Search Results for: treml

The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

Jul10
The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Puffin Book of Bedtime Stories

Puffin, 2019

253pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780143796732

Imagine a compilation of eight favourite stories about bedtime that are just perfect for reading at bedtime.  One a night for a week and a spare, and the sorts of stories that will become favourites so they are asked for again and again.

A companion to Summer Stories. this collection from Puffin comprises full unabridged versions in full colour of these stories by favourite Australian authors and illustrators.

Bed Tails by Meredith Costain and Mitch Vane

Sophie’s Big Bed by Tina Burke

Baby Tawnies by Judy Paulson

It’s Bedtime, William! by Deborah Niland

One Very Tired Wombat by Renee Treml

A Bear and a Tree by Stephen Michael King

Jesse by Tim Winton and Maureen Prichard

Come Down, Cat by Sonya Hartnett and Lucia Masciullo

Given that to buy these separately would be about $160, this is value buying and would make the perfect present for new parents and those with little ones wanting a new range of bedtime stories. 

Sleep Tight, Platypup

Feb28
Sleep Tight, Platypup

Sleep Tight, Platypup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleep Tight, Platypup

Renée Treml

Puffin Books, 2019

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

9780143789697

Alone in his burrow, the baby platypus wakes up and is disturbed by the shadows and noises of the night.  He calls out for his mummy who has been out searching for food, and after giving him a big hug she takes him outside to show him the night.  At first all he can see is darkness but when she encourages him to look more closely, he sees other things that are familiar to him during the day and starts to understand.  When the wind blows, she encourages him to listen carefully to the sounds and again, he starts to distinguish those that are familiar and his fear dissipates.  

Superbly illustrated in her distinctive style, the creator of gems like Wombat Big, Puggle Small, Ten Little Owls, Once I heard a wombat, One Very Tired Wombat and Colour  for Curlews  has designed another gentle story for young readers which not only introduces them to another of Australia’s unique creatures but also helps dispel fears they might have about the night – perhaps even offering human parents a strategy that could help their little ones.  

With its soft, gentle palette of purples portraying the night, rather than the more usual starkness of black, its sensitive text that reflects just how a mother would soothe a frightened child and its universal theme of a fear of the dark, this is a winner on so many levels.  

A peek inside....

A peek inside….

An activity pack with some lovely activities to enrich the book and help them understand their fears is available. 

Wombat Big, Puggle Small

May6
Wombat Big, Puggle Small

Wombat Big, Puggle Small

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wombat Big, Puggle Small

Renee Treml

Random House, 2017

1699., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780143782940

Wombat is big and puggle, the baby echidna is small.  But that doesn’t stop them having a lot of fun is this delightful new book by Renee Treml who brings Australian wildlife to life with her stunning illustrations.  

Having already delighted our youngest readers with Ten Little Owls, Once I Heard a Little Wombat, One Very Tired Wombat  and Colour for Curlews, she again brings charm and humour  to a simple story of two friends playing and discovering the world together.  Even with its minimal text, there is a story to be told that parent and child can tease out together and talk about. 

In hardback, and soon in board format so it is perfect for new readers to share with themselves over and over, this is perfect for helping them the discover the joy of story and setting them on their lifelong reading journey.

Ten Little Owls

Aug25
Ten Little Owls

Ten Little Owls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Little Owls

Renée Treml

Random House, 2016

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

9780143782537

 

The little wombat from One Very Tired Wombat is back in a new counting book adventure!  But this time, instead of being kept awake by all the daytime creatures, it is his nighttime friends who are coming out to play.  Hopping mice, quolls, Tasmanian devils, sugar gliders and fruit bats are all there in their nocturnal romp from dusk till dawn until the ten little owls hoot a goodnight tune and signal that the sun is rising and it’s bedtime.

So many baby animals exploring their nighttime surrounds under the cover and care of darkness show the very young reader that this is not a time of rest for everyone and that for many creatures once the sun goes down is a time of safety and security.  They can speculate about why some animals feel safer at night and learn new words like ‘nocturnal’ and ‘diurnal’, perhaps even seeking to find out more about the creature that most appeals to them.  Anticipating how many creatures might feature on the next page is always fun as counting skills are consolidated and confirmed is a bonus.

