Pairs of lines are devoted to each page as rhyming words are used to depict each letter of the alphabet. Some words are predictable, but others surprise as the pages are turned. Smaller children will love all the words and predict the rhyming word, encouraged to say them out loud, practising the new words and the ways they are used. Starting with A and showing a child belly surfing on her mother’s legs, it introduces the exuberant child as she dances, runs, plays, giggles, and draws her way through the book. Alliteration is front and forward as J is for joyfully jumping in puddles, and N is for night-night and nursery rhymes, P is for pasta and please, then picnics with peaches and plums in a pie, as well as a poke in the eye. Some very surprising things are attached to each letter and will give children the idea of adding their own words and talking about the things they love.
Each page reflects not only the letter and a group of words, but reinforces the value of a warm, loving family surrounding the child. Even if the child is doing something the parents do not like, the warmth of the family is still apparent. The vibrant illustrations cover every page, drawing the readers’ eyes into the page, checking out the detail, looking at how the families live and what is in their houses. The family is shown in a variety of situations: having a meal together where the young girl tries out some new words (W) she has heard, mum absolutely tired out watching her child throw tantrums (T) and then having a lovely time together jumping in puddles with their umbrellas (U).
All good fun, the illustrations and text will result in laughter from the reader and the audience as they laugh at the family shown, recognising situations which have occurred in their own family.
‘You should be the main character in your own life . . . ‘ but it’s not that way for Frankie; things always seem to happen to her, without her having any say. From the early days of her sheltered village life in Ireland, one thing leads to another: her parents are taken from her, her upbringing is ruled by cold relatives, an arranged marriage ends disastrously, career and friendships end abruptly, happiness seems ever short-lived. Now as an old lady, the whole saga is related in instalments to her young gay carer Damien. Damien, however, seems fascinated as each episode opens up different phases of her life, from the rectory in 1950’s Ireland, to lesbian parties in 1960’s London, then the art scene of 1970’s New York and the 1980’s AIDS epidemic. Frankie herself is straight, she has two marriages, first to clergyman Alan then to the artist Joe, but the world around her is full of young men and women experimenting with different lifestyles.
Not having read anything by Graham Norton previously, and only knowing him from his entertaining chat shows, I was surprised by his choice of naïve female main character, a woman who lives on the edges of life for the most part. However Norton’s quick wit and humour makes its appearance with the character of Norah or Nor, a flamboyant personality, who is also a steadfast friend to Frankie, frequently coming to her rescue. Their lifelong friendship is at the heart of the novel.
Norton writes that his book might be regarded as historical fiction as it required research on his part, for his depiction of past eras, the world of artists and actors, and particularly the AIDS epidemic, something that has a very moving description in the latter parts of the novel: the pain, the fear, and the heart-breaking loss of young lives. Frankie lives through it all, and while she may be regarded as a passive figure, she nevertheless espouses a kindness and acceptance of others, ‘she had done some good’, and that is remembered after she dies.
Norton has written an interesting book. It is a ‘feel-good’ heart-warming story, but also a detailed reminder of the struggle of gender-diverse people to find a place within a prejudiced, morally hypocritical world. The values it espouses are of love, kindness and compassion.
Themes Love, Friendship, LGBQTI+, Gender roles, Tolerance, Life story, AIDS.
Helen Eddy
The Wild Beastie: A Tale from the Isle of Begg by Helen Kellock
Walker Books, 2024. ISBN: 9781529512915. (Age:4+)
"Far off the coast of Scotland, in a forgotten part of the sea, there is a secret island... home to many strange and wonderful creatures. Its name is the Isle of Begg."
One of those strange creatures was Bumple, but although she was strange she was not wild. In fact, she was frightened of the wild creatures and preferred to spend her days playing in her safe spot by the stream. Even her mother couldn't get her to venture further.
And then one day, with a great splash, one of those creatures landed in the water right in front of her. Even though it was strange, it seemed friendly enough, introducing itself as Little Mop. But when Bumple let Little Mop play with her special toy Peedie, Little Mop was not careful and Peedie floated off downstream.
What was Bumple to do? Stay in her safe place or try to rescue Peedie? Can she find the courage to go beyond her comfort zone?
This is a charming story to share with young readers, particularly those who are a little timid about stepping beyond the boundaries of what they know. With its subtle palette and soft lines, neither Bumple, Little Mop or the landscape they travel through poses any threat to the young child so both the book and its story are safe, even if the characters are needing their brave. There are those who will be more cautious like Bumple rather than carefree like Little Mop and so this is one to help them navigate uncertainty, take risks especially if it means someone else's safety, open their minds to new adventures knowing that they will find their way back to a place of safety and certainty, helping them understand that, at times, we all face feeling lost and unsure, and have to make decisions and have faith that we will be okay.
