My Brother is a Beast by Damon Young, ill Peter Carnavas

Some brothers fish in cloaks,
casting off on drizzly docks.
Some brothers climb in kilts,
hiking round the highland rocks.

The narrator of ‘My Brother is a Beast’ is a younger sister. The reader doesn’t meet her until they also meet the ‘beast’ of a brother. First we meet other brothers who do other things. This narrator idolises the brother who spends time with her, does crazy things. She’s not completely sure about his slime monster concoction, but she loves playing with him. Illustrations are both real and fantastical, and text curls around images. End-papers show the beast of a brother at play.

My Brother is a Beast’, a new title in a picture book series about family members. Previous titles include ‘My Sister is a Superhero’ and ‘My Nanna is a Ninja’. ‘My Brother is a Beast’ celebrates the wonderfulness of brothers They might be weird, they might be wild, but they are for loving and for playing with. Young readers may recognise characteristics of their own brothers, or be encouraged to articulate what it is that makes their own brothers wonderful. They may also be encouraged to invent a new brother who is also a beast. Recommended for early-schoolers.

My Brother is a Beast, Damon Young ill Peter Carnavas
UQP 2017 ISBN: 9781702259579

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller
www.clairesaxby.com

My Pop is a Pirate, by Damon Young & Peter Carnavas

Some pops scream ‘Huzzah!’
when they dive in dazzling pools.
But my pop is a pirate . . .
he yells “aaarrrgghhh!’ and buries jewels.

Every Pop – or Grandad – is different. But if your Pop is a pirate, he’s really really different from all the other pops. The pop of the young narrator sails on sharky seas,buries treasure and, at the end of the day, hangs a hammock in the sails.

My Pop is a Pirate is a rollicking rhyming picture book celebrating grandfathers, their relationship with their grandchildren, difference – and, of course, pirates. From the creative pairing which also produced My Nanna is a Ninja, this new title has the same sense of fun, bouncy rhythm and humour, yet is not repetitive.

The illustrations, too, are full of life and humour, and the love between Pop and his grand daughter is evident.

So much fun.

 

My Pop is a Pirate, by Damon Young & Peter Carnavas
UQP, 2015
ISBN 9780702253614

Available from good bookstores and online.

What’s In My Lunchbox? by Peter Carnavas ill Kat Chadwick

Today in my lunchbox

I happened to find …

Today in my lunchbox

I happened to find …

A young boy opens his lunchbox to find an apple. He doesn’t like apples, but that’s just the beginning. Over the next days he finds increasingly unlikely things in his lunchbox, each of which he likes even less than the previous offering. His apprehension in opening the lunchbox grows. Font size is large and the text simple. Illustration backgrounds are in pastel colours with the main character, the lunchbox and the ‘contents’ of the lunchbox in more intense colours. Endpapers feature a range of lunchbox possibilities, only some of which are included in the story.

What’s in My Lunchbox is a timely story for new school children and younger children experiencing lunchbox offerings for the first time. The rhythm and repetition of the text will soon have young children ‘reading’ along. Illustrations provide offer extras for young readers to identify. Young readers will also be able to empathise with the growing apprehension illustrated. Plenty of opportunities to generate discussion about lunchbox choices. Love the grinning lunchbox! Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

 

What’s in My LunchboxPeter Carnavas ill Kat Chadwick New Frontier Publishing 2015 ISBN: 9781925059038

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Mr Darcy and the Christmas Pudding by Alex Field ill Peter Carnavas

Christmas is the very best time of year, thought Mr Darcy.

Snow was falling as he hung the mistletoe over his front door,

making sure there were enough berries for everyone.

Christmas is the very best time of year, thought Mr Darcy.

Snow was falling as he hung the mistletoe over his front door,

making sure there were enough berries for everyone.

Mr Darcy is making his Christmas Pudding and all of his friends join him for the traditional Stir-Up Sunday. On Stir-Up Sunday, everyone has a turn stirring the Christmas pudding as they close their eyes and make a wish. Everyone is there, everyone except Mr Collins who has been left outside after behaving badly towards Maria.

But kind-hearted Lizzy can’t relax while Mr Collins is outside in the snow and they are warm and safe inside. Mr Darcy relents and everyone has a splendid afternoon of Christmas games and hot chocolate. Illustrations are watercolour with black outline. Some openings feature a single full scene with colours to page edge, while other openings include several smaller scenes set in white space.

This is a third picture book from Alex Field and Peter Carnavas featuring Mr Darcy, Lizzy and other characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. As with the others, Mr Darcy and the Christmas Pudding gently examines pride and prejudice and their consequences. This time, there is the addition of a Christmas tradition. Young readers need have no knowledge of the novel from which the characters are drawn to enjoy this story. It’s a tender story of family and sharing, and behaving well. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

Mr Darcy and the Christmas Pudding, Alex Field ill Peter Carnavas New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059137

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

My Nanna is a Ninja, by Damon Young & Peter Carnavas

Some nannas dress in pink
when they jog around the track.
But my nanna is a ninja…
so she dresses up in black.

