Archive | August 2019

Wibble Wobble

Wibble Wobble

Wibble Wobble

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wibble Wobble

Jen Storer

Lisa Stewart

HarperCollins, 2019 

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780733339196

Wibble wobble, walking tall.

Wibble wobble, tumble fall.

Baby milestones are always greeted with such delight, but perhaps none moreso than Baby’s first steps.  So this delightful book, told in rhyme and softly illustrated is a celebration of twins taking those first tentative steps into independence. 

Great for new parents or even sharing with older children looking back and wanting to hear the stories of their babyhood, this is just charming.

 

All Aboard! True Train Tales

All Aboard! True Train Tales

All Aboard! True Train Tales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Aboard! True Train Tales

Pauline Deeves

NLA Publishing, 2019

120pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780642279392

“I come from a railway family. My dad drives trains, my grandpa was an engine driver and so was his father …” 

Jack is 8 and he lives in the country in an old white house near the railway station, surrounded by wheat paddocks where the river that snakes through the town sometimes floods and cuts the town in half.  He loves nothing better  than visiting his Grandpa who had a full-sized red train carriage devoted to all his train memorabilia which is his passion, and together they are working to save the railway museum particularly on Open Day when visitors come to ride on the steam train and view the exhibits. 

The story of saving the museum is woven amongst Grandpa’s tales of happenings on Australia’s railways in the 19th and 20th centuries, all of them true, and interspersed with pages of information full of statistics, fun facts, quizzes and historic images from the NLA’s collection. Superbly designed, meticulously researched and well written by an experienced teacher and teacher librarian, this is a book for lovers of trains, independent readers who prefer non fiction but made more cohesive with Jack’s story so that even non-train aficionados can appreciate the history of episodes like the 1887 Hawkesbury crash, the Wirth’s Circus train and the plots and plans of bushrangers like the Kelly Gang and Frank Thomas.

Recently I have spent some time driving through central NSW and crossing railway lines that led to nowhere but overgrown grass, past tiny stations now abandoned, signs advertising railway museums and special steam train trips and avoiding the super-sized trucks that have taken over what were the veins that kept the freight in this country moving. It made me wonder about the stories of the past of both the towns and their trains, and so this is the perfect book to hook me into learning more. Perhaps I will join the hundreds of others who book a trip on the next steam train out of here. Others might like to investigate the role of the railway in the development of their town. Don’t forget as well as the resources available via the NLA, there is also a plethora from the National Digital Learning Resources Network.

My Dad is a Dragon

My Dad is a Dragon

My Dad is a Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad is a Dragon

Damon Young

Peter Carnavas

UQP, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

Some dads pull billycarts

painted blue and black.

But my dad is a dragon…

I sit upon his scaly back!

Dads do some amazing things in their lives and this is a celebration of their diversity whether they have “pointy pencils for designing bridges” or “tough trolleys for hauling heavy fridges” but what if your dad was really different? What if he were a dragon?

Often the acknowledgement of Father’s Day in schools is overshadowed by the celebrations of Book Week or it is kept low-key because so many children do not have live-at-home fathers, but nevertheless the role of a dad in a child’s life is critical and so this is the perfect book to add to your collection about families and diversity.  Superbly illustrated by Peter Carnavas, who himself might be considered a dad who is different because his daily life is not that of many fathers, this opens up the scope for a discussion on how dads are different and how they show us they love us.  Because even if the dad is not on the scene full-time for whatever reason, it is a rare dad who does not love his kids. Maybe it is that very absence that is the demonstration – protecting his children from a life of arguments and hostility after a relationship breaks down.  It’s also a great opportunity to reflect on how our dads influence our lives and the choices we make.  How many sporting heroes have followed their father’s footsteps?  How many budding architects or musicians or whatevers have fathers who have led the way?

One of a series of stories that takes a light-hearted look at family relationships, nevertheless, there is more to this than meets the eye.

