Fire truck Santa by Nic McPickle and Nathaniel Eckstrom
Albert Street Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526894. (Age:3+)
A very apt book published at the end of 2021, depicts Santa visiting children across Australia in his large very red fire truck.
Dedicated to all our wonderful volunteers, especially in this incredible time when fires raged across many parts of Australia, this very welcome addition to the range of books published at Christmas, will enthuse readers with the story of kindness and helping others.
A nod to the iconic Christmas poem "Twas the night before Christmas….” This story is of a great Aussie adventure as Santa, in his old and worn out fire truck, is delivering presents to all the children around the town. When something on the truck breaks down, the children are there to work out a solution. But when a final pop is heard the the truck seems to be finally totally broken down the problem seems insurmountable.
Nic McPickle and Nathaniel Eckstrom have combined together to create a funny Christmas story for everyone to enjoy. The story encapsulates the real meaning of Christmas, of hope and kindness of sharing and helping others. A funny, rollicking read aloud, children will ask that it be read again as they predict the rhyming words and enjoy scanning the pages for the detail Eckstrom includes.
The Lockett Street Squad are 11-year-old friends that stick together through thick and thin, bonded by their mutual love of graphic novel series - ‘The Screensavers’. They are so keen about this comic book series that they re-enact storylines and post them on You-tube. This story is told from the perspective of ‘Sticks’ and it is a powerful tale of friendship amid the serious issues of life. When Tommy’s usual life comes crashing down, Sticks, Maki and Jed combine to devise a plan to protect Tommy from being relocated far from Lockett Street. The plan also includes heading to the Gold Coast to audition for roles in the new ‘Screensavers’ movie, kidnapping, and evading police and many other exciting, risky and devious side hustles. This is a story with heart, but it also addresses some quite heart-rending life situations and introduces some wonderful characters and does it with an unexpected twist.
The graphic novel/comic strip launches the book revealing a quirky storyline before the you-tube adventures of the children takes over the narrative. This entry point into the book will immediately appeal to lovers of graphic stories. The hidden reveal in the story involving the character ‘Sticks’ is worthy of secrecy … a clever plot twist that readers need to discover themselves. Although there are serious issues addressed in this story, the Lockett Street Squad are really just a warm and inclusive friendship group who do not let problems get in their way. This was a very enjoyable story – but the intra-family abuse and death of a family member may be confronting for some young readers, so be careful to consider the personal history of children when recommending this.
Ross Welford was born in a small seaside town in the north-east of England. This is his 7th book since his popular debut Time travelling with a hamster was published in 2016. With his previous books Welford has firmly set himself as an entertainer of readers 10+. His stories all include elements of sci-fi/fantasy set against a realistic backdrop based around the town of his birth.
Into the sideways world follows this formula and introduces two 12-year-old outsiders, Willa and Manny. It is the year 2031 and they are investigating sightings of a mysterious animal in their town. One night they suddenly find themselves in an alternate world.
Willa and Manny are stunned – while their own world has survived a pandemic but is close to war, this one is perfect. There’s no pollution, no rundown properties, no family arguments, no diseases and no global conflict.
Willa has a contact who may be the key to figuring out the link between worlds, if only she can get back home. But do she and Manny even want to leave this ideal place? And if they do, will anyone believe what they have seen?
This story is full of adventure and humour while also being thought-provoking and including some difficult relationships and tough choices. There are references to environmental issues, history and global politics. The chapters are short with lots of cliff-hangers – be prepared for desperate pleas to ‘keep going!’ if reading aloud.
There are no teacher resources for this book as Welford is of the opinion that teachers know best. But in an interview with The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in the UK he said 'Into The Sideways World could, I imagine, provoke some interesting class discussions on how we might begin to 'change the world'.' It also raises the question of whether you would opt for your own loved yet imperfect reality when faced with the choice of a perfect world instead.
Surviving the Wild 2. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760526849. (Age:6-9) Recommended.
Star the Elephant is based on the true story of a small group of Indian elephants that swam across the Johor Strait from Malaysia to a small island off the coast of Singapore after losing their home due to deforestation. In Remy Lai's (Pawcasso) retelling, five-year-old Star and her family have to split up; there simply isn't enough food in any one place to accommodate them all. But when Star and her mum and aunt get back to where they are expecting to find banana trees, they are faced with fallen trees in amongst the sea of palm oil trees. They decide to flee to an island that aunty knows of, but when they get there they are faced with more humans, and because of their experiences to date they are very scared. When Star's mum and aunty are shot with tranquiliser darts Star runs but is eventually peacefully captured and taken to a sanctuary where she is reunited with her family.
