February 2014 – Aussie Reviews

What do Werewolves do when it’s not Halloween? By Heath McKenzie

November the 1st is kinda the worst

For everything SPOOKY and CREEPY,

In fact, truth be told, you’ll find that it makes

Most HALLOWEEN GHOULS rather weepy!

For there isn’t a day that’s further away

From next HALLOWEEN, it’s true,

So every last thing that goes BUMP in the night

Has to find something DIFFERENT to do!

November the 1^st is kinda the worst

For everything SPOOKY and CREEPY,

In fact, truth be told, you’ll find that it makes

Most HALLOWEEN GHOULS rather weepy!

For there isn’t a day that’s further away

From next HALLOWEEN, it’s true,

So every last thing that goes BUMP in the night

Has to find something DIFFERENT to do!

What Do Werewolves Do When it’s Not Halloween? offers an explanation for the 364 days between Halloweens. It speculates that vampires do some catching-up, mummies try some alternative costumes, skeletons just hang around – in fact everyone seems to find a way to fill in time. But werewolves – what do they do? Do they hide away with other werewolves and wait for Halloween? Well, you’ll just have to read and find out. Illustrations depict all manner of spooky and creepy creatures doing their thing through night and day.

Halloween is a big night for those who like to be or to experience spooky or creepy things, but for the rest of the year, creeping and spooking are less visible. Perhaps it’s odd that no one has previously offered an answer to this question! Young readers can experience the inventiveness of Frankensteins and the wildness of witches in this funny, fiend-filled rhyming stories, which ends with a ghoulish answer to its own question.

What Do Werewolves Do When it’s Not Halloween?, Heath McKenzie Scholastic Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781742838793

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Saurus Street 5: A Plesiosaur Broke My Bathtub by Nick Falk ill Tony Flowers

There are three reasons I’m scared of Granny and Grandad’s outdoor loo.

The door might close and leave me locked inside forever.
Every creepy-crawly in the whole wide world lives in there.
(and the big reason) The toilet has no bottom.

There are three reasons I’m scared of Granny and Grandad’s outdoor loo.

The door might close and leave me locked inside forever.
Every creepy-crawly in the whole wide world lives in there.
(and the big reason) The toilet has no bottom.

It’s not like a normal toilet, with water and a U-tube. Granny and Grandad’s toilet is just a hole over a big black pit. Anything could be hiding down there. Like a witch or a werewolf. Or a hideous green water monster with gigantic teeth.

I don’t consider myself a scaredy-cat. I’m nine years old and I wear size 7 shoes. And that’s big for my age. But only a fool wouldn’t be scared of that toilet.

Thomas loves everything about his once-a-month weekends at his grandparents’ house. Everything, that is, except their scary outside loo. Anything could live in that bottomless pit. But even Thomas hadn’t fully realised just what was down there. But he has a chance to find out, when he falls in. He encounters a plesiosaur, a man wearing a skirt, some avaricious neighbours and a fellow-adventurer, Ellie. When everything begins to spin, Thomas and Ellie need all their smarts to keep Saurus Street safe. There are black and white illustrations on every opening. Potentially challenging words are in a range of different fonts and styled to help support their meaning.

‘Saurus Street 5: A Plesiosaur Broke My Bathtub’ is a whirlwind of an adventure, built around that familiar scary place – the outside loo. Spiders and bugs and webs are one thing, but it’s the unknown at the bottom of that hole that generates the most fear. Nick Falk takes the reader to the bottom and beyond, in an explosive tidal wave of an adventure, all the way to the sea. Along the way, people behave badly, and it’s up to the intrepid young main characters to save the day. And they do, using all the ingenuity and imagination that they are capable of. Saurus Street survives to adventure on. Ideal for independent readers in transition to full-length novels. A rip-roaring read.

Saurus Street 5: A Plesiosaur Broke My Bathtub, Nick Falk ill Tony Flowers Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857981820

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Saurus Street 6: A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee by Nick Falk ill Tony Flowers

‘Wake up, Toby. It’s time to inspect our treasure.’

I open my eyes and sit up. Jack’s already awake. His dad and his scary sister, Saffi, are asleep in their sleeping bags. The coast is clear.

Jack unzips his stegosaurus schoolbag. That’s where we put all the treasures we found on the beach today.

He empties it onto the floor of the tepee. That’s what we’re camping in. A great big family-sized tepee. Jack’s dad made it out of branches, ropes and plastic sheets.

This is the first time I’ve ever been camping.

‘Wake up, Toby. It’s time to inspect our treasure.’

I open my eyes and sit up. Jack’s already awake. His dad and his scary sister, Saffi, are asleep in their sleeping bags. The coast is clear.

