Search results matching tag 'children's book review'

Children's Book Review, Sand Swimmers

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia's Dead Heart is a non-fiction children's picture book, written and illustrated by Narelle Oliver, and published by Walker Books Australia (re-published 2013 as a Walker Classic, first published 1999 Lothian.) I would suggest Sand Swimmers is best shared with/read by kids 7+.

The Dead Heart is a desert wilderness in the centre of Australia. It is difficult to imagine anything can exist in such a harsh place. But the Dead Heart has a secret. It holds amazing stories of adaptation and survival. Follow in the footsteps of early explorers like Charles Sturt and learn what the indigenous people of this land first discovered: not all is quite as it seems.

Like most Australians, I live on Australia's coast. I know a little about inland Australia, but my main impression has always been that it's a vast, inhospitable, lifeless place. That's pretty much what the early European explorers decided too. Luckily, I have Sand Swimmers to set me straight.

This is an elegant and fascinating book. The lino-cut and lino rubbing illustrations are superb and I love the way the individual prints "bleed" onto another page, or beyond the print boundaries. Oliver's use of a muted and limited palette contributes not only to the elegance, but also echoes the way harsh sun leeches colour from a landscape. The paradox between a common belief that Australia's heart is dead and the reality of adapted life forms is the "secret" kids will learn and appreciate.

Oliver uses descriptive language and imagery that pull us into the book and brings inland Australia to life for us:

"There are huge waves, not of water, but of fiery red sand. There are lakes of glittering salt and rivers of cracking clay."

This language contrasts with excerpts from Sturt's diary:

"Did man ever see such a place? A kind of dread came over me as I gazed upon it."

Sand Swimmers will fascinate young scientists. It's an excellent choice for school libraries - a great example of an information text, and a source of lovely descriptive language for when classes need description models. I like the way it shows us Australia's dead heart from the contrasting perspectives of indigenous tribal groups and explorers like Sturt.

There are teacher notes available at the Walker Books website. Oliver's website has interesting background information on the book.

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Children's Book Review, The Windy Farm

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

The Windy Farm is a children's picture book, written by Doug MacLeod, illustrated by Craig Smith and published by Working Title Press (2013).

Why would anyone want to live on a farm where the winds are so fierce that even the pigs are blown away? Fortunately Mum is a clever inventor and can think of one very good reason.

A hilarious picture book with a very pertinent message about wind power and environmental sustainability, by one of Australia’s favourite picture book teams.

From the moment they spy The Windy Farm's cover - pigs with comical expressions being blown hither and thither by the relentless wind - kids will settle back, ready for a grin and a giggle. The Windy Farm will not disappoint them. MacLeod's spare text cleverly leaves room for Smith to interpret the details. There's tension too in the family's problems, and cleverness in the way Mum the inventor solves the problems.

As I said in my review of Heather Fell in the Water, MacLeod and Smith are a brilliant writer/illustrator partnership. Each has a great sense of humour, and that makes double the fun for young readers. I love that there's a strong thread of Aussie ingenuity in the book, and a real Australian flavour in elements like the fuel stove, Dad's Akubra and the corrugated iron dunny perched on the side of a very windy hill.

Despite the humour, there is an underlying theme about environmental sustainability that will stay with kids. I like too that there are plenty of points for discussion: Why did Grandpa never blow away? Should Uncle Jeff have lent his relatives money? Is being rich always a good thing? Would YOU like to be rich? Why does Grandpa say "Never mind", especially at the end of the book.

The Windy Farm in sturdy hardback makes a fun choice for home or for a library's environmental resources. There are excellent Teacher Notes by Janet McLean. I predict children will enjoy the book and want to re-read it often.

You might also like to check out my review of Sister Madge's Book of Nuns, another MacLeod/Smith book, or my review of MacLeod's My Extraordinary Life and Death. Find more children's book reviews via the Reviews button in The Book Chook blog's right sidebar.

Children's Book Review, Ted

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Ted is a children's picture book, written and illustrated by Leila Rudge, and published by Walker Books, (2013).

A story about finding your perfect place.

Ted is a smart dog, with his own jumper. But he has lived at the pet store for as long as he can remember and nobody seems to notice him. Will Ted ever find the perfect place to live?

Ted is one of those delightful children's picture books that's as much about story as it is a feast for our eyes. Kids will feel for Ted, the smart dog with his own jumper. Maybe they even know a little dog who wears a jumper to keep him warm? They'll understand Ted's need for attention, and desire for somewhere he can feel loved and at home. At heart, Ted is a feel-good story about friendship and acceptance.

Leila Rudge is an amazing illustrator. Her sketches are child-like, yet incredibly sophisticated. But don't take my word for it, find yourself a copy of Ted soon. Kids will love the detail, especially Rudge's use of pattern, and will pore over each page. They'll appreciate the quirky humour too. Be sure to point out the end papers, and discuss their significance with your kids.

