The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas, by Colin Buchanan & Glen Singleton

On the first day of Christmas, my best mate gave to me …
A platypus up a gum tree.

The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas

Whilst not the first Aussie version of the famous Twelve Days of Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas is a delightfully Australian offering, with lots of images of the best of Australia, and Australian summer. The lyrics (and illustrations) are filled with cheeky chooks, snags (sausages), rusty utes, meat trays and more – and the refrain of a platypus up a gum tree.

The illustrations, by Glen Singleton bring all these to life plus more, with extra items hidden in the illustrations for readers to find – including giddy goannas, red-nosed boomers, Christmas crocodiles. Accompanied by a CD recording of singer/songwriter Colin Buchanan, this hard cover offering would make a great Christmas gift and would also be welcomed for classroom use.

The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas, by Colin Buchanan & Glen Singleton
Scholastic, 2012
ISBN 9781742833675

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

The Last Dance, by Sally Morgan

Hidden by autumn leaves
He sleeps
And dreams of his last dance.

Everyone needs a home, but for some Australian animals, those homes are disappearing, under threat by human actions. If their habitats are destroyed, these animals may die out too. The Last Dance addresses this subject in a form which is both honest and beautiful.

Each spread presents one animal which is threatened, names it and in a three lined verse highlights its plight. There is no wordy discussion or analysis – the text names the perils faced by each new animal, using a single evocative image to highlight that peril – the corroboree frog (above text) dreaming his last dance, the numbat fearful of foxes and the dugong escaping fishermen. Back of book notes, in a double page spread, elaborate a little more, but the message is clear – these animals are endangered, and its is only humans who can do something about the problem.

Illustrations are similalry evocative, filling each spread with colour and detail, again focusiing on the animal’s plight. A central image spans the spread, and a border frames the page with four additional images of the animal in focus marking each corner, looking in to the central image.

The subject matter here is confronting because it is important, but the use of poetic text and beautiful illustrations makes it palatable, inviting discussion. What an excellent way to introduce young readers to this important subject matter and, hopefully, inspire them to action.

The Last Dance

The Last Dance, by Sally Morgan
Little Hare, 2012
ISBN 978192171484

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Bushland Lullaby, by Sally Odgers & Lisa Stewart

Asleep in a gently snoozing ball
Little possum’s soft and small.
In a twisty tunnel and cosy bed
Little wombat rests his head.

From possums and wombats to crocodiles and bats, the baby animals of the Australian bush settle down to sleep, until finally the young readers is reminded that when s/he settles down to sleep in bed, you’re not the only sleepy head.

Bushland Lullaby is a gentle bedtime read suitable for children from birth. In lyrical rhyme the text is like a soft song. It is perfectly complemented by the pastel watercolours and mixed media of the illustrations, with dusky pinks and blues prominent.

A lovely touch is the use of not only the predictable Australian animals – possums, wombats and echidnas – but also some probably less expected in a cuddly book – crocodiles, bats, even lizards. Another nice touch is that each illustration shows the baby animal either cuddled by a parent or with one close by, a reminder to young readers that they are watched over even while asleep.

This would make a treasured gift for a newborn.

Bushland Lullaby

Bushland Lullaby, by Sally Odgers & Lisa Stewart
Scholastic, 2012
ISBN 9781742831770

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Baby Tawnies, by Judy Paulson

As darkness falls, two tawny frogmouths fly into the forest to find food.
Far above the ground, four large eyes appear.
Lyla and Reggie are alone.

When their parents go out each night to hunt for food, Lyla and Reggie are alone. But instead of being afraid, or even waiting patiently, they use the time to discover what they can do for themselves – and eventually surprise their parents by learning to fly.

Baby Tawnies is a sweet picture book story about independence and courage, with a uniquely Australian take on the topic. The characters are tawny frogmouths, nocturnal Australian birds often mistaken for owls. Back of book notes provide further information about this unique bird. But it is the story which kids will enjoy. The baby tawnies are cared for by their parents, but it is when they are alone that they must find courage and support each other. It is lovely that it is the girl sibling, Lyla, who takes the lead and encourages her brother, in a subtle toast to girl power.

Also lovely is the artwork, with the characters rendered in felt with dark digital backgrounds refelcting the colours of the night. This unusual artwork is both endearing and clever.

A sweet book sure to be treasured.

