Hush, Little Dragon – Boni Ashburn

I have been reading the cute book to Daniel this week just before he goes to bed and we are loving it. He is my little dragon and I am his Mama. It can be read or sung to the tune of “Hush, little baby” It begins....

Hush, Little dragon, don't make a sound,
Mama's gonna bring you a princess she found.
If that princess runs from you,
Mama's gonna bring you a knight or two”

Ashburn has included lots of traditional dragon delicacies such a princesses, knights, kings, queens and musketeers, added lots of fire breathing and clever rhymes such as magician/nutrition and queen/cuisine. Kelly Murphy's illustrations of the google-eyed dragons with blue and white striped horns are quirky and not at all scary for little ones.

Dragons are different from humans, but in the story Mama dragon does what any mother does....feeds her children, defends them, keeps them safe, and protects them through the night. A lovely book to be memorized and cherished.

Highly Recommended for ages 3-6.          8/10 

Yarning Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti - Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain

In the area where I live yarn bombing is becoming quite popular. Fences, bike racks, poles, parking meters and trees are all being decorated by yarn graffiti. It has even come to the attention of the local newspaper. Being an occasional knitter, and having some extra time up my sleeve the idea of beautifying the council with knitted handiwork is appealing.

Yarn Bombing by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain is just what I need to get some inspiration and get started. Like regular paint graffiti, yarn graffiti has different purposes from activism, to tagging and decoration and this book gives lots of examples of these purposes. The book includes interviews with prolific yarn bombers, their reasons for engaging in yarn art and their styles of graffiti.

For me the most important part is how to get a crew together and take my yarn into the street. There is a chapter on how to decide on patterns, measuring your tagging targets, attaching your yarn and what to do if you are caught! Although patterns and tags differ depending on your target the book gives loads of patterns. There are patterns for basic rectangular tags for those new to knitting/crocheting or new to yarn graffiti and they progress to master tagging patterns such as hanging shoes (as seen on the cover) to mushrooms and elf stockings.

The book is full of colourful photographic examples of yarn graffiti to inspire creativity and appreciation of this art form and I can't wait to get started.
8/10

There are cats in this book – Viviane Schwarz

This little treasure is my families favourite find so far, this year. It is of course about cats. Now I am not a cat person, I'm not a dog person either. If anything I am a chicken person. Chooks are so gorgeous and useful...they eat leftovers and make eggs for us to eat....however I digress. Cats!
Actually, now that I think about it, since Geelong, the (not so mighty) Cats won the Australian Football League (AFL) grand final this month it is probably quite a fitting book to blog about this month.
The three cats in this book are friendly and are looking for nice people to play with them and help them. There are lift the flaps and half pages to turn which bring surprises both to the cats and to the reader. The cats interact with the reader, getting the reader to help them to find wool, cardboard boxes, pillows and fish and to divert disaster.
Viviane Schwarz reads this book on her website so click here to preview the book. But it really is a book you need to hold and turn the pages, so look for it at your local library
Highly recommended for ages 2-8.        9/10  

Maudie and Bear – Jan Ormond

This book reminds me of the picture books that I read when I was young and I found that unsatisfying.  I think that picture books have evolved since I was a child, they are brighter, more educational, more fun.  I love today's version of the picture book. Don't get me wrong there were some great picture books back in the day, such as Morris Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Perhaps I wasn't exposed to good picture books as a child. We did have a very large collection of Little Golden Books! Maudie and Bear reminds me of books such as 'Noddy'; and 'Frog and Toad' and I did enjoy these as a child but I think that my children have a much better selection of books to choose from.
Maudie and Bear is a collection of short stories about a little girl called Maudie and a bear that she lives with. Bear is an interesting character who is somewhere between a parental figure and a friend. Maudie takes bear a bit for granted (like children do they parents), she makes him do all the work, makes unrealistic demands of him, and has tantrums.  The book contains short stories of adventures and outings that Maudie and bear do together. Each little story could be a book in itself. It is a long book to read in one session for small children but it is targeted at them and their identification with Maudie.
The illustrations by Freya Blackwood are delightful with sketchy ink outlines filled with water colour. Although not sepia, it has a brown/orange tone to the illustrations that is reminiscent of an old fashion book but it still manages to be light and breezy.
Overall I found the book disappointing. My children have better than average attention spans but Maudie and Bear couldn't hold it for long.

