause and read again, then pore
over the illustrations, making sure they have absorbed every nuance,
before starting again.
His last chapter begins, "We tell each other the same story" but the
details of Shaun Tan's stories are entrancing. His sometimes
dystopian view of the city and its relationship with animals is
highly individual, placing animals in the oddest of settings:
crocodiles living on the eighty seventh floor, an eagle in an
airport, deer peering out of an office window, making us question.
One of the first sequences in the book, "Once we were strangers",
devotes forty pages to a dog, at first wary of the human with a
spear in one hand, but over time becoming a companion, ending as a
dog on a lead walking with its human. The illustrations reflect the
passage of time. The broad strip between the human and the dog
begins as a wide black expanse, the void of the early cosmos
perhaps, then it becomes a track, changing to a bridge, a railway
line, a road, and finally the double page is fully paved. Time has
passed, reflecting the changes in our environment as well as the
changed relationship between humans and animals.
Shaun Tan talks
about his work providing insight into his book as he provokes, prods
and perplexes his readers.
Each of his works in this volume initiates a response, the richly
illuminated and detailed images giving more as the reader looks,
ponders and talks about what they see. The almost poetic text forces
the reader to read it again, viewing the illustration with new
ideas, evaluating the links between the two.
People and animals may live in each other's shadow, but they are
still very visible in Tan's work, from the tiger strolling by the
similarly coloured wall on the last endpaper, or the rhino watching
over the traffic or the killer whale in the night sky.
Light in various forms is shown to advantage: city lights on the
front cover, the coloured light of the crowds of butterflies, the
light behind the snails on the bridge, the light pouring in through
the classroom windows, the light coming out of the high rise flats,
contrasting with the many dark and gloomy images redolent of a
dystopian landscape, stressing the tension within the city, leading
to the last page of the book with its apocalyptic image.
The inner city is shown in images of crumbling high rise buildings,
homeless people, train tracks, telegraph poles and animals, all
giving a different perspective than the one expected. The teacher in
the classroom is hugging a sheep, the boy on the cover holding a
glass fish, owl's eyes peer out at the reader from the hospital
ceiling, a bear is led up the steps, a shark rises up out of the
landscape, but unlike the lonely vistas of Jeffrey Smart's cities,
Tan's images of the concrete structures force the reader to
reevaluate the connection between human and beast.
I found this book totally captivating, sometimes unsure that I had
missed something, but always satisfied at the myriad of references,
allusions and journeys down unexpected pathways that Tan takes his
readers. Teacher
notes can be found on the Allen and Unwin site.
Fran Knight
The 13th reality: Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
The 13th Reality series. Scholastic, 2018 ( First
published by Simon and Schuster in 2008). ISBN 9781742998190
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy; Alternate realities;
Adventure; Heroism. Atticus Higginbottom (best known as Tick to his
friends) has again been needed to restore some order to the world
(and worlds of alternate realities). With his friends Sofia and
Paul, and the other odd assistant Master George Deems they needed to
solve the incredible tweaks of strangeness that have entered the
world and Tick is the one who seems destined to be the solution.
Unleashing the most incredible bravery, intelligence and
uncontrolled capacity for power, Tick is again required to be a
hero. In the first book in this series, Tick was revealed as having
extraordinary capabilities with Chi'karda - part of the wisdom and
magical power of the unconventional world where quantum physics seem
to explain alternate realities. In Hunt for Dark Infinity
Tick is needed to respond to a challenge that seems to send him on a
course of potential destruction in opposition to Mr Chu - the evil
'alternate' to his favourite science teacher. The forces surrounding
the Dark Infinity seem to be both evil and insane and Tick is needed
again to solve puzzles and make things right. But his powers seem to
be operating messily without rules. Where will it all end, and what
was the message that his mother nearly 'spilled' before the
adventure spun out of control?
Yet again James Dashner has unveiled a tense and riveting adventure
tale of fantasy, with more than a dash of science fiction, involving
young teen protagonists. This is best read as soon as possible after
the first book, Journal
of Curious letters, in order to maintain the flow. Young
readers will probably want to binge read this series in the same way
they devour a Harry Potter fantasy. It has a similar good vs evil
atmosphere and the pace is charged with the same serious intensity.
