windy hollow – Aussie Reviews

Calpepper's Place, by Trudie Trewin & Donna Gynell

One day, Calpepper stopped plodding,
and kicked the hot desert sand.
“This is not the place for me,” he snorted.
“I’m going to find a far away exciting place.”

Calpepper the camel is fed up with trudging behind the plodding camel train. He is sure there are much more exciting places he’d rather be. So one day he leaves the desert behind, and catches a bus, in search of an exciting place. But every place he visits is not quite camely enough: the ski slopes are slippery and cold, the city is too jostly and the waves at the beach are just a bit too high. Finally, Calpepper realises that only home is camely enough for him.

Calpepper’s Place is a gorgeous picture book about camels, home and belonging. Young readers will delight in the humour of Calpepper’s adventures, with text which plays with sound and is patterned in a way encouraging children to predict, and illustrations which perfectly capture the movement and humour of the tale.

The sort of book which will will be happily read over and over by parents and carers, and enjoyed by young readers every time.

Calpepper’s Place, by Trudie Trewin & Donna Gynell
Windy Hollow, 2014
ISBN 9781922081322

Available from good bookstores and online.

The Red Bridge, by Kylie Dunstan

Claire had said goodbye to all her favourite people
and flown a long way from home.

Everything was different, the smells, the sky, the sounds.
Everything seemed difficult.

Claire and her family have moved overseas, to a city where everything seems terribly different to her home in Australia. Claire worries about lots of things – the language, the traffic, the food – but most of all she wonders how she will make new friends. Maybe, her mother suggests, the friends will find her. And that is exactly what happens. Claire is waved to by a little girl on the back of a bike, and smiled at by a boy in a restaurant. When she meets the girl again in the markets, she knows she has a new friend. But it is when Claire finds herself lost on a walk that her new friend, Kieu, actually finds her, and shows her the way home.

The Red Bridge is a sumptuous picture book about friendship and about change. Claire moves across the world, but the fears she feels are just as real for children going through any move, or even other changes in their lives. How will I make friends? How will I know how to do things? How will I get around? Claire is guided by her mother, who doesn’t express her own fears at the same changes, yet perhaps best shows them in her triumphant cheer when they manage to get across a busy road together. But Mum also has the courage to let Claire explore her new neighbourhood after they’ve become familiar, a nice touch which is perhaps a gentle reminder for nervous parents to let go.

Illustrated in generously rich reds, browns and golden tones using Dunstan’s delightful mixed media collage, The Red Bridge is a beautiful offering suitable for early childhood readers.

The Red Bridge, by Kylie Dunstan
Windy Hollow Books, 2011
ISBN 9781921136726

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

Chase Through Venice, by Sally Gould & Laura Peterson

Marco dreams of being a gondolier like his father, and the tourists seem to think that’s cute. But when one of the tourists leaves his camera behind on the gondola, Marco becomes a hero. Using his skills of deduction, and his determination, he chases through Venice until he finds the tourists and returns the camera…

‘Buongiorno,’ I say to the tourists with red caps.
‘My name is Marco.
I’m going to be a gondolier, like my Papa.’
They smile at me.

Chase Through Venice is a gorgeous picture book highlighting the sights and experiences of Venice whilst sharing a story of thoughtfulness. The illustrations, show the buildings, the residents and, of course, the waterways in rich colour and from a range of angles and perspectives, creating a visual feast for youngsters to explore.

A celebration of the delights of Venice, this hardcover offering is a delight.

Chase Through Venice, by Sally Gould & Laura Peterson
Windy Hollow, 2011
ISBN 9781921136733

This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond.

The Bushwalk, by Sandra Kendall

As the unseen narrator of this simple tale walks through the bush s/he sees splashes of colour, in the form of blossoms, and hears birdsong and croaking, before seeing a variety of animals and insects. The bush is, we are told, an amazing place. The Bushwalk is a delightful offering which aims to encourage children to explore the natural environment…

I love to walk in the bush.
If I keep my eyes and ears open, it’s always an adventure.

