Archive | April 2014

Lone Pine

 

Lone Pine

Lone Pine

Lone Pine

Lone Pine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lone Pine

Susie Brown & Margaret Warner

Sebastian Ciaffaglione

Little Hare, 2014 (First World War centenary edition)

hbk, 32pp., RRP $A24.95

9781742978703

In 1915, on a Turkish hillside a lone pine stood in a barren wasteland above a fierce battle being waged between the Turks and ANZACs, a conflict that has become part of Australia’s history and identity. 

In 1934, a sapling grown from that lone pine was planted in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia’s national capital.

In 2014, that tree still stands tall in beautiful, lush surroundings in memory and recognition of the events of 1915.

In 2015, it will be a focal point of the centenary of those events.

Lone Pine is the true story of that journey.  From a soldier looking for his brother, a mother mourning the loss of her son, a gardener understanding both the significance and the vision, a Duke performing a ceremonial duty we learn of how a tiny pine cone from that solitary tree has become such a symbol in our commemorations.  Told in simple prose against a backdrop of muted but magnificent artistry which you can view on the artist’s website , the story is both moving and haunting.  The soldier’s mother plants three seeds but only two saplings survive, just like her sons; fierce storms batter the sapling the day it is planted at the AWM, just as war clouds started rumbling around Europe once again; it survives to stand tall and strong despite the storms it has to weather, just as our hope for peace does. The continuity of life through the pine tree echoes the seasons and cycles of human life.

Jointly written by a teacher librarian and a teacher, there is a real understanding of how to engage the target audience and tell a true story that is not just a recount of an historical event. Accompanying the story are notes about the events it depicts including more information about the tree itself which  reinforce the theme of the renewal and continuity of life.  As well as the sapling planted at the AWM, its twin was planted as a memorial to the fallen brother in Inverell, and even though this has since been removed because of disease, its son lives on at Inverell High School, planted by the fallen soldier’s nephew.  Two trees propagated from the pine at the AWM were taken to the Gallipoli Peninsula and planted there by a group of ANZACs in 1990.

There is much more about the tree and its descendants at the Australian War Memorial and teaching notes are available that will take the students well beyond the story of a remarkable tree. For those who have access to the NSW school magazine Touchdown, the April 2013 teaching guide also has activities to support the story.

With the centenary of both World War I and ANZAC Day drawing closer, the resurgence of the significance of ANZAC Day in the understanding of our young, and a pilgrimage to the Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove becoming a must-do, life-changing event, the story of the lone pine deserves to be better known, and this wonderful book HAS to be a part of any school library’s ANZAC collection. Its quality was acknowledged when it was listed as a Notable Book in the 2013 CBCA awards – not a common feat for first-time authors!

 

A peek inside

A peek inside…

Another look...

Another look…

 

Once Upon a Timeless Tale

Once Upon a Timeless Tale

Once Upon a Timeless Tale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Retold by Margrete Lamond with Russell Thomson

Illustrated by Andrew Joyner

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

9781742975245

 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Retold by Margrete Lamond with Russell Thomson

Illustrated by Anna Walker

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

9781921894923

 

The Princess and the Pea

Retold by Margrete Lamond

Illustrated by Mitch Vane

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

9781921894930

 

The Ugly Duckling

Retold by Margrete Lamond

Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

 

Henny Penny

Retold by Margrete Lamond

Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

9781921894954

 

Little Red Riding Hood

Retold by Margrete Lamond

Illustrated by Anna Pignataro

Little Hare, 2014

hbk., 32pp., RRP $A12.95

9781921894879

These are indeed timeless tales, those traditional stories that are handed down from generation to generation and which we expect our students come to school already knowing (although that is often a misconception). These are the original pre-Disney version of these stories told way back when, retold by Margrete Lamond and beautifully illustrated by some of the best illustrators for children, bringing them right into the world of the 21st century child and a new generation.

While there may be a perception that fairytales such as these are the domain of the preschooler and very young readers, they actually have a place on the shelves of every library, primary and secondary.

