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Moose the Pilot

Jul6
Moose the Pilot

Moose the Pilot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moose the Pilot

Kimberly Andrews

Picture Puffin, 2021

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

 9780143775379

Among the houses that Puffin the Architect designed for her friends,  was a treehouse at Lofty Lake and from there he flies his amphibian plane on all sorts of missions to help those who live in the surrounding mountains.  Regardless of the weather or the terrain, he is there to deliver whatever is needed. 

I’m Moose! And I fly a plane
with wheels, floats and skis.
I move parcels, food and folk
high above the trees.

But on this day, his adventures are even more exciting than usual – three fluffy youngsters need his help! But on his way there are others who need him to take special requests and pick up their goods – all of which come in very handy when he reaches his final destination.

It is hard to do justice to this intriguing book with its clever text and detailed illustrations in just a paragraph or two, but young readers will delight in following Moose’s trip as he moves around the mountains, looking for cues and clues in both the rhyme and the pictures.  

Children’s author Jackie French has said that when a child turns a page in a picture book there needs to be a new adventure to explore and Kimberly Andrews certainly has mastered the knack of that.  From cover to cover this is a book that is rich beyond measure and if you haven’t discovered Puffin the architect or another friend, Hound the Detective  then I urge you do so and provide the young readers in your life with hours of fun and discovery. 

My First Book of Aussie Animals

Jun27
My First Book of Aussie Animals

My First Book of Aussie Animals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Book of Aussie Animals

Gordon Winch

Stephen Pym

Catch A Star, 2021 

16pp., board book, RRP $A12.99

9781922326232

Right from the get-go, our youngest littlies learn to recognise the iconic Australian wildlife – I’m currently making a library bag for Mr Almost-2 with an Aussie animal theme – and so this little board book from the creator of Can You Find Me? is perfect for not only consolidating their knowledge but also beginning their reading journey.  With its sturdy board book format,  lift-the-flap interactivity and repetitive, rhyming text they can discover the platypus, echidna, koala, kangaroo and possum in their familiar habitats while also being introduced to some less familiar creatures that share that same environment.

Not only does this approach start to develop those early reading behaviours that are the foundation of mastering print, but it also encourages them to look more closely at the trees and bushes around them and understand that even if they aren’t a home for something familiar, they are a home for something. And if they look carefully, they might just discover what that something is.  

There are indeed riches galore in this seemingly simple, beautifully illustrated book. 

Freaky, Funky Fish

Jun15
Freaky, Funky Fish

Freaky, Funky Fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freaky, Funky Fish

Debra Kempf Shumaker

Claire Powell

A & U Children, 2021

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

9781760526733

Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, and within them live 15% of all the creatures that live on the planet including more than 32 000 species of fish.

Fish have fins and gills and tails. All fish swim and most have scales…

But not every fish is the same.  There are zappers, stingers, singers, shakers; dancers, and a whole host of others with strange characteristics that enable them to survive, and in this engaging book for curious, independent readers, Debra Kempf Shumaker has written an intriguing rhyming text which focuses on the traits of some of the weirdest fish that dwell there, rating each on the freaky/funky scale.  The slimy hagfish scores 5/5 on the freaky scale while the snotty parrotfish gets 5/5 om the funky scale.

However, this is so much more than a story that rhymes – from the front cover to the endpapers and every page in between, there are hundreds of illustrations of those fish and loads of information about them, all brought together in a most imaginative layout that not only engages the reader but satisfies their curiosity and encourages them to explore further. 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Ideal for helping little ones explore the new worlds of beneath the waves. 

 

The Silly Seabed Song

Jun14
The Silly Seabed Song

The Silly Seabed Song

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Silly Seabed Song

Aura Parker

Puffin, 2021

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

9781760899394

Jelly flubber! Wobbly gong!
It’s the Silly Seabed Song!

As the Rock Oysters sing their final song of the evening, and all the sea creatures sing and dance along, all little Turtle Hatchling Fred wants to do is sleep.  But how can he with all this laughing and giggling and NOISE??? It seems everyone who lives under the water has come to join in and the result of this “lullaby” is just a cacophony.  Or is it?