I love that Walker Books have added value to this beautiful children's picture book with excellent Classroom Ideas. If you're a parent, take advantage of these free-to-download activities that will help you and your child get even more from Ted.

My book reviewing head would not at all be surprised if Ted were to win an award or three!

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Children's Book Review, Guinea Pig Town and Other Animal Poems

Anonymous — Tue, 28 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

I believe word play is incredibly important for kids. We help our kids get a great start on their future education if we include them in rhyming, chanting and playing with words. One fantastic way to do this is to make sure kids listen to, read, and write poetry. I am here to say that poets like Lorraine Marwood elevate word play to an art form!

Guinea Pig Town and Other Animal Poems was written by Lorraine Marwood and published by Walker Books Australia (2013).

Squawk! Snuffle! Bark! Roar! Feathers, fins, scales, claws. Running, hopping, crawling, soaring. All creatures are celebrated in this new collection of poetry by Lorraine Marwood.

In this collection of verse for kids, I love that the poems reach out to us, let us share snippets of Marwood's days. We see the "echidna, with quills prickle-flowering", hear the "gumnut bullets" of roof-rattling possums, share the delight of a whole town full of guinea pig babies, and mourn the broken wild thing, the "beaded red-ruffled, shivery, wild, wild thing" because Marwood uses words as precisely as a sculptor to pull us into the experience. The addition of well-chosen black and white sketches doesn't detract from our focus on simply enjoying the poetry.

This isn't a book to be read from cover-to-cover. I'd encourage kids to dip into it and savour its delights. If you're looking for ways to introduce more poetry to your children's lives, it would make an excellent choice. You could find a poem and follow it up with an experience in the real world to match. Or if you see a duck at the park, come home and share the poem about ducks. It matters not what comes first, the poem or its real-life parallel, so long as kids get to share the joy of vivid imagination-encouraging, picture-creating, well-chosen words.

Schools are always looking for poetry books that are accessible to kids. In Guinea Pig Town, Marwood has struck just the right balance of literary merit and fun, of finely-tuned phrases and language that engages kids in a conversation. Walker have added extra value to an already valuable addition for your home or school library with excellent Teacher notes.

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Children's Book Review, Night Watch

Anonymous — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Night Watch is a children's picture book written by Phil Cummings, illustrated by Janine Dawson and published by Working Title Press (2013.)

Giraffe, Elephant, Hippo and Baboon all live by the lake, happily going about their own business, until one day Giraffe spies the shadow of Lion - prowling, creeping, stalking, sneaking. What are they to do now?

Cummings has given us a polished gem of a picture book story. He shows us the contented lives of Giraffe, Elephant, Hippo and Baboon, their happiness, the noises they make and the way they respect their animal neighbours without living in their pockets. That all changes the day Giraffe sees something - prowling…creeping…stalking…sneaking. Lion slinks away but the animals know he'll be back. And that's when Baboon gets an idea.

Dawson's lively, illustrations are full of character. They really add to the humour of the text and the drama of each situation. Kids will particularly enjoy the giant scary shadow page!

Recommended for ages 3 - 6, I think Night Watch will make a fine inclusion to a library's resource box on the theme of bullying. Kids will draw the parallel between Lion and other bullies, and rejoice when he is trounced by Baboon's plan. The book also serves as a prompt to talking to kids about shadows and shadow theatre. Night Watch makes a fun read-aloud and is a perfect choice to follow up with improvisation or reader's theatre.

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Children's Book Review, Once Upon a Slime

Anonymous — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Once Upon a Slime was written by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton and published by Pan Macmillan (2013).

- Have you ever wondered where ideas come from and how stories are made?

- Would you like to know the true stories behind some of Andy and Terry's books and characters?

- Are you looking for simple, practical and inspiring writing activities?

- Would you like to discover 45 great ways to have fun with words and pictures?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then this is definitely the right book for you!

Designed for teachers, students and young aspiring writers, Once Upon a Slime contains 45 fun writing and storytelling activities, such as lists, instructions, cartoons, personal stories, poems and pocket books.

Examples from Andy and Terry's books are used throughout to demonstrate techniques and to inspire readers to have as much fun playing with ideas, words and pictures as Andy and Terry do when they get together to create their crazy books.

Who better for kids to learn about real writing from than a real author? Andy Griffiths is not just real, he's a household name in children's literature all over the world. But let's face it, his qualifications and reputation are not what will make kids grab this book. They will enjoy the fun, the nonsense, the visual gags, and the fantastic Denton-style cartoons. Unbeknownst to them, wedged between the tight underpants and Little Green Snotting Hood, they'll pick up excellent tips for getting started as writers. Suggestions and models like fake news articles, crazy quizzes, creating superheroes, jokes, cartoons and even a random idea generator will have kids itching to create - wonderful idea!

