Sam Zuppardi, Jack’s Worry, Candlewick Press, 26 April 2016, 32pp., $33.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780763678456 Jack loves playing his trumpet and is looking forward to performing in his first school music concert. But on the morning of the big day, Jack finds he has a worry, a big scary overwhelming scribble of a worry! Children’s stories which tackle mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or sadness can sometimes be overly sentimental and too complicated for young readers, however Zuppardi both writes and illustrates this story with simplicity and sensitivity. The worry is illustrated as a large splashed watercolour figure which grows in…
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Kylie Dunstan, Nannie Loves, Penguin, 28 March 2016, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781921504839 Kylie Dunstan’s quirky illustrations using collage, gouache and pencil, balance beautifully with this simple story about a family visiting Nana on her farm. A gentle rhythmic pace and engaging repetition lead the reader around the farm—shooing sheep, herding cows, feeding chooks, planting seeds and driving the tractor. Nannie loves everything on her farm, and most of all she loves her family coming to visit. Perfect for pre-school age and plenty of read-aloud enjoyment. Reviewed by Amanda Tarlau
Jesse Andrews, The Haters, Allen & Unwin, April 2016, 336pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760291891 Jesse Andrews was the author of the highly-successful and very moving Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which was also made into a film. This is his second novel and is rather different from the first. In this one too, the protagonist and his ‘side-kick’ are teenage boys, but these two are introduced to us in a music camp where they are surrounded by what they call ‘dudes’ – until, that is, they meet someone who isn’t a ‘dude’ – a girl. Feisty and defiant and…
Robyn Bavati, Within These Walls (My Holocaust Story #2), Scholastic Australia; 1 April 2016, 208pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781760152857 Robyn Bavati’s Within These Walls is part of the My Holocaust Story series published by Scholastic Australia. The novel, based on a true story, follows the life of Miri, a young Jewish girl growing up with her close-knit family in Warsaw. Initially, Miri’s life is full of the simple pleasures of childhood but when Warsaw is invaded by Nazi Germany, Miri must adapt to a life in which hatred, survival and incredible loss are part of every day. And it is Miri’s job…
Anna Shuttlewood, Spot and Stripe, The Five Mile Press, March 2016, 32pp., $16.95 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760401405 Spot and Stripe is a beautifully illustrated picture book about the playful adventures of best friends, Spot the Leopard and Stripe the Zebra. They love being together and help each other to learn new skills that make the most of their boisterous outdoor life. But Spot and Stripe want to be exactly alike – in looks as well as in the things they like to do – so they come up with a plan to find out what life would be like if they…
Catherine Jinks, Theophilus Grey and the Traitor’s Mask, Allen & Unwin, April 2016, 320pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781760113612 Second in a two part mystery series set in London of the mid 18th century, this is the story of twelve year old Theophilus (Philo) Grey, a linkboy who makes a living escorting people through the dark, and some times dangerous, streets and alley ways of the city. But this is not Philo and his gang of linkboys’ only job; they also collect and sell information. Mr Bishop has become one of his best customers, paying Philo to gather intelligence on the…
Dianne Bates (selected by), Our Home is Dirt By Sea: Australian poems for Australian kids, Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2016, 128pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925081190 An anthology of poems for children, Our Home is Dirt By Sea, is the inspiration of author and poetry lover Dianne Bates. Over a decade in the making this lovely collection of poems – some published for the first time, other poems by household names such as C.J. Dennis, Max Fatchen and Elizabeth Honey – includes the work of over thirty Australian poets. The poems have been grouped thematically under a variety of headings…
David Metzenthen, Dreaming the Enemy, Allen & Unwin, April 2016, 304pp., $19.99 (pbk), ISBN:9781760112257 At nineteen Johnny Shoebridge realizes he will no longer be able to dream of a future as he watches in disbelief his number being drawn from a barrel by a Test cricketer on TV. A joke surely, if were not deadly real. He would now be fighting for his country, not fishing down at the river with his mates or holding hands with Jilly, his high school sweet heart. Conscription meant that Shoey, the country boy from Taralia would have three months of government-funded training, then…
Julie Berry, The Passion of Dolssa, HarperCollins Australia, 1 April 2016, 336pp., $29.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781460752036 In the year 1290, a friar finds records from 1267 surrounding the heretical mystic Dolssa de Stigata. Finding so many references to the story and many gaps in the truth, he attempts to draw the information together as a whole to reach a verdict on Dolssa’s story. Thus, his story begins in 13th century southern France, when a young and passionate gentlewoman is destined to cross paths with three peasant sisters. Do not be fooled by the title, Dolssa’s passion is Jesus (Jhesus) and, accused of…
Susan Berran (text), Sophie Scahill (illus), Fluff Butt’s Windy World Tour, Big Sky Publishing, 1 Feb 2016, 32pp., $8.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925275483 Fluff Butt uses a rather unusual method to get around the world. Told with Susan Berran’s awesome childlike rhythmic chant, using some not quite rhyming words, this story is gross yet captivating. The only negative I found was the in the depiction of Fluff Butt himself. Every image and character, except for Fluff Butt, appears to be rendered colourfully and with thought and skill, but Fluff Butt seems an incomplete creation. The illustrator appeared to have trouble with the monochromatic nature…