anh do – Aussie Reviews

Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja, by Anh Do

Grandma looked at the cake … and all the stuff on the ground. ‘You’ve got a long way to go before you know how to use your skills properly,’ she said, ‘and I’m here to help. But your mum’s right. There is no doubt about it, Nelson…you are a NINJA!

Nelson is am awkward uncool nerd, who lives in the junkyard with his mum, grandma and cousin. So when he wakes up on his tenth birthday and can suddenly do things he never could before, he is more than a little weirded out. When he learns that he is, in fact, a ninja – perhaps the last ninja on earth – he thinks there must be a mistake. He can’t even get his undies around the right way, let alone save the world.

From Nerd to Ninja is the first offering the new Ninja Kid series from much loved comedian and children’s author Anh Do. Combining humour with a fast moving story and an unlikely, though likable, hero, the story is sure to impress young readers who will keenly await the next installment.

From Nerd to Ninja, by Anh Do
Scholastic Australia, 2018
ISBN 9781742993263

Hot Dog!, by Anh Do

If you’re thinking this book is about the yummy hotdog that you eat, then you’re thinking of the wrong hotdog!

Hotdog is a long skinny dog – a sausage dog – who likes to try hard to get things right. His friend Lizzie is a lizard, who’s good at blending in, and their other friend, Kevin, is a lazy cat whose humans dress him up in all kinds of costumes. When the trip meet in the park for a ply, they are joined by a baby bird who has fallen out of his nest. The trio of friends are determined to get the bird back to his mother – but first they have to deal with obstacles including karate-chopping roosters and even dirty nappies.

Hotdog is a brand new series from comedian and best-selling author Anh Do. With simple, humorous text and cartoon-style illustrations (by Dan McGuiness), and textual embellishments to add interest, including different font sizes and speech bubbles, this first book will delight young readers transitioning to chapter books.

Hotdog, by Anh Do & Dan McGuiness
Scholastic 2016
ISBN 9781760279004

What Do they Do With all the Poo from all the Animals at the Zoo? by Anh Do & Laura Wood (ill)

What do they do with all the poo
from all the animals at the zoo?
the hippos, the tigers, the kangaroos –
What do they do with all that poo?

Comedian Anh Do has been making Australians laugh for years, and since turning to chidlren’s books he’s gained a whole new generation of readers. What Do they Do With all the Poo from all the Animals at the Zoo? will entertain even younger readers than his junior novels.

This rhyming story, which comes with accompanying music on a CD (sung by Simon Mellor) is catchy, funny and, of course, slightly gross, which is exactly why youngsters will love it. The illustrations, by Laura Wood, are also filled with humour, with the looks on the faces of humans and animals particularly engaging.

Great for reading with or without the accompanying music, this will be a favourite both at home and in classrooms.

What Do they Do With all the Poo from all the Animals at the Zoo?, by Anh Do & Laura Wood
Scholastic, 2016
ISBN 9781760276324

Weirdo 2: Even Weirder by Anh Do

I was out shopping for a birthday present for the seventh-best-looking girl in the class. So why do I have five years’ worth of toilet paper in the trolley?

Because my life is weird.

If something’s on sale at the shops, Mum will buy lots of it.

And guess what was on sale today?

That’s right, toilet paper.

There we all were … looking like the family that does the MOST poos in the world.

I was out shopping for a birthday present for the seventh-best-looking girl in the class. So why do I have five years’ worth of toilet paper in the trolley?

Because my life is weird.

If something’s on sale at the shops, Mum will buy lots of it.

And guess what was on sale today?

That’s right, toilet paper.

There we all were … looking like the family that does the MOST poos in the world.

Weir thinks his family is weird. He is new to the school and keen to make a good impression, but he’s sure his family’s weird habits and behaviours are going to make it hard. They might even cause him to be un-invited to Bella’s party. That’s if he makes it through the school excursion to the zoo. His weird grandfather is one of the parent helpers. At every turn, his family seem determined to embarrass him, and stymie his best plans. There are illustrations on every page and text and font sizes are varied for maximum comic effect.

‘Weirdo 2: Even Weirder! ’ is a laugh-a-minute feast for the newly independent reader. Readers will empathise with Weir’s embarrassments as he tries his best to impress Bella and get to know his classmates. Everything goes wrong (or at least, not as right as planned) until finally everything wrong turns out right. Recommended for newly-independent readers and anyone who appreciates the humour inherent in everyday life.

Weirdo 2: Even Weirder! , Anh Do ill Jules Faber Scholastic 2014 ISBN: 9781743622711

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

WeirDo, by Anh Do

‘Weir, what’s your surname?’ she asks again.
‘Do.’
‘Do? Rhymes with GO?’
‘Uh-huh…’
‘Your name’s … Weir Do? It’s not really, is it?’
‘Yes, actually, it is,’ I reply.
‘Weirdo?’
Get ready for it. In exactly three seconds all the kids will start laughing…

Every year, Weir’s school year starts the same way – with questions and jokes about his name. This year it’s even worse because he’s in a new town, at a new school.Fitting in is not going to be easy, especially when you add in a crazy family with some weird habits.

WeirDo is a quick to read, really funny story from comedian Ahn Do. There’s lots of silliness about names, and ‘thingies’ getting slammed in toilet seats, cleverly delivered in a manner sure to keep young readers turning pages and, of course, giggling. There’s also some character development and messages about friendship, acceptance and family, but these are not oevrpowering.

Illustrated on every page in black and white, with red embellishments within the texts for emphasis and humour, this is an excellent offering for lower and middle primary aged readers.

WeirDo, by Anh Do
Scholastic Australia, 2013
ISBN 9781742837581

Available from good bookstores and online.

The Little Refugee, by Anh Do & Suzanne Do

The Little Refugee is a beautiful, important picture book, telling of one family’s refugee experience. Aimed at primary school readers, it tells Do’s story in simple language using details which children will connect with -t he fear of being in a leaky boat out at sea, the humour of his younger brother being dressed as a girl, the difficulties of making new friends and the pride of being chosen as class captain.

‘What a great country!’ my parents said to each other when we arrived in Australia.

In this first person narrative, Ahn Do tells readers about his early years in “a faraway country called Vietnam” where his family was poor but happy – thirteen people living in a tiny three room house. He then tells of the dangers the men of the family faced staying in Vietnam, and their subsequent journey to Australia in “an old wooden fishing boat that stank of fish”. He also shares details of the family’s new life here in Australia, finishing on the upbeat note of Anh’s election as class captain at his new primary school.

Illustrations, by Bruce Whatley use ink outlines and a mix of warm pastel colours for the pages in Australia and sepia tones for the spreads set in Vietnam and aboard the boat, creating a visual contrast between the parts of Do’s life.

Do’s earlier autobiography aimed at adults, The Happiest Refugee has received many accolades. The Little Refugee provides a wonderful means of sharing his story with a younger audience and in highlighting the refugee experience more generally.

The Little Refugee, by Ahn Do & Suzanne Do, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742378329

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