Recommended for ages 5-7.                       6/10

Family Forest – Kim Kane

What a delightful book explaining the make up of modern families. The story is about a young boy who is explaining to his classmates who is in his family. He begins drawing a picture of himself on a piece of paper and then starts on the other members. He simply explains what half sisters are, that whole sisters aren't full of holes, funny dads, step mothers, mum which get called by their first name, what a partner is, and big brothers don't have to be giants. The boys picture has ended up quite complex but that is not how he sees it, he believes that instead of a family tree he has a family forest!
I love the way the words and illustrations connect so well in this story. The illustrations are by Lucia Mascuillo in ink and watercolours. The picture help explain the story and family relationships as well as adding humour to the book. For example half-sisters are originally drawn with only half a body, step-mothers are thin and shaped like steps or look like a wicked with. The boy is quick to explain that they are not like that. These illustrations resulted in lots of giggles in our family.
This book is a fantastic way to explore family relationships. Our immediate family is Mum, Dad, and three children but our extended family has half-cousins, foster cousins, and step-grandparents so these concepts that can applied to our family and the children had fun working these relationships out.
We loved this book and it was read again and again in our house! It is short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the year and I think that it might be a winner. It is in the same category as Mirror by Jeannie Baker which is another fantastic book and I think there will be a real competition between these two books and Family Forest may come runner up.
Highly recommended for ages 5-10.        9/10

My Uncle's Donkey – Tohby Riddle

A very peculiar book about a donkey that belongs to the narrator's Uncle and is allows in the house. The donkey is allowed to do almost anything in the house but is largely ignored by the uncle as there is no interaction between the donkey and the uncle. Perhaps the uncle is oblivious to the donkey or maybe the donkey is a figment of the child narrator's imagination. The donkey is quite an exuberant character that has lots of fun in the house, doing everyday things but with a cheeky attitude.
The illustrations are drawn with ink, charcoal and pencil with some bold acrylic paints. They are mostly grey tones and some splashes of colour which as mostly red. The donkey is a cute character and reminds me of old cartoon donkeys with big wide eyes. Actually I loved the grey donkey wearing 4 red and white striped socks! Within the illustration the author has also included some famous (or not so famous) objects such as van Gogh's Sunflowers, a Charlie Chaplin movie image, and the Portland Vase (I hadn't heard of this one but apparently it is the world's most valuable vase).
The sunflowers get eaten and the vase is juggled and breaks. It is humour like this that makes this book appeal to both children and to the adults reading the book to them..
The book was inspired by a story Riddle told his 6 year old daughter about what a donkey could get up to when let inside. I don't think that this book will win the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year but it is well worth reading and is a lot of fun.
Recommended for children 5-8 (and their parents)          7/10

The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies – Tom Niland Champion & Kilmeny Niland. Pictures by Deborah Niland

A wonderfully ridiculous story that grabbed me from the start. Why would a tall man have 12 babies? All the girl babies are identical and called Charlene. All the boy babies are identical and called Alister. (Perhaps here I start to read too much into this story but I can imagine that there are only 2 babies Charlene and Alister but to the Tall Man it seems like 12!)
As for all parents, there are good days where everyone is happy and bad days where everyone yells, even the Tall Man. After one particularly difficult day the Tall Man scoops up all the Charlene's and goes outside, only to have the door slam shut! Fortunately there is a cat-flap in the door. However, as the tall man cannot get the Alisters attention to get the keys inside, he tries to fit though the door-flap (after all he is tall and lanky). But not lanky enough as he gets stuck in the middle. This is a delightful thing for the children where the Charlenes slide on his legs and the Alisters played with his curly hair. It is up to the tall man to co-ordinate his children to help him out of this tight situation.
This book is a family affair written by Tom and his mother Kilmeny and illustrated by Kilmeny's twin sister Deborah. Deborah has done bold ink and water colour illustrations. We all laughed at the illustration of all the babies almost pulling the Tall Man in two. And we all loved the Tall Man's curly psychedelic hair which contrasts to the bold colours used in the rest of the pictures.
This was a hit on our house, had us all giggling at the Charlenes and Alisters who are full of baby cuteness.
This book has been short listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year: Early Childhood category and I think that this book has a great chance of winning along with Look See, Look at Me! It is hard comparing books when it comes to awards as this book appeals to an older reading age than Look See, Look at Me! I am glad I am not on the judging panel!
Highly recommend this book for ages 4-9.             8/10

It's Bedtime William! – Deborah Niland

Another book that is based on children's behaviour that parents are every familiar with and children can relate to. William always has an excuse for why he can't go to bed – he is not tired, he's thirsty, he wants another story, and so the excuses go on. His parents are firm, and need to be, to make sure that William goes to bed. But one day William really has an excuse for not wanting to go to bed....there is already someone in his bed. His parents send him back to his room believing it is just another excuse so William has to deal with the LION by himself. Initially they have lots of fun playing but when it is time for bed, Lion is not tired as he has already had a little nap in Williams bed. William learns what it is like for his parents when Lion tries all the excuses that William has used in the past.
The text is supported by ink and water colour illustrations and I like the way that the Lion and William's similarities are emphasised not only in their behaviour but in their style of hair.
This is not one of those books where they similarities between William and the Lion are missed by younger children as my 5 year old son's comment was “Now William has to be the Mum and Dad”
We all had lots of fun reading this book where we would make up lots of excuses and copy some of Lion's and William's excuses of why we couldn't go to bed.
This books is short-listed for The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year:Early Childhood award. Although it is a fun book, I think that there are others in the list that will win the award.
Recommended for children aged 4-7.              7/10

