August 2009 – Aussie Reviews

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King

Although Granny was soft and squishy, she was a lively as a family of leaping frogs. And she had such good ideas for things to do.
One morning Piglet waited and waited by the gate for Granny to arrive.
She waited and waited.
But Granny didn’t come.

Piglet loves Granny, and the things they do, but waiting for Granny to come and play is hard. Luckily she has her friends – Cow, Horse, Sheep and Duck – to reassure her and keep her company until Granny finally arrives. And with Granny’s arrival, the fun can begin!

Piglet and Granny is the third picture book featuring the delightful Piglet and various of her family members, as well as the other farm animals. Whilst each features Piglet and her farm animal friends, the three tales do manage to be different so that readers find them familiar but not repetitive. Stephen Michael King’s adorable illustrations bring the story to life with deceptively simple watercolour and ink outlines.

Piglet and Granny is an adorable offering, suitable for bedtime reading – or any time reading!

Piglet and Granny, by Margaret Wild & Stephen Michael King
Working Title, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Monkey Fist, by Sandy Fussell

‘Something terrible has happened,’ I say. ‘I can feel it.’
Sensei’s words race through my head. It’s not what you can hear that matters, but what you cannot hear. It’s not what you can see that is important, but what you can’t see.
As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I spy Taji and Sensei asleep. I can’t see Kyoko anywhere.
I panic. ‘Kyoko is missing.’

Sensei Ki-Yaga and the Samurai kids are journeying through China when Kyoko is kidnapped. Sensei’s old adversary, Lu Zeng, is challenging him to try to get Kyoko back. But getting inside the Forbidden Palace, where Lu Zeng lives, will not prove easily – and outwitting him to get Kyoko back will be even harder.

Monkey Fist is the fourth title in the wonderful Samurai Kids series. As with the other books, readers are offered an exciting mix of action, humour, obstacles and tension. Niya, the viewpoint character, is a likeable narrator, with the reader able to see his flaws as well as his strengths, and like him all the more for them.

Monkey Fist can stand alone for those new to the series, but will be adored by those who have had the chance to read the earlier stories.

A wonderful new addition to a wonderful series.

Samurai Kids Book 4: Monkey Fist, by Sandy Fussell
Walker Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Old Pig, by Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks

‘Keep it safe,’ Old Pig said, ‘and use it wisely.’
‘I will,’ said Granddaughter. She tried to smile but her mouth wobbled, and Old Pig said, ‘There, there, no tears.’
‘I promise,’ said Granddaughter, but it was the hardest promise she’d ever had to make.

In this classic picture book, Old Pig knows she is going to die, and sets about putting her affairs in order and saying goodbye to her much loved Granddaughter.

Old Pig was first published in 1995 and has been loved by parents, teachers and children since then. It is wonderful to see it rereleased in hardcover format so that it remains available to new readers.

With gentle text by Margaret Wild and rich illustrations by Ron Brooks, the mixture of sadness and love, and the sense of closure, makes this a perfect delivery on a difficult topic.

Perfect.

Old Pig, by Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks
Allen & Unwin, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Bluey's War, by Herb Hamlet

The officer barked a command and the escort began beating the prisoners with the bamboo canes. Bluey fell to the floor. Digger lasted a little longer before he too collapsed from the brutal onslaught. Bluey closed his eyes.
I can’t survive this.

Since he stood up for her in primary school, Bluey and Ellen have been friends, but in the years following school their friendship blossoms into romance. When war is declared, and Bluey knows he must answer the call, Ellen is left behind, waiting for the day Bluey will return. He does come home, and his feelings for Ellen are unchanged, but the war has left him scarred, and there are some battles that Ellen can’t help Bluey fight.

Bluey’s War is the tale of one man’s war – both his experiences of wartime, as well as his battle afterwards to deal with the memories of those terrible experiences. It is also the story of his wife Ellen’s own war – to overcome a troubled childhood and the trauma of seeing her husband changed by the war.

Bluey’s War is a moving tale which will resonate with Australian readers.

Bluey’s War, by Herb Hamlet
Penguin Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Captain Bullen's War, edited by Paul Ham

We need to send our survey party there!’ (pointing to map)
‘But Colonel, we cain’t do it. That’s the most insecure area of the whole country!’
“Insecure? Goddam it! The greatest concentration of American troops in the country is there!’
‘Yes Colonel, and have you considered why the greatest concentration of American troops is right there?’

Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War has not been as well-explored in accessible literature as involvement in earlier wars, perhaps because of the public sentiment towards the war at the time. But in this diary offering, here is an attempt to redress that. Offering just one man’s perspective of the war, this is not an analysis of the war, nor a timeline of the whole course of the war. It is simply one man’s diary of the time that he was in Vietnam – in 1968.

Because it is a diary, the book offers detailed insight into day to day life of one man’s war. And because Bullen is honest, intelligent and forthright, the diary is entertaining and insightful. At times it is easy to forget that this is an actual diary rather than a fictionalised account – but this is a true tale, told in the diarist’s words, with occasional editorial input – at the start of each month’s entries and scattered footnotes for clarity.

A treasure.