Baby Tawnies

Baby Tawnies, by Judy Paulson
Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781742755762

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Shy the Platypus, by Leslie Rees

First published in 1944, the tale has been published in many editions since and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It has now been brought back to life in a delightful hard cover illustrated edition by the National Library of Australia.

The first thing Shy remembered was living in a round, dark, leafy nest with her mother and brother, Spur. Here the two tiny platypuses had been hatched out of their eggs. Here their mother had been hatched out of their eggs. Here their mother had fed them. here, in the dark, under the heavy ground, they now played with each other…

Shy the Platypus is a classic tale of the life cycle of the platypus, told through the fictionalised story of one specific platypus, named Shy. First published in 1944, the tale has been published in many editions since and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It has now been brought back to life in a delightful hard cover illustrated edition by the National Library of Australia.

Author Leslie Rees wrote very Australian books for children at a time when there were few such offerings, with his series of books on Australian animals introducing readers in Australia and overseas to our unique wildlife. Special in this new edition is the use of illustrations and photographs from the library’s collection, along with an introduction by one of Leslie Rees’ daughters. Dymphna Rees Peterson.

In hardcover format with black and white and colour illustrations in a variety of styles, the book also includes photographs, samples of Rees’ drafts and proofs, and back of book information about the platypus, making it both a collector’s item and a suitable offering for children. Lovely.

Shy the Platypus

Shy the Platypus, by Leslie Rees
National Library of Australia Press, 2012
ISBN 978064227741

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Bilby Secrets, by Edel Wignell & Mark Jackson

Traces the life of a young bilby from its birth in a burrow beneath the ground, to being fully grown and living alone, ready to mate. Using the picture book format, the text focuses on one specific bilby, but recounts this is a typical bilby’s life rather than a fictional story. Each page also includes facts about bilbies, printed in italics.

In the moonlight, Mother Bilby canters – tail aloft like a banner – across the spinifex and enters a steeply sloping, spiral tunnel. She flings the dirt back, hind feet together, closing the entrance to her burrow.
It’s time for the birth of her baby.

Bilby Secrets traces the life of a young bilby from its birth in a burrow beneath the ground, to being fully grown and living alone, ready to mate. Using the picture book format, the text focuses on one specific bilby, but recounts this is a typical bilby’s life rather than a fictional story. Each page also includes facts about bilbies, printed in italics.

Mark Jackson’s mixed media illustrations bring not just the cute bilby, but also other desert residents – from predators such as the fox, to insects and spiders, little details which can be found on most spreads. the colours are the colours of the West Australian Pilbara region – orange and red dirts, blue and dusky skies (the bilby is nocturnal) and, of course, the greys of the bilbies.

This hardcover offering is part of Walker’s wonderful new <>Nature Storybook series, set to be a wonderful educational tool but equally suitable for home reading.

Bilby Secrets

Bilby Secrets, by Edel Wignell & Mark Jackson
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN 9781921529320

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Koala Bounces Back, by Jimmy Thomson & Eric Lobbecke

Karri, the koala, lives in Karri’s Corner, a peaceful home where there are no dogs, no cats, no cars, trucks or men with saws. Peaceful. Tranquil. Perfect. Then a gang of feral cats moves in.

Karri, the koala, lives in Karri’s Corner, a peaceful home where there are no dogs, no cats, no cars, trucks or men with saws. Peaceful. Tranquil. Perfect. Then a gang of feral cats moves in. The other animals are traumatised and ask Karri to intervene. But the feral cats, no longer welcome in their previous homes, have nowhere else to go. It’s a standoff. Then Jinksy, one of the cats, suggests a football game. The winning team can stay, the losers must move on. Before he really thinks about it, Karri agrees. The advantage gradually goes the way of the cats, until weather intervenes. Karri and his crew are winners but he cannot stop thinking about the plight of the homeless cats. His solution brings smiles all around. Illustrations are set in white space and provide multiple perspectives of both bush and urban animals with humour.

Fantasy and realism combine in The Koala Bounces Back. Karri needs goodwill, humour and advanced problem-solving skills to save himself and his friends from the invading cats. The cats, it’s clear, don’t really want to be there either, but having been evicted from their urban homes, are determined to adapt. Unfortunately, cohabiting with native animals is not going to work, not for the native animals anyway. There are opportunities for classroom discussion about sharing, cooperation and compassion. Young readers will enjoy the humour, particularly in the illustrations. Younger children will just enjoy the silliness of cats and native animals playing football. Recommended for early primary years.