Look See, Look at Me – Leonie Norrington and Dee Huxley

Ask any parent and they'll tell you that their children grow up too fast. You just have to blink and they have moved from baby to toddler and before you know it they are at school. For toddlers it can't happen soon enough especially if they have big sisters or brothers. All they want to do is to grow up and be able to do the things that their older siblings can do. Leonie Norrington has captured this desire perfectly in her new book.
The little boy in the story has just turned three and there are so many things he can do now that he is bigger, such as running, hopping, and climbing trees. The story has minimal words on each page and there is a lovely gentle rhyming to the little boys actions. The pride that the boy has at being able to do all these things speaks loudly from the page. This is due in part to the soft pastel illustrations by Dee Huxley. They are presented on coloured card with a lovely red earthy colours that is reminiscent of the northern Australian outback. The boy in the story lives in an indigenous community and the background illustrations, to his amazing abilities now he is bigger, show the richness of community life.
One great thing what we did after a few reads was acting out the story. My five year old son would jump, bump, wiggle giggle, hop and flop with the main character just to show me that he too could do all these things. “Mum! Look see, Look at me!”
This book has been short listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Early Childhood and I think has a great chance at winning.
An absolutely beautiful book that I would highly recommend for children aged 2-5.      8/10

Mirror – Jeannie Baker

Mirror is a collage picture book, the type that Jeannie Baker is renown for. It mirrors the lives of two boys and their families one who lives in a city in Australia and one that lives in Morocco. Their lives are very different but there are some things that connect them.....some things are the same for all families no matter where they live.
The book is a visual feast! So many things too look at, marvel and compare. There are pages on mealtimes, travel, and shopping, baking, and home routines. Linking the two stories together is a carpet that is woven by the family in Morocco, is sold, and makes its way to a shop in Australia where it is bought by the other family.
The collages are constructed layer by layers using a combination of natural and artificial materials such as sand, dirt, plant material, fabric, wool, tin and plastic. They are then photographed to collate into the finished book.
The book is wonderfully presented. Both sides of the book open out. The left side of the book opens like all English books and shows the pictures of the Australian family. The pages on the right hand side of the book depict the Moroccan family and opens how most Arabic books are read, from back to front from right to left. This allows both sides to be opened simultaneously so that the families can be compared.
This book was always out of the book box and my children would keep returning to it to look at the pictures and to find something new. It was my 9 year old how pointed out that the carpet appears in both sides of the story.
A fantastic book for all ages that is short listed for the Australian Children's Book Association's: Picture Book of the Year and I think it is almost a certainty to win. 10/10

Noni the Pony – Alison Lester

“Noni the Pony is friendly and funny. Her shimmering tail is the colour of honey.” And so we are introduced to Noni the Pony with strong and simple rhyming text. She lives on a farm on Waratah Bay with her friends Coco the Cat and Dave Dog who she plays with most of the day. The book draws of the experience of the author, Alison Lester who grew up on a farm by the sea and had early experiences with horses.
The story line uses very clean rhyming words so the children will be able to guess what the last word of the second line is. The illustrations of the characters are bold and bright and are stuck on to a softer toned background. I especially like the twilight backgrounds that Lester has used in the later pages.
However I found Noni the Pony uninspiring. Perhaps I am judging this book a little too harshly because it is up for an Children's Book Council of Australian award. It is a lovely presented book and there is a lot of poor quality children's book in print and I would not but this book in that category. Perhaps the story is too straight forward but nothing really seems to happen. But I am also not a horse person and neither are the little ones in my family.
It was read only once in our household and although it sat in our book box for a few weeks it wasn't pull out and requested to be read again.     6/10

This book is  short listed Book of the Year: Early Childhood by the Children's Book Council of Australia.
To view the book being read click here.