Firstly, they are a part of our oral culture and there is an expectation that when you mention a particular story, the students will know enough of the core story to bring it to mind.  So this can be compared to other cultures whose history has been passed down orally.

Secondly, the original purpose of such stories was a didactic one – each had a lesson or a moral to be learned by the younger generation without putting them physically at risk – so students can not only examine what that lesson is, but also compare it to the traditional stories of other cultures to investigate if similar, universal truths were a common theme.

Thirdly, most of them are now hundreds of years old so what is it about these stories that mean they have endured over time, place and space?  Even though they have been retold, re-interpreted and repackaged into a variety of formats, why does the core and essence remain intact? Why are they told again and again and again and children’s eyes light up when you pick up a familiar one to read to them?  Which of today’s stories will survive the test of time?  Even though The Very Hungry Caterpillar is now 45, Corduroy is now 40, and Hairy Maclary, Hush and Grandma Poss are all 30-something, do they have whatever it is it takes to notch up centenaries and bicentenaries?

Finally, for now, these books lend themselves to helping students understand that critical information literacy skill of interpretation.  Because there are so many versions available it is easy to collect enough of them to provide the variety required to examine how both the story and the illustrations have been interpreted. What has been added, deleted, or changed to give the story a particular purpose or slant? How would the story change if it were told by another character? Which parts of the story have the illustrators chosen to depict and how are their pictures of the same thing, such as the giant, similar or different?  What common knowledge do we share even though no one has ever seen a giant and is there evidence of stereotyping?

Given their reasonable price of $12.95 for a hardback book, this series would make an affordable addition to the library’s collection so students can start to delve into the deeper questions.  

 

The Short Giraffe

The Shoret Giraffe

The Short Giraffe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Short Giraffe

Neil Flory

Mark Cleary

Albert Whitman & Co., 2014

hbk, 24pp., RRP $A24.99

9780807573464

Boba the Baboon had come to take a photo of the tallest animals in the world and the giraffes wanted to make the photo perfect.  They prinked and they preened and lined up ready for Boba.  But when the photo was taken there was a problem – they all looked perfect but tucked in the right-hand corner was just the tip of a head. It belonged to Geri – the shortest giraffe who had ever lived!  Not wanting to spoil the perfect picture she offers to step out altogether but the other giraffes don’t like that idea so they try a variety of ways to bring Geri up to their level – with startling results, none of which is successful.  But then Caterpillar who had been watching and thought that regardless, Geri was still tall, has an idea… and Boba gets his perfect picture after all.

Accompanied by colourful, whimsical illustrations that support the text so well, this is a refreshing story created by the author when his son asked him for a bedtime story.  Given the nature of many children’s picture books, you expect it to have a storyline of Geri being literally looked down on by the other giraffes and through a series of incidents learning that how you are and who you are is enough, even if you don’t quite measure up physically. But instead it’s a delightful tale of diversity being embraced and those with the “power” being compassionate rather than disdainful. Even though the target audience is early childhood, it would be a great way of introducing the concept of perspective to slightly older children. If your picture’s not perfect, then change the picture not the people.

It also offers a great opportunity to actively involve the child in the story and begin developing the concept of cause and effect, action and consequence by thinking of ways to make Geri taller and what might happen as a result.  Miss 3 thought a ladder would be the answer but it would be hard for Geri to get her gangly giraffe legs up it.  She also asked, “What if Geri is scared of being up so high?”

This is Flory’s debut into the world of writing children’s stories and it is a very successful one, being identified as one of the CBCA’s Notable books Early Childhood Book of the Year award. Being considered to be among the top 16 books published for this age group, especially when the competition features such established names as Fox, Lester, Laguna and Gleeson, has to signal a significant new talent on the scene.

