Reviewer Lynne shares her pick of 2016’s reading…
A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers (text) and Sam Winston (illus.)
The illustrations, created from the text of well-known books, are amazing and demand hours of searching to read all the fine print. And the point of the story is all about the value of reading – win-win all round.
Teacup by Rebecca Young (text) and Matt Ottley (illus.)
This moving, lyrical story about a ‘boy who had to leave home’ tells the story of an asylum-seeker in an imaginative, understated way. Young readers may interpret the events as they please and the wonderful paintings by a colour-blind artist are amazing.
Ivory Vikings by Nancy Marie Brown
After viewing some of the Lewis chessmen at the National Museum of Australia in the ‘History of the World in 100 Objects’ exhibition, I bought this fascinating history of Scandinavia in the 12th and 13th centuries, explaining its Viking trading routes to Scotland, Ireland and Europe. It also propounds a theory about who may have carved the chess pieces (Margret the Androit) and who may have commissioned them.
Rare Books Uncovered: True Stories of Fantastic Finds in Unlikely Places by Rebecca Rego Barry
Book collectors and rare book dealers seem to be a breed apart and in this engaging book, the author asks over 20 experts in the field to name their most amazing find in recent years. Almost all the discoveries have happened in the last 20 years and are proof that there are still astonishing finds out there.
A bit about reviewer Lynne Babbage…
Lynne first qualified as a biochemist and microbiologist before changing careers to become a teacher librarian. She has worked in the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors and has taught in both boys’ and girls’ schools in Sydney and Canberra. Lynne has been writing and reviewing in the field of children’s literature for over thirty years, in journals such as Reading Time, Magpies and The Literature Base. She has a particular interest in non-fiction and co-authored Good Science Books for Children on the Academy of Science website. She has been actively involved in The Children’s Book Council of Australia since the 1980s, including four terms on the judging panel for the Book of the Year Awards and as treasurer and vice-president of the ACT branch. She has also acted as a judge for the ACT Literature Awards.