Perhaps, after sharing it, there can be a conversation about something the little one would like to do and then preparing a plan for them to achieve it. Who knows - like Bumple they might discover a little bit of wildness can be a LOT of fun!
Wow! This is an epic thriller that grabs your attention and will not let go. Maria is the first to be linked to the grand palatial mansion in the British Virgin Islands. Her instructions are to wait for the owners to arrive, but in reality she is being played. Nina also becomes linked to this dream-worthy home when she inherits the home after the death of her father. But she never knew of its existence and now also fears that in some way she has fallen into the clutches of a macabre plot. The home itself becomes a twisted prison, or complex escape room for the women and they must exercise all their powers of resilience and fortitude to overcome the challenges placed in their path. Can they survive, or will they be quarry for stronger predators?
This is a cleverly crafted thriller, set in a glorious, but intricate setting that has the power to shift the characters from normality to a strange and perverse unknown. For readers, this unknown world adds to the tension, and tension is what this book has in spades! The isolation adds to the drama and mystique and ultimately to the power of the novel. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Maria and Nina and much of the drama builds because their interwoven stories add uncertainty about the timeline and the complexity behind their experience. There is obviously evil or illicit intent woven into the story, but the reader and the characters are kept in the dark for much of the story. This mystery and the tension make this an adult story that will linger long after the book is finished. Highly recommended for those who love thrillers and crime dramas. This story would make an exceptional plot for a movie. You would be on the edge of your seat for the entire session.
Hot on the tail of Rise of Invisdog, No 1 in the O.D.D. Squad series, Puffin has published a second hilarious superhero adventure in 2024. Justice City is under siege again in this hybrid early chapter book/graphic novel. This time, a villain by the name of The Incredible Slowman is comically and quickly apprehended. The fast result meant something is wrong and the O.D.D. Squad are not at all surprised that Kaiju (giant monsters) run rampant busting up the city that same night. From within their ranks, key members of the O.D.D. Squad sleepwalk and transform into Kaiju. But when Graham the jellyfish is kidnapped, Detective Octopus, (of course wearing her Roboctopus suit for surviving on dry land) also disappears.
Humans (Mayor Flurt, Timothy Jenkins, Arnab, SeoYeon and Paul) try to assist the ODD Squad after it becomes clear that Aunty Enchanty a powerful sorceress, is planning to destroy Justice City by enchanting villians at Jaggedy Island Jail with her dainty wand. The action heats up as increasing numbers of Kaiju cause havoc but this time they resemble: a spiky covered dinosaur , a fire-breathing bat and a multi-eyed lava monster.
The cast page that prefaces this mystery reintroduces readers to Quack Attack, Detective Octopus and Invisdog. Quack Attack, the first superhero on earth uses his sonic quack to send criminals flying. Detective octopus has nine brains and is the smartest deductive thinker ever. Invisidog can walk through walls and fly.
The jokes flow – when coerced into deciphering hieroglyphics to highten the sorceress' powers, they manage to trick Aunty into enchanting herself to experience continuous farting fits. But can the gang ultimately overwhelm the villain and protect their city from further destruction?
Vincent Batignole‘s cartoon panels are bright and full colour to help readers transition to chapter books. Elsewhere big fonts and bold illustrations will appeal to fans of Dog Man. TV news updates keep the action moving and segue to more toilet humour when returning audiences to their regular viewing of shows like “The World’s Itchiest Bumhole” or “How Smelly is your Bum?”
The book ends with acknowledgements and a long section about the ‘story of Stewart’s book’ which is a pleasant explanation of the journey of any work of fiction from concept to distribution. Highly recommended for maximum engagement and endorphin inducing silliness.
Text Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781922790408. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
American author Sara Shepard has had huge success in the young adult market with both Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game book series having been turned into television shows. The Penny Draws series is Shepard's first foray into the middle grade space, with this book being second in the series. Although it would be ideal to read the series in order, it would be absolutely fine to read this one as a stand alone novel as it contains enough context to understand what has already occurred.
Penny Lowry is in fifth grade and, although she suffers from anxiety, she thinks life is under control at the moment. Her Feelings Teacher (counsellor) has suggested she keep a journal, and Penny does this in the form of writing letters/diary entries to her dog, Cosmo. Most pages of her journal are about half words and half little comic strips - the comic strips don't just illustrate the story, they are an integral part of the story.
