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Clarice Bean: Scram!

Aug7
Clarice Bean: Scram!

Clarice Bean: Scram!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clarice Bean: Scram

Lauren Child

HarperCollins, 2022

176pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

9780008541507

Clarice Bean Tuesday is 12, second youngest in an extended family that comprises her granddad, and her grandmother, her dad, her mother, her 16-year old brother Kurt, her 14 year old sister Marcie and her younger brother Minal Cricket Tuesday who is 5.  As with many larger families, life is often chaotic but on this particular day Clarice is feeling bored because nothing ever happens except for sometimes. And only on rare-ish occasions, which is hardly ever. There are times when even I can’t turn the nothing into more than it is. But there was one day in the holidays that began as a nothing day and then everything happened. Absolutely nearly everything.

Cranky and bored because it is the summer holidays and her brothers and sister are annoying, her best friend Betty Moody is away,  and Robert Grainger, her weird neighbour is boasting that he is looking after a rabbit. Everyone seems to be having more fun than she is. That is, until she finds that a puppy has followed her home and will not ‘scram’. Knowing that when her parents return from the wedding, they  will only make her try to find its owner, Clarice and her siblings all work together to look after the dog and hide it from them.

Written in Clarice’s 12 year-old voice, this is a series from the author of Charlie and Lola,  that has been around for over 20 years but with intermittent new releases, remains as popular as ever with younger newly independent readers. They will relate to the everyday events that Child skillfully makes entertaining and using lots of the formatting devices that support young readers to tackle longer reads, this new release could see the resurgence of the series amongst a new generation of readers.

Pow Pow Pig 3: On the High Seas

Aug1
Pow Pow Pig 3: On the High Seas:

Pow Pow Pig 3: On the High Seas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pow Pow Pig 3: On the High Seas

Anh Do

Peter Cheong

A&U Children’s,  2022

168pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781761065675

It is the year 2050 and the world is in trouble. In 2030 the rich animals of the world voted to stop helping the poor and as they became richer, forever seeking bigger and better while discarding their unwanted things instead of sharing them, creating a huge amount of waste.  And then the fighting started.

But all is not lost and Piccolo Pig (aka Pow Pow Pig) , inspired by his parents’ role model has yearned to join CHOC (Creatures Helping Other Creatures) to help make the world a better place through small acts of kindness. So as soon as he was old enough he joined, and now, after three years of training it’s Graduation Day. But he and his friends Danielle Duck (aka King Fu Duck), Chelsea Chicken (aka Cha Cha Chicken) and Barry the Goat (aka Barry the Goat) are not in the A Team but the Z Team.  So they are the last to be picked when it comes to world-saving missions,

So when a call comes in and they are the only ones left, it is up to them to save the situation.  Although they live in 2050, they have time machine that allows them to travel back in time but sometimes it doesn’t work as it should.

In their first adventure, An Unexpected Hero, they end up in the Middle Ages and in the second, Let the Games Begin, in Ancient Greece!  This time they land in the 17th century and join the crew of the SSS Super Show Ship which includes a grizzly bear in a tuxedo, a jaguar on a unicycle, a fox flipping between the sails and some pygmy marmosets juggling apples!

This is the third in this new series from the ever-popular Anh Do, more for younger independent readers as it is all the attributes required to support their transition to novels including a larger font, a light-handed layout and many illustrations.  But, as with his other series like Rise of the Mythix, embedded in the thoroughly modern characters , action, adventure and humour, there is an underlying message that gives the story more than just fleeting entertainment value. By making the heroes creatures often associated with being underdogs and having them as the Z Team , readers can learn that success can take many forms, that not all battles are won with might and power – a tea towel and a broom can be very effective when used cleverly – and that the desire to do well has to come from within. They can also visit other time periods in an exciting adventure, providing a gentle step into the concept of history and offering an insight into life in those times that is much more fun that facts and figures.

Anh Do is a prolific storyteller, and one of our most popular currently, and those who enjoyed the first two will be thrilled there is now another with more promised. 