House of night series – P.C Cast and Kristin Cast

For the best part of the last two weeks I have immersed myself in the dramas of the House of Night. And I do mean the best part in terms of time and in terms of it been the highlight of the last few weeks. When I haven't been reading them, I have been thinking of the characters and what was going to happen and what I would do it the situation. I haven't experienced that about a series for a while, but perhaps it is also because I have been flooded by the story. I have read the eight books in the series and the last one with bated breath as I thought the story was coming to a conclusion. Wrong! These is still more to go and the next book “Destined” is due our at the end of October!
So.....why do I like the books so much
I really related to the heroine of the story, Zoey Redbird, is strong, loyal and far from perfect She makes mistakes, she keeps secrets she probably shouldn't, she is confused about love and the boys in her life, and when she cries she snots a lot. She is a 16 year old who becomes marked – that is chosen out of the human race because she will, in time, become a vampyre. It is a literal mark - the outline of a blue crescent moon that appears of her forehead. She must leave her present life and live at a school for fledglings (vampyres in the making). A fledgling needs to be strong to survive the change or they may die and being close to other vampyres makes fledglings stronger.  Before Zoey arrives at the school however she is visited by the goddess Nix (a sort of good Gaian mother nature type being) and her blue crescent moon tattoo becomes filled in – something that doesn't usually happen until a fledgling becomes a vampyre. So from the start Zoey is marked as special and she is also given unique gifts not seen in a fledgling before.
Like most heroines Zoey is supported by a group of friends who become known as the nerd herd. These friends are also specially blessed by the goddess Nix. There is her BFF Stevie Rae, studious Damien, fashionista 'twins' Shaunee and Erin, rich and bitchy Aphrodite, exuberant Jack, boyfriend Erik, and human ex-boyfriend Heath. I loved the interactions between these characters and how they develop (with some very unexpected developments) though the series.
The plot follows the age old idea of good verses evil, Light verses Darkness. However evil isn't devoid of Light and good can also be touched by Darkness. The authors are not afraid to kill off characters or allow characters to have a change of heart. And this plays out in the unexpected twists and turns in the plot. I did have one point of issue about the portrayal and treatment of one of Zoey's boyfriends who had become my favourite, however as the plot progressed in made sense, much to my dismay. As for the uncontrollable urge to continue reading book after book, the authors delight in leaving the reader hanging at the end of the novel (thus my long reading sessions into the wee hours of the morning).
I can't say too much about the books or the characters without revealing spoilers but if you love vampire fiction you will LOVE this series. 8/10

The books in the series can be found on the House of Night website

The Unidentified – Rae Mariz

As a mother of a teenager the premise of this books is frightening. Imagine that the government no longer has any budget to contribute to education. Along come big business corporations that offer to take over the education of the nation. School becomes one huge market for these corporations to advertise their products as well as getting some education content into the day. These corporations secretly monitor every ones friendships and activities. The school are run like one big social networked computer game where points are awarded to students based on their performance. It is actually becomes called the Game. Completing assignments will get you points but you can get easier points from competing in games and competitions that may or may not have educational value. Popularity is the key as corporations target trend-setters with their products such as touch screen devices, clothing, make-up, sports gear. This is called being 'branded' and is the dream of almost every student.
Katey, aka Kid, isn't really interested in being branded, in fact she just wants to make music and hang out with her small group of friends. However an anti-establishment event of a mock suicide that protests the power structure in the school by the 'Unidentified' makes her question the whole educational game and she strives to find out who this group is. In doing so such is identified as a trend-setter and is 'branded'. This is the last thing she wants and it isolates her from her close friends but it is an answer to her families tight financial situation. She soon discovers that being branded means that she gives up the rights to her ideas, her privacy and her identity. In finding out the identity of the “Unidentified” she tries to revolt against the situation she has found herself in, without loosing herself.
I was attracted to this book's dystopian society where the possibility that education could be taken over and young people exploited by big business is very real. It contains some of the big issues for every teen that of identification. Who are we? What defines us? How important are our friend? How important are our families? How do I know what is right or wrong?
The Game seems addictive and is perhaps reminiscent of Facebook and Twitter in the way that students communicate and network together with mobile devices such as ipads which gives sense that this scenario could happen in the not-to-distant future.
Here's hoping that education never gets mixed with big marketing corporations. And if it does that there are students such as Kid who don't get sucked in. 7/10

Flying with paper wings – Sandy Jeffs

Sandy Jeffs has written a very readable book that gives readers an insight of what it is like to live with a mental illness. Sandy's life hasn't been easy. She grew up in rural Australia in a home marked with domestic violence and alcoholism. She overcame a stammer as a child and had to deal with a traumatic experience of sexual abuse as a young teenager. Leaving all this behind she begins a new life in the city to attend university. However this new life soon falls apart with the onset of schizophrenia. Sandy shares what it was like to be floridly psychotic, what it was like to be highly medicated, her experiences of institutions and the continual fear of falling into madness again when she was balanced well with medication.

One of the things that Sandy shares throughout the books is her poetry. It was, and still is, something that she used to express her emotions, her confusion, her pain, her sadness and her anger. Sandy still struggles against schizophrenia, and it is a daily challenge to find the balance between medication and madness. Through her poetry and writing Sandy has become an advocate for those with mental illness and the improvement of mental health services in Australia and speaks regularly of her experiences.

