Tag: early readers

Dinosaur Trouble #1 and #2, by Kyle Mewburn & Donovan Bixley

There is only one reason why Arg is bored:
1. He is never allowed to do anything exciting.
Arg is not allowed to go hunting with his dad. He is not allowed to explore the jungle, or play by the lava pits. Arg’s mum thinks everything is too dangerous.

Arg is bored AND hungry. He isn’t allowed to go hunting, or do anything else interesting. But when Mum brings home some eggs, Arg finds out this egg is more interesting that expected. There’s a cute dinosaur inside. Arg’s the only one who knows, and he wants to keep it that way so that his new friend isn’t eaten.

The Great Egg Stink is the first book in the new Dinosaur Trouble series, featuring cave boy Arg and his Stone Age family. the second book, The Lava Melt shake, shows Arg figuring out a way to stop lava from wiping out the village.

Both books are easy to read, short chapter books with black and white illustrations on every spread, and lots of humour mixed with action.

Suitable for newly independent readers, each book stands alone.

Dinosaur Trouble: The Great Egg Stink ISBN 9781775433668
Dinosaur Trouble: The Lava Melt Shake ISBN 9781775433675
By Kyle Mewburn & Donovan Bixley
Scholastic, 2017

Lily the Elf: The Midnight Owl & The Precious Ring, by Anna Branford, illustrated by Lisa Coutts

The Precious Ring (Lily the Elf)an owl is hooting.
Lily shivers with each hoot.
“Who’s awake? Who? Whoooo?” asks the midnight owl.
Lily covers her ears with her pillow.

Lile the Elf can’t sleep. SOmehwere nearby an owl is hooting. It sounds scary. In the mroning, though, Granny tells her that the owl sounds friendly. She wants to take Lily to meet him. But Lily doesn’t think she can be as brave as granny, until, with Granny’s help, she finds her own strength and makes a new friend.

The Midnight Owl is one of the new Lily the Elf series from author Anna Branford and illustrator Lisa Coutts, and is warm tale of bravery, friendship and the bond between a grandchild and grandparent.

In the second book, The Precious Ring , Lily finds a human ring in the garden near her home. Filled with water, it is just right for a paddling pool for Lily to play with. But when she realises that the ring is a much-loved possession which a human child has lost, she has to decide whetehr to keep her pool, or work to get it back to its rightful owner.

Both stories use simplle, but interesting text, with lots of illustrative support, perfect for young readers transitioning from first readers to the chapter book format. Lily is a loveable, honest and quirky character, and the relationship between her and Granny, with Dad playing a supporting role, is lovely.

The Midnight Owl ISBN: 9781925081053
The Precious Ring ISBN: 9781925081046
both by Anna Branford, illustrated by Lisa Coutts
Walker Books 2015

The Ugg Boot War, by Kylie Fornasier

I would need a book the size of the Yellow Pages to list all the embarrassing things about my dad. The most embarrassing thing of all is his ugg boots. he wears them all the time, even in public, even in summer, even with shorts.

Jake has a problem – two problems actually, and both of them are on the ends of Dad’s legs. Dad seems permanently attached to his ugg boots. He wears them everywhere, all year round. They are old and stained, but Dad doesn’t care. He says they’re his pride and joy. Jake cares, though. He worries what people might think, and tries desperately to find a way to get Dad and his ugg boots separated – for good.

The Ugg Boot War is a humorous, easy to read story about ugg boots and family. The resolution is both satisfying and fun, and the story is complemented with colour illustrations, by Tom Jellett, bringing the action to life.

Part of Omnibus Books’ fantastic Mates series, The Ugg Boot War is a fabulous Aussie tale for beginning readers.

 

The Ugg Boot War (Mates)

The Ugg Boot War, by Kylie Fornasier & Tom Jellett
Omnibus Books, 2014
ISBN 9781862919990

Available from good bookstores and online.

The Boy From Snowy River, by Edwina Howard

‘Well, maybe this is a way you can go. Read this,’ says Gran. She tosses the paper at me.

It’s about the Dargan’s Ridge Festival. On the bottom Gran has circled this:

Celebrate the spirit of ‘The Man From Snowy River’ with the Stockman’s Cup! $500 first place!

George really wants to go to Bill Spills Water World, but it’s expensive, and a long way from Mumblegum, where he lives. Gran has a solution: he can enter a horse race on their old stock horse, Bandicoot. Not much can go wrong – unless Bandicooot’s friend Croak gets involved, or George is accused of cheating, or some rogue goats get free.

The Boy from Snowy River, new in Omnubus Books’ Mates series, is a fast moving, easy to read offering with plenty of humour. Colour illustrations, by Joe Bond, and text embellishments add interest and help in making the text accessible.

Lots of fun for lower primary readers.

 

The Boy from Snowy River, by Edwina Howard, illustrated by Joe Bond
Omnibus Books, 2014
ISBN 9781862919976

Available from good bookstores or online.

Benji the Buccaneer by Craig Cormick ill Bill Hope

Benji stood unhappily at the bus stop, trying to imagine all the things that were worse than the first day back at school after the holidays. So far he had thought of magpies pooping in his undies when they were hanging on the line. Or his older sister using him for make-up practice while he was asleep. Or possibly a zombie invasion.