The Bushwalk is a delightful offering which aims to encourage children to explore the natural environment, especially within Australia. The text focuses on what the narrator (presumably the author, visible in one picture as a pair of booted legs walking on a path) sees and hears on regular bushwalks. Each page includes a fact about the wildlife pictured, written on leaves, rocks and pieces of bark. The illustrations present realistic, softly toned watercolour images of the bushland inhabitants in double page spreads.

A wonderful classroom resource, this is also suitable for home reading.

The Bushwalk, by Sandra Kendall
Windy Hollow, 2011
ISBN 978192113671

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

The Search for Bigfoot Bradley, by Dean Gorissen

There was once a little boy with big feet.
He didn’t know why or where or who he got them from,
but he had really, really, really big feet.

Bradley has the biggest feet anyone has ever had. He doesn’t know where he got them from – he doesn’t even know where he came from. But now he lives with Axel and Rainbow and soon his big feet see him having all sorts of adventures – from being bullied by the hat gang to playing at the Football World Cup.

Search For Bigfoot Bradley is a whimsical picture book based on a premise which young readers will enjoy – a kid with supersized feet, and the challenges and possibilities that can pose. Bradley’s unlikely new friend – the bully from across the road – also turns out to have an unexpected problem, in tiny ears he keeps hidden under his hat, adding to the humour and the final twist.

This is illustrator Dean Gorissen’s first foray into writing and is likely to be well received by youngsters.

Search For Bigfoot Bradley, by Dean Gorissen
Windy Hollow, 2011
ISBN 9781921136702

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

Peeking Ducks, by Krista Bell & Sally Rippin

Zhang, Mulong and Langshi lived on a quiet stream, not far from the busy Li River. They lived with their mother, their father and their sister, Poh Poh.
For months it has been foggy, dark and cold but now the sun was shining over the mountains.

After a long winter of cold and fog, finally it seems like Spring might be coming. Sick of being restricted by the weather, three young ducklings take advantage of an early spring day to go exploring. Their parents and sister remind them to stay close, but gradually they move further and further towards the big Li River. Along the way they encounter dangers they’d not expected but are assisted by other river creatures. Sally Rippin’s endpapers show misty Chinese mountains and set the scene for the illustrations to follow. Her palette of greens and greys evokes the misty light of the Chinese mountains and the rivers that feed from it. The ducks are brilliant white, perhaps indicating that they still have something to learn about blending in. Peeking Ducks is a large portrait format hard back with lovely heavy paper.

Young children often have no context to understand danger. They don’t know what they don’t know and can put themselves in situations of risk. So it is with Zhang, Mulong and Langshi. All they know is they are sick of being cooped up and want to get out and play. They are fortunate enough that although they encounter potential danger, they also encounter other animals who help them avoid capture. Even little Poh Poh, who at first advocates caution is seduced by the pull of the ‘outdoors’ and the notion at ‘peeking’ at new sights. Krista Bell shows that some lessons can be learnt by experience, while also reminding that sometimes parents do know what they’re warning about!

Peeking Ducks, Krista Bell, ill Sally Rippin
Windy Hollow Books 2010
ISBN:9781921136450

Reviewed by Claire Saxby Children’s book author.
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Gina the Dancing Queen, by Marisa Alo

Welcome to Rhythms Dance School
Always Remember
The Three Golden Rules of Dance
A. Relax
2. Feel the rhythm
3. Follow the music

Gina the Giraffe desperately wants to dance, but every times she tries she gets tangled and falls in a heap. But she is determined to learn, and visits a dance school, where she learns the three golden rules of dance. Now, every time she struggles, she remembers the rules and is transported on flights of fantasy which have her dancing like a queen.