 

Rivertime

Rivertime

Rivertime

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rivertime

Trace Balla

Allen & Unwin, 2014

hbk., 80pp., RRP $A24.99

9781743316337

 

Clancy is 10.5 years old or 3832.5 days or 91 980 hours old, and is obsessed with numbers.  He lives with his mum who is an artist and his uncle Egg, a very keen bird-watcher.  Egg has been waiting for Clancy to grow as high as his chest so they can go on a paddling trip up the river together.  Clancy isn’t so sure that it will be much fun, especially when he discovers that it is an extended camping trip – ten days, 240 hours, 14 400 minutes – and in a canoe, not a hovercraft, and only essentials are allowed.  He writes, “Day 1: After a lumpy, bumpy night, I’m grumpy…” and watches Egg load the canoe grumbling and mumbling and knowing he is not going to like this adventure and an encounter with a brown snake in the water just as they’re contemplating a swim doesn’t change his view. But as the journey goes on, Clancy sees and experiences new things – things that are more interesting than his television and other toys left behind – and learns much about life in all its colours, shades and hues, including rivertime, the tidal gap between breathing in and breathing out and which offers such peace and tranquillity and reflection.

Set on the Glenelg (Bochara) River which flows out of Gariwerd (aka The Grampians), parts of which are the traditional home of the Gundjitmara and Boandik peoples, and told in a graphic novel format, this is a story of Clancy’s journey – not just along the river but also the physical, mental and emotional journey of the transition from child to young man. His final triumph of conquering the jetty exit is perfect! And his victory dance shows just how far he has travelled.   Its gentle colours add to the atmosphere and each page is peppered with little bush creatures and their names, the things that the Clancy of the beginning wouldn’t see and couldn’t appreciate, but which the Clancy of the end values, even abandoning his obsession with numbers. Now, when a speedboat cuts through the water, Clancy feels sorry for the river’s creatures.   As David Suzuki says, “All children need an Uncle Egg to open up the magical world of nature.”

This is an extraordinary book – one to be read alone and savoured because there are so many layers and levels to it.  It’s not just the story of Clancy and Egg and their journey, but a calming, almost meditative, read for the reader.  Often when we pick up a picture book we just skim read it just as we can “skim read” our daily lives because we don’t think we have time to delve deeper and really appreciate and value what we have, but as you get into this story it drags you in, just as it did Clancy, until you become absorbed and oblivious to the distractions around you.  Just as the wallaby swimming across the river and the koala changing trees, it beckons you to try a new place just because you can. The handwritten font enhances the concept of it being a personal journey for both writer and reader. So while the younger student may read it as Clancy having an adventure with his Uncle Egg, there is much more that the older reader will gain from it too. In the penultimate frame, Egg says, “You’ve come a long way, kid”, to which Clancy replies, “Yeah, and I could keep going.” Sums it all up perfectly, in my opinion.

 

The Duck and the Darklings

The Duck and the Darklings

The Duck and the Darklings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Duck and the Darklings

Glenda Millard

Stephen Michael King

Allen & Unwin, 2014

hbk, RRP $A24.99

9781743312612

In a hole built with care and lit with love, deep underground in the land of Dark, live Peterboy and his Grandpapa.  In the post-apocalyptic world, Dark was a sorry, spoiled place; a broken and battered place and had been so for so long that everything about a different world, a world of sunups and sundowns, yesterdays and tomorrows had been disremembered by everyone except Grandpapa. Peterboy and the other Darklings only venture beyond their holes and burrows at the dead of night when they go to the finding fields to see what they could scavenge. They know nothing of the sights and sounds and smells that Grandpapa can recall and no one speaks about.

When Peterboy came home he would tell Grandpapa of the things he had seen…”There are holes in the dark, Grandpapa, and light leaks through!  It slides down the steeps, puddles in the deeps and glimmers on the trickle”.  And as he told his stories to Grandpapa he noticed his eyes light up as Grandpapa remembered things lost and longed for. Peterboy wanted to keep that light in Grandpapa’s eyes so when he ventured out into the night, he looked for more than crumbs and crusts.  He wished for a scrap of wonderfulness.  And one night, he found what he was looking for – Idaduck, broken and spent but with hope beating in her downy heart..  So Peterboy picked her up … and changed his life, the life of Grandpapa and the lives of the Darklings for ever.