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

Stella Caldwell & Roald Dahl

Quentin Blake

Puffin, 2019

64pp., hbk., RRP $A39.99

9781760891589

Whether your child’s favourite Dahl book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, Matilda or The BFG, they will find their favourite characters brought to life in this unique book as they meet them face-to-face and learn more about what makes them tick.  From Grandpa Joe and Mike Teavee, to Mr and Mrs Twit and Muggle-Wump, to Sophie and the Fleshlumpeater. Miss Trunchbull and Bruce Bogtrotter, each has a special place in this collection that, as the title suggests. looks at Dahl’s most heroic human beans and beastly brutes, each created by Dahl to engage children and show them that children can have power over the adults. The main character from each book guides the reader around the story and introduces the rest of the cast. 

But, as the introduction states, “this is no ordinary book…it’s a press-out paper adventure” because there are lots of card press-outs of the characters and places that help the child describe the roles and personalities of the players and recreate and retell the story in their own words.  Making new from old. (And there’s a convenient envelope at the back to keep them in too.) Clever design means parts of the pages can be pressed out to reveal a glorious parade of characters, interacting with each other in quirky and mischievous ways. 

This is probably not one for the general circulation shelves but it would be the most wonderful prop for any study of Dahl, who has been and will be a children’s favourite for generations, or the ideal gift for a Dahl fan.  Like Dahl’s writing which offers something new with every reading (wouldn’t mind a dollar for every time I’ve read or gifted The BFG), this is a gift that will keep on giving, especially it if it’s teamed with the featured books!. 

My Dad Snores

My Dad Snores

My Dad Snores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dad Snores

John Williamson

Peter Carnavas

Puffin, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780143793793

The family has a problem. Dad snores so loudly that the galahs fall out of the nearby trees.  He is so loud that no one can get any sleep and nothing they do stops him. What are they going to do?

This is another true-to-life story from iconic singer-songwriter John Williamson and its hilarious interpretation by Peter Carnavas is superb with its uniquely Australian twist.  Apart from resonating with so many children who have the same problem, the use of metaphoric language is sublime and just invites the reader to suggest some of their own, while the relationship between the text and the graphics is symbiotic, right from the front cover.

And of course, being John Williamson, there is a musical version. Not the usual upbeat, fast-moving tune we are used to, but perfectly reflecting the despair and tiredness of the family .

 

Dear Grandpa

Dear Grandpa

Dear Grandpa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Grandpa

Kate Simpson

Ronojoy Ghosh

Allen & Unwin, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760523435

Grandpa, did you know that if you rub a needle with a magnet, one end will point to the north and the other end to the south? In the south there’s an apartment building 160 metres tall. From the balcony, you can see the entire city. There are cinemas and ice cream shops … and me! 

Henry and his Grandpa have been separated by 2003 km by Henry’s move south and in a series of letters between them, they explore just how far that distance is, with each one bringing them closer metaphorically, if not literally.  Then one day, Henry gets a big surprise.

The bond between grandparent and grandchild is often a very special and unique one, and physical separation is a phenomenon of the modern world and its nuclear family.  Despite technology, there is nothing like the arms of each around each other, and any grandparent will understand the need for a ‘grandma fix’. I need them regularly, particularly now things like school and Scouts and sport have taken over the flying weekend visits! 

Beautifully illustrated to both enrich and enhance the story, this is one that can help children understand family structures as well as explore the bonds they have with special family members, perhaps even inspire a connection again.  

I Am So Clever

I Am So Clever

I Am So Clever

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am So Clever

Marcos Ramos

Gecko Press, 2019

48pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781776572489

Little Red Riding Hood is on her way through the woods to Grandma’s house when she encounters the wolf.  Thinking that his dinner will be delightful with Grandmother for the main course and a little raspberry for dessert, he persuades Little Red Riding Hood to pick some flowers while he races off to Grandma’s house.  But she is not there – all he finds is her pink frilly nightie and nightcap.  

So he decides to change his plans – and that’s where the story goes off-piste into a well-fractured fairytale that features a whole cast of characters from the Land of Fairytales. Readers who are familiar with the original tale will appreciate the twists in this one and its unlikely ending. 

Written by respected Belgian author Mario Ramos, this is a companion to I am so Strong and I am so Handsome, both featuring the hapless wolf in encounters with favourite fairytale characters.