All nannas are different, but when your nanna is a ninja, she does super different things, like juggling ninja stars and eating with swords. Still, even a ninja nanna can do ‘normal’ grandmother things like kissing a grandchild goodnight, though she might do it very quietly.

My Nanna is a Ninja is a humour-filled picture book in rhyme, celebrating difference, the grandparent-grandchild relationship and, of course, ninjas. The text flows freely, and the humour of Nanna’s actions will amuse. The illustrations, in ink and watercolour have all the whimsy we’ve come to expect from Peter Carnavas, an the use of sepia washed frames to show the things Nanna does when the child isn’t present is a clever technique.

In hardcover with a gorgeous bright yellow cover, My Nanna is a Ninja is a celebration of non-conventional grandparents.

 

My Nanna is a Ninja, by Damon Young & Peter Carnavas
UQP, 2014
ISBN 9780702250095

Available from good bookstores and online.

Jessica's Box by Peter Carnavas (with support from Cerebral Palsy Alliance)

Jessica’s mind was too busy for sleep.
Her thoughts were already with tomorrow.
And when tomorrow came, everybody was excited.

Everyone in Jessica’s family is as excited about her first day at school as Jessica herself is. She is particularly excited about making lots of new friends. She takes her box with her to make sure of it. She knows that everyone will be as interested in sharing her box and its contents as she is. But school is a different place, and making friends isn’t as easy or automatic as she envisaged. A square hardback, ‘Jessica’s Box’ uses white space to echo Jessica’s initial silence as she tries to make friends. When she has their attention, the white space diminishes. When her efforts fail, the images fade to almost black and white. She keeps trying, but the results are not quite right, until she puts something extra special in the box. It works. Endpapers are a gentle sunny yellow and include a smaller version of the front cover image.

The first day of school is a biggie. For some children, it’s a day that can’t come too soon. Others approach the changes that school will bring with trepidation, despite the best preparation. ‘Jessica’s Box’ shows a child keen to go to school, but with an underlying unspoken anxiety about how it will all go. So she takes a familiar object, her box. Her box can be anything that she wants it to be. She is sure that it will facilitate friendships. The responses to her box are varied and not as she expects. She is trying to ‘buy’ friendship with the contents of her box. Only when she stops trying, does she inadvertently discover all she needs to make friends is herself. Recommended for pre-school to early-primary children, particularly those approaching school-age.

This new edition of ‘Jessica’s Box’ has an identical text to the original, but Jessica is shown in a wheelchair throughout. There is a dust jacket and the cover is pale green, rather than white. The publication is supported by Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Jessica’s disability is irrelevant to the story and is not mentioned at all. Plenty of opportunity for classroom discussion at many levels about the decision to re-release ‘Jessica’s Box’ with these new illustrations. Plenty of room for discussion about the depiction of disability in literature. Recommended for pre-schoolers, early-primary and beyond.

Jessica's Box

Jessica’s Box, auth/ill Peter Carnavas
New Frontier Publishing 2008
ISBN: 9781921042911

Jessica’s Box, auth/ill Peter Carnavas

New Frontier Publishing 2013ISBN: 9781921928574

Oliver and George by Peter Carnavas

Oliver was ready to play

but George was busy.

‘Finished yet?’ Oliver asked.

‘In a minute,’ said George.

Oliver was ready to play

but George was busy.

‘Finished yet?’ Oliver asked.

‘In a minute,’ said George.

Oliver wants to play, but George is busy reading a book. Oliver waits, and asks again, trying tactic after tactic, but still George reads. Oliver’s tactics are designed to provoke a response but George resists. Until, that is, Oliver swipes George’s book. Then George responds, but not in the way Oliver expects. The pair make their peace and George offers to play. But Oliver is not quite ready. Illustrations are watercolour set in plenty of white space for the reader to bring their own imagination. Endpapers reflect the pair’s individual and shared interests.

Oliver and George appear to have different natures. Oliver is active, while George can get lost in reading. Oliver’s increasingly active attempts to engage George, and George’s depiction as a bear allow the reader to access what’s happening without suggesting they copy the methods. They will appreciate the frustration of both characters at different points. The text is very simple, and writ large on the page and young readers will soon be ‘reading’ the words. Readers may see the two characters as siblings or as parent and child, or even boy and bear! Both characters want to be lost in imaginary worlds. The final image shows Oliver succumbing to the magic that entranced George, and becoming lost in a book. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

 

Oliver and George, Peter Carnavas New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059083

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Jonathan by Peter Carnavas ill Amanda Francey

Jonathan’s father was sweeping the floor

When all of a sudden …

ROAR!

‘Not scary, Jonathan.’

Jonathan’s father was sweeping the floor

When all of a sudden …

ROAR!

‘Not scary, Jonathan.’