Full-colour illustrations and simple dialogue and narration told within a graphic novel format make this perfect for young readers. However, some of the content, including Star almost drowning, the animals distress as they try to find a safe place and Star being separated from her family is quite confronting. This is one of three already published in the Surviving the Wild series, all of which look at the perils of the natural world and what we can do to protect it. Also included at the end of the story is the true story behind Star's adventure, some elephant facts and ways we can help. This is an important book for anyone to read but will especially be appreciated by children interested in animals and environmental conservation.
Alice-Miranda is on the way to Egypt with the Queen’s Colours Leadership program. This will be incredibly exciting as they explore Egyptology and archaeology, and display leadership qualities. However, before they leave London, they discover that the school they attend could potentially close down and their teachers may be involved in a scheme that could have dreadful ramifications for the school community. While in Egypt they also discover another Egypt-based scam that could have serious consequences for their local guide’s family. Alice-Miranda and her friends cannot let any of this proceed quietly without solving the problems that are raised. The young leaders from a variety of schools are also just working out how to best get along, and some of the boys are starting to show an interest in the pre-teen, but wise-beyond-her-years, Alice Miranda.
This is book 20 in Alice-Miranda’s story, and so many readers will have followed her friendships and problem-solving detective skills over the years. Jacqueline Harvey continues to give Alice-Miranda a wise exploration of life and in this book a wonderful setting for her understanding of the world. She does always seem to be older than her years, a wonderful friend and relates to adults almost as a peer. With some interesting discussion of Egyptology, this may intrigue young readers. This is a book for those who love the series, aged 9-14.
I was drawn to The way from here because it promised ‘a mystery from the past’ on the front cover, and following a friend’s recommendation, I picked it up and was not disappointed. The mystery gradually unfolds, revealing family secrets from the past about her grandmother, mother, and sister.
After the sudden death of her sister Susie, Camilla is given a bundle of letters that directs her to scatter her ashes in various parts of the world. The first letter grabs the reader’s attention giving an insight into Susie and her life. The second letter sends Camilla off to London to view a painting of a horse in the National Gallery, and then the third letter has her travelling to the beautiful French Ile de Clare, where she finds more strange events to puzzle over before moving to a manor house in Devon. The settings are vividly described and leave the reader wishing to travel with Camilla.
This is a story about three generations of women, Nellie, Margaret, Susie, and Camilla all having secrets which have been kept from their families. The story is written from the viewpoint of Susie, telling her story set in 1998 when she has left the family farm to travel overseas, and of Camilla set in the present day following her as she reads the letters. Margaret, their mother, also gets to give her viewpoint of living in London in the 1960’s as does Nellie towards the end of the story when all is revealed. It is beautifully written and makes a compulsive read, with its themes of family, grief, secrets, truth, and love.
Fans of mysteries will be drawn to it, and may be surprised at the twists and turns, while readers who enjoy family sagas are sure to find it compelling.
Pat Pledger
Wise quackers by Renee Treml
Ollie and Bea. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781666330984. (Age:6-10) Highly recommended.
This new installment in the sensational graphic novel series The Super Adventures of Ollie and Bea series (It's Owl Good, Squeals on Wheels, Bats What Friends Are For) is perfect for young, independent readers or for read alouds. It will appeal to fans of the Duck, Duck, Porcupineseries by Salina Yoon, the Elephant and Piggieseries and Renee Treml's other graphic series, Sherlock Bones. While accessible to a younger audience, its content and format will be equally appealing and relevant to an older age group.
Ollie the owl thinks he is too old to play with stuffed toys...but as soon as Bea ducks off to fetch something Ollie can't help but play Super Duckie with Bea's toy. He gets so into the game that Super Duckie soon ends up stuck in a tree. Ollie manages to keep the secret from Bea with some clever distracting but try as he might he cannot get Duckie out of the tree. When Bea and the rest of the team finally discover the truth Owl expects them to be angry at him. But they understand it is an accident and work together as a team to solve the problem.
Children will love the jokes and world play that come thick and fast ('I'm hoppy to try it', 'let's get quacking') and the story is told exclusively through sharp, fast-paced dialogue. Renee Treml's (Sleep tight, Platypup) full-colour illustrations are crisp, clear and sparse with a superb focus on the changing emotions of Ollie and Bea.
This is such a wonderful series that explores the real problems children have within friendship partnerships and groups. It's a beautifully honest look at those emotions that most kids have but many find it tricky to talk about. It also models wonderfully positive and uplifting ways to be a friend (and the fun of friendships) without glossing over the times when it is hard or uncomfortable.
Nico Cloud’s life in London in 1832 is not easy. As the girl in the family, she must only consider ‘female tasks’ like embroidery and must not explore education, science and complex ideas, like her aunt had pursued before her. Nico’s parents make her life so difficult and restricted that she decides to escape briefly and meet up with her aunt aboard her research sailing ship. Unwittingly she becomes a stowaway and when she is discovered she finds that not only is she sailing with her aunt, but she must keep her aunt’s identity hidden – a female scientist should never exist! An aunt, she aren’t! Scientific research into Paleobiology can only continue if her aunt works as a man. Nico’s passion for seeds and science becomes woven into her aunt’s research, but first they must escape pirates and work out how the myths shared by the crew impact them and connect the past and the future.