Overall the tone of the book is sombre – there is a lot of pain in this book. However now Sandy can look at her illness and the things that she has achieved with her poetry and writing and wonder if it wasn't for schizophrenia would she have been able to achieve this. As the reader I was left with the feeling of strength in the way that Sandy manages her madness, with the support of long term friends, of good doctors and with her ability to reflect and share her journey
8/10

Where's Mum? - Libby Gleeson & Craig Smith

Today Dad picks up everyone from childcare and they think Mum will beat them home. However Mum isn't there when they get back. The children begin imaging what could have delayed Mum using nursery rhymes and fairytales. Perhaps she is helping Jack and Jill to fetch a pail of water, or helping Humpty who had a great fall, or she could be having porridge with the three bears. The longer Mum is delayed the darker the ideas becomes especially when they think about the big bad wolf. When Mum does finally come home, she has a whole lot of friends with her.
It is Craig Smith's illustrations that make this book awesome! Mum meets lots of different characters walking home in their town. And Dad and the children are eating and getting ready for bed. I love that their house is just like mine – toys strewn everywhere, dishes left in the lounge, clothes in a pile waiting to be folded. It makes me feel normal! My kids loved looking at the pictures and laughing at what Mum is getting up to.
9/10

My Aussie Mum - Yvonne Morrison

You've got to admit that we Aussies are a little bit different. We live for the weekends, love a good barbie with family and friends, as long as the footy is on in the background in winter and the cricket in summer. We are supposed to be a laid-back bunch who's catch cry is 'no worries' or 'she'll be right'. So......what makes an Aussie Mum? According to Morrison she is a woman who is enthusiastic and involved in everything. She's a ripper who is tough as nails, always looks ace even in trackie daks, a battler who is busy day and night, a cricket fan, and someone who always knows when her kids are chucking sickies.
This book is a celebration of mums and is cute in the way it uses colloquial sayings. However these were lost on my younger children who didn't understand what these meant. It was a bit of a worry that my four year old didn't know what 'ace' meant. I must add it to my vocabulary again. The illustrations by Nicola Bright were humorous and added to the meanings of the story. They portrayed a quirky woman who was passionate about raising her kids, looking after herself, and getting involved in everything.
Overall, it was an ace concept for a book, however, the Aussie sayings were not known well enough by the children the book is aimed at. 6/10

Monkey Puzzle – Julia Donaldson

Such a delightfully funny book that we loved, especially the wonderful ending.
Baby monkey has lost his Mum somewhere in the forest. A lovely blue butterfly want to help monkey to find her and asks monkey to describe her. What follows is to the reader a hilarious selection of mothers that the butterfly thinks may belong to monkey – an elephant, a python, a spider, a parrot, a frog and a bat. Butterfly isn't silly but she is just using baby monkey's descriptions to help find his mother.. Finally in frustration baby monkey exclaims “Butterfly, butterfly, can't you see? None of these creatures looks like me!” The poor butterfly is very confused as she had no idea that baby monkey's mother looked like him because …........ you guessed it. None of butterfly's babies look like her!
The illustrations are done by Axel Scheffler who has successfully teamed up with Julia Donaldson for many of her books (The Gruffulo, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale). They are big and bright jungle scenes and I especially like the big bright eyes of the animals.
The story is told is such a way that the reader begins to realise that there is something important that baby monkey is leaving out of his description of his mother and the children get excited at the anticipation of how monkey's mother will be found.
We loved it. 9/10

I Spy Mum! - Janeen Brian

It's May and in Australia that means Mother's Day. In tribute to all those mother's out there I am going to review some books about Mum's this month

Whenever we have a few minutes to wait, say at a doctor's clinic, or in the car a game of eye spy usually helps to pass the time away. When the kids were younger it was often I spy something red".... or blue....or green. Once they got older it progressed to "I spy something that starts with P".... or S.... or T. Sometime we'd have a great laugh when the kids who were just learning their alphabet sounds got it slightly wrong. Like clock starting with K or car that starts with S (because my son used to stay sars instead of cars.
So reading a book that incorporates a game that we all know is a winner. The little boy in the story spies something that starts with M and that is Mums. But which one is his. He spies many Mums doing lots of things such as making and baking, bopping and shopping, riding and sliding, but none of them belong to him. Where could she be?
Chantal Stewart's illustrations are delightful. She brings to life mum's from all walks of life, different shapes and sizes, different countries and doing a variety of activities with their children.
We enjoyed the gentle rhyming words and the illustrations with details that allowed us to play I spy within the pages. 8/10