The Koala Bounces Back

The Koala Bounces Back, Jimmy Thomson & Eric Lobbecke
Random House 2011
ISBN: 9781742750071

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Santa's Aussie Mix-Up, by Colin Buchanan & Simon Swingler

Santa is in desperate need of help to get the Christmas presents delivered on time. All the Aussie animals want to help, but in the end Santa chooses Kangaroo and Emu. Thus begins the biggest Christmas mix-up ever, with the wrong presents delivered far and wide. Santa’s Aussie Mix-up is a humorous song and picture book which youngsters will love…

‘Australians all I need your help,’ said Santa Claus one day,
‘to get my Christmas stocking stuffing done by Christmas day!
I need an Aussie animal, but who can pass the test?’
‘Pick me! Pick me!’ the creatures cried. ‘Pick me ‘cos I’m the best!’

Santa is in desperate need of help to get the Christmas presents delivered on time. All the Aussie animals want to help, but in the end Santa chooses Kangaroo and Emu. Thus begins the biggest Christmas mix-up ever, with the wrong presents delivered far and wide.

Santa’s Aussie Mix-up is a humorous song and picture book which youngsters will love. Sung to the tune of ‘Advance Australia Fair’, the song features all the silliness which we’ve come to expect from singer/songwriter Colin Buchanan and, of course, the book includes a CD recording of the song. Illustrations, by Simon Swingler are digitally produced and full of life and colour.

Perfect as a Christmas gift and for classroom use.

Santa's Aussie Mix-up

Santa’s Aussie Mix-up, by Colin Buchanan and Simon Swingler
Scholastic Australia, 2011
ISBN 9781742830070

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat, by Tania McCartney

Riley was making mud pies when he first saw the hole.
Curious, he poked his head inside and this is what he saw…
Riley didn’t know what it was. But he knew that it was grumpy.
Grrrowl…

Riley is a small boy with an amazing array of gizmos and gadgets. So when he discovers a grumpy wombat in Nanny’s back yard and it flees, he’s able to follow it in his little red plane. Using a combination of black and white photos of inner city Melbourne and computer images, Riley and his friends search the city for the grumpy wombat. He zooms high and low, in the city and the gardens. He even digs burrows along St Kilda Beach. But there’s no sign of the wombat. When he does eventually find her, the wombat is no longer grumpy, but happy and ready for a snooze.

Tania McCartney began this series while she and her young family were living overseas. The books link images of iconic landmarks in Beijing, Hong Kong and Sydney with Riley and his adventures. The use of a similarly iconic animal in each story helps small children relate to the familiar and unfamiliar in their worlds. This new title is published by Melbourne-based Ford Street Publishing. Recommended for pre-school and early primary children and children living in/or visiting a new country or city (or visiting interstate/international family or friends).

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat, Tania McCartney Kieron Pratt
Ford Street Publishing
ISBN: 9781921665486

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Bush Concert, by Helga Visser

It hadn’t rained for a very long time.
Food and water were hard to find.
Everyone was feeling low.
What could they do? Where could they go?

The land is parched and the birds struggle to find food, water and shelter from the relentless summer. A committee of galahs is determined to find a way to cheer everyone up. And that means a concert. The call goes out for singers, dancers, players. All are needed. And they come. So many birds together, so much noise! Maestro Linguini helps to concert-prepare some of the enthusiastic performers. Others do their own thing, while a city-slicker sparrow encourages his choir to sing faster and faster. And then it’s Concert Night. There are singers, dancers, players, acrobats, magicians and more. As the successful concert draws to a close with fireworks, the sky turns on its own fireworks and a storm breaks over their heads. Illustrations are ink and pastel on pastel paper, richly-hued, both fantastical and real.

The Bush Concert tale is told in rhyming couplets. There has never been a gathering of Australian birds quite like this! There are wrens and quail, waterbirds and penguins, pelicans and swans. All are united in their need to survive the drought with humour intact. Beaks are shown smiling, eyes are bright. Jesters wield saws, parrots walk with stilts in this imaginative romp through the bird world. The final opening offers names for all the birds appearing in The Bush Concert. Recommended for preschool and early primary children. Would be useful in introducing the wide range of birds who call Australia home.

The Bush Concert

The Bush Concert, Helga Visser
Omnibus Books 2011
ISBN: 9781862918863

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.