linsay knight – Aussie Reviews

Australia's Greatest People & Their Achievements, by Linsay Knight

Can you name Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister?
Which Australian sportsman is the only cricketer to have received a knighthood from the Queen?
What important scientific discovery is Howard Florey famous for?

If there’s a child in your life who doesn’t know the answers to these questions (oe even one who does), then Australia’s Greatest People and Their Achievements is an ideal offering. Filled with the names and achievements of some of Australia’s biggest achievers in areas including politics, science, sport, the arts and, satisfyingly, social justice.

Knight bases her selection of who is ‘great’ not just on fame, but on making a lasting contribution, so that achievement is important but so too is character, perseverance and success. Many of the people profiled are names that most Australians will be familiar with – Julia Gillard, Sir Donald Bradman and Mary MacKillop, for example – but many others are names children (and adults, too) may not have heard of, but who deserve to be known. An example is Graeme Clark, who invented the cochlear implant.

Profiles are in easy to understand language and are complemented by photographs and illustrations, as well as quotes and text boxes highlighting key achievements.

This is the kind of book which, though it could be read cover-to cover, is likely to be most enjoyed by dipping in to, and as such is just as suitable for home collections as it is for libraries or classroom use.

Australia's Greatest People and Their Achievements

Australia’s Greatest People and Their Achievements, by Linsay Knight
Random House, 2013
ISBN 9780857980205

Available from good bookstores or online.

Stories for Eight Year Olds edited by Linsay Knight

‘Stories for Eight Year Olds’ a collection of short stories from eleven well known Australian authors. There’s something for everyone. Paul Jennings starts off with a tale about UFD – Unidentified Flying Dogs. Jacqueline Harvey’s narrative poem warns about the dangers of Grandparents’ Day at school. There are giants and magic carpets, photo-hogs, visitors from other worlds and a wealthy cat. There are stories about the perils of having a sister, the healing powers of cake and of jokes taken too far. Each story is about fifteen pages long, with a contents page at the front and a bio section at the end. Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout.

You can be the judge. Am I the biggest liar in the world or do I tell the truth? There is one thing for sure – Dad believes me.

Anyway, I will leave it up to you. I will tell you what happened and you can make up your own mind.

It all starts one evening about teatime. Dad is cooking the tea and Mum is watching Sixty Minutes on television. Suddenly there is a knock on the door. ‘I’ll get it, yells my little brother Matthew. He always runs to be the first to the door and the first to the telephone. It really gets on my nerves the way he does that.

Stories for Eight Year Olds is a collection of short stories from eleven well known Australian authors. There’s something for everyone. Paul Jennings starts off with a tale about UFD – Unidentified Flying Dogs. Jacqueline Harvey’s narrative poem warns about the dangers of Grandparents’ Day at school. There are giants and magic carpets, photo-hogs, visitors from other worlds and a wealthy cat. There are stories about the perils of having a sister, the healing powers of cake and of jokes taken too far. Each story is about fifteen pages long, with a contents page at the front and a bio section at the end. Black and white illustrations are scattered throughout.

Stories for Eight Year Olds is a delightful and wacky collection of short stories, perfect for the independent reader who wants to try a few authors without committing to a full length novel. A sampler of light-hearted and cautionary tales to dip into. A perfect way to introduce some of Australia’s foremost authors for the age group. Recommended for … eight year olds!

Stories for Eight Year Olds edited by Linsay Knight
Random House 2012
ISBN: 9781742756608

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

February Reads

Another month has passed, and so it’s time to have a look at what I read for February. Pleasing to see my balance being restored towards my chief love – books for children. This month I indulged my six year old self and tracked down old copies of AA Milne’s poetry from Ebay. I loved rediscovering them and have moved from there to lots of other verse and poetry, so look out for them in my March list and beyond.

I only read 12 books, and several of them were short, which is a reflection of how busy my life has been of late. I’m a so reading a lot of journal articles which don’t make it into this list.

Those I’ve reviewed I’ve linked to, as always.

In Falling Snow	Mary-Rose MacColl	Allen & Unwin	Adult
Red Fox	Sandy Fussell	Walker Books	Children’s
Lost Voices	Christopher Koch	Fourth Estate	Adult
The Rosie Black Chronicles	Lara Morgan	Walker Books	Young Adult
When We Were Very Young	AA Milne	Dean	Children’s Poetry
The Girl From Snowy River	Jackie French	Harper Collins	Young Adult
Now We Are Six	AA Milne	Dean	Children’s Poetry
Stories for 7 Year Olds	Linsay Knight (ed)	Random House	Children’s
Unreviewed			Adult
Rocket Into Space	Ragbir Bhathal and Johanna Davids	National Library	Children’s NF
Topsy-Turvy World	Kirsty Murray	National Library	Children’s NF
Catch the Zolt	Phillip Gwynne	Allen & Unwin	Young Adult

Stories for 7 Year Olds, edited by Linsay Knight

What do seven year olds like to read about? Lots of things! And this book aimed at seven year old readers, covers lots of different subjects, in different forms. There is a story about a mother on a diet, one about surfing in an outback pool, another about a young emperor with a headache, and yet another about an author visiting a school. Whilst all are prose, one is interspersed with poetry and others use fairytale, mythology, first person narration and even the format of a school report, meaning there is plenty of variety.

The 11 stories are illustrated by Tom Jellett, giving a uniformity to the volume, and back of book biographies introduce each author who include some of the biggest names of Australian children’s literature, including Morris Gleitzman, Paul Jennings and Margaret Clark.

Suitable for newly independent readers to read on their own, the stories are also suitable for reading aloud.

Stories for Seven Year Olds, edited by Linsay Knight, illustrated by Tom Jellett
Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781742756622

Available from good bookstores or online.

Stories for 5 Year Olds, edited by Linsay Knight

Some of the best-known names in Australian children’s literature, with offerings new and old, combine in this wonderful new anthology targeted at, as the name suggests, five year old readers. Contributors include Ursula Dubosarsky, Janeen Brian , Mark Macleod and more, and Tom Jellett provides grey scale illustrations

A couple of the stories (The Two Gorillas, by Dubosarsky and The Gorilla Suit by Victor Kelleher) were previously published as part of Penguin’s Aussie Nibble’s series, and others have been published in School Magazine or by other publishers. Two stories (Charlotte the Explorer, by Dianne Bates and Look! by Lizzie Horne) appear here for the first time.

Good stuff.

Stories for Five Year Olds, edited by Linsay Knight
Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781742756660

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

All are well targeted for five year old readers, each suitable for reading aloud in a single sitting. Early independent readers would also find the stories accessible.

Stories for 6 Year Olds, edited by Linsay Knight

Kids love stories that are silly, accessible and quick to read – and Stories for Six Year Olds addresses all of these criteria, with eleven stories in the one volume, targeted for solo reading (or read-aloud with an adult) by readers of around six years of age.

Some of the stories appear here for the first time, with others being brought back to life for a new generation of readers. Parker=Hamilton, for example, was written by Robin Klein in 1984 whilst The Stuck-Tight Tooth is new from Dianne Bates. Other authors include Sophie Masson and Victor Kelleher. Illustrations, in black and white, are by Tom Jellett.

The stories can be read individually or read cover to cover and will stand repeated readings, either aloud or individually.

Stories for Six Year Olds, edited by Linsay knight, illustrated by Tom Jellett
Random Hosue
2012
ISBN 9781742756646

Available from good bookstores or online.