These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - book review

If you like the idea of Doctor Who crossed with an angsty romance (and I do) then this is the book for you.

Set in the future These Broken Stars is sci-fi but it is definitely not at the extreme end and you don't have to be a sci-fi fan to love it. Like in Doctor Who, humans are still humans, but we have discovered ways to travel the universe and of terraforming planets to make them inhabitable (and profitable).

In some ways this view of humanity's future is slightly depressing and I really hope that, by the time we have the capability of exploring the heavens, we are a little less superficial and wealth obsessed than the ruling class in These Broken Stars but it certainly provides an interesting background for the story.

Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen are both passengers on a luxury mock-Victorian cruising spaceship but their lives couldn't be more different. Lilac is the only daughter of the richest man in universe and Tarver is a hero returned from the brutal frontier wars. When they are suddenly thrown together on an uninhabited, mysterious and deadly planet sparks fly but they need to work together to have any hope of surviving.

It's a really entertaining and exciting story that I certainly found hard to put down.

If you were going to criticise this book I guess you could say that the romance is slightly cliched -Lilac is rich, beautiful and sassy, while Tarver is handsome, poor, heroic and unimpressed by her wealth but, and let's be totally honest here, there is a reason that model of romance is so popular and that's because it works.

And things are not as 'Mills & Boon' as they might seem, the further you get in to this book the more you discover that both Lilac and Tarver have unexpected depths, and there are certainly twists and turns that I never saw coming!    

One of my favourite things about this book is the way that each chapter begins with a short section that is clearly Tarver being questioned by some kind of official. It is intriguing and definitely keeps you turning the pages as you try to figure out what on earth is going on.

Teenage girls will love it!

Who'll love this: Teenage girls
Cost: $18.99
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Let's Paint! by Gabriel Alborozo - book review

"Are you keen to paint pictures but afraid of making mistakes?"

Let's Paint! is a very sweet book that aims to help kids explore and embrace their creativity, however messy and imperfect.

It is ideal for kids, particularly boys, who don't do much craft because it pushes the idea that ANY idea is a good one and that in the end your painting might not be perfect but it doesn't matter because the important thing is to just have fun and give it your best.

Alborozo is a very gifted artist and you can really feel how passionate his is about helping kids use art to express themselves (he also worked in the props department on the Star Wars and Matrix movies).

This would be a fun book for a preschool or day care centre - it would be a great activity to read and discuss the book together and then send the kids off to create a painting (or two) of their own.

Who'll love it: kids aged 3-5.

Cost: $22.99

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

  

Jandamarra by Mark Greenwood and Terry Denton – book review

I’m finding it really difficult to find a way to talking to my four year old about Aboriginal history because, no matter how you explain it, it is tragic and so unfair and that’s hard to explain to a little person who has only just learnt about sharing and being kind to other people.

The story of Jandamarra is another example of that tragedy.

A good person caught between two cultures Jandamarra becomes an outlaw and commits terrible crimes. 

The crimes committed again him and his people are equally horrible.

Interesting and really sad, this story highlights the impossible position of the Indigenous people once white settlers came but in a way that is accessible for children.

The book doesn’t make anyone into a hero or even take sides (although it is sympathetic to the Indigenous people), it just tells a story of Australia’s history.

The insights into Aboriginal culture and beliefs are amazing: “They rubbed him with a magic stone to make him fearless and invisible. They hid his spirit in the stone and placed it in the water.”

Terry Denton’s illustrations more than do the story justice, with what seems like just a few lines he manages to capture so much emotion, as well as the stunning landscape of the Kimberley.

This book is easy to read, but not easy to read (if you know what I mean) but I would recommend it very highly.

Who’ll love it: Teachers and primary school aged kids will find it fascinating.

Cost: $29.99

Publisher: Allen and Unwin   

Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle by Axel Scheffler – book review

Nosy Crow, the publisher of Pip and Posy, have done a brilliant thing. When you buy any of their picture books you can use a smart phone to scan the QR code in the front cover for a free audio reading of the book.

Remember those audio books we all had as kids - ‘when you hear this sound *ding ding ding* turn the page’ - well Nosy Crow have turned all their picture books in to one of them and it is free when you buy the book. Genius!

Pip and Posy is a new series written and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the illustrator of The Gruffalo.