 

 

One Book Was All it Took

Jul28
One Book Was All it Took

One Book Was All it Took

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Book Was All it Took

Wenda Shurety

Amy Calautti

EK Books, 2022

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

9781922539137

As the rain patters on the window, it seems like the perfect day to just curl up and read- if only Violet could find something new that she hasn’t read before.

“I wish our town had a library,” she muses and, putting thoughts into action she writes a letter to the mayor suggesting just that. But will it be read?

However, when she spots a new book that is propping up the kitchen table she sets in motion a chain of events that has the most unexpected consequences…

Young readers will delight in following the action through the playful illustrations as one thing leads to another, able to retell the story to themselves without having to know all the words and predicting what happens after the last page. They can share their favourite stories and begin to learn about the purpose and importance of libraries – public or school, visit their local library and get their own library card so they too can experience Violet’s delight, and start to learn about procedures as they master the circulation process.

One book could be all it takes…

 

 

The Royal Leap-Frog

Jul27
The Royal Leap-Frog

The Royal Leap-Frog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Royal Leap-Frog

Peter Bently

Claire Powell

Bloomsbury, 2022

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

9781408860106

Q: What do a grasshopper, a flea and a frog have in common?

A: They can all leap.

Q; But who can leap the highest?

A: Read this funny, colourful re-imagining of Hans Christian Andersen‘s classic The Leaping Match 

Told in rhyme with hilarious illustrations, this is a fast-paced retelling of one of Andersen’s lesser-known stories that offers all sorts of opportunities from investigating his works, to exploring the concept of fables and the lessons they teach, to having a competition to see who in the class can jump the greatest distance and comparing the difference between standing and stationary starts. 

Slightly different to the original in which a flea and  a grasshopper both vain and ambitious, and a frog, patient wise and humble arrange a contest to see who can jump highest with the King offering the hand of the princess to the victor, it also enables students to look at various versions of some of these classic tales and compare and contrast how their telling has changed over time and generations, while the core message remains relevant.

Or just read it for the fun of it… 

Floof

Jul13
Floof

Floof

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floof

Heidi McKinnon

Albert Street Books, 2022

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

9781761180088

This is Floof.
Floof is floofy.
Floof is VERY floofy.
Floof is the FLOOFIEST!
Floof is going to have a very busy day…

This is a story for our youngest readers, particularly those who have big, fluffy cats because they will recognise their pet immediately.  From breakfast in the morning till the final evening snooze, Floof is busy, often creating havoc unintentionally as he just goes about his day.  

The text is simple and little ones will need to connect it with the illustrations to fully appreciate McKinnon’s tale, an essential part of those early reading behaviours as they learn to read beyond the lines.  In fact, the astute adult will skip the words initially, and have the child suggest what is going on, getting them to retell Floof’s adventures in their own words. 

While we are familiar with those who over-write, who share every detail in words as though their audience cannot see or draw their own connections, this is a case of less is more, and in that, lies it appeal and brilliance. 

Cally & Jimmy (series)

Jul3
Cally & Jimmy (series)

Cally & Jimmy (series)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cally & Jimmy (series)

Twins in Trouble 

9781839130083

Twintastic

9781839130168

Twins Together

9781839131288

Zoe Antoniades

Katie Kear

Andersen Press, 2020-2022

128pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

Cally has a twin brother Jimmy who has ADHD, finds learning tricky because of the way his brain works and is always getting into some kind of mischief – which usually means double trouble! Thankfully their Greek granny is usually on hand to help – or add to the mayhem! 

Each book in this series has four stories, perfect for newly independent readers who are looking for something that they can relate to but is short enough so they can consolidate their new skills without taxing them with longer reads involving complex characters and plots. As well as being entertaining stories, they also give an insight into being a twin but more importantly, they help the reader understand the world of those whose brains are wired differently and whose thought processes are different to what is expected.  

A new series to add to your Stepping Stones collection. 

Cranky Chicken

Jun27
Cranky Chicken

Cranky Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranky Chicken

9780734420954

Cranky Chicken Party Animals

9780734420985 

Katherine Battersby

Lothian, 2021-2022

104pp., graphic novel, RRP $A14.99

 

In the first book, the reader is introduced to Cranky Chicken. Everything about Chicken is cranky. Cranky eyes, cranky eyebrows, super-sharp cranky beak, even cranky scratchy feet. And everything makes Chicken cranky. The sun is too bright, the dirt is too dirty…

By why is Cranky Chicken so angry? Could she be lonely? So what happens when a very cheerful worm named Speedy, who just wants to be friends, comes along? Could it be the end of the worm or a new start for Cranky Chicken?

