Saturday, October 22, 2011

Another Picture Book feast!

Glorous picture books ready to be snaffled by yougner readers.

Bilby Secrets Edel Wignell & Mark Jackson (Walker Books)
Part of Walker's Nature Storybook series, these wonderful books are all true. they are non-fiction presented in picture book format. There are 'facts' written into the narrative as well as specifically included within the book. The books contain an index and are wonderful for any child with an inquisitive naturalist mind.
Bilby Secrets is a narrative non-fiction picture book following the life of the bilby, an Australian marsupial. It tells of a young bilby's birth, habitat, behaviour and diet and how he learns the secrets of his desert home.
Beautiful accurate illustrations accompany the well structured text.



The Jewel Fish of Karnak Graeme Base (Viking)
A picture books from Graeme Base has not just exquisite illustrations and wonderful text, it often has a puzzle or riddle that must be solved to gather even more information and The Jewel Fish of Karnak is another of these treasures.
This tale set in ancient Egypt follows two scruffy thieves, Jackal and Ibis, who, have been assigned the task of returning the golden Jewel fish by the Cat Pharaoh to receive his pardon. They are also instructed not to steal anything else ... which they find very hard to resist.
Entwined with a puzzle that is resolved online, this is a lusciously illustrated book and comes complete with hieroglyphics and sparkling jewels. And don’t miss the work on the inside of the book’s dust jacket.
See more and hear Graeme at the youtube clip.


The Bicycle Colin Thompson and others (ABC Books)
As the title suggests this book is all about bicycles. But this book is different to the usual picture book about a bicycle.
For a start all royalties from the sale of THE BICYCLE will go to Save the Children, an organisation that works to improve the quality of children’s lives around the world.
Then it has illustrations from some of the world's leading illustrations including Quentin Blake, Shaun Tan, Tony Ross, Sarah Davis and Freya Blackwood - all with a picture of a bicycle within and snippets of text and quotes about the importance of bicycles.
This is a beautiful picutre book exploring how bicycles fit into our lives in all different situations. It is a celebration of how much one bike can help - and change lives.



Come Down, Cat! Sonya Hartnett & Lucia Masciullo (Viking)
This is a lovely tale of friendship and bravery between a boy and his pet cat with delightful illustrations that beg for more investigation.
When Nicholas' cat decides to spend the night on the roof, even after he climbs a not too safe ladder to attempt a rescue, Nicholas has a restless and anxious night of attempted slumber. Then when it rains Nicholas hears the desperate calls and ventures outside to rescue his loved cat.


Once There Was a Boy Dub Leffler (Magabala Books)
This is a longer picture book, delightfully written and lovingly illustrated and showing the vastness of the landscape with exquisite double page spreads.
A young boy lives successfully and alone on an island until a young girl appears. As she enters his life things change and when she uncovers the boy's secret box under his bed, which she has been instructed not to, she is surprised and breaks the contents of the box, his broken heart. But the girl has a solution, which they both share.
A beautiful loving story of friendship and temptation and as the author states "... show(ing) kids that boys have feelings too (just like girls) ...."


The Carousel Ursula Dubosarsky & Walter Di Qual (Viking)

One winter's day my dad and I
Went down to see the carousel.
We stood and watched as round and round
The little horses rose and fell.

... begins the tale of a little girl experiencing for the first time the magic of a carousel with wooden horses, flashing lights, organ music, mirrors and the magical adventures (and sorrows) that are told by the carousel horses. Beautiful illustrations are covering every page. Girls who love horses will imagine too!


These are books to be deeoured and treasured.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Great Fiction Reads for Independent Readers



Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror Leigh Hobbs (Allen&Unwin)
Every day is full of adventures for Mr Badger at the Boubles Grand Hotel and none more amazing than when a new mirror (that had been in a private room) is hung above the stairs. Mr Badger, checking the mirror, suddenly found that he could leap right though the mirror. And when young attention getting and rather annoying Sylvia also discovers the mirror she pops on through the mirror to join Mr Badger and they both find themselves n Bouble Land where there is mystery and danger and a few surprises as well.
The Mr Badger books (this is number four) are delightful fun reads.




