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Rose’s Red Boots

Rose's Red Boots

Rose’s Red Boots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose’s Red Boots

Maura Finn

Karen Erasmus

New Frontier, 2017

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780957988446

It’s a perfect Autumn day with fairy-floss clouds and a gentle breeze – ideal for pulling on your red boots, taking your dog and heading off to the open spaces to fly a kite.  

So that’s exactly what Rose and Banjo do – her little red boots marching, marching, marching merrily on their way. 

And what’s Autumn without playing in the leaves so your little red boots can be crunching, crunching, crunching to hear that crunching sound?

Rose and Banjo have a wonderful time exploring the sights and sounds of this season, all the time experiencing the sensations through those little red boots.  And when that beautiful blue sky turns threatening and rain and thunder and lightning shatter the idyll, they are still there to go racing, racing, racing…

Miss 6 adored this story as she has little red boots that she loves to pull on and go exploring and we had lots of fun investigating all the sorts of actions and sounds her boots could make on a particularly cold frosty morning.  Her favourite was the creaking, squeaking, creaking as she stomped on the ice in a frozen-solid puddle watching it splinter and crack as her boots sank into the muddy water beneath. That was closely followed by the thunking, clunking as she kicked them off ready to come into the warm for hot pikelets and jam!

The stunning illustrations capture the sights and sounds of Autumn perfectly and little people will enjoy not only recognising those they are familiar with but also anticipating what they can do the next time they pull their own little red boots on.   Both text and illustrations reinforce the idea that the journey is as important as the destination and there is fun and wonder to be had everywhere. The refrain encourages them to join in predicting what sound or action the boots will make as they extend their vocabulary and really engage with the story.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of Autumn being a time to wrap up in coats and hats and boots and go scrunching in the leaves, they might like to think about what their little red boots would do. while those who can relate might think about what the little red boots might do and see if the story were written in winter .

A great introduction to exploring the changing of the seasons.

 

 

Mosquitoes Can’t Bite Ninjas

Mosquitoes Can't Bite Ninjas

Mosquitoes Can’t Bite Ninjas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mosquitoes Can’t Bite Ninjas

Jordan P. Novak

Bloomsbury, 2017

32pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781681192154

Mosquitoes can bite all kinds of people–ballerinas, chefs, babies, even you and me. But they can’t bite . . . NINJAS! Mosquitoes might be quick, but ninjas are quicker. Mosquitoes might be sneaky, but ninjas are sneakier. And mosquitoes might be hungry, but ninjas are . . . hungrier!

And Ninjas certainly don’t bite mosquitoes unless…

With a particular television program inspiring mini-Ninjas in playgrounds all over the country, this is an amusing book that pits the greatest scourge of mankind against the power of a Ninja. As well as learning to be Ninjas from an early age, children also learn to recognise that familiar whine of the female mosquito looking for blood and how to slap them dead as soon as they can so they will relate to the peskiness of these creatures and be glad that it meets its end, even if in an ugly way.  

The cartoon-like illustrations expand the minimal text very well, adding a lot of character and expression particularly to the mosquito who is clearly  intent on doing evil,  While there is no actual violence portrayed there are several instances where the mosquito comes off second-best and the reader can use the clues to conclude just what has happened.   Perfect for getting young readers to examine the illustrations to make the most of the story.

This is one reader, highly allergic to the venom of these creatures, who would be very glad if MANY mosquitoes were harmed in the making of this book!

Brambleheart

Brambleheart

Brambleheart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brambleheart

Henry Cole

Katherine Tegen Books

288pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99

9780062245441

Naming Day at the school on The Hill -an old rubbish dump on the edge of the woods – is the most important day for the students because it is then that they get their surnames based on their expertise in particular disciplines such as metal craft and weaving.  Chipmunk Twig, who prefers to read discarded picture books rather than the old instruction manuals preferred by the other students, is struggling to excel and seems destined to become a lonely Errand Runner. Shamed and embarrassed he runs away, falls into a river and when he reaches the shore he finds a golden egg from which hatches a dragon.  And suddenly his fortunes change – or do they?

Miss 11, an avid reader, was drawn to this book on a recent visit because it is the sort of story she likes and she immediately put her nose into it. However her comments afterwards suggested it did not live up to expectations.  Even though the writing is descriptive,  she said she was glad there were the pictures to help because her imagination wasn’t drawing them for her.

