Tag: Gecko Press

A Book is a Book, by Jenny Bornholdt

If it’s Sunday and raining
a book is the perfect thing. Even a small book, because
boredom can be very big.

What is a book? This gorgeous little offering attempts to answer this question from the point of view of a child, with answers both straight-forward:
A book is to read.
and whimsical:
You can read a book while you walk, but you have to be careful not to bump into things.
and the downright silly:
Books are good for covering up accidents with jam.

This small format hardcover is made to be treasured. The text is sparse – a few sentences per page, with illustrations, by Sarah Wilkins, filled with as much whimsy as the text – a child reading whilst riding a bike, an acrobat sharing a book from his trapeze and more. Book lovers young and old will smile, and want to share out loud, and the book could be used as a conversation starter in the classroom or at book groups.

A lovely gift idea for the bookaholic in your life.

 

A Book is a Book

A Book is a Book, by Jenny Bornholdt, illustrated by Sarah Wilkins
Gecko Press, 2014
ISBN 9781877579929

Available from good bookstores or online.

Toucan Can by Juliette MacIver ill Sarah Davis

Toucan can do lots of things!

Toucan dances!

Toucan sings!

Toucan bangs a frying pan!

Can YOU do what Toucan can?

Toucan can do lots of things!

Toucan dances!

Toucan sings!

Toucan bangs a frying pan!

Can YOU do what Toucan can?

Toucan can do lots of things and you  the reader is invited to do what Toucan can. Then, Toucan is invited to do what you can, and he can do most, though not all you can. The energy accelerates as other characters join the fun. Some can do most things, and others introduce new things that both Toucan and you can try. The party gets wilder and wilder, more energetic and colourful as the pages turn. The final page brings the focus back to the reader. Toucan is supported in early spreads by bright and colourful finch-like birds. Later spreads include an ever-extending cast of animals and birds, in keeping with the building rhythms of the text. Animal colours burst beyond the confines of their outlines.

Juliette MacIver is channelling her inner Seuss in this fantastical story about Toucan and friends! The rhythms are so strong that even if dancing wasn’t mentioned it would be challenging to complete it and remain still. There are lots of repeated sounds, some almost tongue-twisters to engage young listeners. ‘Toucan Can’ is sure to set feet tapping, full as it is with fun and colour.  Young readers will be able to identify a wide range of animals from all around the world. A picture book ideal for pre- and early- schoolers.

 

Toucan Can, Juliette MacIver ill Sarah Davis Gecko Press 2013 ISBN: 9781877467547

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Mrs Mo's Monster by Paul Beavis

One day

There was a knock at

The front door.

Mr. Mo was gardening,

So Mrs. Mo went to see who it might be …

One day

There was a knock at

The front door.

Mr. Mo was gardening,

So Mrs. Mo went to see who it might be …

Mrs. Mo is visited by a monster who knows how to CRUNCH, MUNCH, AND CHEW. Though she suggests other activities, the monster is not interested. A monster knows what a monster knows and that is how to CRUNCH, MUNCH, AND CHEW. Monster spins through Mrs. Mo’s house like a mini cyclone. Mrs Mo doesn’t try to reason with the monster, she just continues about her tasks for the day. She offers to include the monster, but the monster considers all are outside his/her skill set. Until finally monster discovers a task he/she CAN do, and the pair set about completing it together. A calm descends upon the house as they work together, until there is a knock on the door. The monster is blue, with a stocky body and thin arms and legs. Mrs. Mo is an elderly lady. Each spread features bright colours except for several central spreads which feature action in the attic where Monster’s actions intensify and then he reaches a turning point. The are depicted mostly in shadow colours, although Monster is still identifiable.

Monster is … a monster! Unbiddable and unstoppable. But Mrs. Mo shows endless patience, until Monster comes to her, in search of something to do. Monster feels unskilled for the first suggested activities but finally finds an activity to join in with. Young readers will enjoy the wildness and repetition and will giggle at the antics. The monster is shown as  unformed and energetic and many parents and siblings may recognise a toddler. The end has a nice twist with the monster able to recognise wildness in newcomers. Great fun. Recommended for preschoolers.

Mrs. Mo’s Monster, Paul Beavis Gecko Press 2014 ISBN: 9781927271018

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Dappled Annie and the Tigrish by Mary McCallum ill Annie Hayward

A leaf is just the beginning. Look closely and you will see it is leading you to a branch, and from that branch to another branch, and from a branch to a face. Annie had seen the faces in the hedge at the end of the garden since her father had brought the family to live in Winding Cottage. It was winter then, so she hadn’t gone for a closer look, but when it got warmer she found herself walking past the hedge one day and, without meaning to, she was inside it. That’s why she knew about the faces.

A leaf is just the beginning. Look closely and you will see it is leading you to a branch, and from that branch to another branch, and from a branch to a face. Annie had seen the faces in the hedge at the end of the garden since her father had brought the family to live in Winding Cottage. It was winter then, so she hadn’t gone for a closer look, but when it got warmer she found herself walking past the hedge one day and, without meaning to, she was inside it. That’s why she knew about the faces.

Annie and her family live in a isolated cottage near, but not next to, the lighthouse where her father works. It is a hot summer afternoon and they are all a bit unsettled by an early-morning earthquake. It had not been a big one, just enough to rattle the house and wake them all. Annie visits the hedge and discovers a nest of hatchlings, protected deep within the arms of the hedge trees. Another earthquake and a fierce wind dislodge the nest. Annie sets out on a magical adventure to find the nest and the nestlings. The journey will require all her bravery and clear thinking and may just require the assistance of her young, loud, grubby brother. There are colour-plate illustrations throughout and each chapter begins with a black-and-white illustration.

Dappled Annie and the Tigrish offers a magical realist adventure for mid-primary readers. Set in remote countryside, main character Annie has plenty of time to hear and see the magic in the hedge. That is, if she can get time on her own away from her boisterous younger brother, Robbie. When the nest vanishes, she has to work out which rules are made to be followed, which rules are made to be broken. She also discovers that ‘responsible’ can mean doing what you must even if you are scared. Annie discovers what happens when she follows her instincts and she also gains unexpected strength from some unlikely sources. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

Dappled Annie and the Tigrish, Mary McCallum ill Annie Hayward
Gecko Press 2014 ISBN: 9781877579912

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

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.