national library of australia press

To See The World, by Elaine Forrestal

This was not the great adventure I had anticipated. I wanted to swim back to my mother, to feel her arms around me, to smell the delicious spicy fish she would be cooking instead of this disgusting mixture of stale milk and filthy toilets. The wind roared in the rigging. The waves slapped the hull so hard that I knew I would be battered to death immediately if I jumped into the sea. My mother always complained that I would drive her crazy; I was so careless and afraid of nothing. But I am not stupid. Although my heart was aching and I desperately wanted to go home, I would never let the sea take me.

Jose has lived all of his life on the island of Mauritius, but his father has arranged for him to travel and work on board the ship Uranie. Jose anticipates a life of seeing interesting places and having adventures. He doesn’t expect to meet a woman on the ship. It is 1818 and women are not allowed to join naval expeditions, but Rose de Freycinet has decided she cannot bear to be apart from her husband, and besides, she wants an adventure of her own. Jose is not impressed. Rose wants to teach him to read and write and her very presence makes ship life more dangerous. But as their journey continues, a friendship develops between the two, and Jose becomes as loyal as most of the other sailors.

To See the World is the fictionalised account of the journey of French ship Uranie which attempted to circumnavigate the world and conduct scientific research. Rose de Freycinet, the wife of the expedition leader, Louis, became the first woman to write an account of such a circumnavigation, including their encounters with pirates, and cannibals, and their shipwrecking on the Falkland Islands. While this is a work of fiction, the character of Jose is based on a real boy, and the events of the story use real events, drawing on journals and other documents. Each chapter of the book opens with an image or painting from the time, from the National Library of Australia’s collection.

Suitable for middle and upper primary aged readers, To See the World is an intriguing tale of history, travel and an adventurous woman.

To See the World, by Elaine Forrestal
NLA Publishing, 2014
ISBN 9780642278494

Available from good bookstores and online .

My Band by Elizabeth Lea & Chantal Stewart

I’m off to play in the band.

See if you can guess which instrument I’m going to play …

It starts with the letter Tt

I’m playing the triangle.

I play the triangle by hitting it

with a small metal rod.

Triangles belong to the percussion family.

I’m off to play in the band.

See if you can guess which instrument I’m going to play …

It starts with the letter Tt

I’m playing the triangle.

I play the triangle by hitting it

with a small metal rod.

Triangles belong to the percussion family.

Here’s a musical instrument primer, written and illustrated for young children. Each spread has a flap and a question. The same character, a young girl, is featured asking the question throughout, as if she’s trying all the instruments on for size. As well as the first letter, there’s a small image showing part of the instrument. When the flap is opened, the instrument is revealed in full and there is an explanation of how to play it. There’s also information about which family the instrument belongs to. When the reader reaches the final flap opening, the band is revealed: a collection of young children. There is a blank space for a photo of the reader, so they can be the leader of the band. Final pages feature projects and history based on some of the featured instruments. This is a sturdy paperback, built to withstand multiple readings. Youngest children will enjoy the open-the-flap, while budding musicians will enjoy learning more about music. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

My Band

My Band, Elizabeth Lea ill Chantal Stewart National Library Australia Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9780642277701

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Topsy-turvy World, by Kirsty Murray

To the first Europeans who came to Australia, everything about the new land was topsy-turvy. Christmas was in summer instead of winter. Trees shed their bark instead of their leaves. The smells sounds and tastes of the new land were nothing like Europe. Everything they assumed about the way the world was made was turned inside out and upside down.

The title of Topsy Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers says it all. This intriguing offering looks at some of Australia’s unique animals, and at how they were seen by first Europeans to encounter them.

For each animal there is a description of first contact with, and impressions of, the animal, followed by an exploration of the characteristics of the animal, under the heading ‘What the Europeans needed to learn’, accompanied by a ‘Fast Facts’ box. Illustrations have been sourced from the National Library of Australia’s collection, allowing readers to see the early illustrations and contrast them with the reality.

This beautifully designed hard cover offering is suitable for classroom, library or home reading.

Topsy Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers, by Kirsty Murray
National Library of Australia Press, 2012
ISBN 9780642277497

Available from good bookstores or
online.

Rocket Into Space, by Ragbir Bhathal & Johanna Davids

Maddy and Jack are going on a journey into space. They’re counting down and taking off on a rocket trip through the solar system. Along the way thy are going show readers what they see and share lots of intriguing facts.

Starting at the Sun, and going past Earth’s Moon, the travellers then stop at each of the other seven planets in the solar system before heading back to Earth. Each spread features illustrations, photos and facts, presented with interactive elements including flaps, tabs and dials. There are also back of book activity suggestions such as making a Solar System mobile and making a crater.

This sturdy offering is both informative and entertaining.

Rocket into Space!, by Ragbir Bhathal and Johanna Davids
National Library of Australia, 2012
ISBN 9780642277510

Available from good bookstores, the NLA Bookstore or online.

These are My Hands/These are my Feet by Judy Horacek

Two books in one, in a beautiful package.

Two books in one. Read ‘These are My Hands’, then flip to read ‘These are My Feet’. Each is an exploration of what feet/hands do and what can be done with them. The language is gentle and spare, the illustrations colourful, childlike and full of movement.

This small square hardback is the sophisticated cousin of the board book, small enough and for little hands, with sturdy pages that will withstand repeated exploration. Perfect for sharing with preschool age children.

These are My Hands / These are My Feet, Judy Horacek NLA Publishing 2012 ISBN: 9780642277480

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online

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

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