Rapunzel's revenge – Shannon and Dean Hale

This is a wonderful graphic novel (a story with pictures – kind of a book length comic book) that modernizes the tale of Rapunzel. Rapunzel lives with her mother Gothel in a house with an enormous garden walled off from the world. One day Rapunzel adventures over the wall to see a world that is in slavery to Gothel. Gothel has growth magic, the power to made things grow or to stop things growing. To keep her subjects in line Gothel has made the surrounding lands barren. . During her escape Rapunzel has a chance meeting with her real mother who works as a slave for Gothel in her mines. Rapunzel decides that all this has to stop but before she can take action she is captured by Gothel's guards. When she refuses to be a part of Gothel's empire she is taken far away into a tree tower. Here she remains until her hair grows and she escapes. She is very naive in the ways of the world and is befriended by Jack (of the beanstalk fame). He becomes her partner in crime and social justice. Rapunzel becomes a hero, righting wrongs and saving the innocent, as she heads towards Gothel's Reach to free her mother.
The story is set in the Wild West with horses, guns and bandits. Rapunzel fits right in using her hair like a lasso. The dialogue is fun and witty and is complemented with illustrations by Nathan Hale (who is no relation to the authors)
An exciting and adventurous tale that retains the magic and romance of the original fairytale. 8/10

I am Number Four – Pitticus Lore

I am not at all surprised that this book has been made into a movie it has all the making of a suspenseful action movie – alien domination, aliens hiding among humans, love, superpowers, guns, and monsters.
The book sets itself up to be real (and perhaps it is for all I know) written by a Lorien Elder about the Lorien Nine, children who were sent to earth to hid from the Mogadorians who had invaded their planet. In order to protect them the children were charmed. As long as they lived separately from each other they needed to be killed in order. Each child would know when one of the nine died as a symbol would appear on their ankle. We meet number 4 and his guardian (or Cepan) Henri just before number 3 is killed. They need to move and find a place where they can blend in. It is a pattern with them that they move regularly to stay ahead of the Mogadorians searching for them. Number 4 chooses the name John Smith and they move to Paradise, Ohio. Here John fits in more than he ever has before, makes his first ever friend and falls in love. However it here that John comes into the beginning of his Legacies – powers and abilities that every Lorien Garde develops.
He is learning how to master these while not drawing any attention to himself which will lead the Mogadorians to him. However when someone he loves is threatened he exposes himself and draws the Mogadorians to him.
A very quick paced and easy book to read that has undertones of saving the planet's resources from technology loving, greedy aliens. I am a bit of a purist as I like to read the book, before I see the movie. I am sure the movie will be as successful as the book as when I was reading I could see the scenes playing out on the screen.
7/10

How do Dinosaurs........ series – Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

There is something magical about dinosaurs, these amazing animals that look like the dragons of make-believe but lived millions and millions of years ago. I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs and was one of the first to go out and see Jurassic Park (and got scared silly!). Now I have a little boy who has shown a little bit of interest in dinosaurs so I am flooding him with dino toys, The Land Before Time movies and of course dinosaur books. Now if you put a dinosaur in the story, my son will listen for hours. Yolen and Teague have hit on a bit of a winner here with their How Do Dinosaurs series.

 

The basic story progression is similar with each of the stories where questions are asked such as “How do dinosaurs say goodnight” and the story suggests ways in which the dinosaur may respond that are negative or naughty. The second half of the book asserts that he doesn't do this and goes on to say how the dinosaur reacts positively to the given situation. It is soon evident that the dinosaur is a metaphor for a child, especially since all the dinosaurs parents are people.

Mark Teague's illustrations are bright and large. Into each page he has incorporated the name of the type of dinosaur in the illustration, which is great for little dinosaur experts.

The series so far includes 16 different titles such as:

How do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends

How do Dinosaurs Say I Love You

How do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food

How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight

How do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms

How do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon

How do Dinosaurs Go to School

The stories are lovely though at times seem a little too directed at getting the correct behaviour for kids. I wonder whether kids realize that the story is trying to socialize them into the correct behaviours or if they enjoy the naughty dinosaurs.

Reccommended for ages 4 -6. 7/10

Matched – Ally Condie

Unlike the heroine of my last post, Cassia is a lovely girl who is popular and has always followed the rules. And the rules in Cassia's world are strict. She lives on a future earth that has reinvented itself. There was far too much information in the world so now all they have is the 100 stories, top 100 paintings, 100 poems, and 100 songs. Everything else has been erased from the human record, gone forever. This was based on the premise 'how can we anything fully, if we are overwhelmed with too much'. Life is regimented. There is allocated time for work, for school, for recreation and sleep. A time for getting married and having children (though people can choose to be 'a Single'), and a time to die (when you are 80). Food is allocated that contains the right amount of nutrients and calories per person and is delivered to homes at specified times. It is all controlled by the Society.
Cassia has waited for her Matching Day her whole life.  When she is 17 she attends a banquet and is presented with her Match that has been determined by the Society and takes into account genetics, character and interests. Cassia is surprised to find that her match is her best friend. Xander. They are excited. However when she opens an electronic document about her match another face flashes up as her match, someone she also knows. However, just as if it is a glitch in the system the face disappears and is replaced by Xander. However now Cassia cannot get this other face out of her thoughts and then finds herself drawn to the owner – Ky. However Ky can never be matched as he is an Aberation, someone who has caused an infraction against the Society. This is the start of where Cassia starts to question all that she has been lead to believe by the Society, especially when she discovers at her grandfather's Final Banquet where he will die, that he has hidden a poem other than the 100 poems.
An absolutely riveting book. I was fascinated by the futuristic Earth that Condie has invented and each chapter unveiled new ways that the Society regimented life. A love triangle always makes for a good plot line, one that I have found in a lot of the teen fiction I have been reading. Cassia finds herself stuck between her best friend who is her Match and the boy she loves but can never marry. Finally Cassia must make a decision that will effect her life and all those in it.
9/10