Jack unzips his stegosaurus schoolbag. That’s where we put all the treasures we found on the beach today.

He empties it onto the floor of the tepee. That’s what we’re camping in. A great big family-sized tepee. Jack’s dad made it out of branches, ropes and plastic sheets.

This is the first time I’ve ever been camping.

Jack and his friend Toby had no idea just what treasures they had collected on the beach during their beach camping trip. But by the time they do realise the importance of one of their finds, they are on the path to the biggest dinosaur adventure of all. Suddenly their little corner Saurus seems to be host to all manner of supposedly extinct creatures, from the smallest ammonite to the most dangerous dinosaur to the VERY big diplodocus. It seems the boys and Saffi have activated the curse of the legendary dinosaur pirate, Captain Saurus. Now the race is on, to solve the clues left behind by Captain Saurus and lift the curse before it is too late. Black and white illustrations appear on most openings and potentially challenging words are presented in different, larger fonts.

The Saurus Street series offers wild adventures in not-quite-your-average suburb. There are always dinosaurs. Small ones, big ones, and just about every size in between. And Saurus Street and surrounds is just not designed for these visitors. Adults are present in each adventure but manage to stay well in the background, allowing the main characters the freedom to solve their (considerable) challenges. In ‘Saurus Street 6’ Jack’s scary older sister, Saffi, assists in between bouts of ‘teenage-ness’ but it is Jack and Toby who are the heroes. A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee offers a rip-tearing, heart-thumping read for young independent readers.

Saurus Street 6:A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee , Nick Falk ill Tony Flowers Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857981844

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Availabil from good bookstores or online .

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Meerkat by P. Crumble ill Louis Shea

There was an old lady who swallowed a meerkat

I don’t know why she swallowed the meerkat

Fancy that!

There was an old lady who swallowed a meerkat

I don’t know why she swallowed the meerkat

Fancy that!

The old lady of the title has quite an appetite. Not content with swallowing a meerkat, she consumes an owl, a hyena, a lion and more. This take on the well-known traditional rhyme is set in the zoo, where she has access to animals from all around the world. Other zoo visitors look on in surprise as she continues her swallowing. Things get more and more out of hand until the old lady swallows a hippo. Full colour illustrations take on an escalating psychedelic feel with bright colours and wild internal scenes.

Many readers will be familiar with the original ‘There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly’, and this version continues the nonsense at the zoo. Young readers will giggle at the antics of the old lady, the victims and the observers. As with the original, the action is sufficiently absurd, as to be comical rather than believable. The text is rhythmic, rhyming and cumulative and young children will soon be able to join in the ‘reading’. The text for the animals is presented in different and larger fonts, ideal for young pre-readers to start identifying word shapes. Good fun, with plenty of extra story to be found in the illustrations. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Meerkat;, P. Crumble ill Louis Scholastic Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781742836461

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Losing Reuben by Leonie Norrington ill Beth Norling

There are so many kids in Reuben’s family, his mum has to count them when they go out to make sure no one gets lost or left behind.

‘One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,’ she says touching each one as they climb in the car.

Reuben’s big brothers and sisters duck and growl.

‘You are SO embarrassing, Mum,’ they say. ‘Everyone is looking at us.’

But Reuben loves his mum touching his head and counting. It makes him feel safe, because he knows she will never leave him behind.

There are so many kids in Reuben’s family, his mum has to count them when they go out to make sure no one gets lost or left behind.

‘One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,’ she says touching each one as they climb in the car.

Reuben’s big brothers and sisters duck and growl.

‘You are SO embarrassing, Mum,’ they say. ‘Everyone is looking at us.’

But Reuben loves his mum touching his head and counting. It makes him feel safe, because he knows she will never leave him behind.

Reuben is part of a large family living in the north of Australia. Every Saturday they go fishing. This Saturday, they are going to One Mile Beach. Reuben loves to go, but he also does some worrying. He worries a bit about the waves, and the crabs and other things that might go wrong. As the outing progresses, Reuben, although sometimes scared, calls on all his inner resources so he can help where help is needed. With the help of his brothers and his father, he decides to be brave and to be strong, where this is required. Helping his father and his bigger brothers makes him feel different. He’s not quite sure how it feels and wanders off to think about it instead of taking a nap with his younger siblings. And that’s when the biggest test of his strength and bravery is needed. ‘Losing Reuben’ is illustrated throughout in colour. A header and footer shows Reuben cartwheeling across spreads, progressing as the story unfolds. Some words are picked out in larger or different fonts.