Daddy Cuddle

Daddy Cuddle

Daddy Cuddle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daddy Cuddle

Kate Mayes

Sara Acton

ABC Kids. 2019

32pp., pbk., RRP$ A14.99

9780733338021

Very early in the morning and as Little Bunny’s eyes goes ping, his brain thinks of only one thing! And he sets to work to achieve it. As Little Bunny does all that he can to rouse his sleeping daddy and get him to play, there is no response. But eventually, Daddy wakes up and despite all the plans that Little Bunny has suggested there is just one thing that they both want… and Daddy gets to stay in bed just that little bit longer!

Celebrating the special relationship between father and child, with its gentle illustrations, this is one that despite its sparse but repetitive and predictable text builds tension and anticipation as the reader wonders whether Daddy will ever wake up – and just how he will react when he does. This is a charming story that will resonate with both parent and young child because it tells a tale that we are all familiar with.

 

 

 

Ella and the Ocean

Ella and the Ocean

Ella and the Ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ella and the Ocean

Lian Tanner

Jonathan Bentley

Allen & Unwin, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781760633691

Ella lived in the red-dirt country
where the earth was as dry as old bones
and it hadn’t rained 
for years
and years
and years.

One night, Ella dreamt of the ocean… and the image mesmerises her and she wants to know more. So she asks her dad,  her mum and Ben the farmhand, and while each has a distant memory to share it is viewed through the lens of the cracked red earth, the dust of the dry, dry, plains and the hungry hungry cows.  Her Gran hasn’t seen the ocean but dreamt about it once – ‘it picked me up and carried me from one side of sleep to the other and I have never forgotten it’- and so she sets about making Ella’s dream come true.

This is an uplifting story that will resonate with so many children from the front cover of the red-roofed house surrounded by vast dry, red, rain-starved land and gaunt gum trees to the family melancholy of hard work and no relief to the power of just a small break in routine to restore faith and hope.  You do not have to venture too far from the city to see the impact that this interminable drought is having on the land, and just as it sucks the life out of the land, so it has the people. Like Ella’s family, that impact is not as visible but is in their body language, their words and their perspective and while we city folk might pay some attention to their plight it is not long before we go back to our own lives, having put a few dollars in a tin or bought a more expensive bottle of milk.  Stories like Ella’s  and images like Bentley’s bring the reality home and depending where you live, will either help the children understand that they are not alone in this plight or perhaps inspire them to do something that might be ‘the trip to the ocean’ that turns a family around for a little while longer.  Or perhaps look a little closer to home. maybe the local nursing home, and think about what they can do to disrupt the routine of same-same boredom to put a light into someone’s life.

So often any unit of work about weather and its causes focuses on the scientific rather than the human, and Ella and the Ocean works to redress this, as readers are almost compelled to think about the what-if. and the what-can-I-do.  Another one of those great picture books that can work across all age groups.

Sea Monsters

Sea Monsters

Sea Monsters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Monsters

Sharon J. Yaxley

Forty South Publishing, 2019

46pp., hbk., $25.00

9780648168881

A walk along the beach is often characterised by the sound of the waves, the fresh air and the sheer exuberance of being able to move with such freedom as we pass rocks, seaweed and other detritus washed up by the tides. Being king of the castle, drawing pictures in the sand with sticks, feeling the texture of the sand and shells under our feet and the delight of beating the waves as they try to soak our clothes are just a few joys of this most pleasurable experience.

But what if we slowed down and took the time to look at what is there, to examine the shapes and colours and textures of the landscape? Where might our imaginations take us? Into a world of monsters or somewhere different?

Environmental activist David Suzuki says

Unless we are willing to encourage our children to reconnect with and appreciate the natural world, we can’t expect them to help protect and care for it.

Author/photographer of this new book for young readers, Sharon Yaxley has used this quote to describe the concept of this remarkable book for young readers, to encourage them to look more closely at the things in their world and let those things talk to their imaginations.  Tails, tusks, dark eyes, sharp noses and jaws with jagged teeth are all there in the seaweed, driftwood, rocks, sand… and when the tide crashes in and the wind does its work, they change into something different.  Looking closely, thinking about the object’s story and the story it could inspire all help to slow the child down in this breakneck world, to be curious and spark their wonder.

Even if your students live nowhere near a beach, this can still be the inspiration to take them outside and let them immerse themselves in what is there and imagine… Let’s take the opportunity to connect our kids to the real world so they want to protect it too. Extensive teaching notes aligned to many strands of the Australian Curriculum are available.