She felt that the storyline did not match her predictions and there were several gaps that were unexplained such as how Twig got back upriver; what is making Char the dragon so sick; enemy Basil’s change of heart and how Lily, banned from seeing Twig manages to accompany him on the final adventure.  She wasn’t keen on the up-in-the-air, to-be-continued ending which left the story unresolved until the sequel Bayberry Island is read. Sadly, Grandma didn’t have it. Perhaps if she did and all the loose ends were tied up she might have enjoyed it more.

Friendship and the ethics of keeping animals captive and cheating to achieve a goal are the themes of this story but to Miss 11, the target audience for the story, they were lost in her confusion of the story.

Unusual for me to publish a less-than-positive review but when you have the critique of the intended audience, it’s hard to ignore it.  

Gecko’s Echo

Gecko's Echo

Gecko’s Echo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gecko’s Echo

Lucy Rowland

Natasha Rimmington

Bloomsbury, 2017

32pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9781408859490

Once there was a gecko
and she lived inside a cave.
She was very, very small
but she was also really brave.

Not only was she brave, but she was also very smart.  For inside her cave were three gecko eggs that needed to be guarded day and night because there were many crafty creatures who thought that gecko eggs would make a tasty snack.  But she was ready for them and when Snake slithered by at sunrise looking for his breakfast she told him he would need to be very brave because inside the cave were 100 geckos! And just one shout would bring them out.  But Snake didn’t have his brave on so he slithered on.

Eagle also thought gecko eggs would make a tasty lunchtime treat but she too turned away when threatened with 100 geckos waiting for her.  But come evening, when Rat was looking for his dinner he wasn’t intimidated.  In fact he decided to call Mother Gecko’s bluff…

Clever use of rhyme and charming illustrations carry this tale of courage and trickery along and young readers will really enjoy the fact that Mother Gecko can outsmart her enemies.  They will also enjoy investigating how echoes are created – they are fascinated by them and whenever you take a child into a tunnel or an underpass or wherever conditions are perfect, they delight in shouting and hearing their voice come back to them.  Why does that happen?  A perfect kickstart for a science lesson as well as a good story!

 

Glitch

Glitch

Glitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glitch

Michelle Worthington

Andrew Plant

Ford Street, 2017

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.95

9781925272710

Glitch, a trembly, twittery,twitchy kind of bug built amazing creations from the things that he found on the rubbish dump where he lived.  It really was a case of one man’s trash being another’s treasure.  His best friend June was a much calmer bug as well as being the best billycart driver ever.  Glitch spent his time rummaging through the mountains of mouldy mess deposited daily by the dump trucks trying to build June the best billycart ever.  But even though he managed to do that, they had never won a race.  Somehow, despite June’s brilliant driving, Glitch’s issues as the co-driver denied them victory.

So this time, June decides that Glitch will be the driver – a thought that terrifies him and has him seeking all sorts of excuses why not.

Full of alliteration that give it pace and rhythm this is a story that will delight young readers and culminates in something they will resonate with – having to put their brave on and do something that scares them. Great for getting the children to think about what they are afraid of and considering taking the first step to vanquish it.  Andrew Plant, illustrator of the magnificent Spark   and the brilliant The Poppy has really let his imagination go wild and got down and dirty amongst the rubbish heaps to bring the story to life and show how the most mundane things can be repurposed.  With makerspaces the current big thing in school libraries, this is the perfect book to challenge students to make a billycart for a bug using recycled and repurposed materials.

Miss 6, whose first task at Joeys was to help build a raft from drink bottles, is right into recycling so she is going to love this.  Such a strong message told in such an entertaining way.

 

egg

egg

egg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

egg

Kevin Henkes

Greenwillow, 2017

40pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9780062408723

Four eggs – one pink, one yellow, one blue, one green.  Crack. Crack Crack.  Three hatch and release their little ones – but the green one does not.  Waiting, waiting, waiting…Listening, listening, listening… Peck. Peck. Peck.  Until finally… But what emerges is not what is expected.  And as the birds fly away in surprise it is left alone, sad and miserable.  Until…

Described as “a graphic novel for pre-schoolers”, Caldecott Medallist Kevin Henkes has woven a magnificent story with the minimum of words and some seemingly simple illustrations.  Using the softest pastel palette, simple lines and shading he conveys so much emotion and action that even the very youngest reader will be able to sit and tell the story to themselves and their teddies without having to know one word of the sparse text.  They will enjoy predicting what might be in that final egg and be surprised when the secret is discovered.  Could that really be inside an egg?  Are birds the only things that hatch from eggs?  They will also empathise with the surprise when it is left alone and lonely, perhaps able to express their own feelings when they have been in a similar situation.  A perfect opportunity to build a word wall of synonyms for ‘sad”. Inviting them to retell the story will encourage them to organise and order their thoughts, begin to understand sequence is important, and use their own words and language skills to express what happened – critical elements in developing early reading skills.  And of course, this story is the perfect lead-in to the classic tale of The Ugly Duckling.

