October 2011 – Page 4 – Aussie Reviews

Meet Poppy, by Gabrielle Wang

Blossom’s eyes filled with tears.
‘Don’t cry, Bloss. I have a plan.’
Blossom looked at Poppy. ‘You do?’
‘I’m going to escape, and when I find Gus, we’ll come back to Bird Creek and rescue you … all of you.’

It is 1864 and Poppy is growing up at Bird Creek Mission, outside Echuca. She doesn’t like mission life, but it gets even worse after her brother Gus runs away to go panning for gold. Then Mother Hangtree arranges for her to go and live with a family of strangers, and she knows it’s time that she, too, ran away. It’s her only chance of being reunited with Gus.

Meet Poppy is the first of four stories about Poppy, an orphan of an Aboriginal mother and Chinese father, who must use her wits to survive. Part of the new Our Australian Girl series from Puffin Books, this first story will leave the reader keen to read the next three and find out what happens to Poppy.

Good stuff.

Meet Poppy (Our Australian Girl), by Gabrielle Wang
Puffin Books, 2011
ISBN 9780143305323

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Song of the Dove, by Errol Broome & Sonia Kretschmar

Arm in arm, they trod the cobbled streets to the city square. Bellini pointed to two birds nesting close, one white, the other speckled grey. “They are always together,” he told Maddalena …
“Doves live in pairs,” said Maddalena. “And they stay that way for life.”
“As we shall,” said Bellini.

This beautiful picture book tells the story of the Italian composer Bellini’s career and his forbidden romance. As a young man studying music in Naples he meets and falls in love with Maddalena, but when her parents refuse to allow them to marry, he vow that he will become successful and they will be together after he has written his tenth opera. Living apart, the two pine for each other, and by the time the tenth opera is written both have broken hearts. Their deaths mean that they can be together forever just as promised.

This is a sad tale, based on the true story of Vincenzo Bellini, and includes a brief back of book note on his story and his operas. The digital illustration work of Sonia Kretschmar is breathtaking, with mystic elements such as the siren beckoning from the piano as he writes to Maddalena giving the reader much to think about.

Suitable for middle primary and older readers, this is an outstanding picture book.

Song of the Dove, by Errol Broome & Sonia Kretschmar
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN 9780143305323

this book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Bobo, My Superdog, by Michael Salmon

‘Dog of the Day’ said the notice in the front window of the pet shop.
Underneath sat a little white dog surrounded by other pets. From the moment I saw Bobo I knew that he was special. I had to have him!

Most of the time, Bobo is a fluffy, slightly spoilt dog who lives with the narrator and his parents. But Bobo and his owner have a big secret – because Bobo is just pretending to be a normal dog. Really he is a dog with super powers – Super-Bo. Wearing a mask and a cape made from an old stripy beach towel, Super-Bo saves people, animals – even the whole city.

Bobo, My Superdog is a brand new picture storybook from renowned Aussie author/illustrator Michael Salmo. The story is fun, but it is the familiar illustrative style of Salmon that makes the book so very appealing. The pictures are bright, detailed and humorous, offering textual support and lots of interest.

Aimed at children aged 5 to 9, and suitable for reading aloud, or for readers making the transition toward chapter books.

Bobo, My Superdog, by Michael Salmon
Ford Street, 2011
ISBN 9781921665394

This book is available in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Angel Creek, by Sally Rippin

There in the shadowy depths was a pale, pale child with glass-like eyes that stared up at her, and long white hair that billowed like clouds … ‘You won’t believe this,’ she said, laughter bursting up through her chest. ‘I think … I think we’ve found an angel!’

Jelly is not happy about the new house she has moved to with her parents. The only good things are the old apricot tree in the back yard, and the creek which runs along behind the house. But on Christmas Eve, Jelly and her friends find something trapped in the creek. At first they think it’s some sort of bird – but then they discover, to their amazement, that it is an angel.

As Jelly and Gino look after the wounded angel they start to see that taking something away from where it belongs can only lead to problems – even when you may start out with good intentions. As the angel clings to life, things start to go wrong, seriously wrong in Jelly’s own life, and she and Gino must make some tough decisions to try to sort things out and face the things they can’t change.

Angel Creek is a beautiful tale of growing up, of facing change and of friendship. It is also, of course, about the mystic presence of an angel.

Ages 10 and over.

Angel Creek, by Sally Rippin
Text, 2011
ISBN This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Fromelles, by Carole Wilkinson

The guns have been going all day long. It’s enough to drive you crazy…the waiting to see if this is the shell that is going to blow you to pieces… (Private Walter McAlister, 60th Battalion, 15th Bridgade)

The Battle of Fromelles began at 11 am on 19 July, 1916 and lasted less than 24 hours, but when it was over more than 5000 Australian soldiers were either dead, wounded or taken prisoner. More died in this died than in the Boer, Korean and Vietnam wars combined. Yet this, Australia’s bloodiest day at war, is not as well-known as campaigns such as Gallipoli. Fromelles: Australia’s Bloodiest Day at War attempts to redress this by providing young readers with both the facts of the battle and a glimpse at the human face of the battle.

Factual chapters are interspersed with fictional chapters telling the story of an underage soldier who enlists in Melbourne and finds himself fighting in Fromelles. There are also visual aids including maps, photographs and fact-boxes.

Carole Wilkinson has a wonderful knack of making history come alive for young readers.