Losing Reuben is a new title in the ‘Mates’ series from Omnibus Books. This series offers uniquely Australian stories for newly independent readers. It introduces a way of life particular to the north of Australia and indigenous Australians. At the same time, it is a story common in many families. Reuben is a small (but not the smallest) member of a large family. In the past, he’s been one of the little kids, staying with his mother and older sisters as his father and older brothers embark on more adventurous aspects of their outings. But this time, he’s in transition to being one of the big kids. And that means facing his fears. These challenges are just a normal part of the day. Reuben, like many children, internalises some of these fears, but when required to, finds a way to overcome them. ‘Losing Reuben’ is a delightful story of the ups and downs of being part of a large family. Recommended for newly independent readers.

Losing Reuben, Leonie Norrington ill Beth Norling Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN: 9781742990224

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

The Kensington Reptilarium by N J Gemmell

‘How long do you reckon it’d take to fry an egg on Matilda’s bonnet?’

Scruff is looking longingly at our car, which is already boiling hot in the 44-degree heat – and it’s only nine a.m.

‘Fifty-two seconds!’ Bert rises to the challenge. ‘Do it, Scruffy boy, come on. Anything would be better than Kick’s cooking.’ She shoots a glance at me, knowing I’ll take the bait. Which I most certainly do.

‘Just you try being a mum plus a dad around here, young lady.’ I poke out my tongue. Everyone knows that any experiment at being a grown-up ended months ago. ‘Twenty-nine seconds,’ I exclaim, ‘and not a fly’s fart more!’

My attempts at breakfast – a frypan with a rug of eggs tastefully congealed on its bottom – is grabbed and said eggs are flung wid into the yard. They spin like a dinner plate. Land – plop! – in the red dust.

Cooking. Pah. I give up. I’ve had enough of it.

‘How long do you reckon it’d take to fry an egg on Matilda’s bonnet?’

Scruff is looking longingly at our car, which is already boiling hot in the 44-degree heat – and it’s only nine a.m.

‘Just you try being a mum plus a dad around here, young lady.’ I poke out my tongue. Everyone knows that any experiment at being a grown-up ended months ago. ‘Twenty-nine seconds,’ I exclaim, ‘and not a fly’s fart more!’

Cooking. Pah. I give up. I’ve had enough of it.

Kick (13) and her three siblings, Scruff (11), Bert (9) and Pin (4), live in the middle of Australia. Their mother died some years ago, and their father is on an expedition somewhere and the children look after themselves. WWII is over and the world is gearing up for the first post-war Christmas. When it appears that their father may be lost forever, a solicitor arrives to take this wild foursome to London to stay with their father’s brother, Uncle Basti. They have not met their new guardian before, and he seems to much prefer the company of his extensive collection of reptiles. And as if that is not enough, it seems that the local neighbourhood is less than happy about the goings-on at the Kensington Reptilarium and would be happy to see them all gone.

It’s hard to imagine two worlds more different than outback Australia and inner-city, post-war London. But despite their dislocation, the four Australian children in ‘The Kensington Reptilarium’ stick together and determine to find a way to adjust to their new circumstances. They have to face the possibility they may never see their father again, and in that case, it’s important to convince their reluctant uncle that family stick together, no matter what. The Kensington Reptilarium is full of hilarity and innocence, role-reversals and secrets. It speeds towards Christmas with the joy and trepidation of riding a wave all the way to shore. The characters are rapscallions one and all, and this is a wonderful wild ride. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

The Kensington Reptilarium

The Kensington Reptilarium, N J Gemmell, Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857980502

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Jacko and the Beanstalk by Kel Richards ill Rob Ainsworth

Bad news, wolf at the door –

Jacko and Mum were very poor.

Mum sent Jacko (who’s not too shrewd).

Down to the shops to buy some food.

Never thinks, no thanks –

Jacko’s thick as three short planks.

Jacko spent all Mum’s money,

On magic seeds … that’s not funny!

Bad news, wolf at the door –

Jacko and Mum were very poor.

Mum sent Jacko (who’s not too shrewd).

Down to the shops to buy some food.

Never thinks, no thanks –

Jacko’s thick as three short planks.

Jacko spent all Mum’s money,

On magic seeds … that’s not funny!

Jacko and the Beanstalk transports a familiar tale to an Australian setting. Jacko is a kangaroo, the giant is a crocodile, the trickster is a dingo. Add in some Aussie language, a few variations on fee-fi-fo-fum, a few helpful geckos and cameos from other Australian animals and you have an adventure in the outback. Jack’s trip up the beanstalk is brief and his retreat swift. After Jacko has ensured that the giant is no longer a threat, Mum finds another way to secure their future. Illustrations are pencil and watercolour and offer plenty of humour. Follow the antics of the three small geckos.