Skinned – Robin Wasserman

Apart from the main character being shallow, unlikeable, self-centered and has a poor me attitude this would make a good story. It is a miracle beautiful, popular, seventeen year old Lia Kahn is alive after a horrific accident but her new body is a machine which looks human but nothing inside is organic. It doesn't even look like Lia but she will never age and can't die. Lia still feels like herself but in a different body. Slowly Lia adjust to her new body but she doesn't have the same sensations anymore, and her body reacts differently now. Everyone around Lia tries to adjust to the new Lia her family and friends and just as Lia starts to accept herself as 'human' she is shunned by her friends and boyfriend. No one understands that she is still the same person underneath. She is introduced to other 'Mechs' who embrace who they are but Lia is still struggling with who she I. Is she still human? Lia is rejected by the human world and cannot accept life in the other. Her only friend is a human Auden who is fasincated with who she is. It is only another tragic event that forces Lia to chose where she belongs.
Skinned is a novel about identity and what it means to be human. However most of the humans in the story are unlikeable and shallow and Lia's sister is horrible. It is the Mech's that are more real and in her interactions with them that Lia acts more human. The concepts are great and I am interested in finding out more about Lia's story, however I hope that Lia gets over herself so that I can enjoy the story..
6/10

Owl Babies – Martin Waddell

Sometimes the thing that makes good bedtime story is reading a book that is suited to your family. This is one of my favourite books to read to our kids simply because I change some of the words. There are three baby owls who are the stars of the book ant their names are Sarah, Percy and Bill. As I have three children, in my version of the story the owls are called Laura, Aliyah and Daniel.  Don't be afraid to change the words or character names when you are reading books to your little one.  They love it as it helps them to relate more to the story and can bring some more fun to your reading time.
In Owl Babies the baby owls live with their mummy owl in a tree hollow. One night they wake up and Mummy owl is gone and they are a little anxious. Bill the youngest needs the most comforting as all he can say is that he wants his mummy. Sarah is the oldest and tells the others she thinks mummy has gone to get them food. Percy is reassured by Sarah and often agrees with her thinking (as all owls think a lot) However the longer she is away the more anxious they owlets get and wonder if mummy owl has been harmed in anyway.
I love taking my children on this story journey as it has a happy ending. Patrick Benson has depicted the most gorgeous fluffy feathery owls that remind me of my gorgeous children. Especially the youngest owl who just loves his mummy and wants her close to him. This is so much like my Daniel who loves is mummy 'a googolplex of mosts' (This is the largest number he knows, and yes, he is becoming geeky just like his father)  I am enjoying his adoration of me as much as I can because in a few years he won't be so eager for cuddles and snuggles.
A great book to read while snuggling. 8/10.

Five Minutes' Peace - Jill Murphy

I think this book has a really important message which, as a Mum of three children, I could really relate to – getting a bit of 'time out' from the kids. Mrs Large enters the kitchen to find her children having breakfast and it isn't a pleasant sight. Instead of demanding they tidy up she makes up a tray of tea and cake for herself and heads to the bathroom to relax in the bath. However in no time at all her children find her and want to share special things with her. Before you know it all three children are in the bath. So what is a mother elephant to do, but leave her children to play and head downstairs where she gets a few minutes peace.

It is so important as parents to make sure that we have time for ourselves and to top up energy reserves. When our kids are little long moments like are few and far between so finding a few minutes in the day may be all we get, but sometimes is all we need to retain our sanity. Mrs Large does very well listening to her children share special achievements we we as adults know all she wants to do is soak in the tub. I admire her! The illustrations are bright and colourful with lots of detail. I found it an empowering story, but my 4 year old did not. His first comment was “I don't like that story.” Daniels interpretation of the story was that the Mummy elephant didn't like her children as she didn't want to be with them. And you always want to be with the ones you love. He wasn't able to understand that you might not want to be with someone even if you love them.   He would like to be surrounded by everyone he loves all the time.

On the upside it did give rise to a great conversation about how sometimes even though Mummies and Daddies love their children they need to have some time together. And sometimes they want to have some time to relax by themselves. He still doesn't really understand this and I think he thinks that adults are strange.