Jonathan loves to dress up. He loves to jump out and surprise people. He has some great costumes. But one after another the members of his family declare that he is ‘not scary’. Jonathan feels like giving up, but as he walks away in defeat, he encounters a dinosaur. Together they plan the best ‘scare’ of all. And it works a treat! Illustrations are pencil and soft watercolour and depict a suburban neighbourhood. Images are set in white paper, keeping the focus on the characters. Endpapers with soft green stripes also show Jonathan first in disappointment then in renewed good humour.

‘Jonathan’ is a very spare rhyming text, and the story would be familiar one to many families. As the family go about their daily tasks and activities, Jonathan appears to mostly entertain himself. Occasionally he appears in his new costume (made from items easily found in most homes) to try to scare them (to start a game?). The illustrations convey Jonathan’s emotions clearly, his growing disappointment at his lack of ability to engage his mother, father or sister. When all seems lost, and things seem to be out of his control, he is able to rally and plan the best trick of all. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

 

Jonathan, Peter Carnavas ill Amanda Francey New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781921928611

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Meet My Book: Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas & Amanda Francey

Today Peter Carnavas is here to share the news of his new picture book, Jonathan, which was released on February 1. Welcome Peter!

 

  1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.

Jonathan!

Written by Peter Carnavas

Illustrated by Amanda Francey

New Frontier Publishing – February 2014

 2. Why did you write the book?

I remember walking my dog and thinking about the sorts of books my children really enjoyed.  At the time, they were about three and five years old, and they loved simple, funny and playful stories, with little bits of repetitive suspense throughout the book.  I initially thought of two sibling characters that always tried to scare each other, then decided to keep it to one child character who tries to scare his family.  It’s one of the first stories I have written with my children’s tastes in mind.  They quite like it, so I hope other kids do, too.

 3. How long from idea to publication?

I had sent Jonathan! to my publisher quite a while ago, along with some other stories.  At the time, we decided to go ahead with another story and work on Jonathan! later, as it targeted a slightly younger audience, compared to my usual stories.  I’m glad we waited, as I met Amanda Francey the following year and she agreed to illustrate the book.  So it was probably over two years from idea to publication.

4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?

This is the first picture book I have written in rhyme, so that was a challenge.  I have always been reluctant to use rhyme, as I always felt it would be harder than it seemed.  I was right!

 5. Coolest thing about your book?

For kids, I think the coolest thing about the book is when Jonathan meets the thing that will help him REALLY scare his family.

For me, the coolest thing about the book was having another illustrator bring my ideas to life.

6. Something you learnt through writing the book?

I learnt that being an author is much easier than being an author/illustrator!

 7. What did you do celebrate the release?

The same thing I do whenever I celebrate anything – I had a nice cup of tea.

 8. And how will you promote the book?

We will launch the book in March, in Brisbane.  I believe Amanda has organised some costumes for the event, which will be loads of fun.  I’ll also be visiting lots of schools throughout the year, getting kids involved in the Jonathan! story and inspiring them to make their own books.

 9. What are you working on next?

I have illustrated an hilarious book called My Nanna is a Ninja, by Damon Young, which comes out very soon.  I’ve also just finished working on another book of my own, called Oliver and George, about a cheeky boy trying desperately to get his big bear friend’s nose out of a book.

10. Where we can find out more about you and your book?

You can visit my site www.petercarnavas.com or my publisher’s site www.newfrontier.com.au

 

Thanks so much for visiting, Peter.

Jonathan! is available now in good bookstores.

The Boy on the Page by Peter Carnavas

One quiet morning, a small boy landed on the page.

At first there was nothing else.

Then very slowly, a world began to appear.

One quiet morning, a small boy landed on the page.

At first there was nothing else.

Then very slowly, a world began to appear.

An unnamed small boy tumbles onto an empty white page. As each page turns, his world develops. First there are plants and animals, then people and buildings. Initially he is an observer, but gradually he begins to participate and to experience. Some of his experiences require his input, others require him to just be. He grows to manhood, meets a girl, builds a house, a life, a family. He wonders though, what is the meaning of his existence on the page. Why is he here? A pivotal experience, where he tries to leave the page but lands straight back on it, provides the answer. Illustrations are watercolour and pencil and include lots of white space.

‘Why am I here?’ is a very big question for a picture book. The boy in these pages ponders this as he wanders through his world, learning, growing and developing a sense of how to be. There are many good things in his life, indeed he is very fortunate to have friends, family, a home. But in the midst of good fortune, he is not as firmly anchored to the world by a belief in his purpose as he would like to be. In attempting to leave the page, then returning, he finally understands his purpose. Children may read this literally, but there are many other interpretations, particularly for his attempt to leave the page. In this journey through life, if we are fortunate, we have many companions. Hopefully, we remember that. The boy/man has two animal companions throughout – perhaps symbols of his personality/state of mind? Recommended for early primary-schoolers.

The Boy on the Page, Peter Carnavas New Frontier Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9781921928468

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com