They are very simple stories for very young children. They have lovely bright pictures and they are about every day things.

In The Little Puddle Pip goes to play at his friend Posy’s house, he is having such a good time that he forgets to go to the toilet and has an accident.

In The Super Scooter Posy snatches Pips scooter so she can ride it but then has a nasty crash because she has never ridden a scooter before.

These books aren’t complicated or tricky but I really like them because they are about events that happen to all kids.

I also love the audio book thing – brilliant idea.

Who’ll love this: Children aged 1 ½ to 4.

Cost: $12.99 (plus a free audio version to download... bargain!)

Publisher: Nosy Crow, distributed by Allen and Unwin

Open Very Carefully by Nicola O'Byrne, words by Nick Bromley - book review

This book is a sure fire way to create craziness before bed!

It starts off as the Hans Christian Andersen story of the Ugly Duckling.

But then the ugly duckling realises that a crocodile has snuck in to the book!

Chaos ensues as the crocodile tries to eat all the letters (he especially loves the Os and the Ss).

The duckling asks the reader to rock the book to put the crocodile to sleep. While he's sleeping the duck gets a crayon and draws a tutu on him.

That persuades the crocodile to find another book to live in but how can he get out of this one?

Getting the reader to shake the book doesn't work so the crocodile decides to eat a hole in the back cover (obviously).

This book is so clever and definitely designed to be read out loud.

I particularly love the way it directly addresses the kids reading it, and how it plays with the words and structure of books.

The amazing thing about Nosy Crow books is the unbelievably high production values - the paper is always lovely and thick, and any embellishments (such as a hole in the back cover so a crocodile can escape) are incredibly well done.

Who'll love this: Kids, particularly boys, age 3-5 who are looking for more than just a story.
Cost: $22.99
Publisher: Nosy Crow, distributed by Allen and Unwin. 

The Princess and the Peas by Caryl Hart and Sarah Warburton - book review

A funny tale for royally fussy eaters everywhere ...

This book is BEYOND cute.

It is divine.

The story is so clever and the pictures have so much character and life.

Honestly, it is brilliant and all four-year-old girls should have a copy.

"Lilly-Rose May was a sweet little girlie,
Her eyes were bright blue and her hair was so curly."

Everything is wonderful is Lily-Rose May's world until one day her Daddy tries to feed her peas. Lily-Rose May won't eat them so her Daddy calls the doctor who, using the story of The Princess and the Pea as evidence, announces that any girl who is pretty, polite and allergic to peas must be a princess.

So Lily-Rose May gets packed off to the castle to learn to be a princess. She loves the jewels and dresses but it turns out that there is something worse to eat than peas...

The book is hilarious and has a brilliant message about eating food you don't like.

And the best thing ... the rhyme actually rhymes and the rhythm is perfect for reading out loud.

Love it!!!

Who'll love it: Little girls aged 3-5, plus me and my husband!
Cost: $22.99
Publisher: Nosy Crow, distributed by Allen and Unwin. 

Run Like a Rabbit by Alison Lester - book review

Alison Lester is amazing. Her classic picture book The Magic Beach is my favourite kid's book EVER and so I always get a bit excited when she produces a new offering.

Run Like a Rabbit is a first board book. It is for very little people to read, play with and chew as they see fit.

The pictures are very cute and quite plain. They illustrate exactly what the text says without lots of background illustration to distract little eyes (eg. the run like a rabbit page has a picture of a rabbit running and that's all).

The text is full of rhymes and is great for reading out loud.

Each page describes an animal and an action, such as wriggle like an octopus, so as the babies get a little older you can encourage them to try out the actions themselves.

Who'll love it: This one is for ages 6 months to about 2 years.
Cost: $9.99
Publisher: Allen and Unwin

A Very Unusual Pursuit: City of Orphans Book 1 by Catherine Jinks - Book Review

My favourite part of a really good series is the first half of the first book. That's when the author is drawing you in to the world they have created for their characters and at every turn you find something new and exciting that gives you a glimpse of what the story is going to be.

Think about the first book of Harry Potter when Hagrid comes and Harry learns he is a wizard (tempting to do a spoiler alert but frankly if you don't know Harry Potter is a wizard ... well, I'm without words) or the first book in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom when Arthur nearly dies and then finds his way into a mysterious house that only he can see. Amazing.