Jacko is none too bright, and it’s a wonder really that Mum thought he could be trusted to spend her last cash wisely. But she does, and as any fan of this fairy tale will recognise, he is tricked into parting with his cash for some magic beans. Mum is cross, the beans are tossed then grow overnight and Jacko decides that he should travel where the beanstalk takes him. The action proceeds with ‘ticko, tacko, blicko, blacko’, ‘wham, blam, splat, blood’ and ‘fig, peach, pear, grape’ until the foe is vanquished, and life can resume it’s normal pace. Pre-schoolers will play with the rhymes, develop versions of their own as they play with sounds of words and watch the antics of both Jacko and the other characters.

Jacko and the Beanstalk

Jacko and the Beanstalk, Kel Richards ill Rob Ainsworth Scholastic Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781742835389

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

I Spy Pets by Edward Gibbs

I spy with my little eye …

Something with silky feathers.

I like to peck seeds.

I spy with my little eye …

Something with silky feathers.

I like to peck seeds.

I Spy Pets features a puppy on the cover. That puppy is peeking through an ‘I spy’ window on ‘something with silky feathers.’ The ‘something’ is partly revealed through the peep hole and offers the reader a clue so they can guess the pet before they turn the page. There is also some hint in the images about what pet they will find once the page is turned. Once guessed, that pet offers ‘I spy …’ to another pet. And so on, each opening reveals a new pet. The final opening returns to the first pet, and then another of the pets invites the reader to look through the peep hole and ‘spy’ something else.

‘I Spy …’ has been a perennial favourite game of many generations and is often one of the early games played on car journeys. Teamed with (mostly) common household pets, young children will soon have answers to these ‘I spy …’ questions. The final opening shows all the pets in silhouette for a young reader to identify. The images are uncrowded and have just enough information to engage and encourage page-turning. Recommended for babies and pre-schoolers.

I Spy Pets, Edward Gibbs Koala Books 2013 ISBN: 9781742760704

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.

Hannah’s Night by Komako Sakai

One day

when Hannah woke up,

she was surprised to find

that it was still dark.

She called out to her sister …

One day

when Hannah woke up,

she was surprised to find

that it was still dark.

She called out to her sister …

Hannah wakes in the night. Despite the darkness, it’s a familiar landscape and Hannah finds her way around the house, stopping in the bathroom and the kitchen before returning to the room she shares with her still-sleeping sister. She investigates her sister’s treasures as only an earnest toddler can before finally succumbing to sleep. Her only companion is the cat, and an early morning pigeon. Images are set on the page like the reader is watching through a window. The palette is the blues and blacks of night set in biscuit-y coloured pages.

Hannah’s Night was first published in Japan by Keisei-Sha Publishing and this English-language edition is published by Gecko Press (translated by Cathy Hirano). The text is spare and the illustrations realistic. Few parents would fail to recognise the wanderings in the night of a small child, wordlessly exploring and revisiting familiar activities (even if, in this case, some of those activities and belongings belong more to her sister than to Hannah). This is a beautifully-drawn observation of a small child. It would be fascinating to hear the responses of an older sister whose sibling has explored as Hannah has. Hannah’s Night is beautifully simple, simply beautiful. Recommended for young children.

Hannah’s Night Komako Sakai Gecko Press 2013 ISBN: 9781877579554

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.

Eco Warriors to the Rescue! By Tania McCartney

This is Banjo, Ned and Matilda.

They are everyday curious kids …

but they are also eco warriors.

Grrr …

Grrrrrr …

Greeeen!

This is Banjo, Ned and Matilda.

They are everyday curious kids …

but they are also eco warriors.

Grrr …

Grrrrrr …

Greeeen!

Banjo, Ned and Matilda are mid-primary-age children interested in maintaining and improving their environment. They are able to enter their favourite book, ‘Australian Flora, Fauna & Other Curiosities’ to learn more about the needs of individual plants. The characters and other contemporary elements of each spread are photographed, but the images of the flora are taken from artworks in the National Library of Australia collection. Along their journey, the children identify challenges for the environment and provide the reader with tips for helping to maintain and improve the local environment. Final spreads include flower facts, national and state flower emblems, and native birth flowers.

Australia has a diverse range of native flora, from the showy to the very shy. From the earliest white settlement, our flora has fascinated scientists and artists. Indeed, in those first days of settlement, artists were necessary to record the details of these plants. And fortunately, many of these works of art exist today to be shared with new young Australians. It is important for children to understand their potential role in maintenance and improvement of our environment, and understanding includes being able to recognise plants and the conditions they need to thrive. It’s easy to see this book being used in the classroom as part of environmental conversations and in preparation for excursions into the bush. Recommended for early- to mid-primary readers.

Eco Warriors to the Rescue!

Eco Warriors to the Rescue! Tania McCartney NLA Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9780642277800

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.