In the second episode , Cranky Chicken is super hungry and the crank-O-meter is on high. What can Speedy the worm do to help? How about … a yummy snack? A day at the beach? An unsurprising party? It’s party time for Cranky and Speedy, two Best Feathered Friends!

This is a new series about mismatched friends who bring joy, companionship and a new perspective to each other’s lives for newly independent readers who are dipping their toes into the graphic novel format and are able to follow a story that is based on speech between the characters rather than having lots of extra descriptive test or illustration.  The action is carried in the conversation and captions in separate but connected stories that demonstrate that there are many ways to be a friend, particularly accepting each other for who they are as they are what is offered as friendship for all that it is. 

I Want My Potty!

Jun11
I Want My Potty!

I Want My Potty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Want My Potty!

Tony Ross

Andersen Press, 2022

20pp., hbk., RRP $A16.99

9780862649654

“Nappies are YUUECH!” said the Little Princess. “There must be something better!” At first, the Little Princess thinks the royal potty is even worse, but she soon learns to love it… even if it isn’t always there when she needs it! 

Originally published in 1986, this is an hilarious  classic for young readers who are grappling with potty training – even princesses have to learn and even princesses have accidents.

It is the first in the series about this engaging, feisty young princess that can lay the foundation for a collection of entertaining reads that they can relate to and enjoy again and again.   – 

The World’s Worst Pets

Jun2
The World's Worst Pets

The World’s Worst Pets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The World’s Worst Pets

David Walliams

Adam Stower

HarperCollins, 2022

312pp., pbk., RRP $A24.99

9780008499778

Imagine if instead of your cat Tiddles or your dog Fido, you had Houdini, the magician’s rabbit or Zoom, the supersonic tortoise, or Griselda, a grizzly bear with a big secret or even Furp, the monstrous goldfish! Good pets, bad pets, supervillain pets, pets as big as a house and pets that could eat you in one gulp! What would your life be like? 

Well, you can catch a glimpse in this new addition to Walliams’ World’s Worst series that includes The World’s Worst Children, The World’s Worst Teachers and The World’s Worst Parents as he brings his unique sense of humour and writing style to another ten stories of humour and horror.  Short stories, crazy characters, and hundreds of full-colour illustrations – the perfect recipe for encouraging newly independent readers to keep reading despite the book being among the heaviest they will ever pick up!!!

As winter closes in and the grey, cold, wet days seem unending, this is the perfect fill-a-minute read-aloud to cheer up a class or a child.  And perhaps lead them to other works by Walliams to read alone such as the escapades of Gangsta Granny or the more serious Code Name Bananas .

 

Whose Poo?

May28
Whose Poo?

Whose Poo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whose Poo?

Daisy Bird

Marianna Coppo

Andersen Press, 2022

44pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781839132285

The two baby mice are fascinated by poo and even though their dad tells them it is an off-limits conversation while on their zoo trip, they can’t help themselves.  As they walk to the zoo, they see lots of different people and their imaginations run wild as they picture the sort of poo the person would do – but once they get there, there’s no stopping their fantasies.  “Chameleons do sneaky, camouflage poo.  They can hide it anywhere they want to!” 

But the greatest insight is when Father Mouse takes them to meet the Pookeeper…

While this is an hilarious story in rhyme that will have young readers laughing out loud that might have them imagining what sort of poo those around them would do, this story also has a serious side.. It shows that going to the toilet is an everyday occurrence for everybody and everything and is a necessary part of being healthy, sparking conversations about the digestive system and how it works. .  By normalising it in this way, the stigma that has been attached to getting rid of body waste for centuries as though it is something nasty and naughty may be diminished so that if there is a change in the habit or the product, it can be addressed without embarrassment.  It may also minimise the advent of toilet humour that seems to grip young boys and often lasts into adulthood.  

A fun read with a serious side.