The first half of A Very Unusual Pursuit, the first book in Catherine Jinks' City of Orphans series is the same. From the very first page the reader is drawn into the dark world of London c.1870. But it isn't London exactly as we know it, Jinks' London has monsters of indescribable evil called Bogles and it has brave people who fight them.

And bam! you're in to the story.

Part fantasy-esque monster story, part mystery, part historical novel A Very Unusual Pursuit is exciting and interesting and leaves you with that vague feeling of disquiet that makes you want to check under your bed at night.

It's not for nervous kids but anyone who loves the tingle of fear down their spine, or a really good, action-packed adventure story will love it.

Who'll love it: Brave boys or girls aged 9 to 14. The main character is a girl so that might put some fellows off but there are lots of male characters in the story.

Cost: $14.99

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

 

On the Farm - Q&A with author and illustrator Roland Harvey

Author and illustrator Roland Harvey has released another hilarious book in his illustrated holiday adventure series.

For those who haven't seen the books they are quirky, funny and very Australian.

Previous titles include At the Beach, In the City and In the Bush, and you could easily spent hours just discovering all the little stories included in the illustrations.

Roland was kind enough to answer some of my questions about his new book and how he works.

1) Your "At the ..." series has a very Australian feel (and sense of humour). Is that something that is important to you?

THE most important thing. I dearly love the Australian landscape and hope that people learn to "see" it in all its' subtlety, from the smallest flower to the patterns of the vast inland; its' colours and textures and the amazing flora and fauna we have which is quite different to anywhere else. I want to see it understood, appreciated and preserved.

The humour is just me really, noticing ridiculous things and playing with words and shapes. I notice odd-shaped people and odd-shaped attitudes.

2) Do you sometimes find yourself laughing out loud when you are writing and illustrating your books?

When a good idea hits, maybe. Or a totally unplanned joke jumps out at me. Or a really nice double meaning or word- play.

Much of what I do is from the subconscious and quite unplanned. I like the twists and turns when they occur. It is rewarding when something come out and you really don't know where it came from. It just seems to write itself as you go. Like the little poem:

"A sheep is a sheep is a sheep,
Unless it's a goat, of course.
You can milk it, or shear it or count it to sleep,
But to ride it it should be a horse."

And I laugh when a new meaning for a word pops up:
"Coincidental:  When two people have exactly the same teeth."

3) Which comes first for you - the illustrations or the text? 

It can happen either way. Sometimes I'll be mucking up a picture, so I'll sit down and write a bit of text and then do a different picture. The result will be quite different. My brain surprises me all the time, but it is also capable of locking me down. Often ideas for other books come as I'm working on an illustration.

4) Many of your illustrations are very detailed. Do they take you a long time to draw? 

Not if I am familiar with the subject. I love inventing places. Often as the place takes shape, I discover things I didn't intend to do, and characters just come out of doorways and I watch them with great fascination. It is very easy to  disappear into an illustration and start re-writing the story without realising it. That's probably why you are likely to see things in a picture that make no sense at all.

It is a very different matter if I have to research a subject, as I think I am a bit obsessed with accuracy in a funny sort of way. Eg. the illustration for 'Thomas, World's Sickest Man" (Sick As, The history of Medicine; Dr. Gael Jennings) took less than an hour, but the research took six weeks. The river camping page in "In the Bush" is very detailed but I am familiar with the place and it only too a day or so to do the pic. Of course there is a lot of physical work in colouring, but once I get going I am pretty fast. Don't look too closely, though.

It also slows down when I have to draw a place from a different angle and it has to look like the same place. I have to draw a map. My worst nightmare is trying to draw something/somewhere that I haven't actually seen, like some of the illos in "All the Way to W.A.

5) Tell us about your Uncle Kev. 

Uncle Kev is a sort of amalgam of two of my dear friends, and me.

The real Kev is my brother-in-law, who is very capable and built his own mudbrick house and restored (beautifully) the Jaguar XK140 in the shed picture. He used to take adventure safaris through Africa in the '70s. He looks a bit like my Kev. He will be at the launch, and I will twist his arm to bring the Jag.