Fromelles: Australia’s Bloodiest Day at War, by Carole Wilkinson
Black Dog, 2011
ISBN This book can be purchased from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Hattie and the Fox, by Mem Fox & Patricia Mullins

When Hattie the hen sees a nose in the bushes one morning, no one else seems to do anything, but when she adds two eyes, two eras, two ears, a body, four legs and a body to the list of what she can see, the other animals realise it’s a fox and everybody panics – everybody, that is, except cow, who moos so loudly that the fox is frightened and runs away.

Hattie and the Fox is a long-time favourite with young readers, and their parents and teachers, with the repetitive text:

‘Good grief!’ said the goose.
‘Well, well!’ said the pig.
‘Who cares?’ said the sheep.
‘So what?’ said the horse.
‘What next?’ said the cow

encouraging youngsters to join in, and the delightful watercolour and collage illustrations, b Patricia Mullins, bringing the story to life.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary in print, Scholastic have rereleased the title, providing a chance for a new generation of readers to connect.

Hattie and the Fox, by Mem Fox & Patricia Mullins
This edition Scholastic 2011
ISBN 9781741698206

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond

August, by Bernard Beckett

Late at night a car runs off the road and Tristan and Grace are left clinging to life as they hang upside down waiting for a rescue that might not come. Their lives are strangely intertwined and as the night passes and each shares their story…

They were floating, tumbling together in a machine not made for tumbling, weightless and free. He considered the physics: gravity recast as acceleration. An odd thought to have, but what thought isn’t odd when death breathes hot and sticky? The world slowed. He could not look at her.

Late at night a car runs off the road and Tristan and Grace are left clinging to life as they hang upside down waiting for a rescue that might not come. Tristan has spent his life in pursuit of truth – trying to prove that he, and all people, have free will. Grace’s life has been chiefly devoted to staying alive – she has no time for philosophy. Yet their lives are strangely intertwined and as the night passes and each shares their story, the reader starts to see this connection and ponder how it has led them to this crash.

August is a compelling story about life and freedom, set in a post-apocalyptic society. Whist at times the philosophical concepts being explored – based on the theology of Saint Augustine – are difficult to grasp, the story itself and its many layers are so intriguing that it is worthwhile persisting with the difficult bits.

From the unusual cover (the text is upside down, a visual device to counter the image of the two characters trapped in the car, which appears upright, but should itself be upside down) to the final twist, this is a story which is deeply intriguing and, ultimately, satisfying.

August, by Bernard Beckett
Text, 2011
ISBN 9781921758041

This book can be purchased from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Beyond Fear, by Jaye Ford

Jodie Cramer loves the one weekend each year when she and her three best friends escape together for a girls’ weekend. She can forget her busy life as a divorced working mother, and relax with her friends. But this year is different. It’s Jodie’s turn to book the accommodation and, on the road to the country town, their car is run off the road…

Jodie smelled bacon and fresh coffee as she ran up the steps to the verandah. She took a second to pull herself together … Bursting through the door and announcing that Matt Weisman, the nice guy who’d rescued them last night, was more than likely a stalker would not be the best method of describing what had just happened … But she had to tell them. Forewarned was forearmed.

Now Jodie finds signs of trouble wherever she looks, but her friends think she is just paranoid. They don’t know the history of the old barn they are staying in, or its dark secrets.

Beyond Fear is a thrilling first novel from debut author Jaye Ford. As the four friends find their weekend plummeting into horror, the characters of Jodie and each of her friends, as well as their new friend Matt Weisman, are developed and explored. Jodie is a feisty yet troubled main character and Matt has his own scars, being on recuperative leave from the police force. Together the pair take centre stage in the battle to outwit two brothers with little to lose.

Beyond Fear is the sort of book you don’t want to read late at night, but this is a sign of how well it does its job. A gripping read.

Beyond Fear, by Jaye Ford
Bantam, 2011
ISBN 978186471197

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

There Was an Old Bloke Who Swallowed a Chook, by P.Crumble & Louis Shea

There was an old bloke who swallowed a chook.
I don’t know why he swallowed that chook…
By cripes, that’s crook!

When the funny, bearded hero of this book swallows a chook it sets off a chain of eating adventures. Next he swallows a galah, to swoop the chook, followed by a possum, a wombat and more, until finally he swallows a ute – which he promptly belches out, along with all the animals. The final, wordless, spread shows the bloke taking all the animals for a ride in the ute.

This Aussie take on the well-known rhyme There was an old woman is lots of fun. Youngsters will enjoy the silliness of the old man and his dietary choices, with rhyme that scans well, allowing them to join in. The digital illustrations are bright and have lots of humorous details for kids to discover. The images of inside the man are pink-tinged but this is humorous rather than gory.

There Was an Old Bloke Who Swallowed a Chook is a fun offering for early childhood.

There Was an Old Bloke Who Swallowed a Chook, by P. Crumble and Louis Shea
Scholastic Australia, 2011
ISBN 9781741697872

This book is available from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

My Mum's the Best, by Rosie Smith & Bruce Whatley

My mum’s the best because she gives me big hugs…

This delightful hardback offering is perfect for bedtime or cuddletime reading with the very young. The minimal text explains that ‘my’ mum is the best because of the things she does every day – giving hugs, tucking in, feeding breakfast and so on. The illustrations show a range of animal babies with their mums doing these things – a bear cub being squashed in a big cuddle from his mum, a young fish being gently nudged into the school by mum, a frog dancing with mum and so on.

The design is also simple, with each spread offering text of just a few words on one page and the matching illustration on the other , with background colours in warm pastels and the animal characters gently colourful .

Simple yet beautiful, this would make a lovely gift for a newborn.

My Mum’s the Best, by Rosie Smith & Bruce Whatley
Scholastic Press, 2011
ISBN This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.