Neville No-Phone Anna Branford & Kat Chadwick (Walker Books)
Neville is the only kid in his class at his school who does not have a mobile phone - at least that is what he tells his dad. When repeated attempts at persuading his parents to get him a mobile phone have proved fruitless, their suggestions included using an old mobile phone or the baby monitor, and when Neville and his friend Enzo stumble across a fully functioning as mobile phone left in a bus shelter, the boys get into all sorts of mischief and adventure trying to use the phone and eventually seeing it back with its rightful owner.
A laugh out loud story about not giving up.



T-Wreck-Asaurus (Dinosaur Rescue Series: Book 1) Kyle Mewburn & Donovan Bixley (Scholastic)
Welcome to the Stone Age and the land of dinosaurs. This title in the new Dinosaur Rescue series is wonderfully funny and will have readers - especially boys - giggling with fits of laughter.
Arg is not like all the other Stone Age cave dwellers. Arg's brain is twice as big as everyone else's and that means he is heaps smarter so when an angry T-Rex is set to destroy Arg's village it is Arg who has to find a solution - and really quickly too. Of course to save the village Arg gets into quite a few pickles - especially when everyone else wants to kill the T-Rex, who has a very good reason for being in the valley anyway. The T-Rex is a talking dinosaur and together they embark on a mission to save the dinosaurs from extinction.
also available Stego-Snottysaurus.

Fun reading - perfect for the holidays.

Board Books

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie Present 1 2 3, and
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie Present Colours May Gibbs (Scholastic)
Board books are very special and a beautiful start to the world of books.
Featuring the May Gibbs Gumnut Babies these two new titles are gorgeous and will introduce May Gibbs to a new generation of young australians.
Both titles have short phrases
Three buzzing bugs,
Seven floating flowers
Black spider weaves
Red ladybird crawls
... across the lower board with the illustrations above. The numbers title also showing the appropriate number.
Royalties from both titles go to two charities: the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and the Northcott Society.


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Our Australian Girl series

Our Australian Girl series (Penguin) featuring Grace, Letty, Poppy and Rose

Our Australian Girl is a new Historical Fiction series - with wonderfully written titles that I just couldn't put down. Each character has four titles in the 16 book series telling their own story, in their own voice at that time. The stories are fast-paced, compelling and engaging with each girl enduring hardships and disappointments to become strong memorable characters that will want to be read again and again.

Through the 16 book series (with titles released throughout the year - currently the third title for each character is available) we are able peer into the lives of four very different Australian girls in very different time periods in Australia's recent history. Grace is from 1808 (the convict era), Letty 1841 (colonisation), Poppy 1864 (the gold rush) and Rose 1900 (federation). And very importantly the historical research is great.

There is also the supporting Our Australian Girl website (http://ouraustraliangirl.com.au) that contains character information, funs tuff, and notes.



beginning with: 

Meet Grace, Sofie Laguna
As a mudlark Grace's job is to find things in the mud of the Thames River to sell. But muddy and with nothing to sell, Grace (who is living with her Uncle in London and giving him the money from the things she sells) stands wanting to mind a horse for the gentlemen of on Fleet street. Hungry, she spies a man selling apple from a barrow and ... soon winds up on a convict ship - bound for Australia.

Meet Letty, Alison Lloyd
In 1841 Letty's big sister is going by boat all the way to Australia. Letty and her Papa are there to see her off but when the big sister suddenly has to attend to business on shore, Letty is left under orders from her father to stand right by her sister's chest. And within moments, the chest is hauled onto the boat deck, which Letty has to follow, the gang plank is removed and the boat is getting ready to sail - with Letty on board.

Meet Poppy, Gabrielle Wang
Poppy is a young Chinese Aboriginal girl living on a Christian mission near Echuca. She hates life here and when she is cleaning the matron’s desk and discovers that her brother Augustus is to be sent to another mission she tells him the news and he runs away in search of gold. Alone, Poppy decides that the only thing left for her to do is to also escape and find Gus.

Meet Rose, Sherryl Clark
It's 1900 and playing cricket with her brother in the early morning hours in Melbourne - even on your birthday - is not the correct thing for Rose to be doing. Rose wants to play cricket, climb trees and be an adventurer! But Rose's mother has other ideas, and only wants Rose to be a proper young lady, wear frilly dresses and learn how to sew, which to Rose was a punishment. And then her favourite Aunt arrives and things really start to change!