It is not quite as long as J K Rowling's books and more science
fiction fantasy than magical fantasy, although there are points of
similarity. And yes, there are more books in the series.
Recommended for fantasy lovers, aged 11+
Carolyn Hull
Dinosaur day out by Sara Acton
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760650049
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs, Museums. Dinosaur Day
Out by author/illustrator Sara Action will entertain and
excite its young audience with a multi-layered approach. While we
read the story of Sally and Max's day out with Dad and their visit
to the museum, there is so much more happening in the visual
storytelling.
Sally and Max love dinosaurs and are keen to see the dinosaur
exhibition. Unfortunately, the area is closed with a large sign
stating "Dinosaurs Unleashed . . . dino's day off!" The children are
upset and their father buys them a book all about their favourite
animals. Off to the park they head, with "paths to explore and trees
to climb." Dad keeps up their spirits by reading dinosaur facts
aloud, "did you know about the diplodocus, the pterodactyl or the
stegosaurus?" While their father is busy reading and eating Sally
and Max are thoroughly enjoying the dinosaurs' day out! Hanging
upside down on a branch with the pterodactyl, feeding the diplodocus
leaves and watching it drink from the fountain. Even the t-rex
enjoys a triple scoop ice-cream when they stop for a treat. Their
day ends with Dad piggy-backing Sally as they walk back through the
park observed by a pack of dinosaurs.
Sally Acton's wonderful pictures seamlessly blend the dinosaurs into
the familiar park and city settings, natural tones of green and
brown sweep across the spreads. She shows Max and Sally's enjoyment,
their liveliness and interaction with the dinosaurs, a story within
a story that will enchant the reading audience. Dinosaur Day Out
is both an imaginative and informative picture book just right for
sharing with pre-schoolers and junior primary students.
Rhyllis Bignell
His name was Walter by Emily Rodda
HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9781460710203
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Storytelling. Books and
reading. Mystery and suspense stories. Folk tales. Supernatural
phenomena.
The idea was to do some research for an authentic History lesson in
an historic outback town, but what the four students and their
teacher encounter that night is much more powerful than anything
they had ever imagined. After they are stranded when their bus
breaks down they rush to take refuge in an old house nearby as a
wild storm brews around them.
This book is suspenseful, eerie and enjoyable from start to finish.
It gives a story within a story as the students decide to fill in
the time by reading aloud a hand-made book they find in the house.
The story is written and illustrated in a fairytale/folktale way
using animals as characters and while some of them dismiss it as
just a story a few feel an unearthly power that draws them into
believing they need to finish the book and release some supernatural
phenomena that seems to be lurking in the house. The theme of true
love conquering all is also a strong influence in the story.
The students' characters are also used to develop the story - the
shy new boy who is grieving the loss of his grandad and their
country home, the computer nerd who doesn't believe in anything he
can't see, the popular girl who always gets what she wants, the shy
sensitive girl who feels the supernatural power of the book first. A
large range of readers will find someone to relate to in this book
and I think it could be successfully read aloud to a class. Walter,
the character in the Folktale is also worth a mention as he develops
from a meek boy to an assertive character who accepts his fate but
always tries to do the right thing.
A mystery from the town's past is solved, and the book has a
fantastic way of showing how history can be uncovered in the most
unexpected places and corrected by uncovering the truth. Teacher's
notes are available.
Gabrielle Anderson
The amazing world of Olobob Top by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408897652
(Age: 3-5) The amazing world of Olobob Top is an activity
book created by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith based on the ABC
and BBC Children's show Olobob Top (If you have young children there
is a good chance you will have seen this show before!).
The blurb states "Have fun in the wonderful world of Olobob Top...
weave your way through mazes to explore forests, climb mountains
and soar up into the sky! With lots of exciting mazes and over 250
stickers, there are so many adventures to be had with the Olobobs"
and I think it sums it up pretty well. Each page surrounds a
different character or activity and asks the reader to complete
tasks and decorate with the supplied stickers. You may have to
follow the lines through the sky, find your way out of a maze or get
the Olobobs home safe. This part was probably the only downfall of
the book, there were just too many follow the line/maze pages
(actually all of them) and were a touch repetitive for Miss 4.
We did however love all the stickers and it kept her amused for an
hour which was a win for me!
