Archive | January 2020

Nop

Nop

Nop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nop

Caroline Magerl

Walker Books, 2019

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781760651251

In an old armchair in a corner of Oddmint’s Dumporeum Nop sits watching, unloved, unwanted and belonging nowhere.  At night he watched the other toys  come alive and pretty themselves up with buttons, beads,  ribbons, scarves and spangles ready for the rush of shoppers searching for that elusive perfect toy in the morning.  Each going off in a crinkly paper bag to some place wonderful and a new life. But no one chooses Nop, not even with his brand new red bow tie. 

But he maintains his faith that there is a special place for him, regardless of the opinions of others and devises an intriguing plan to find it…

In this gentle story, the creator explores the concepts of self-belief and determination as well as beauty being in the eye of the beholder.  Nop’s new friend does not care that Nop is not plush in places – he has enough plush for both of them – or that he is not shiny and new with spangles and stars and glitz and glamour.  Nop knows that there is someone and something for him beyond the armchair in Oddmint’s Emporium and it’s up to him to find it.

This would be an excellent and somewhat different way to start the new school year for those who like their students to identify their personal goals and then consider how they might achieve them. 

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals

Sami Bayly

Lothian Children’s, 2019

130pp., hbk., RRP $A32.99

9780734419019

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then ugly must be too and so natural history illustrator Sami Bayly has collected the creatures for this compendium to celebrate her passion for all things weird and wonderful.  

There are more than 60 unusual creatures to explore through scientific illustrations and facts and figures, some of which will be familiar but many not-so.  With information about what each looks like, what it eats, where it lives and its conservation status, as well as a collection of fun facts, readers are introduced to creatures such as the hellbender, the maleo, the sarcastic fringehead and the black rain frog. Just the names are intriguing.

This is a unique book, something totally different to add to the 591 section and to introduce to your budding natural historians. I suspect it will become one of those that groups of boys, particularly, will pore over in that group reading experience which is so essential to their literacy development.

You can learn more about the creation of the book and the selections within  here and here while comprehensive teachers’ resources are available here.

The Book of Stone

The Book of Stone

The Book of Stone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Book of Stone

Mark Greenwood

Coral Tulloch

Walker Books, 2019

40pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781760650872

They are such common, ordinary things – carefully but carelessly trodden over or picked up and thrown – but in this unique and stunning book,  Mark Greenwood shares his passion for stones with young readers as he shows that each has a story to tell. Whether its origins are deep within the heart of the earth or the outer reaches of space, each has its own shape, colour, pattern and texture, shaped by that story which will continue to be added to as it evolves. Even the simple act of throwing a stone into a river will change and continue its story.

Encased in a cover that resembles an engraved stone, and flanked by stunning endpapers that show the diversity of what are generally seen as a grey, amorphous mass, Coral Tulloch’s illustrations bring each stone and its story to life, perhaps encouraging the reader to look more closely, to wonder and reflect, to explore further. Where was the stone born? What has it been used for? Who has used it? How did it get here? What does it ell us about its past and that of the planet? What does it look like inside? Why? What magic do they foretell or keep?

Whenever I travel through our local countryside and see the huge granite boulders, remnants of ancient mountains long since eroded away by wind, weather and time, I get to put present events into perspective in the bigger scheme of things. And so it is with stones – they will endure long after the current drought, bushfires and personal circumstances pass, may even be shaped by those events but not extinguished by them and so I have deliberately chosen this to be the first review of the new year and the new decade. It offers a chance to reflect not just on the landscape and the environment but also our own lives, and perhaps begin a new chapter in the story.