Slightly older children might even do a compare and contrast with One Very Tired Wombat or use this as a model for a class book as they explore what other creatures prefer night to day, where they live and what they find on their nocturnal wanderings.

Renée’s exquisite scratchboard illustrations bring each creature to life in great detail and the rhyming texts provides a rhythm that’s going to ensure the little listener will be joining in enthusiastically.

For those of you in Melbourne, the book will be launched at The Little Bookroom at 759 Nicholson Street at 3.00pm, this Saturday August 27.  More details here. 

Once I Heard a Little Wombat

Oct3
Once I Heard a Little Wombat

Once I Heard a Little Wombat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I Heard a Little Wombat

Renée Treml

Random House, 2015

24pp., board book, RRP $A14.99

9780857987396

 

Once I heard a sugar glider bump, bump, bump

Riding gentle breezes with each jump, jump, jump.

I called to little glider, “Won’t you stay, stay, stay?’

But little glider went along her way, way, way.

Little kangaroo would love someone to play with but each of the creatures she meets is too busy to stop.  Until little wombat comes stomp, stomp, stomping along.

Based on a traditional nursery rhyme, Renée Treml, the artist behind books like Colour for Curlews and The Great Garden Mystery, has created this delightful rhyming story for the very young which has great appeal.  As well as the rhythm and the rhyme which are so important for tiny tots to hear, her scratchboard illustrations introduce a range of baby Australian animals that will become so familiar to them as they grow older.  Perfect to read to a babe in arms, it also encourages the older child to interact with the text as they scritch and scratch, growl and prowl as each new creature is introduced.

Parents of the very young would love to know about this book so they can add something new to the nightly read-along session, and parents-to-be would love to receive it as part of Baby’s first library.

A peek inside...

A peek inside…

Colour for Curlews

Jan4

 

Colour for Curlews

Colour for Curlews

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colour for Curlews

Renée Treml

Random House, 2013

hbk., RRP SA19.95

9781742759234

Ebook  978174759234

Two somewhat drab but curious curlews find an artist’s brush and some paint, and run off with yellow, red and blue.  It’s not long before they are no longer drab.  Then Bowerbird gets busy with the blue paint, and Brolga with the red and suddenly this trend has gone viral!  So many colours and so much fun, and off they go to show their friends.  Then along comes the very tired wombat from Renee’s first book and puts his body down for a nap, right where the paints have all merged into a brown puddle.  But those curious curlews that caused him so much grief in that first book come back … and they have paint brushes!!!

Ms Treml seems to have her finger on just what makes a great picture book for younger readers.  Rhythmic, rhyming text, colour, humour, fun, an ending that leaves room for the imagination and some tidbits about the birds is the bonus and could lead to an interesting investigation of why birds have colours, and how there were so many variations from just three tubes of paint.

Living where I do, I see a range of beautifully coloured birds every day – they have certainly dipped into a paint palette as rich as Ms Treml’s imagination!

 

One Very Tired Wombat

Jan4

 

One Very Tired Wombat

One Very Tired Wombat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Very Tired Wombat

Renée Treml

Random House, 2012

hbk., RRP $A$19.95

9781742755786

Ebook 9781742749013

“1 very tired wombat, settles down to sleep.  The morning is calm and silent; wombat doesn’t hear a peep.”  Until … 2 curious curlews, 3 furtive frogmouths, and a host of other birds come by and disturb the peace.  Until there is one feather too many…

Written and illustrated by an artist with an amazing eye for detail and the ability to be accurate yet quirky at the same time, the unique illustrations are what set this book apart from others about creatures trying to sleep; from others about wombats; and from others that have a counting pattern embedded in them.  The illustrations are “created using a scratchboards covered in white clay. The shape of each animal is then blocked out in black ink and, when this is dry, Renée uses a craft knife to scratch in features such as faces, fur and feathers”.  It’s very much the grown-up version of scratching illustrations into a coloured card covered in thick, black wax crayon.

The result is a unique picture book that works on every level, including offering tidbits of information about all the native birds featured in the story.  Something different for your new year’s book display.