It was also a good vehicle for directing learning towards shapes,
colours, sizes, counting and following directions - all of which are
key skills for young children.
I think this book is probably best suited for 3-5year olds who are
familiar with the show and its characters. There is another activity
book available (Make your own Olobob Top home), plus two
board books which would be fun activities for any young fan. We give
it 3 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
The Botanist's Daughter by Kayte Nunn
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733639388
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Starting a little slowly, yet
creating two worlds that have no defining link, this novel is
captivating, rich in depiction of the past, and cleverly
interspersing the two stories. The title suggests a story of a
family and an interest in botany, and it is that, yet this book
offers much more than a simple family history. One story is set
firmly in the present, where a young woman can take herself off to
England to seek an understanding of the book's provenance, while the
other plunges us into the past, particularly referring to the place
of women at the time of the story, telling a story set in the 1880s.
Both narratives delve into the lives of women in their era,
especially elucidating the differences between the possibilities for
the two: between education, freedom to travel, learn, work or
interact outside the family, and to create a life for one's self.
Placing her narrative in these two distinct eras, beginning the
story in the 1886, in England, and Sydney in 2017, Kayte Nunn takes
us into the lives, and indeed the minds, of two characters,
exploring their worlds and considering the wider world and time in
which each lived. Each story is lightly told while both are
revelatory of the particular differences for women in their times.
The modern story begins when an old book of beautiful botanical
illustration is discovered hidden within the wall cavity of an old
Sydney house, the owner, a young woman, is stunned. Captivated by
the beauty and artistry of the illustrations, the owner, Anna,
realizes that she is keen to unravel the mystery of the origin of
this book, and her determination to do so takes her to England. Back
in Australia, while Anna is redecorating the house, relishing her
discoveries and enjoying the search for what kind of person was this
ancestor of hers, she comes to believe that perhaps it was an
inherited interest that drew her into botany and the kind of life
had she has lived.
The story is told in two parts, that of the historical search by an
English woman and her servant, and that of the modern woman who has
found the intriguing diary. Moving back and forth between the
narratives, Nunn reveals that the original botanist was Anna's
grandmother, yet we are eager to unravel the mystery of why the book
was hidden and what is the accompanying history of this grandmother.
Beautifully written, clearly and simply narrated from the
perspective of both grandmother and granddaughter, who had not known
one another, this captivating novel creates a link between two
distinct eras. Nunn deftly creates an enigmatic story-line, while
subtly revealing the differences in the freedom and choices of women
in the modern era and that of the past in England in 1886, and
indeed of the violence that took place in defence of what one
believed to be the right to ownership.
This book is intriguing and would be appropriate for older
adolescent readers and indeed most interesting for adult readers,
particularly those who love a good historical novel that has an
added twist.
Elizabeth Bondar
The A-Z of Wonder Women by Yvonne Lin
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9781526361547
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Subjects: Women - Biography. Award-winning
industrial designer Yvonne Lin is a leader in creating innovative
products for women. She designed The A-Z of Wonder Woman for
her young daughter Roni introducing her and other girls and boys
around the world to positive female role models. She has drawn
inspiration from leaders in various fields of endeavour, from
ancient times to the current day. Women of different ethnicities,
different ages and stages in their careers are presented in
alphabetical order by their first names. She has included popular
figures and those that are less well-known.
The book begins with English mathematician Ada Lovelace who invented
the first punch card algorithms in the mid-1800s. Cathy Freeman runs
across the page in her Australian Olympics uniform proud to be the
winner of the gold medal in the 400-metre race. Florence Nightingale
is celebrated as an English statistician who championed proper
sanitary procedures in hospitals and founded modern methods of
nursing. J K Rowling started a literary revolution when she wrote
her Harry Potter series, encouraging reluctant readers around the
world to read all 3407 pages.
Yvonne Lin commends Italian educator Maria Montessori, suffragette
Kate Sheppard from New Zealand and Oprah Winfrey one of the most
influential African-American women globally. The author has
recognised comedian and producer Tina Fey as a "titillating tickler"
and Yayoi Kusama the eccentric Japanese artist whose installations,
sculptures and paintings have influenced Hockney and Warhol's
styles.