Captain Bullen’s War: The Vietnam War Diary of Captain John Bullen, edited by Paul Ham
Harper Collins, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Crocodile Cake, by Palo Morgan & Chris Nixon

This evening I am going to bake
The most fantastic, scrumptious cake.
A wondrous cake of sheer delight
A cake too good to even bite…

When the girl in this rhyming tale decides to bake a cake she doesn’t want one that is splendiferous layers of cream and toffee, but rather a scary crocodile cake. Grandpa helps her bake it, but while he’s asleep the crocodile cake comes alive, jumps out of the oven and wreaks havoc. It is up to the child to stop the crocodile and save her family.

Crocodile Cake is a funny story which is a delight to read aloud. The rhyme and rhythm flow, and the colourful illustrations are filled with quirky detail and vary from light and bright to dark colours at the scariest moments and back to light as the situation is resolved.

A real treat.

Crocodile Cake, by Palo Morgan and Chris Nixon
Fremantle Press, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

A Bit of Company, by Margaret Wild & Wayne Harris

No one rang the doorbell. No one came to play.
Sometimes Christopher felt so lonely he wanted to scream…
and scream…
and SCREAM.

Christopher is lonely. His mother is busy with baby triplets, and Christopher is left to his own devices. Sometimes he peeps through the fence at his neighbour Molly MacNamara and wants to say hello. Little does he know that Molly is also so lonely she could scream – until the day that she does just that. Her scream brings Christopher running and soon the pair has become firm friends.

A Bit of Company is a wonderful story of friendship, capturing the feeling of being left out that many older siblings feel when new babies arrive. Fist published in 1991, this classic has been rereleased by Walker Books, making it available for a new group of youngsters.

With gentle text by maestro Margaret Wild, and gorgeous illustrations by Wayne Harris, this is a book that kids will ask for over and over, and adults will enjoy reading aloud.

Beautiful

A Bit of Company, by Margaret Wild and Wayne Harris
This edition Walker Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Blue Stealer, by Darrel & Sally Odgers

Sarge is a clever person.
Even clever people sometimes get hold of the wrong end of the stick.
This is a fact.

Jack Russell, dog detective is back on the case. Someone is stealing special things from the humans of Doggeroo. But what is worse – much worse – is that the favourite things of Doggeroo’s dogs are also going missing. Foxie’s boot, Shuffle’s pug cloth, even the Squekes’ plastic chop, have all gone missing. Jack needs to help his friends get their things back – and, if he does, perhaps he can help Sarge solve the mystery.

The Blue Stealer is the tenth title in the Jack Russell: Dog Detective series, a series which doesn’t become stale. Authors Darrel and Sally Odgers manage to come up with new twists and new characters each time, as well as the familiar first person (first dogson?) narrative of Jack, the Jack Russell terrier who never lets a mystery rest.

Good stuff, sure to entertain young readers.

The Blue Stealer, by Darrel & Sally Odgers
Scholastic, 2009

Lighthouse Girl, by Dianne Wolfer

My name is Charlie. They say you are sending messages to loved ones. I don’t have any loved ones. Can I send a message to you?
Yes.
What is your name?
Fay
That is a pretty name. Are you pretty. I bet you are. What colour are your eyes?
Green.
Mine are hazel. I’ll send you a postcard when we get there. Wish me luck.
Good luck, Charlie. Godspeed. Return safely.

It is 1914 and, from her island home off Albany, Fay Howe watches troopships arrive in Albany, waiting to depart for service in the Great War. Fay is a lighthouse keeper’s daughter and so knows semaphore and morse code. When the soldiers on the ships see her and signal her, she answers. Soon, they are semaphoring messages for their loved ones, which Fay than telegraphs on their behalf. But one young man has no family, and, although they never meet, he and Fay become friends.

Lighthouse Girl is an amazing blend of diary, narrative, picture book and scrapbook, based on a true story. Fay Howe lived on Breaksea Island and signalled the ships departing for the war. Afterwards, numerous postcards arrived from the Middle East addressed to “the little girl on Breaksea Island”.

Lighthouse Girl provides a gentle presentation of the coming of age of a girl during the hardships of war. The addition of Charlie also shows us how lonely Fay’s life is – growing up on an isolated island means she has never had a friend, and so her bond with Charlie is special, even though they never meet. Fay is young but she is strong. She runs the house for her father and the second lighthouse keeper, shooting rabbits when food is scarce, and doing her part for the war effort by knitting and writing letters. Child readers will find Fay’s life an interesting contrast to their own.

Author Dianne Wolfer’s text is gorgeously complemented by photos, charts, newspaper clippings, postcards and lovely charcoal illustrations from Brian Simmonds.

This hardcover offering is a treasure.

Lighthouse Girl, by Dianne Wolfer, with illustrations by Brian Simmonds
Fremantle Press, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Just Macbeth! by Andy Griffiths

When Andy, Danny and Lisa are transported to 11th century Scotland (with the help of a little Wizz Fizz), they realise that it is more than just time tracel. Everyone thinks that they are characters from Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ and Andy discovers he is married to the most beautiful girl in the world – Lisa Mackney. But trouble arises when Andy kills his wife, his best friend and many kittens, puppies and ponies.

You know, I love Shakespeare. And when I say I love Shakespeare I don’t just mean I love Shakespeare, I mean I REALLY love Shakespeare. And when I say I REALLY love Shakespeare I don’t just mean I REALLY love Shakespeare: I mean I REALLY REALLY love Shakespeare.

With Andy Griffiths’ hilarious plotline and Terry Denton’s comical drawings, Just Macbeth! is truly a marvellous book. Good for jokelovers between 8 and 13.

Just Macbeth! by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton
, Pan Macmillan, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.