McCARTNEY, Tania (text) Tina Snerling (illus.) An Aussie Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Australian Kids EK Books, 2013 unpaged $19.99 ISBN 9781921966248 SCIS 1617200 As the sub-title makes clear, this large format picture book follows the adventures of five young Australian children throughout one year. The aim is to focus on events and games with ‘traditional Australian elements’, including those of Indigenous and multicultural communities. The children are introduced, specifying their age, special interests and country of origin: Greece, China/Vietnam, Ireland, one Indigenous Australian and one Anglo Celtic Australian. There is a good mix of festivals and celebrations…
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LESTER, Alison Kissed by the Moon Viking, 2013 unpaged $19.95 ISBN 9780670076758 SCIS 1626632 This is a beautiful picture book written in the style of a blessing, eg: ‘May you wake up to birdsong’, ‘May dogs and cats follow you, love you and watch over you’, ‘May you, my baby, make sprinkles of sand’. These are not in any particular order. They are just my favourites. The pictures are also lovely. I like the soft pinks, blues and purples of dawn, the baby’s teething ring, the little bug-eyed creatures in the sand, the white spots of rain against a yellow…
LAWFORD, Miles (illus.) The Twelve Days of (Kiwi) Christmas Scholastic, 2013 unpaged NZ$19.50 pbk +CD ISBN 9781775431671 SCIS 1620584 The idea of national identity is a fascinating one to explore through literature and song and a good way to begin this journey is through this picture book (with a CD sung in English and Māori). If you were to list twelve icons, objects, rituals, or whatever that denotes for you your sense of national identity, what would you choose? I would ask a group of children before I read this version of that classic Christmas song. As they shared their…
LANDSTRÖM, Lena (text) Olof Landström (illus.) Pom and Pim Gecko Press, 2014 unpaged NZ$20.00 pbk ISBN 9781877579882 At first glance this seems a simple story of a young child experiencing good and bad luck, as the pattern of narrative action and consequence (intended and unintended) plays itself out. However, at a deeper level, the idea of ‘luck’ (read fate and unintended consequence) versus agency (read intentional action and intended consequence) could be explored. So when Pom takes his ‘teddy’ Pim outside and he trips, falls and hurts himself, he has bad luck. But when he is flat on the ground…
KENNAWAY, Tim James Dad’s Gift Self Pub, 2013 51pp $9.50 pbk ISBN 9781300655015 This is based on a true story, written as a tribute to the author’s dachshund, Harley. It tells of the bond the author had with his dad and his dog. When Tim discovers his dad has cancer, he continues to care for and walk his dad’s dog. After his dad dies, Tim explains how his relationship with Harley helped him through the grieving process. As with many self published books, this one could be improved with further editing. Although it is self-illustrated and lacks professional values, it…
JEFFREY, Belinda It Wasn’t Me! UQP, 2013 unpaged $24.95 ISBN 9780702249877 SCIS 1624726 Finnigan is in constant trouble for the mess and uproar he causes at home. His mother reprimands him over spilt cereal, an overflowing bath, an untidy room and all the while he protests . . . Mum, it wasn’t mee, . . . His escapades overtake his own imagining and when he literally, comes down to earth, the blame is taken by his ‘monster mates’, shadowing him at his birthday party. Such a fun story with so much going on in the illustrations, this book is a…
GRAHAM, Stacey Garrison (text) Lucy Boulton Smith (illus.) The Bush Jamboree Self Pub, 2013 unpaged $22.95 pbk ISBN 9780987204905 Two brothers, supposed to be tucked up in bed asleep, hear the sound of music ‘cheerful and loud’. They follow it out into the bush where they see Kangaroo calling out to the animals to perform. The striking large illustrations of the jazz duo koalas, followed by a platypus singing at the microphone, lead to another page where an old ring-tail possum is picking a tune on a battered violin (called a fiddle here) and urging the boys to dance. The…
FERNYHOUGH, Christine & Susan Elijas (text) John Bougen (illus.) Phylys, the Farm Truck Random House, 2013 unpaged NZ$19.99 pbk ISBN 9781775535096 SCIS 1632706 This story captures something of the life and times of Castle Hill in the high country of Canterbury with its dramatic mountains and valleys, rock faces and streams. When a new Toyota Hilux SUV ute is bought by the farmers, the animals despair. How will it cope with the rugged landscape? It is too posh and citified. However Phylys (like her namesake as detailed in the postscript) is a force to be reckoned with and, with heart…
FEINBERG, Anna & Barbara Feinberg (text) Kim Gamble (illus.) Once Tashi Met a Dragon Allen & Unwin, 2013 unpaged $24.99 ISBN 9781741758870 SCIS 1627391 Tashi is an endearing character whose adventures are well-known to readers through earlier books. In this one, a classic hero tale of leaving home, undertaking the adventure and returning home again, Tashi visits the home of the dragon living far away in a cave on a mountain. The dragon brings the rain but, in this particular year the rain has not come. Crops are dying and animals are thirsty so something needs to be done. Tashi…
EDWARD, Justine (text) Karl Gabriel (illus.) Shine Balboa Press, 2013 25pp $14.95 pbk ISBN 9781452575315 SCIS 1630270 This cheerful small book, with its use of white and bright yellow papers and a child’s drawing of a sun on the cover, has the avowed aim of helping kids to feel good about themselves. Each double page has a four-line verse opposite a naïve illustration. The tone is positive and affirming, the language is simple and the pages uncluttered. The choice of a seven year old (who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder) to illustrate the book should enhance its appeal…