Gina The Dancing Queen is an endearing picture book tale about dancing, the importance of self belief, and acceptance. With a simple storyline with some text repetition which will encourage young prereaders to join in, and pages populated by a wide range of animal characters, this will appeal to young children of both genders, and dance fans will be especially enamoured.

Gina The Dancing Queen, by Marisa Alo
Windy Hollow, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

It's a Jungle in Here, by Steve Wide

Jimmy’s Dad arrives home and announces that ‘It’s a jungle out there!’. Jimmy replies that there’s a jungle inside as well. As the lounge transforms into a jungle, he demonstrates, showing his father the animals that live here. Each of his family members respond to the animals, until Jimmy and all his alter-egos are too tired to do anything but sleep. In the morning when Jimmy wakes, the jungle is gone from inside. But Dad assures him it’s just moved back outside where he has to go to work. It’s a Jungle in Hereis a mid-size hardback book, illustrated in a mix of child-like sketches and collage all set on pastel pages.

It might be a jungle inside Jimmy’s house, but it’s a loving and gentle one. The antics of the main character, Jimmy, will be familiar to anyone who has or has had a younger sibling with imagination. Jimmy is able to transform his environment and himself effortlessly from one animal to another. His family support his role-playing but gently keep him from exceeding his boundaries. Jimmy is playing, but his playing helps his father recover from the wildness of his work jungle. The illustrations are evocative and humourous, and child-like but definitely not childish. Recommended for pre-school-aged children.

It’s a Jungle in Here, Steve Wide ill Michelle Macintosh
Windy Hollow Books 2009
ISBN: 9781921136429

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

This title can be purchased online from Fishpond.

Sheep, Goat and the Creaking Gate, by Claire Saxby & Judith Rossell

Sheep lived in a grassy green paddock complete with everything a happy, contented sheep could possibly want. But sheep wasn’t happy. Or content. In Sheep’s paddock, there was no Jellagong tree.

Sheep is happy living in her paddock until she notices the Jellagong tree in Goat’s paddock. Goat tells her the leaves of the Jellagong tree are delicious – and Sheep wants desperately to taste them for herself. But Goat won’t give her any and fiercely guards the creaking gate between the two paddocks. Finally, Sheep comes up with a plan to trick Goat into letting her in – only to find out that the Jellagong Tree isn’t as good as it looks.

Sheep Goat and the Creaking Gate is a gently humorous look at the nature of happiness, exploring the theme of the grass is always greener in a way which will make youngsters giggle whilst giving a subtle message about being satisfied with what you have.

Judith Rossell’s illustrations are delightful, using bold greens, blues and yellows to offset the white sheep and brown and white goat, as well as little collage embellishments.

This is a beautiful offering which will be treasured by children and parents.

Sheep Goat and the Creaking Gate, by Claire Saxby and Judith Rossell
Windy Hollow Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

A Nest for Kora, by Claire Saxby

Reviewed by Jackie Hosking

A Nest for Korais a picture story book about a safe place to fall. Its subtle message shows that from firm foundations, namely Kora’s Granny, Kora is able to explore and experience things without fear. Kora, like any youngster, is out to amaze the world with her first egg. Granny is keen to share her own experience with Kora who is determined that her first egg-laying is going to be very different.

Kora searches the farmyard looking for the perfect place for her nest, refusing to listen to Granny’s advice. It’s not until she is sitting in her perfect nest does she realise that sometimes perfect is not perfect at all. Back in the hen house surrounded by family and friends Kora lays her first egg and everyone agrees that it is a very fine egg indeed.

A Nest for Kora is a simple while important story about the importance of family, told with the help of Judith Rossell’s E. H. Shepard – like (of Winnie the Pooh fame) illustrations.

A Nest for Kora, by Claire Saxby Illustrated by Judith Rossell
Windy Hollow Books, 2007
ISBN 9781921136030

This review first appeared in Pass it On Newsletter. It is reprinted here with permission.