This 350-page book makes a great gift for young writers who want to learn more about the craft of writing. Griffiths fans will appreciate the way their hero provides explanations and comments on his creative process and life. Teachers will love it too - there are so many truly fun ideas that will get their students writing. I guess the sentence that resonated with me most was this: "You don't have to be a great artist - or a great speller - to be able to have a great time with words and pictures." Encouraging kids to play with words and images is a truly worthwhile thing for we parents and teachers to do. Thank you, Andy!

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Children's Book Review, Arkie Sparkle, Treasure Hunter: Tick Tock

Anonymous — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Arkie Sparkle, Treasure Hunter: Tick Tock was written by Petra James and published by Pan Macmillan Australia (2013.)

7 treasures
 7 continents 
7 days 
7 books
 6 changes of clothes
 5 suspicious sightings
 4 close shaves
 3 wrong turns
 2 maps 
1 treasure hunter
 p.s. + 1 treasure hunter's helper
 p.p.s. ++ 1 treasure hunter's helper's super-snooper dog

The biggest treasure hunt in the world is about to begin.  Eleven-year-old Arkie Sparkle's archaeologist parents have been kidnapped. With the help of her genius cousin TJ and basset hound Cleo, she must find seven treasures across the seven continents in seven days.

This is the seventh book in a series that's had Arkie Sparkle previously visit Egypt, China, The Arctic Circle, North Carolina, The Amazon, and Australia. This time, Arkie is in Antarctica, racing against time to find the last treasure and defeat Sebastian Sparkle. Kids who enjoy series will love that the central characters and ideas can be enjoyed all over again in this new adventure.

I think Arkie Sparkle, Treasure Hunter: Tick Tock will intrigue kids who are not yet sure if they like reading. There are lots of great features - the format itself is engaging, with a journal entry, side notes, diagrams, and occasional illustrations. Yes, it's a novel, aimed at kids who are 7+, but it's not densely packed text that some kids find so off-putting. The characters are also engaging, and James' writing style is active, with lots of humour. Treasures, a villain to defeat, a supersonic mini-jet, lots of problems to solve despite the pressure of time - all the ingredients needed for a fast-paced and enjoyable read.

Another feature I love is that the vocabulary in the Arkie Sparkle books is not dumbed down. Thanks largely to the character of genius TJ, kids will encounter words like excruciating, katabatic, semantics and outmanoeuvred in this book. Children will also meet cool technical words like nanosecond, microchip and DATAMAX, and pick up all sorts of fascinating facts about history and the world. Those elements are woven into the story seamlessly, adding to the quirkiness and depth of the characters, contributing to our enjoyment of the story.

There's an Arkie Sparkle website. There are also curriculum-based teacher notes for the series, and an ebook available from Pan Macmillan.

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Children's Book Review and Giveaway, Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

I love books that lure kids onto the magical pathway to reading by offering humour and entertainment, don't you? Do you remember my enthusiasm for the first in R. A. Spratt's Nanny Piggins series, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins? Today I'm pleased to not only bring you my review of the latest in the series, book 8, Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power, but also offer a free copy of the book to one lucky The Book Chook reader who is also an Australian resident.

Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power was written by R. A. Spratt and published by Random House Australia (2103).

A vote for Piggins is a vote for cake!

In this riveting eighth instalment of Nanny Piggins' adventures, she sets out to thwart Mr Green's political ambitions by running for mayor herself. Her mission – to proudly fight for Liberty, Equality and Cake!

Is democracy safe? Probably not. Will Nanny Piggins give everyone in the electorate diabetes from too much cake? Most likely. And along the way tremendous adventure abounds. Taking part in a diabolical fun run, being trapped in a sabotaged lift, faking seismic activity, safeguarding the local vacant lot and beating the world pole vault record is just the beginning.

Spratt shows her ability not only to entertain but to keep doing so with freshness and enthusiasm in this eighth novel of the series. The children's father, Mr Green, decides to become Mayor of Dulsford and this precipitates Nanny Piggins into the political arena herself. Somehow or other, Nanny's plans and plights seem to revolve around cake, cake and more cake. I love the way Nanny Piggins is lousy at Mathematics unless it applies to cake, her ingenious methods of solving problems, the way she teaches a bunch of military recruits a thing or two about tactics and formally introduces fictionalised news to Dulsford even though "tabloid newspapers had been doing a similar thing for years."

As in The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, (and I'm sure the rest of the series) there's a laugh a minute. Senior Primary and Junior High kids will appreciate the absurdity and sly digs at …well, almost everything. Luckily, I doubt they'll take as a role model a pig in hot-pink wrestling leotard who scoffs cake!