The amazing layout of this book includes colourful backgrounds,
portraits of each women, a concise account of their achievements and
an encouraging quote. As a bonus thirty more influential women are
mentioned at the conclusion of this informative book. The A-Z of
Wonder Women is ideal for History and Social Sciences students
as a stepping stone for researching women who have influenced
changes across the globe.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763688042
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Gusta loved the golden sound of her
horn, the way the notes could make you ring like a bell, from your
hair bow to your toes. Its music was so large and grand. She was
quiet by nature, but the horn was the bravest part of her her sweet,
large, secret, brassy voice.
Throughout the book Gusta (Augusta) develops as a strong leading
female character. She lives in New York with her mother. Her German
father is wanted by the law with the threat of World War 2 looming
on the horizon. Gusta finds herself being uprooted and sent to live
with her grandmother and aunt who own an orphanage. She is
continually trying to make everyone around her happy and only truly
feels at ease when she is playing her horn. Gusta is surrounded by
children of varying ages from all different walks of lives and
develops a special bond with her cousin Bess. Throughout the story,
she has to make some incredibly hard decisions that even an adult
would find challenging. Gusta is determined to find the wish that
her great grandfather who was a sailor left behind. This allows for
a thread of magic to be interlaced throughout the story.
Themes such as justice, fairness, loyalty and friendship are
discussed. It was interesting to read the author's notes at the end
of the book that this was based on Nesbet's own mother's life.
This book is suitable for children 10 and up. A must have for the
collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
I went trick-or-treating by Paul Howard
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408892886
(Age: All) Recommended. I went trick-or-treating by Paul
Howard is a wonderful holiday specific story that will appeal to
readers of all ages. It adds to the popular I went . . .
series which includes a Christmas special with Santa and also a trip
to the supermarket.
The story follows a brother and sister who are trying to out-do each
other in a scare competition at Halloween! They come across ghosts,
toads, bats, cats and even pirates along their journey, with each
page building in a "test-your-memory" style story. This aspect of
the story was a great addition to our reading time. Both Miss 4 and
Master 8 were able to interact with the story (at their own levels)
by recalling creatures and characters and also trying to get them in
the correct order. The repetitive nature is beneficial to the
younger listeners, and helps to encourage and involve them in the
text.
The illustrations by the clever Paul Howard are very cute, colourful
and add humour through the facial expressions of all the characters.
My personal favourites are the Monster Boogie King, Naughty Warty
Toad and the Super Silly Skeletons.
According to my 4 year old daughter this book is "very funny". She
enjoyed counting the bats, thought the ghost was funny and liked the
animals the best.
Master 8 stated that it is a good book to read at Halloween and
thought that people from 4 to 99 years of age could enjoy this book.
I agree with both of them and think this book (and the other 2 in
the series) would be a great addition to any bookshelf or library.
4.5 out of 5
Lauren Fountain
The Christmas tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
Ill. by Eleanor Taylor. Frederick Warne, 2018. ISBN
9780241352885
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Christmas, Poultry. Emma Thompson,
the renowned actress, has written another tale about Peter Rabbit in
this board book, beautifully illustrated by Eleanor Taylor. Peter is
very excited about Christmas and can't contain himself in the
kitchen, upsetting three bowls of mincemeat. Mrs Rabbit sends him
off on an errand to get him out of the way, and then he bumps into
Benjamin Bunny and William the turkey, who confides in the pair that
the McGregors "say that on Christmas Day they are to have me for
dinner!"
Peter and Benjamin are determined to save their friend and come up
with many ingenious ways to hide him from the McGregors, including
under a rhubarb-forcer by the compost-heap and in the coal shuttle,
but his magnificent tail-feathers always gave him away. Finally they
came up with a solution - and children will have fun suggesting ways
of hiding a turkey with a very full set of tail-feathers.
Thompson has succeeded in writing a narrative that reads aloud very
well and will be enjoyed by children, as they follow the dilemma of
William and his two friends. Parents and teachers should be aware
that younger children may need to be introduced gently to the idea
that turkeys are killed and then roasted for Christmas dinner.
The illustrations are done in the vein of the original Peter Rabbit
drawings, and are charming and often humorous.
Overall, a delightful addition to the Peter Rabbit tales.
Pat Pledger
