Author: Admin

Frane Lessac, Under the Southern Cross, Walker Books Australia, October 2018, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925381016 Under the Southern Cross is a beautiful celebration of Australia and the things that make it unique. Transporting the reader from place to place, the book covers each of the capital cities and a few less-familiar areas, each chosen for its unique features, such as the turtles hatching in Mon Repos and the mysterious lights in Boulia. With each page turning, another colourful and evocative double-spread illustration is revealed. These illustrations depict rich landscapes as well as the diversity of people in…

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Adam Wallace (text) and Giuseppe Poli (illustrator), Invisible Jerry, EK Books, November 2018, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925335781 People don’t notice Jerry. They’re always bumping into him. He never gets picked last for a sports team – because he doesn’t get picked at all! Jerry hates feeling invisible, but doesn’t want to stand out either. Then along comes Molly. Molly notices him, listens to him and shares things with him. She makes him feel visible. Like a real person. This beautiful friendship makes Jerry realise that he could do the same for someone else. And “that was just…

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Nina Lawrence (text) and Bronwyn Bancroft (illustrator), Clever Crow, Magabala Books, November 2018, 36 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922142610 Clever Crow is a story of a hungry crow who steals a turtle egg – a task more difficult than he first thinks. It is a simple story that uses plain language to tell a tale that also introduces us to Australian animals, fishing and ceremonial dancing. One of the most notable features of the book is the Djambarrpuynu (a Yolnu language from North East Arnhem land) translation that is woven into the design. This is extended at the end…

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Of the non-fiction picture books that I reviewed last year, two stood out. The happiness box: a wartime book of hope, written by Mark Greenwood and illustrated by Andrew McLean, tells a moving tale of a real book created by prisoners-of-war in Singapore in 1942 as a gift for children imprisoned in nearby Changi. The Japanese commandant ordered it to be destroyed (one of the characters was called Winston!) but it was hidden and retrieved after the war. It is now housed in the State Library of NSW and is listed as a National Treasure. The other was an American…

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John Flanagan, Duel at Arulen (The Royal Ranger #3), Random House Australia, December 2018, 336 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143785927 Maddie will have to use all her Ranger skills if her parents are to be brought to safety. Her mother, Princess Cassandra and grandfather King Duncan are being held captive in the south tower of Castle Araluen. Traitor and commander of the rebellious Red Fox Clan, Lord Dimon wants to overthrow the Royal family to ensure his place as future king. Meanwhile Maddie’s father, Sir Horace and his righthand man, Ranger Commandant Gilan, are trapped in an ancient fort…

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Allison Paterson, Anzac Day, Remembrance Day & War Memorials (Australia Remembers #1), Big Sky Publishing, September 2018, 64 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk) (pbk $14.99), ISBN 9781925675788 This is an important book, because all history books are important, and especially books that tackle recent history and attempt to shape an account of that history for young readers who might be fired by curiosity—and might have even heard their own families talk of the events described. It is a brave book too, because the matter of the history of Australia’s involvement in wars is contentious, and arguably sometimes as shameful as it…

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Paul Strickland, Ten Terrible Dinosaurs, Pan Macmillan 2017 (first published 1997) in association with the British Natural History Museum, 48 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk) ISBN 9781509835522 Counting down from ten to one and back again, this book is fun. The dinosaurs are there in chubby, chunky figures in full colour covering every page with a large text beneath. The great virtues of this book are firstly the dinosaurs themselves, always winners! But just as relevant are its focus on the task at hand (counting), its joyous and professional presentation of illustrations, its over-sized pages just right for helping a small…

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Dr. Matt Beard & Kyla Slaven (text) and Simon Greiner (illustrator), The Short & Curly Guide to Life, Random House Australia, October 2018, 192 pp., RRP $24.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780143792185 The Short & Curly Guide to Life is marvelous, based on a popular ABC podcast. It’s philosophy based on case studies, philosophy that asks, how are we to live? How can we make the most ethical decisions when faced with the usual complexities of family life, friendship, the possibility of happiness. For example, should school help you be a better person? Would you rather be happy and ignorant or worried…

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Mike Lucas (Text), and Jennifer Harrison (illustrator), Vanishing, Midnight Sun Publishing, November 2018, 32 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781925227444 Vanishing by Mike Lucas and Jennifer Harrison is a beautiful but devastating story about a future that may one day be ours. The cover of the second picture book from the duo immediately sets the tone for this tale – the haunting title, Vanishing, sits beneath a crane flying behind two origami cranes. There is no illusion this will be anything other than a sombre tale of what is, and what could happen to our world. In the story we…

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Alison Binks, Night Walk, Berbay Publishing, November 2018, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780994384171 Night Walk is a captivating story about the quiet beauty of the Australian bush at night time. Casper is camping with his family. While other people, including his best friend Levi, might visit the seaside for their holidays, Casper’s mother and father prefer to pitch a tent in the red sands of the Australian outback. Casper knows the outback is special. Especially during the night-time. It is a time of quiet beauty, when animals emerge from their slumber, to meander across the forest floor. The…

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