Brilliant for littlies but older children could gain a lot from looking at the techniques used to produce so much from so little.

The Usborne Big Book of Animals

The Usborne Big Book of Animals

The Usborne Big Book of Animals 

 

The Usborne Big Book of Animals

Hazel Maskell

Fabiano Fiorin

Usborne, 2017

16pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781474928953

From the icy polar regions, the steaming tropics to the depths of the oceans, our planet is inhabited by some amazing creatures and many of them are gathered here to tempt the budding David Attenborough as they investigate the tallest, longest, fastest, heaviest and most dangerous animals in the world, complete with facts and measurements.

With easily accessible text, bite-sized facts, and fold-out pages which introduce a myriad of creatures,  little ones cannot only learn about the creatures that share their environment but also that books can educate as well as entertain.  They are for information as well as the imagination.  And for those who want to know more, Usborne has a page of Quicklinks that offers safe, vetted links to information and activities.

The Usborne Big Book of Animals is just one in this series of early non fiction for young readers that help them find more about the world they live in and which would be quality additions to any school or home library.

The Usborne Big Book of Bugs

The Usborne Big Book of Bugs

The Usborne Big Book of Bugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Usborne Big Book of Bugs

Emily Bone

Fabiano Fiorin

Usborne 2017

16pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781474928960

Some little people, unlike their grandmothers, love bugs and see them for what they are – an essential element of life on this planet either as pollinators or food for pollinators.  So those little people will probably love this book with its life-size pictures of these multi-legged creatures and wonder and marvel at Mother Nature’s creations, ingenuity and magic.  

Even though there are officially only 16 pages, there are four huge fold-out pages that offer many more pictures to explore  – the biggest ones, the most deadly, those with wings and those with lots of legs, those that are beautiful and those that are not-so, even those that could win gold medals in a Bugs Olympics – there are bugs from all around the world to discover, learn a little about and perhaps even investigate further.  Usborne even provides a page of Quicklinks to support further investigations as well as activities. 

Not necessarily my favourite book of the year because I’m a wuss, but definitely one for little people wanting to get up close and personal with Mother Nature. 

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Richard Jones

Libby Walden

Caterpillar, 2017

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781848575462

Living in a bustling town is exhausting for a little mouse and she dreams of a quiet place in the country.  So she writes to her country cousin to see if she can visit for a while, swapping homes so they each have a holiday..  Country Mouse is very excited because he has always wanted to be “a mouse about town.” But things are not quite as wonderful as they expect and neither is sorry when their holiday is over and it’s time to go HOME.

This traditional fable from Aesop has been retold in rhyme, bringing its powerful message of what it means to be home and to belong to a new generation.  Cleverly illustrated with a gentle palette and strategic cutouts it’s a story that has endured over time because of its timeless message of “the grass always seems greener” .  Little ones can have fun imagining what it might be like to live the life of their hero or in another place, but then also reflect on the things they would miss if they were really able to make the swap.

A classic.

Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger

Tiger, Tiger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiger, Tiger

Jonny Lambert

Little Tiger, 2017

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781848694446

Mother Tiger has somewhere she needs to be so she leaves her cub in the care of Old Tiger.  But while Little Cub wants to play and explore, Old Tiger thinks he is too old to babysit and just wants to sleep.  But he consents to a “very slow stroll”  through country he has seen so many times that he believes “There’s nothing to see around her any more.”  But he doesn’t factor in the joy and enthusiasm and fresh eyes of the very young and gradually his grey, tired world takes on new colours and new life.

With plenty of action words that young readers will love and relate to as well as text that sometimes rhymes, this is a story that moves from shadow to light as Old Tiger rediscovers the sights of his youth and even begins to take the lead in the play.  Sometimes, as we age and life seems to weigh heavily at times, we forget to take delight in the everyday things that surround us so this story is a reminder that we need to make time for the simple and that there is fun to be had without always having to be entertained by external things.

Lambert is first and foremost an illustrator and that’s evident not just in the detail in the pictures but in the way he has used colour to reflect Tiger’s perception of the world.  At first the jungle is dull and grey but as the adventure continues the colours brighten and the details are more intense and lush.  The reader sees more and more just as Old Tiger does.

A great book for little ones and older ones alike.

 

 
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