From being under control, suddenly there is a lot going on for Penny - moving house, twin siblings on the way, a class play that everyone must be part of, weird behaviour of her little brother, strange noises in her new house, figuring out how to bring together friends from two different parts of her life, and keeping a list of Worst Things to Possibly Happen to Me (no. 25 is 'waking up and realizing I'm a squirrel').
Penny learns strategies for managing her anxiety and is very brave in giving things a go and coping with change. Her friends, family and teachers are a wonderful, warm network who all offer support in their own unique ways.
The comic strips and humour throughout this book make it very appealing for young readers who will take on the messages about never knowing what's really going on in someone else's head, it being okay if things don't always go to plan, and rolling with the changes and being brave.
Fans of Wimpy Kid will love this format as well as the main character who is funny, warm and relatable.
Ella and Olivia: Country School by Yvette Poshoglian Ill. by Danielle McDonald
Scholastic, 2024. ISBN: 9781761292651. (Age:6+)
Designed for those young girls newly arrived at reading chapter books by themselves, these stories about two best friends, Ella and Olivia, will not stretch the imaginations of its readers. Simple stories, simply told, without too much complication will make these an easy read for newly independent readers, wanting to achieve quick success.
?In this the latest in a series of 36 books, Ella and Olivia go on an excursion to a country school. This school is lucky enough to have a number of farm animals, and the girls have the opportunity to feed the chickens, marvel at the horses in their paddock, collect the eggs and pat the lambs.
They have a lovely time, but are concerned when, the lamb goes missing. The gate to his enclosure is open, so the girls follow the trail, finding him in a basket of wool ready for knitting.
Attractively packaged, with clear, simple line drawings, these books (and yes, there are more to come) will have an instant audience in junior primary classes. At the end of the book is a list of all 36 titles, with the prod to collect them all!
A sturdy board book for the very young to bite and chew as a parent reads them the story, encouraging interaction, which promotes the development of language skills and many smiles. In rhyming pairs of lines, the reader is introduced to other babies and the things they love to do. First, we say hello to Jake who loves to make his rattle shake, then we move on to Nic who loves to give his ball a kick.
The book goes on in this vein, encouraging interaction, increasing the child’s comprehension and communication skills, and encouraging a physical response. All these skills are those that are part of a child’s development and reading this book will encourage all of these to be practised.
Bright colourful pages attract young children’s eyes, and the activity shown on each page can be copied by the child.
Baby Kate loves to flick food from her plate, or we say hello to Rory who loves to hear a story. Each pair of pages asks the child to say hello to the child drawn, and these continue to the end of the book when the instruction is turned around, so that the child reading the book can talk about the things they love to do.
The whole encourages participation and interaction. The words ‘say hello’ are used on each page so will become recognised, as do the simple words for the array of things each child loves: hat, food, train for example. Teacher's notes and an activity are available from the publisher.
Themes Interaction, Babies, Communication.
Fran Knight
The majorly awkward BFF dramas of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
Lottie Brooks is a slightly odd teenager, but she knows it. In this latest episode of the vagaries and dramas of her life she is enjoying spending time with her boyfriend, but must juggle his attentions and time with him, with maintenance of her group of BFFs (Best Friends Forever). She is also trying to develop a unique style, convince her parents to get a dog and recording the details of her life in her illustrated diary. Everything Lottie touches seems to go slightly awry, and her friendship with Jess seems to have hit a pothole. But Lottie has a heart of gold, and nothing can stay awkward forever… or can it?
This is a charming teen friendship tale, told from the perspective of the central character and illustrated with quirky stick figure characters (added by Lottie herself). Told as diary entry reflections, it reveals a lot about early teen life dramas. Lottie reflects with naive honesty about first kisses, being teased, juggling family experiences and friendship expectations, attending a live concert and hearing big ‘news’ from Jess (who identifies as gay) and Amber (whose parents have separated). The forgiving, humorous and open nature of Lottie and her friends makes this light-hearted journey into UK teen life a pleasure to read. Young readers aged 11-14 will find this an enjoyable reading journey.
Themes Friendship, Family, Relationships, LGBTIQ.