He was still thinking about zombies when he saw a strange-looking double-decker bus coming slowly up the street towards him. It was black and old and looked a bit bent out of shape. He heard its engine moaning and growning as it came up the hill. It wasn’t even a particularly big hill.

Then, to his surprise, it stopped right in front of him, and the door slowly hissed open.

Benji stood unhappily at the bus stop, trying to imagine all the things that were worse than the first day back at school after the holidays. So far he had thought of magpies pooping in his undies when they were hanging on the line. Or his older sister using him for make-up practice while he was asleep. Or possibly a zombie invasion.

He was still thinking about zombies when he saw a strange-looking double-decker bus coming slowly up the street towards him. It was black and old and looked a bit bent out of shape. He heard its engine moaning and growning as it came up the hill. It wasn’t even a particularly big hill.

Then, to his surprise, it stopped right in front of him, and the door slowly hissed open.

Benji is waiting for the school bus and isn’t sure he’s ready to go back to school for another year, although if pushed, he can think of worse fates. When an unfamiliar bus collects him and he’s offered an opportunity to make a choice, he decides that he’d like to be a pirate. A buccaneer. It seems that Benji is in charge of this adventure so he has to define just what a pirate is, and what a pirate does. He and his motley crew spend the day in an adventure that is defined by his knowledge – and lack of knowledge – about pirates and their activities. A final encounter makes him question his wish to be a pirate and offers him an alternative view of school. Full colour illustrations appear on each opening, with chapter numbers also telling their own story.

Benji the Buccaneer is a new story from the Little Rockets series from New Frontier Publishing. Each chapter book offers widely spaced text and illustrations on each page to help make the transition from fully illustrated texts less daunting. Benji is offered an alternative to school and happily, if slightly confusedly, takes it. As the adventure unfolds it becomes clear that his education has some gaps and perhaps there is a point to it after all. Benji is in charge of his adventure, despite it being peopled by an odd assortment of other characters. And it is Benji who finally decides his final destination at the completion of this adventure. Recommended for lower- to mid-primary readers.

 

Benji the Buccaneer, Craig Cormick ill Bill Hope New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059052

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

4 Woolly Wombat Readers, by Kerry Argent

One Woolly Wombat sunning by the sea
Two cuddly koalas sipping gumnut tea….

One Woolly Wombat - First Reader

Since 1982 Aussie children have been learning to count with One Woolly Wombat. Now they can learn to read with him, too, in this cute new series of readers from Scholastic, suitable for school or home use.

Aimed at beginning readers, these four small format books each feature the woolly wombat, with his friend Bandicoot, and other friends, also recurring. The first in the series is a special edition of the classic One Woolly Wombat, with other titles being At the Beach, Hide and Seek and Best of Friends.

With the beautiful illustrations of Kerry Argent, and high-interest stories, coupled with text which is accessible and a format suitable for little hands to easily hold and turn pages, these are a treat for beginner readers, and will withstand repeated readings.

One Woolly Wombat
At the Beach
Hide and Seek
Best of Friends
All by Kerry Argent
Omnibus Books, 2014Hide and Seek First Reader - a Woolly Wombat Story

Bush Holiday by Leonie Norrington ill Brenton E McKenna

Tillithia loves living in Palmerston Heights. She loves her school. She loves hanging out with Lily, her next door neighbour. But most of all she loves the school holidays.

Sometimes she goes with her mum and Lily to a market for breakfast, or they ride their bikes to the park. This morning Tillithia has a plan.

Tillithia loves living in Palmerston Heights. She loves her school. She loves hanging out with Lily, her next door neighbour. But most of all she loves the school holidays.

Sometimes she goes with her mum and Lily to a market for breakfast, or they ride their bikes to the park. This morning Tillithia has a plan.

Tillithia might have plans for this holiday day, but so does Mum. And Mum’s plan is not the same as Tillithia’s. Tillithia and Mum are off to Goose Camp with Auntie Doreen. Mum knows Auntie Doreen will help Tillithia to learn Aboriginal ways. Tillithia just remembers their last trip, when she got wet and dirty and ate mussels that tasted like snot. She’d much rather stay in town. But that’s not going to happen. Tillithia begins by sulking but is gradually won over by curiosity and the good humour of Mum and Auntie. Eventually, Mum’s teasing stops when Tillithia helps Auntie gather food for the old ladies. Now it is Tillithia’s turn to tease. Bush Holiday has coloured illustrations throughout and uses several text types to highlight different words.

The ‘Mates’ series from Omnibus has many titles. Each is full of humour and tells a tale that is particularly Australian. In Bush Holiday the reader travels to Northern Territory and is taken on a road trip holiday. It is a story of family, and learning and sharing. Tillithia experiences a different sort of education in the holidays, where knowledge of and respect for the land are taught in an active way. Bush Holiday gently reminds the reader that life is full of learning and that there are many teachers. The joyfulness of Mum and Auntie as they travel and teach their reluctant student is delightful and should resonate with readers young and not-so. And when Tallitha reflects on her unexpected bush holiday, it is the connection with the land and her greater family that she remembers most fondly. Recommended for newly confident readers.

 

Bush Holiday, Leonie Norrington ill Brenton E McKenna Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN:9781742990019

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com