This is an interesting tale highlighting the plight of intelligent girls, women and scientists from the patriarchal world of the 19th century, but it is also an adventure on board a sailing ship, a friendship tale and a slightly fantastic meshing of myth and science, with a few fossils thrown in for good measure. Young readers can cope with the excursions into myth, especially as history almost seems like fantasy to them. The historical context of life for women in the 19th century may also be surprising for them. Mostly this book is about a feisty girl from another era who is passionate about science and learning new things. The scattered illustrations in the book sometimes contain small details that do not match the text but they are child-friendly and do not distract from the story. Science-loving readers aged 9-11 will be happily engaged by this different adventure.
Themes Paleobiology, Female scientists, Adventure, 19th Century, Mythology.
Carolyn Hull
My Peppa adventure
Penguin, 2022. ISBN: 9780241543498. (Age:2+)
Little children who love Peppa Pig have the opportunity to look at the pictures on the pages of this book, and choose their own adventures for Peppa.The very detailed and highly coloured pages start with the reader choosing where they would like to go – to a desert, to mountains, on a train trip, underwater and so on, giving adults an opportunity to talk about many different environments with their youngster. On the next double page spread the reader chooses which of Peppa’s family and friends to take on the adventure and from there the reader chooses what clothes to wear, what to eat and how to travel there, all making a story for the young child to decide on. Then there is a playground adventure and a choice of places to live, musical instruments to play, and a party and work adventure.
This is a great book to stimulate the imagination of young children and to extend their vocabularies, while giving them the opportunity to think about their preferences and make choices for themselves.
This collection of love stories was inspired, for Trent Dalton, by a time in which he was profoundly moved by a love story that someone had told him. Deciding to set up a table and some chairs on the footpath of a busy intersection in the city of Brisbane, Dalton added an advertisement: stating that he wanted to hear and collect people’s stories of love, if they were willing to tell these to him. Many people stopped and he was amazed by the tales that he was told, which led him to decide to include these in a book. Some stories are short, and others longer, as he writes the stories with a dedication to the idea of love, and to its profound effect on people’s lives.
While every story that he narrates, as told to him by the storytellers, speaks of love and its role in human life, others go further, and speak of the profound importance and effect of love on people’s lives. Each story reflects our human desire to experience love, to find romance, and for so many people this means sharing their lives with someone whom they love. So moved by the stories that he hears, he imagines and writes a powerful and moving creed for living in response to people’s ideas. Profound notions of what love is, and how powerfully love can move us to our deepest core, lead to his long statement about love, beginning with his revelatory understanding that changes his own thinking: beginning with 'I believe we are not alone in the universe …'. Over two pages his newly realised creed challenges the reader to both wonder and question what life is, what love is, and how we should live our lives. His eloquent language challenges us, to consider finding out what is our own idea of what life means, and what love is: moving, uplifting, and quite challengingly constructed.
Written during the time of 'Covid', Dalton’s work displays his notion that we should all be kind, compassionate and understanding of others, seeking to take our minds off the fear of illness and its aftereffects, to make the world at least appear as a safe and good place. His work reflects his character, and his sense of loving kindness as the heart of human experience and need, in turn reflecting the best example of humans rising above the evil, the awful experiences that so many people have been through, and most of all our capacity to offer goodness, kindness and love to others, in love’s many different forms. It is a different and wonderful book, appropriate for adolescent reading, and certainly an inspiring book for adults of all ages.
Themes Love, Short stories.
Elizabeth Bondar
Little Owl's new friend by Debi Gliori. Illus. by Alison Brown
Another in the Little Owl series (Little Owl’s egg, Little Owl’s bedtime and Little Owl’s bath time) will be welcomed by fans of the cute little owl. This time Little Owl is playing with Hedge his best friend and trying to get him to roar like a lion. Then Mummy Owl brings along Small Squirrel to play. Little Owl is not impressed and does not want to play with Small Squirrel, but Mummy tells him that she will feed the cinnamon buns that Small Squirrel has brought to the bears in the bushes. So off he goes, with Small Squirrel trailing behind him. Gradually Little Owl gets to know Small Squirrel who is very talkative and drags him off to hunt Snaffle-Worms. When Hush-Hush a ghost scares Small Squirrel Little Owl can protect her, and he begins to see how he could contribute to a new friendship.
The very cute illustrations by Alison Brown are delightful, full of bright and colourful images, and each character comes alive on the page. I loved the character of Small Squirrel, who talks so much. This is a personality type that children and adults will have come across and could be another point of discussion.