The other one is my mate 'Bucko', who grew up in Kenya as the son of a genuine old fashioned missionary, and has been trying to break out ever since. He is totally gung-ho, and as an Outdoor Ed teacher, imperilled the lives of half the kids in Victoria. He's a great bloke though. He got me interested in Great Adventures in the outdoors. And me... I'm the bit that invents things that don't work, and skis off cliffs and camps on ants nests.

Uncle Kev is absolutely fearless, incredibly well-meaning, and when it comes to ladies, very, very shy.

Who'll love this: Kids aged about five to ten, especially those who like to spent time pouring over pictures (there is so much to see in these ones)
Cost: $24.99
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

The Selfish Giant - Q&A with illustrator Ritva Voutila

'My own garden is my own garden,' said the Giant; 'anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.' 

The Selfish Giant, Oscar Wilde's classic tale of forgiveness, melts my heart every time I read it.

This week illustrator Ritva Voutila releases a stunning new edition of the story. It is a truly moving story and Ritva's illustrations match it perfectly. 

Ritva was kind enough to answer some of my questions about her inspiration, her artwork and why she loves Wilde's story.

1. What made you choose to create this new edition of The Selfish Giant?

The suggestion came from the editor, Erica Wagner. The meeting was about trying to find a suitable book for me to illustrate. I had taken a number of my favourite beautifully illustrated children’s books with me. One of the books was a version of The Selfish Giant. Erica pointed to it saying: “Why not that?”, and I said: “Why not!”

2. This is obviously a story that you have loved. Do the illustrations reflect the way you picture the story in your mind when you read it?

I cannot remember. I first read the story when I was in my early teens and still living in my native Finland. I found it in my schoolbook called English Proficiency. It was the first piece of real literature that I read and translated from English to Finnish. I can only remember that I loved the beautiful style in which it was written. I became an Oscar Wilde fan immediately.

3. It is lovely to see such traditional illustrations. Can you tell me more about how you create them?

I work in oils on canvas. I build up the colour by using several transparent layers. It is a slow technique, but it allows me to achieve the depth and richness of colour the way I find most satisfying.

4. I love the illustrations of the giant. Is his appearance based on someone, or is he entirely from your imagination?

Whenever I read a fictional story my mind is immediately flooded with images. I seem to have very little control over them. This is how the general type of the giant was born. Next I needed to find a real life model who more or less would fit that type. I searched around and the result is a combination of a number of actors and other public figures, and above all my own husband.

5. Do you think that The Selfish Giant is a story for adults or children?

For both.

Who'll love this: Oscar Wilde fans, art fans and school aged kids.

Cost: $29.99

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe by Anne Fienberg and Stephen Michael King - book review

I have been looking for a chapter book to read with Wild Man so I was pretty excited when Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe arrived.

I have such great memories of my parents reading me "one more chapter and then it is lights out" and I am looking forward to sharing that with my kids too.

 Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe is the story of two friends, one bold and one cautious, who have an adventure on a Very Fast Train, meet a crocodile with conga drums and stop a catnapper.

It is a sweet story and the interplay between adventurous Figaro and hesitant Rumba is really lovely.

There is lots of action in the book but it happens at a more leisurely pace, which is perfect for younger readers (by that I mean four, five and six year olds) and there are lots of great pictures to break up the text.

Stephen Michael King is one of my favourite illustrators. His pictures are scratchy and engaging and so full of character, and they are perfect for Anna Fienberg's quirky story which is full of friendship, excitement, being true to yourself and music.

Not every mystery is resolved at the end of the story, so hopefully there are more Figaro and Rumba books in the pipeline!

Who'll love this: Most kids will like this one, and it is brilliant to read aloud. 
Cost: $19.99
Published by: Allen & Unwin

Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto by Geoffrey McSkimming - book review

It took me a while to get in to Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto. It's not a book that grabs you in the first few pages but it does grow on you and I was somewhat surprised to find how often Phyllis crossed my mind during the day.

Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto is about a young girl with a family history of magic helping her friends and the local Chief Inspector solve some unexplainable thefts.

There's lots of information about different magic tricks and some about the history of magic so it will really appeal to kids who are into magic, or who love a good mystery.

I hate book reviews that compare one book to another - it is completely useless if you haven't read the one being used for comparison and always feels a little patronising, as if the reviewer is thinking "Oh, you haven't read it ... goodness" - but I am going to break my own rule and say that this book really reminded me of Odo Hirsch's book Pincus Corbett's Strange Adventure.