See all of the available titles and lots more information at the Our Australian Girl website. These really are wonderful reads.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Star Girl


New Girl (Star Girl #1) Louise Park (Macmillan Education Australia)
This is absolutely terrific - a SPACE series for young girls from the creator of the spy series Zac Power Test Drive. Star Girl is a brand new tween fantasy adventure series of books perfectly crafted for young readers - especially girls, who are just starting to handle chapter books ... and of course who want space adventures.
In the first series of 8 titles Addie Banks is a Space Cadet (in the later series she progresses to Space Captain and then Space Agent). Addie is in a boarding school - on a space station and she is learning how to protect space. At the same time she also has to learn how to cope with some of the other school girls on the station who don't quite think Addie is up to joining the Space Agent program. She has amazing gadgets including a SpaceBerry communicator and a holographic watch - and of course lots of space cleverness too!
In this first title -New Girl- Addie has to discover why the alien life forms are in danger on one of the planets where the ice is melting. But the aliens are not her only danger. Her roommate creates dangers of her own. And like many schools there are scoreboards for the top students and also for the school houses ... points for these are accumulated, or deducted, from the space adventures.
These 78 page books have generous sized text, perfect for the younger reader, and lots of illustrations.

Other titles include
#2 Odd One Out
#3 Winning Moves
#4 Three’s a Crowd

And Star Girl is now online at http://www.stargirluniverse.com/.

Check out Star Girl! They are wonderful.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Terrific Fiction

Two delightful fiction titles - both a little different and fun.

The Truth about Verity Sparks Susan Green (Walker Books)
Set in late 1800s England, 13 year old Verity is no ordinary orphan girl. She is working as a lowly hat girl for a milliner where she discovers that she has the unique talent of Teleagtivism ... she can find all sorts of lost things and she also has an almost perfect memory. When she is accused of theft and dismissed from her job after delivering a hat to a wealthy client, she soon winds up at the CIA - the Confidential Inquiry Agency where her talent excels. But one thing Verity still has to discover - the truth about her own past. there are nasty letters being sent about verity, the mystery of a fatal fire, pet snakes, a chase through the dark back alleys and of course the truth to be revealed.
This was a wonderful read, a great detective mystery title that I couldn't put down with well developed characters and setting. Great.


Lost Floods #10 Colin Thompson (Random House)
The dysfunctional Floods, having been restored to their rightful place as the rulers of Transylvania Waters are attempting to bring their country out of the Dark Ages. To get things underway the first task that must be done is to draw an official map of Transylvania Waters - especially as the population of Transylvania Waters is growing and wizards are returning there to live. So Maldegard, Winchflat's new wife set off with Edna to begin the task ... and they discover some amazing revelations about the country. They also have to start giving all the places they visit names and at the same time they have to also conduct a census. So much to do!
Fans of the Floods will love this latest riotous tale that continues the wonderful floods tradition!

Great fun reads to share.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Picture Book Delights

That's Not a Daffodil! Elizabeth Honey (Allen&Unwin)
Young Tom's next door neighbour, Mr Yilmaz, gives him a daffodil bulb but to Tom it looks more like an onion so his neighbour suggests that they plant the bulb and Tom starts to watch the pot, and watch and watch and watch but nothing seems to be happening. Eventually a green beak starts to appear and the plant continues to grow. Of course every time Tom and Mr. Yilmaz look at the yet-to-completely-grow daffodil Tom imagines something different.
A lovely story and beautiful illustrations with themes of change, imagination, grwoth, friendship.


Nog and the Land of Noses Bruce Whatley (Scholastic)
This is the story of the noses from the land of Nog. Here every nose was different and every nose did something special. There were running noses, blocked noses, picked noses and lots of other noses that did strange things. but Nog's nose just sat there. he tried all sorts of ways to make his nose special to no avail. but one day when he sneezed his nose began to get itch and suddenly he found a use for his special nose!
Illustrations created by Bruce Whatley are just wonderful and this one, along with his own story, continues that tradition. A humorous tale about patience, differences, and discovery


The Last Viking Norman Jorgensen & James Foley (Fremantle Press)
Young Josh is very brave. He's not afraid of anyone or anything – mostly, but when he has to stay at Nan and Pop's house Josh is a little nervous, especially because Pop tells some hair-raising but exciting stories about Vikings. Pop gives Josh a present - a book about Vikings Josh decides to become a Viking even dressing like one with Pop's help. All this excites the Gods who are watching way up in the sky and when Josh encounters a little bit of local trouble its quite amazing who comes to the rescue.
A delightful story of bravery, imagination, resilience and growing up, with terrific illustrations. Also contains a puzzle to solve.

Enjoy these new titles.

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