Carolyn Hull
The wild life: A little bit lost by Laura and Philip Bunting
The third in the series, The Wild Life by the Buntings, shows the Australian animals met in the first two books presented again with a new adventure. The three books are a series aimed at those who have some experience at reading chapter books, and still like the pictures presented in a picture book. Roo and Wombat are tested when they find three lost chicks. Roo wakes one morning with three babies in her pouch. She looks closely at them, wondering where they are from. They are unlike babies that she has known, so Roo, Quokka and Wombat take the three chicks and go off to find their parents.
Readers will learn what the offspring of various Australian animals look like, as Roo, Quokka and Wombat take the chicks to every animal they can find. They find a frog, an owl, a centipede, a crocodile, amongst others comparing the traits of each to see whether the chicks have found their parents. All to no avail.
Readers will love calling out that the animal to compare with the chicks is not right and give ideas about what parent to look for.
The trio check out the chicks’ traits, fast runner, easily camouflaged, and an amazing kick, but no animal comes to mind that these traits fit. At one stage they lose the chicks and find them wrapped in the coils of a python, defiantly not the parent.
Kids will be laughing out loud at the trials the animals go to find the chicks’ parents, and at the eventual animal that is obviously related to the chicks.
Philip Bunting’s illustrations reflect the text beautifully, giving the readers wonderful animals to watch and recognise. The looks on their faces will tell the readers lots about their concerns about the chicks and enjoy the way the whole story is wrapped up.
Find out more about the Buntings and the reasons for putting this series together here. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Australia animals, Babies, Humour.
Fran Knight
Sleep like death by Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury, 2024. ISBN: 9781526641090. (Age:15+)
In a fantasy kingdom that resonates with many fairy tales known through the ages, lives Eve, a princess whose life has been overshadowed by a past deal, done by her mothers, with an evil and powerful oppressor. The deal has enabled them to nurture a daughter, but now they must face the awful consequence of their deal. Can Eve overcome what seems to be inevitable, or must she suffer like so many in her mothers' kingdom with the ruthless actions of the ‘Knight’. With threads of Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin and other fairy tales woven into the fabric of the magical drama, there is also a modern day rendering of a robot-like castle that can relocate itself on its metallic legs. All these things create a very different retelling of the fantasy tales from the perspective of the feisty, almost angry, and magical Eve, who feels compelled to destroy the Knight and restore her kingdom and her family from his evil influence.
This is a fairy tale rendering for a new generation. It contains an ominous tone, a romance and some violence in opposition to the evil Knight. There are many fairy tale tropes seen in different lights and this creative reimagining is quite compelling. The unlikely romance is almost the most unbelievable aspect of the story, but suspension of belief is obligatory for fairy tale readers. There is sadness, grief and familial love, as well as magical powers and the obligatory witch-like locals who defy logic. The author, Kaylyn Bayron, has written other fantasy retellings and is keen to introduce black characters and LGBTIQ considerations to the back stories of her characters and plots. For readers aged 15+.
A low-key family Christmas is in the offering until all the 'rellies' invite themselves to Lottie Brooks’ house. Lottie loves presents and the festive season but will she be disappointed this year? What about the strain it will be on her poor mum – the family workhorse. Will Lottie Brooks’ new diary, Volume 6 in this hilarious epistolary series, prove her mettle?
Like most of Lottie’s close friendship group, the popular tween queen is obliged to hold her entire family in contempt for their corny Christmas traditions like “Elf on the Shelf” and her siblings embarrassing smells and gaffs. When her aunts and uncles arrive with 3yr old cousin, Frankie, exhibiting dark behaviours, she has bigger worries, like what gift to buy her classmate for 'secret santa' or her failure to inform her family that she has inadvertently invited an entire French family to Christmas dinner. Despite the allure of handsome Antoine (her new love interest), she is unable to rescind the Christmas holiday offer due to their language barrier. Does she prefer good old Daniel afterall? What a mess!
Katie Kirby’s final book narrated by Lottie Brooks reads like a multimodal diary including dates, times, text messages, thought balloons, lists - even stick figure embellishments. The negative spaces for easy reading, and the quirky hilarious characters make this a quickly digested chapter book to add to the reading log.
Baby Bella shouting 'BUM' in public and Toby convincing Lottie that she had drunk his wee – thankfully a sibling prank, may take the shine off two weeks of no school! But Christmastime for Lottie is guaranteed her most chaotic and amusing diary to complete the series: The extremely embarrassing life, The catastrophic friendship fails, The mega complicated crushes, The totally disastrous school trip and The majorly awkward BFF dramas. Readers particularly 9-13yrs, anybody with a family really, will find this chaotic Christmas instantly relatable.