This is the most extraordinary book – it is a tale of hope, and triumph and resilience; of love and friendship and family; of connection and belonging. But what sets it apart is the most magnificent language that Glenda Millard has used – language that is so evocative and imaginative and expressive that you are just absorbed into the story as it wraps around you.  Every word is perfectly chosen and paints the most amazing mind-pictures.  Accompanied by the iconic illustrations of Stephen Michael King, who uses black and blocks of colour to depict the mood so well and contrasts the oppressiveness of the landscape with the feelings of futility of the Darklings who are represented in his characteristic line-drawing style, this is the epitome of a picture book where text and illustration are in perfect harmony.

The publisher recommends this book for 4-8 year-olds but it is for a much broader audience than that.  Apart from the context of the world as we know it having ended and the suggestion of the resurrection of life, older readers will gain much by examining the imagery, atmosphere and emotion evoked by the language and how this is interpreted by the illustrator.  There are so many layers to this book that it should prove once and for all that picture books are for everyone.

I may just be looking at the CBC Award winner for 2015

Billy Slater Presents Try Time

Billy Slater Presents Try TIme

Billy Slater Presents Try TIme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Billy Slater Presents Try Time
Patrick Loughlin
Nahum Ziersch
Random House, 2014
pbk., 144pp., RRP $12.99
9780857982469

The 2014 rugby league season is gathering momentum and here is a great new series to tempt your rugby league fans into reading as well as playing.  It focuses on the West Hill Ravens, a local team just starting their new season and comprising kids from all backgrounds, demonstrating that this is a game for all. In the team, Josh Brown has the potential to be a star player – he has the speed and the skills of a winger, but he is also cursed with nerves. Every time he steps on the field the butterflies in his tummy take over and when he fails to score an easy try in that first match, he thinks of giving it away altogether. He feels he has let his team down, himself down, and most critically, his grandfather who is football mad and screams encouragement from the sideline each time.

But then, NRL legend Billy Slater turns up at training one day – can he help Josh overcome those nerves?  Written with action-packed descriptions of games, good advice and a likeable lad who many will empathise with this is a book worth promoting and building up anticipation in time for its release date of May 1, 2014.  In the introduction, Slater emphasises that  while playing well is important, it’s more about being part of a team, feeling you belong, having fun and enjoying what you’re doing because that’s when you’re at you’re best.  But, at the same time, understanding that there are times when things won’t go your way and you have to have what it takes to work through that.  It’s about being resilient, forgiving yourself and digging deep to keep going. A strong message indeed from someone who is a hero for so many. And apart from that there are several pages of tips that the reader can think about to improve their own game.

Try Time is the first in this series – Banana Kick will also be published on May 1.  It focuses on Junior Taafuli, nicknamed Cannonball the biggest player in the West Hill Ravens, who thinks he is only valued for his size.  Again Slater steps in to help him learn a life lesson.

While the content alone of these books is likely to make them appealing to younger readers, it is the endorsement by Billy Slater that sets them apart from others of a similar theme, giving them a strength because they show reluctant readers that their heroes do read and write; that reading is a cool, in thing to do and it’s possible to combine football and reading.  Perhaps we should ask the publishers for a poster of Billy reading this title to reinforce that message!

 

 

Lulu Bell (series)

Lulu Bell

Lulu Bell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lulu Bell (series)

Belinda Murrell
Serena Geddes
Random House Australia

pbk., 86pp., RRP $A9.95

 

Lulu Bell and the Birthday Unicorn
9781742758756

Lulu Bell and the Birthday Unicorn is the first in a new series by Belinda Murrell for young girls who are verging on being independent readers and looking for a novel which features a young heroine just like them.  Lulu Bell is just eight, the practical one in a family that includes her six-year-old sister Rosie, who loves wearing angel wings and sparkly shoes; her three-year-old brother Gus who always wears his superhero suit; her dad, a busy vet and her mum, an artist- not to mention a menagerie of pets.

It is Rosie’s birthday and everyone is ready for the party.  But just before the guests arrive, disaster strikes as little brother Gus lets a wayward pony into the kitchen.  Suddenly, there is no mermaid birthday cake and it is way too late to get another one from the bakery.  But practical, thoughtful Lulu has a solution as well as a surprise that turns the pony from villain to hero.  And with a guest appearance by King Neptune, Rosie’s day is complete.