If your children/students love a series, Nanny Piggins makes a great series to introduce them to. As with The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, the stand-alone nature of each chapter makes Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power perfect for a family read-aloud or class serial. Make sure you show kids Spratt's website and encourage them to delve into even more fun there.

GIVEAWAY: To enter the giveaway of Nanny Piggins and the Race to Power you need to email me (once) at thebookchook(at)gmail(dot)com with "Nanny Piggins" in the subject line. Please include 1. your name, 2. email address so I can notify you if you win, and 3. Australian postal address. The winner will be drawn randomly by a blindfolded chicken on May 7, 2013. I'll contact you via email to confirm, then announce on the blog soon after.

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Children's Book Review, Interrupting Chicken

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Interrupting Chicken is a children's picture book by David Ezra Stein, published by Walker Books (2013).

It's time for the little red chicken's bedtime story and a reminder from Papa to try not to interrupt. But the chicken can't help herself! Whether the tale is Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood or even Chicken Little, she jumps into the story to save its hapless characters from doing some dangerous or silly thing. Now it's the little red chicken's turn to tell a story, but will her yawning papa make it to the end without his own kind of interrupting? Energetically illustrated with glowing colours and offering humorous story-within-a-story views this all-too-familiar tale is sure to amuse (and hold the attention of) the most spirited little chicks.

Most kids love jokes. I think that authors and illustrators who build on that idea are cleverly helping children love to read. Stein seems to have written a variation of the Interrupting Cow joke. But what a variation! Children will chortle over each interruption and enjoy predicting the next one. Like the little red chicken, folks, kids do mean to be good. It's just that things pop into their heads, demanding to be expressed.

Parents will nod their heads ruefully when they recognise the antics of a little red chicken who is not tired at bed time. The Book Chook remembers many a bed time story that resulted in her good self dropping off to sleep before a story was done. This children's picture book makes an excellent choice for libraries everywhere. I predict Interrupting Chicken will become a favourite read-aloud in homes where great books are prized.

I like the twist Stein gives the story, where little red chicken writes her own bedtime story for Papa. It would make a fun model for children to use in their own stories and pictures. Kids will also enjoy creating abrupt little-red-chicken-style endings for well-known tales. They could write them, design a booklet around them, create a comic, prepare an audio presentation or make a captioned illustration. Great jokes like those plead to be shared! Interrupting Chicken would also be an excellent springboard for a family, class or library collection of favourite children's jokes. Discover more ideas in Let's Celebrate Tell a Joke Day.

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Children's Book Review, Lighthouse Girl

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Children's Book Review by Rebecca Newman

Lighthouse Girl by Dianne Wolfer, illustrated by Brian Simmonds, published by Fremantle Press (2009). Review edition is a hardback ISBN 9781921361531 (the book is also available as a paperback $19.95, ISBN 9781921696572).

Fay is a lighthouse keeper's daughter - she lives with her father on a small island off Albany in Western Australia. As ships start leaving for World War I, Breaksea Island is the soldiers' last glimpse of Australia. They send messages from the ships using semaphore and Fay later telegraphs the messages to their families. Then one soldier - Charlie - sends her a message, and the war becomes more personal for Fay.

My name is Charlie. They say you are sending messages to loved ones. I don’t have any loved ones. Can I send a message to you?
Yes.
What is your name?
Fay.

Fay and Charlie send postcards to each other and letters and postcards from other soldiers also start to arrive, addressed to 'the little girl on Breaksea Island'. She reads about her soldiers' travels from Egypt to Gallipoli and she worries about Charlie. Fay cooks for her father and the second lighthouse keeper, shoots rabbits when they are short of food, knits clothes for the war effort, and loads her donkey with supplies from the supply boat. She also writes in her diary - a birthday gift from her father. Then one day, a terrible letter arrives from the war office.

Wolfer weaves fact and fiction to tell Fay's story. The book is based on the real lighthouse girl, Fay Howe, and archival material such as newspaper clippings and old photographs are interspersed with a narrative, charcoal sketches, Fay's diary entries and the postcards. There is also a page showing semaphore code.

If you're looking for a book to add to an Anzac-themed collection, this is a gentle introduction to the concept of war and the impact war had on those waiting at home. Children in middle to upper primary school will find it interesting to compare Fay's day-to-day activities with their own.

Extensive and practical teachers' notes are available from the Fremantle Press site. (Wolfer and Simmonds also launched a companion book earlier this month - Light Horse Boy - which goes behind the scenes of the Light Horse legend).

BIO: Rebecca Newman lives in Perth with her husband and three children. She has always loved children's books (even more than books for grown-ups) and from 2008 until 2013 she was the publisher and editor of children's literary magazine, Alphabet Soup. Now she is the curator of Alphabet Soup's blog. In her spare time she writes children's fiction and poetry, runs writing workshops with small groups of children, and tends a tiny kitchen garden. Her house has more books than bookshelves …

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