Picture books and non Fiction

Here we go with some delightful reads ... and don't forget the stories that are in the illustrations too.

Maudie And Bear Jan Ormerod & Freya Blackwood (Little Hare)

Some books you just don’t want to put down, and you definitely don't want them to end... and this is one of those books. five short stories, lavishly illustrated are bound into this glorious hardcover book, that also includes a ribbon marker.
Maudie and Bear have a very special friendship. their lives are entwined and revolve around each other. Maudie is the youngster who is always occupied, who always has great ideas, who has tantrums. And Bear is patient, trustworthy, and the one with undemanding and never ending love.
In the first story Maudie thinks it would be a great idea for exercise, a bike ride and in the end a bike ride is taken - and it is Bear who completes the exercise. The stories and the illustrations are simple and loving.
A book worthy of every shelf house.

Town Possum, Outback Possum Yvonne Morrison & Heath McKenzie (Little Hare)
Told in rhyming verse, this picture books is the tale of two possum cousins, one for the outback and the other from the city, and when the city cousin comes for a visit to the country she soon is bored by the slower pace of life and three days of bush food and bush views. So an invitation to the outback cousin to accompany her to the city and is accepted. Of course when outback possum arrives in the city the noise and the rush and the frantic pace of life is too much and home he heads to the safety of his tree … or is it!

Wicked Warriors and Evil Emperors, The True Story of the Fight for Ancient China Alison Lloyd & Terry Denton (Penguin)
Now this is fun!
Wicked Warriors tells the history of the unification of early china - when all the waring states were gathered into the fold - how a 12 year old king became the first emperor of china.
Filled with History from a period of time in China we rarely mention or know about. There is information on the building of the Great Wall of China, the burial (and superstitions) of the first emperor, the weapons crafted to defeat the enemy, the waring states, the armies ... and much much more. There are maps, timelines, and wonderfully comical illustrations which add to the telling of this history! and it makes history FUN!

More soon ....

Picture Books and Junior Fiction

It has been a little quiet on the newkidsbooksinoz front for the past bunch of weeks but we are now up and rolling again with some of the great books that I have seen recently.

Leo the Littlest Seahorse Margaret Wild & Terry Denton Terry (Viking)
This is a baby-being-born story with a difference because this time there are 100 babies being born, the father is carrying the babies and the father is (of course) a seahorse. as well the story is about a seahorse who isn't quite like the rest of the sea horse family, Leo has a tail that won’t quite curl and a fin that wont quite flutter and when a hungry groper arrives the questions is pondered ... where is Leo?
This is a lovely picture book tale with many facts written into the narrative and lovely, humorous illustrations.

Samuel's Kisses Karen Collum & Serena Geddes (New Frontier)
Kisses are really special ... especially from the little people. Samuel loves shopping with his mother so when Samuel and his mother shop at the local mall and discovered that the big people didn't smile back to him when he smiled at them young Samuel had to do something about it. When he blew them each a kiss something amazing happened to these people who weren't smiling back.
A cute story with lovely illustrations.

Always Jack Susanne Gervay & Cathy Wilcox (HarperCollins)
Jack is back (for his third book)! He is still joking. he is still inventing. He has some great friends and Nana is still buying purple undies! Everything is going well for Jack, even the move to the new house has been relatively smooth - there is of course the wedding of his mum and soon to be stepdad but that isn’t causing too many issue either, although he doesn't like the idea of wearing the tuxedo! But his mum's latest news is not good news at all. It's scary and frightening and changes Jack's world - and the news is all to do with cancer.
Touching and delightfully written this book is endorsed by the Cancer Council of NSW

Plum Puddings and Paper Moons Glenda Millard & Stephen Michael King (ABC Books)
This is beautiful. Once again the Silk family are here, but this book features Scarlet.
When she meets young Anik she hears of all that he has endured so Scarlet decides to declare PEACE in the valley (black tights make great armbands). Scarlet's small action has a big result and has an impact on all the valley folk culminating in a special celebration - a march for Peace - right on Christmas Eve.
Lookout as well for the other books in the award-winning Kingdom of Silk series:- The Naming of Tishkin Silk; Layla, Queen of Hearts; Perry Angel’s Suitcase; All the Colours of Paradise, and now, Plum Puddings and Paper Moons.
One of my favourite books from last year!
Enjoy the reading!