Andrea Gallagher (text), David Clare (illus.), Mega-Rad Grandads: An A-Z of seriously cool seniors, Little Steps Publishing, March 2017, 32pp., $16.95 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925117790 Mega-Rad Grandads: an A-Z of seriously cool seniors is a modern day collection of the most interesting grandfathers you’ve ever met. Based on the real lives of grandpas, oupas and pops, this rhyming picture book offers children 26 positive examples of senior citizens. Meet Chris, the barista who sets up shop by the beach. And Max who runs an egg and honey stall at the market. Or Quentin who’s a whiz at quizzes. Other grandpas practice karate or sing acappella. With plenty…
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Erin Knutt (text), Misa Alexander (illus.), Fergus and Delilah, Self-published, 1 Nov 2016, 30pp., $24.00 (hbk), ISBN: 9780994605214 Fergus and Delilah is a beautiful story about inclusion, friendship, and understanding that we are all ‘wired a little differently’. It begins with Delilah, scoping out a new park, where she could see many potential friends: “The kids were like her, with heads that were square, and heartbeats and brains, and wires for hair.” The story cleverly shares how Delilah makes lots of different friends, but struggles to connect with the little boy in blue, Fergus, who doesn’t speak, and whose cables are…
Suzanne Barton, The Butterfly Dance, Bloomsbury, March 2017, 32pp., $22.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781408864845 Who doesn’t like butterflies? With their magnificent colours, their gentle, fluttering presence brings happiness to everyone. The magical transformation from crawly caterpillar to flowery flight captures the imagination, and has featured in many picture books, not least The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Suzanne Barton uses the metamorphosis of caterpillar friends Dotty and Stripe as the basis for this story about friendship, difference, and being happy with who you are. The two friends have always done everything together, but when they wake after a snuggly nap in their cocoons, they realise…
Nicole. L Steevens (text), Olivia Godbee (illus.), Tom Brown, Sit Down!, Little Steps Publishing, 1 Dec 2016, 32pp, $24.95 (hbk) ISBN: 9781925545067 Told in rhyme, this is a simple story about an over-active boy who doesn’t like to sit still. The author has a Masters in Special Education and has created a hyperactive character that might equally engage children in mainstream learning or special education environments. Certainly, this story could work well in early childhood settings to create empathy for children who (perhaps for developmental reasons) simply can’t sit still. The layout is clean and the illustrations colourful and funny…
Laura Amy Schlitz (text), Brian Floca (illus.) Princess Cora and the Crocodile, Candlewick Press/Walker Books Australia, 1 April 2017, 80pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780763648220 When Princess Cora is born her parents think she is perfect in every way, but they are worried about how she will be able to rule a kingdom. So that very day they start teaching her to be a successful monarch. By the time she’s seven, Princess Cora doesn’t have a free minute in the day. If she wasn’t having one of her three daily baths then she was being taught from books by her mother or being…
Pascal Ruter, Emma Mandley (translator), A Friend in the Dark, Walker Books Australia, 1 April 2017, 336pp., $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406372601 First published in French in 2012, Walker Books have produced a quality English translation of this title. Our narrator is Victor, an unusual kid who sees and interprets things differently to other people, gets into trouble without really meaning to, and is a low achiever at school. He tries hard and wants to make his father proud, but doesn’t always try in the right direction. His best friend Haisam is a genius and chess enthusiast who understands Victor probably better…
Gareth Ward, The Traitor and the Thief, Walker Books Australia, August 2017, 352pp, $17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925381504 Sin is a street urchin, the kind that picks pockets and stops time. He happens to get caught by a spy who then takes him to what amounts to basically spy academy — Covert Operations Group (COG) training grounds, or in this case, palace. There, Sin learns about COG’s history and a little bit of his own past (which is a big part of the book’s overall plot too), while training to join its ranks. This is the main part of the book until…
Rob Hodgson, The Cave, Frances Lincoln Children’s/Murdoch Books, May 2017, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781847809117 This is author and illustrator Rob Hodgson’s first picture book and I have immediately put him on my favourites list! I’m not going to spoil the story by telling too much about the plot, except to say I was so engrossed in wolf’s hilarious attempts to lure the little creature from his cave that I did not see the end coming… even though all the clues are there! Read this book over and over and be excited by something new each time. Reminiscent of illustrative books by…
Paul Tobin, How to Outsmart a Billion Robot Bees, Bloomsbury, 1 April 2017, 352pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781408881804 Filled with zany inventions, talking cars and dogs that are genius at maths, How to Outsmart a Billion Robot Bees is a mad-capped science fiction adventure. Delphine Cooper and genius Nate Bannister are back in their second adventure together. This time, the Red Death Tea Society is after Nate’s latest invention — the Infinite Engine. They also want Nate to join them and rule the world, but Nate would never join a society who believes intelligence is the only important human trait. So…
Sue Lawson (text), Patricia Hopwood-Wade (illus.), The Three Emus, Bonnier Publishing, 1 Jan 2017, unpaged, $19.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760401092 The emu sisters live among the mulga and spinifex in the outback near Uluru. When Flick loses her precious shell, the three emus embark on a journey through Australia to try to find it. On the way, they visit the main attractions of each city, including the Salamanca markets in Hobart, Parliament House in Canberra and a theme park in the Gold Cost. They even stop for a picnic on Rottnest Island. The water-colour illustrations are bright and busy, and the emus…