Once again, the author of Goodnight Glow Worms, and Meerkat Splash offers our youngest readers a charming story for bedtime with its lyrical rhyming text and appealing illustrations. 

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

As well as introducing them to a range of creatures that dwell in the ocean that they are probably not familiar with, there is also the challenges to find a range of them as they frolic with the party-goers amongst the seaweed and sand.  There’s a new little person coming to our family soon and this will be the perfect bedtime story for a proud grandfather to read!! 

 

You Can’t Take an Elephant on Holiday

Jun11
You Can't Take an Elephant on Holiday

You Can’t Take an Elephant on Holiday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Can’t Take an Elephant on Holiday

Patricia Cleveland-Peck

David Tazzyman

Bloomsbury, 2021

32pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99

9781408898567

With winter closing in, holidays seem like a tempting option right now but whatever you do or wherever you go, DON’T take an elephant with you. Or a cheetah, or a rhino, or a meerkat or an albatross for that matter.   Or any of the animals mentioned in this wacky book, because even though they just want to have fun, they are going to cause havoc.

This latest addition to the You Can’t Take an Elephant  series is as hilarious as the others and will delight both child and adult alike as they share it together.  Let the child think of then draw a scene from their favourite holiday spot and then add a favourite animal and a situation and there is the basis for a story.  Even better if it rhymes as this text does! Or explore how the author has used language to make the rhymes and play with their words so they do too. Imagine what a wombat might do if you took it to the beach with you!

A bit of fun to play with as the long winter terms drags on…

 

The King’s Birthday Suit

Jun5
The King's Birthday Suit

The King’s Birthday Suit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The King’s Birthday Suit

Peter Bently

Claire Powell

Bloomsbury, 2021

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

9781408860144

King Albert-Horatio-Otto the Third
had SO many clothes it was simply absurd …

He had clothes for every occasion, even changing just to go to the loo, so when his birthday was on the horizon it was obvious he was going to need a new outfit.  But when fashion designers came from all over the kingdom with their finest collections, he could find nothing suitable. But then two arrived who declared they could  make an outfit of only the very BEST and most special cloth, one that only the most clever and wisest of all could see. So of course the vain king could not resist but the results were not what he expected…

This is an hilarious makeover of Hans Christian Andersen’s  traditional tale The Emperor’s New Clothes with Bently’s clever rhyming text and Powell’s illustrations bringing it to life for a whole new generation of readers.  It is rich, engaging and will have young readers utterly enthralled as they become engrossed in the details and they will love the risqué ending, because it is just a little bit naughty!  So much fun from cover to cover, yet offers so much to talk about whether “clothes maketh the man” and even the meaning of “sycophant”.  

 

Before You Were Born

May31
Before You Were Born

Before You Were Born

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before You Were Born

Katrina Germein

Hélène Magisson

Working Title Press, 2021 

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

9781876288150

Before you were born
and while you grew,
there was a party
just for you.

In the past, as in as late as the 1970s, pregnancy was a very personal matter and expectant mums like me hid their growing figures underneath voluminous tent dresses as though there were something to be ashamed of.  In fact, there was even outrage just 24 years ago in 1997 when Nicki Buckley, co-host of the very popular Sale of the Century quiz show went on national television wearing a figure-hugging gown that showed her baby bump very clearly!

Thankfully, society has moved on and now pregnancy is celebrated with gender reveal parties getting more and more outlandish and the once humble, discreet baby shower taking on enormous proportions.  So, although this book wouldn’t have been published when my son was born, it can be now and it is wonderful in its celebration of the excitement and anticipation of an impending birth.  Written in rhyme and addressed directly to the child, Germein has captured the joy that parents-to-be feel but it is Magisson’s illustrations that show the diversity of families that celebrate the delight that are its focal point.  No matter what culture, ethnicity, whatever, the happiness that greets the announcement of a pregnancy is universal.  Families gather, the news is shared with all ages, nurseries are prepared and shared and the baby bump is not hidden away … pregnancy is no longer something secretive, even shameful!

This would be the ideal gift for an expectant couple who want something different to share with their child who was the focus of such love and joy but wasn’t quite there to share it! 