 

Lulu Bell and the Fairy Penguin

9781742758787

In this adventure, the Bell family are at the beach when a runaway dog chases a fairy penguin.  Luckily, Lulu can call on the expert help of her father who is a vet, and the encounter inspires a community project designed to help people look out for and look after the penguins. And penguins aren’t her only problem – where is Pickles the cat, due to give birth at any time?

This is a refreshing series of stories about characters the readers can relate to, particularly Lulu as the strong, sensible level-headed lead.  Each story is well-written, based on everyday events that only the most accomplished can turn into an engaging story and accompanied by charming illustrations by Serena Geddes who had six years’ experience with Walt Disney Studios in Sydney before turning to book illustrating. Miss 7 and I read each over the holidays and she is eagerly looking forward to the next instalments – Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort and Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon, both coming in August 2013.

Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle

9780857982018

Lulu Bell and the Circus Pup

9780857981998

These are the two latest additions to the new series by Belinda Murrell for young girls who are verging on being independent readers and looking for a novel which features a young heroine just like them.  Lulu Bell is just eight, the practical one in a family that includes her six-year-old sister Rosie, who loves wearing angel wings and sparkly shoes; her three-year-old brother Gus who always wears his superhero suit; her dad, a busy vet and her mum, an artist- not to mention a menagerie of pets.

Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle is set on the Dampier Peninsula, which stretches 220 kilometres north of Brome in Western Australia and is based on the adventures that the author’s family had when they were there. This time Lulu’s mother has been invited to visit an Aboriginal community to choose paintings for an art show and so the family accompanies her to this remote place.  From camping out, visiting the famous reef which flows like a waterfall as the tide recedes, making spears in the traditional way and learning to use them, this is a story packed with both adventure and authenticity that is characteristic of Murrell’s writing. 

Lulu Bell and the Circus Pup is set much closer to home and involves all the fun of the circus when Spangles the performing dog goes missing, although Lulu finds out it is not all glamour when she finds her new friend shovelling horse poo! Her willingness to help with the tasks leads to all sorts of new opportunities that will be the envy of many a young lady! 

This is a refreshing series of stories about characters the readers can relate to, particularly Lulu as the strong, sensible level-headed lead.  Each story is well-written, based on everyday events that only the most accomplished can turn into an engaging story and accompanied by charming illustrations by Serena Geddes who had six years’ experience with Walt Disney Studios in Sydney before turning to book illustrating.   Miss 7 has been eyeing these on my to-read pile for a few weeks now, impatiently wanting to get her hands on them since we read the first episodes together last year and Santa left some too.  (Now she can read them for herself!)  Add these to you collection and look out for two new titles in June and you will find that your younger girls will be queuing up for them.

 

Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub

9780857983015

 

Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party

9780857983039

There was great excitement at my house recently because Miss 8 came to stay and discovered in my review pile the two latest additions to the new series by Belinda Murrell for young girls who are verging on being independent readers and looking for a novel which features a young heroine just like them.  Lulu Bell is just eight, the practical one in a family that includes her six-year-old sister Rosie, who loves wearing angel wings and sparkly shoes; her three-year-old brother Gus who always wears his superhero suit; her dad, a busy vet and her mum, an artist- not to mention a menagerie of pets. Miss 8 really enjoys this refreshing series of stories about characters she can relate to, particularly Lulu as the strong, sensible level-headed lead, and there were no “just-five-more-minutes?” at bedtime because she was so keen to curl up and read them.

In Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub, Lulu and her friends go on a class excursion to the zoo.  Given a treasure hunt of questions they need to answer, Lulu and her friends and the reader learn all sorts of unusual facts about the animals, such as the meerkat being able to eat scorpions because they’re immune to the venom.  But it is because the zoo’s vet is one of her dad’s best friends that they have a remarkable experience with Berani the tiger cub and make it a zoo trip to remember. 

In Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party Lulu has an exciting time as Molly and Sam and Ebony sleep over. But instead of games, snacks, stories and whispering and giggling far into the night, they are needed to help Dad at the vet hospital as he has one of his busiest nights for years. 

Read the review of Lulu Bell and the Christmas Elf 

Based on the author’s own experiences of growing up in a vet hospital, this series has an authenticity that really appeals to its target audience, particularly as that is the age when so many of them dream of living the life themselves.  Each new adventure is greeted warmly by Miss 8, who delights in being able to read them for herself, and I know she has introduced her friends to Lulu Bell because she told me her school’s teacher librarian was wondering when the latest episodes would be available.  She was delighted when I told her that there would be a special Christmas one available in November.   So for a read of the more traditional kind that really speaks to this age group, this series should be on your library’s must-have list.  If it’s already part of your collection, then look for these new titles and tell the students they can find out more at her website.

 

Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa When We Go Walkabout

Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa When We Go Walkabout

Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa When We Go Walkabout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa When We Go Walkabout

Rhoda Lalara

Alfred Lalara

Allen & Unwin and The Little Big Book Club, 2014

hbk, RRP $A24.99

9781743314562

Yirruwa Yirrilikenuma-langwa, amiyembena yirrirringka yirruwa?
When we go walkabout, what do we see?

The beautiful landscapes are fauna of Groote Eylandt are brought to life in this unique dual-language picture book which introduces very young children to their unique surroundings.  There is the frill-necked lizard – dukwululuwawa – on the big rock; the green frog – dilyaburnda – in the billabong; the wallaby – yiburada – in the scrub and many more right through to the dingarrbiya and the yikurridangwa!! And then back home, after the walkabout is complete, there is someone special – the person who first introduced the author and illustrator to their environment and who inspired the book because they want to be able to share the wonders with their own grandchildren in time.

This is a remarkable book for many reasons…

Apart from the text written in both Anindilyakwa and English – the two-way learning that is the best way for indigenous children to become literate in both English and their mother-tongue – the artworks which are a collaboration between the illustrator Alfred Lalara and his wife Alice Durilla, are an integral part of passing on knowledge embedded in traditional stories and thus a critical part of the book as a whole.  The stories of how Alfred and his wife learned to paint in the traditional style, and Rhoda’s motive for writing When We Go Walkabout make fascinating reading at the end of the book.  Clearly it is one of those rare titles that entertains, informs and persuades at the same time.

The book itself is the first of the Emerging Indigenous Picture Book Mentoring Project a partnership between the Little Big Book Club and Allen & Unwin in which six previously unpublished Indigenous writers and illustrators will have their work showcased in four picture books during 2014.  Each creator has been partnered with a renowned mentor in children’s publishing including Nadia Wheatley, Ken Searle, Nick Bland, Ann James, Bronwyn Bancroft, Boori Monty Pryor and Ali Cobby Eckermann to share ideas, techniques and inspiration for their first published work. The project has been funded by the federal government through the Australia Council and it means that not only will our cohort of children’s writers be enriched but our students will have access to authentic texts that will work towards the understanding and harmony between our cultures that is at the heart of so many of the Australian Curriculum outcomes.

Even though the publishers suggest this is a book for the 0-5 brigade, Miss Nearly 8 and I shared and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It sparked a discussion about how other Australian children speak different languages and how much fun that could be and because we live where we do, we see some of the creatures like wallabies and cockatoos daily, we tried saying the new names we had learned.  It helped that we could listen to Rhoda Lara read it to us .  (There’s a QR code in the back of the book.) We also talked about how the story was written so the language and knowledge could be passed through the generations on Groote Eylandt and what she had learned from her grandmother (me) and what of that she might pass on to her own children.  That was a fascinating insight and showed that getting children to talk about such things is a critical way of helping them understand both their family history and their place in it.

Usually I give my review copies to a local school, but Miss Nearly 8 asked if she could have this one.  She wanted to read it again and think about it some more – and then write a story for her grandchildren!!  The best stories always go beyond the lines, and this has clearly done that.