Both have mysterious crimes and a dark, slightly sinister feel to them, plus really quirky characters. And neither of them assume that in order to interest children you have to immediately overwhelm them with action. Both authors give children's attention spans the benefit of the doubt and the books feel richer for it.

It is always interesting to read books that are intended for kids but where the main child characters behave, and are treated, like miniature adults. That is definitely the case here, and while it is totally unbelievable that Phyllis would be allowed to poke around the scene of a crime, it is a useful tool for the author and also would potentially be very appealing to kids reading it.

One of the things I loved best about Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto is the outstandingly cool cover. I especially loved the picture of Phyllis which was drawn by Peter Sheehan. She just looks so quirky and interesting, and it gives you a great sense of her character and the book.


Who'll love this: Thoughtful girls aged about nine to 13 - there's not a mention of boyfriends, music or clothes and for some girls that will be a massive relief! Plus anyone who is in to magic will definitely enjoy it.
Cost: $14.95
Published by Allen & Unwin

Too Cold for a Tutu by Mini Goss - book review

Too Cold for a Tutu is one of the cutest things I have seen for ages!

Stella and Barry are knitted toy dogs and the story, all about getting dressed, playing and using your imagination, is illustrated using photographs of them.

The production quality of the book is amazing and the pictures are so lovely that the story is almost irrelevant.

Completely computer generated illustrations can be incredible but the pictures in Too Cold for a Tutu have reminded me that sometimes computer illustration can lack something indescribable, perhaps warmth or personality.

The story starts with Barry and Stella getting dressed - Barry is practical and puts on his new 'Nana-knitted cardigan'. Stella puts on her tutu.

This section of the book is great. The text wraps around the pictures and points to each item of clothing so it would be fantastic for the stage where your children are learning names of clothes.

When Stella and Barry get out into the garden they can't find anything they want to play together (a painfully familiar problem for parents) but eventually they realise they can use their imaginations (and Barry's cardigan) and away they go.
 
This book is engaging, quirky and precocious and I just love it to bits.

My feeling is that it would appeal more to girls, although boys would enjoy it too. And it would be a beautiful gift, especially the hardcover edition.

In amongst the dedication and copyright information at the back Mini Goss describes the wool that made the Barry and Stella toys, and where all the scraps of material that made their clothes came from. It's a lovely touch and makes you appreciate how much work and love went into the book.
 
Too Cold for a Tutu is the start of a series about Stella and Barry, and they have a website with games and more stories.


Who'll love this book: Little girls who love tutus and all grandmas, plus pretty much everyone else (although boys might deny it).
Cost: $19.99
Published by Allen & Unwin

Dinosauritis series by Jeanette Rowe - book review

If you have a preschooler who loves dinosaurs then the Dinosauritis series by Jeanette Rowe is definitely for you!

One of the things I loved about the books was the combination of true facts and brightly coloured, fun illustrations. They are perfect for 3-4 year olds who have an insatiable thirst for knowledge but also want to be engaged and entertained.

Jeanette Rowe has clearly given careful thought to her audience. The books are light-hearted, funny and factual, and I really loved the way she used comparisons that small kids could understand such a Tyrannosaurus teeth being the size of bananas, 'very sharp bananas'.

The books use proper terms such as carnivore but in a context that makes their meaning clear to a preschooler. There is also lots of word repetition which I liked.

We read Rex the Tyrannosaurus, Tip the Triceratops and Tracey the Pterodactyl and they were all great. I did think that Rex and Tip were better ... possibly because Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus are just cooler than a Pterodactyl (sorry Tracey!).

One of my favourite aspects of the series is the activities, page of jokes and page of questions at the back of each book. I don't normally like that kind of thing because they are often a bit tacky but these ones were well done and provided a great way to discuss the book with Wild Man. It was also hilarious to watch him struggle to understand and then laugh at the jokes.

The fact that this is a series will really appeal to kids love of collecting. Wild Man spent ages looking at the pictures of the other books which are included on the back cover.

Who'll love them: Dinosaur fans aged 3 and 4. They would also appeal to little boys who aren't into story books.
Cost: $12.99 each
Published by Allen & Unwin