Sal wants to be a real cowgirl. At home, she feels safe and strong out riding with her pony through the paddocks, up the biggest hills, doing circus tricks and helping out around the farm. But at school she feels anxious, shy and isolated, even though she would dearly love to be brave, strong, wild, smart, kind, fierce, a good friend - like a real cowgirl.. And then one day, she finds the courage to tell the class about her life beyond the school walls, and things start to change...
Told from the perspective of her pony, this is a story to inspire those whose home life is different to their school life to open up to their peers because you never know who might be behind the school-face, particularly during this time when despite the connectivity of the online world, kids can be really disconnected, not popping in and out of neighbourhood homes of friends like previous generations did. There are likely to be all sorts of interests, abilities and talents hidden from view in the schoolyard where it is easy to be alone in a crowd.
Decades ago, when I first began my teaching career I was mentored by an outstanding colleague and I always remember the first lesson I watched her do - she made up a song about being special (I still recall the words and tune) and offered each child the opportunity to tell the class something about themselves that the others didn't know. The impact that it had as the kids shared the stuff that made them unique individuals was amazing, not just on the cohesion of the class but also on my own teaching. I was reminded that I was teaching students not subjects and my job, first and foremost, was to enrich and enhance the person already there by opening up new pathways for them to explore and learn. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this story. Let us make it our job for the Sals to shine.
Themes Anxiety, Bravery.
Barbara Braxton
The wild life: A line in the sand by Laura and Philip Bunting
The second in this charming series of books called, A line in the sand, will be welcomed by newly confident readers. With shorter chapters and a limited number of words, more can be found out about the Buntings’ aims here.
Stunning illustrations by Philip Bunting support this easily digested story showing how different opinions can cause rifts in relationships.
Wombat has woken, needing to have a pee, and he races out of his burrow, only to find that it is midday, the hottest part of the day and the hot soil burns the soles of his feet. Roo comes over to investigate and finds his paws are very hot too. Roo inadvertently hits Wombat with his tail and sends him flying over the scrub to a place where a coconut falls on his head. Roo comes blustering through the undergrowth to find his friend, and Wombat has a feeling of deja vu. He has been here before, and together the two friends find they are at a beach.
They are thrilled, here is water to swim in to get cool, but there is a problem. A quokka appears, adamant that this is his beach, and they do not belong here.
As with the first book, A berry long walk, this story takes readers into the tricky area of solving disputes. Roo and Wombat dearly want to go for a swim, but Quokka is convinced that this is his beach and wants them gone. They try to discuss this with Quokka, and eventually he draws a line in the sand demarcating where each animal is allowed to go. All the animals, except Quokka, have a lovely time together, having a barbecue, dressing up with seaweed and shells, surfing. It is when Quokka goes out surfing by himself that he gets into trouble and must call for help. As a result, the line is erased, and the animals all play together.
Wonderful illustrations by Philip Bunting show the dispute escalating as the three animals eye each other off. Their funny facial expressions will amuse readers as they read the story. The Australian environment is show in detail, and readers will enjoy seeing a range of animals they come across. Teacher's notes are available.
A book of firsts to make any adult reading it go weak at the knees as they recognise the firsts that their babies achieved. And children will love reading of the milestones in their lives, the same firsts for them and their friends as they learnt to navigate the world they live in.
Each page, with its softly pastel images of a small children soaking up all the things they need to know, practicing and watching, laughing and smiling, seeing what is in the world around them will recall for all readers the steps they have made as they approach one and for older readers they can recall the steps they made in their young lives.
We see a baby being welcomed into the household, that first kiss and first hold. Then the first cry, and the first eye contact, first bath and the first laugh. Celebrations such as the first time grandparents are involved, or the first Christmas, are followed by the first swim and the first flight. Meeting animals is always a first, and meeting friends comes along as the baby learns to interact. Pages of firsts are followed by pages of lasts: the last time you need help to hold the bottle, or the last the baby was swaddled, and the last time they fitted into their onsie.
And at the end of the book, images show what the child will achieve in the future. Today you walk, but tomorrow you will run.
This time goes very quickly, as the last page says, ‘our precious newborn, suddenly one’. The baby has achieved so much in that first year, and birthdays when they come around are precious, but seem to come upon the family suddenly, no matter what age is achieved.
This is a warm hearted look at what a baby achieves during its first year of life. We easily forget the huge range of things they learnt to do, the steps they master, the growth they go through. The gentle words are easily read out loud and older children will love looking at the milestones of their lives as well.