Stop That Dinosaur!

May24
Stop That Dinosaur!

Stop That Dinosaur!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop That Dinosaur!

Alex English

Ben Cort

Bloomsbury, 2021

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

9781408888414

I was in my Granny’s kitchen eating extra-special cake,
when the walls began to tremble and the roof began to SHAKE.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Ring! Ring! Ring! Oh MY – a dino’s at the door.
And now it’s taken Granny … SOMEONE STOP THAT DINOSAUR!

Grabbing her scooter, the little girl races off after the dinosaur careering through the park, the town and the woods, all the time shouting. But to no avail.  Finally, the inevitable happens and she falls, grazing her knees and bruising her bum.  And when she shouts for her Gran, suddenly the dinosaur re-appears with her and explains why he stole her in the first place.

Using rhyme to develop a pace as fast as the little girl on her scooter and convey the sense of urgency and drama of the situation, and big, bright, bold illustrations that have lots of humorous details to discover, this is a story that will appeal to everyone who likes dinosaurs and/or grandmothers.  They will be able to join in the chorus to stop the brontosaurus and have much fun in doing so as they follow the chase. It highlights the special relationships little ones have with their grandmothers and the things they do together, (although this grandmother cannot lay claim to baking apple pie or cakes!)  

One to share and just got the delight of the words rolling off the tongue!

Good Night, Ivy Bright

May17
Good Night, Ivy Bright

Good Night, Ivy Bright

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Night, Ivy Bright

Ben Long

Andrew Plant

Ford Street, 2021

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781925804720

Ivy couldn’t get to sleep; her mind was burning bright.

I’m done with counting sheep, she thought, I’ll paint my dreams tonight.

So using her favourite paintbrush she sprinkles blue and yellow together and sets sail on a sea of green, painting all sorts of wondrous creatures from the depths of the ocean and her imagination.  But when she paints a whale, she runs out of purple before she can give it a tail. Determined not to leave it tailless, she goes on a new journey in search of the elusive purple, discovering so many other colour combinations as she does.

Told in rhyme, this is a story as vibrant as Andrew Plant’s illustrations that will appeal to so many young readers. Many of them will recognise those nights when their mind is so full of the day that has been or the one to come that sleep doesn’t come even though they know they need to drift off, so suggesting that they paint their dreams is one way to focus their imagination and calm their thoughts.  They could even think about who plays the role of the sensible, calming moose in their lives as they breathe deeply.

With teachers’ notes available,  this is one that opens up lots of opportunities to discuss the need for sleep, the exploration of colour and its combinations, and the development of calm strategies as well as the literary and artistic aspects. 

The Best Mum

May6
The Best Mum

The Best Mum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Mum

Penny Harrison

Sharon Davey

New Frontier, 2021

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

9781922326225

Everyone else seems to have the BEST mum – mums who can make fancy dress costumes, roller-skate; sing and dance, float like a fairy, even make rare, exotic sweets – but the little girl’s mum is a duffer at all of those sorts of things. But in the end it doesn’t matter because when it comes to cuddles and hugs, nothing can beat the love that comes with them.

So often we look at our mums, compare them to other mums and find them wanting.  Recent events have made me reflect on my childhood and think about how it was my best friend’s mum who taught me to knit (something I’ve picked up again to rebuild my arm and finger muscles) and to bake the best ginger fluff sponges, khaki cakes and banana cakes  (even though I’m not renowned as a cook of any type). But Helen’s mum was a stay-at-home mum, typical of the era, whilst mine was out breaking ground as she pioneered the way for female journalists in the world, particularly New Zealand and Australia.  Like this little girl’s mum she loved me deeply and whilst she didn’t show it by making me fancy dress costumes or roller-skating through the streets of Invercargill she showed it in a zillion other ways, ways that have shaped me all my life, and when it came to bedtime she gave the best cuddles too!

As the annual celebration of mothers comes around again, this is the perfect book and the perfect time to focus on all those things that mothers do daily to show and share their love each in their own unique, individual way.  The rhyming text and the bright, bold illustrations add to the joy of this time whilst validating those thoughts we have about others’ mums yet being so grateful for the one we have.