Making new friends can be fraught for some children and Little Owl’s new friend is an ideal book for adults to share with children and discuss the issues surrounding friendship.
A push, pull and slide book, Police Patrol is a winner for young children who are interested in adventure and policing, as well as having lots of fun vehicles to examine. When the City Bank is robbed it is up to the Police Patrol to go to the rescue and capture the robbers. Right from the front cover, the young reader is drawn into the action with a flap that pulls out revealing two police officers on motor bikes and a police car. Turning the page, a robber is seen climbing a ladder while the police get to work. There is also a chance for readers to answer a question about the number of police bikes in the picture, as well as pushing a police officer up and down in an escalator. On the next double page spread a helicopter appears in the sky guiding the police who are following the robbers, and once again the reader must answer a question and find where a robber is hiding. Another page has a push tab that makes the police lights turn on and the final page sees the robbers in goal.
The many ways of manipulating the colourful pictures are sure to delight a young child and the story is exciting and gives insights into police procedures, vehicles and personnel. No doubt this will stimulate some building of different objects out of Lego blocks.
Themes Police, Vehicles, Robberies.
Pat Pledger
Round the twist by Paul Jennings
Penguin, 1990. ISBN: 9780140342130. (Age:8-11)
I confess that I have watched many episodes of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation series Round the Twist. Many of the stories are part of my family’s folklore and I have enjoyed the simple and twisted humour created by the original author, Paul Jennings (with additional creative input from Producer and Script consultant, Esben Storm). This book tells three stories that inspired three programmes in the Round the Twist series. It also tells the backstory to the television and film-creation process from the perspective of the screenwriter and author of the original stories. With a resurgence of interest in the series due to Netflix exposure, young readers may be interested in finding out more about the screenwriter and the stories behind what they see.
Because of the divided focus of this book there is slight confusion in what to concentrate on as the pages are turned in this book. On the left side pages there is commentary about the film-making process and introduction to the actors involved. The three stories are printed on the right-hand pages. For a young reader this may create some distraction of their focus, but it won’t take them long to work out which page interests them most. The book is not high-powered literature, but may interest readers of humorous stories. This book is an ‘oldie’, republished after many years… but could comfortably reappear on library shelves.
Themes Short stories, Television, Scriptwriting, Humour.
One special day, Jarrah spends with Grandpa having adventures in the bush. But today, their special day, it is raining so much that they cannot go outside. Instead their imaginations soar as they have an adventure like no other, sailing away on a boat conjured out of leaves, a crown on Jarrah’s head, looking out for animals stranded by the flood. With her special words 'Ziggety Zoo kangaroo', she helps the animals climb the rocky island, then uses umbrellas to sail down into the water below, searching for the blocked drain causing the water to rise. Expecting to find a hole to unblock, Jarrah finds a reptile like animal sleeping and blocking the hole. She tickles it with a reed from her crowns and when he wakes the water sloshes like a whirlpool down the hole, and the animal which she calls Frilly, happily takes all the animals back to their home.
What an adventure. Eager eyes will seek out the things on the floor which gave rise to the bush adventure undertaken by Jarrah and her grandfather. And everyone has a well deserved nap.
The collage like illustrations have layers of intrigue and interest for young children. The intense detail invites young eyes to seek out the animals stranded on the rock, the detail beneath the sea, the toys in the lounge room. The soft illustrations reinforce Jarrah’s loving relationship with her grandfather, a touching focus of the story. More about Kylie’s work can be found here.
Kylie has art sessions in her backyard with her two young children and it is this work that finds itself in her illustrations. Often she uses her children’s art as inspiration for her own.
Themes Australian animals, Adventure, Imagination, Grandfathers, Art.
Bea is part of a huge musical family and does not yet know what shape her music will take but she is eager to start.
An old saying that when a student is ready, a teacher appears is at the heart of this story as Bea finds her music teacher in Gus, the cat ghost who lives in the piano. He is certainly not the teacher Bea expects.
Bea’s older sister, Isla plays the violin and when Bea tries to accompany her with the triangle, she is rejected. Undaunted she finds a piano, smelling vaguely of mouse and sits down to play. Maestro Gus appears and directs her fingers to play just one note. That note, like a tear falling from a star, is enough to wake the piano, and sounds emanate from the instrument, filling the void.
The sounds are deliciously described and eventually Gus sees Isla who recognises him and follows the music to Bea. This time she is far more supportive of her little sister and they make music together.
This is a wonderful story about imagination and following your dreams, as Bea keeps trying until she finds the instrument she wants to play. Children will be immersed in her quest as they read the text and see the ethereal illustrations which flow over each page. This stunning visual feast accompanies an impressive text: watercolour used in conjunction with pen and pencil drawings bring to life the young girl and her search for her musical heart.
For more information about Caroline and her book go hereand watch an introduction to the book by the author, Caroline Magerl. Classroom ideas are available.