Definitely an example of how adults and children view books differently. Anyway, I am off to have a bath and hopefully the kids don't notice :)
7/10

The Island – Armin Greder

What a dark, disturbing but thought-provoking book. With the story being about an island I can't help but draw comparisons between the story and Australia. One morning the people of the island awake to find a man had come ashore on a raft and he was not like them. They suggest that they send him back to where he came from, justifying that he wouldn't like it so far away from his people. A fisherman sticks up for the man, as he realises that to send him away would be sending him to his death. They take him to a goat pen, tell him to stay there and go back to their normal lives. Days later he comes to town because of he is hungry, The man causes fear and panic and the people don't want to feed him because if they feed everyone who came along they wouldn't have enough for themselves. They can't find away he could work for his food as everyone assumes that the man had no skills and he would frighten people. So they lock him up in the goat pen and feed him scraps. Even though he is locked up fear among the people increases as people gossip and tell stories until the people are so frightened that they force the man onto his raft and out to sea.
However the story does not end here. Because of their fear they burn their own fishing boats, refuse to each fish from the sea that brought the man and build a great wall around their island and shoot any bird that come near so that no-one will ever find their island again.
I felt really sad after reading this book, about the depravity of people. How Xenophobia causes people to reject those that are different to them and to become selfish and leads them to cut themselves off from the world and the wonderful experiences that it has to offer. With the way Australia is so non-accepting of refugees it is both a timely and a cautionary tale. When we reject those in need, that often come be boat, and refuse to share the wealth that we have we lose something of our humanity and make the world a sadder and darker place. The illustrations lend themselves to this darker place with the sombre colours sketch in charcoal, especially the ominous sea that is the threat that brings unwanted people who are different.
Although a picture book it is aimed at older readers (12+) and evokes passionate feelings of unfairness, human rights, anger and sadness.
9/10.

Whoever you are – Mem Fox

This is a lovely book that introduces young children to the concept of cultural diversity. It is addressed to “Little one” and it has a simple message about little ones around the world. Children's skin, homes, schools, lands, lives, and languages may all be different from yours. They smile and laugh, hurt and cry just like you, they feel joy and love and have pain just like you. However inside their hearts they are just like you 'whoever they are, where ever they are all over the world'
It is easy for children (and adults) to see suffering and disasters in other countries, but to see that they look so different to us, and that their homes look different and their language is different and think that they mustn't think or hurt like we do. This book reminds us all that that isn't the case and on the inside we are not very different at all.
I am not very taken by the illustrations that were painted by Leslie Staub. The main storyteller is a man with a cloud suit and a Stetson hat that I find odd. However, she has included children from many nationalities in her paintings and I especially like the page with children around a painting of the world. I only had access to the board book, but in other formats the paintings are set into golden frames with jewels which would complement them well.
I love that the book has story poem feel to it without actually rhyming and children can join in with the repetition. It is aimed at young children and highlights the similarities between people rather than the differences. 8/10

All of us – Michael Lawrence

This week is Cultural Diversity week in Victoria so I thought I would go with a theme this week with my posts of “cultural diversity”. One of the things that I love about living in the northern suburbs of Melbourne is the eclectic mix on people, food and traditions that I see everyday. On my street alone there are people who were born in Australia, Lebanon, Italy, Greece, The Maldives, Malta, and England (and they are just the neighbours I know). I live close to Sydney Road are are able to enjoy food from around the world: Turkish, Chinese, Lebanese, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Italian, Greek, to name a few. I think I live in one of the best places in the world.
Michael Lawrence was inspired to start a photo expose of people who called Australia home after the racial riots at Cronulla beach in December 2005. He saw this as ugly and very un-Australian and wanted to understand more about Australia today and the people who lived here. His goal was to take a photo of at least one person of each nationality who now call Australia home. The person had to be born in their country of origin and chosen to make Australia their home.
Lawrence has included more than 220 photos in his book. The photos cover the whole page and are organized according to geographical location such as Europe, Oceania, Middle East etc. Each photo is taken in a place that is familiar to that person, in most cases their homes. Some have chosen to wear traditional clothing from their country of origin and others have chosen to be photographed in the style of their new home. Each person has a paragraph or two written about them which includes their name, their year and place of birth and their date of arrival in Australia. It also includes a little about the history of their choice to come to Australia and how they have create a place of belonging in Australia.

It is a lovely coffee table book which is nice and bright and can be read a little at a time. Most, if not all the photos have been taking in Victoria and I was surprise to recognize a few friends in the photos. I love multicultural Australia and I loved reading the stories of these people who share this wonderful country with me. 8/10

Note: All of us was used in 2008 as part of the Victorian Governments community harmony campaign. A video which uses Lawrence's photo can be seen here

The monster at the end of this book - Jon Stone

Tonight I read the kids this sesame street favourite and it had my 4 year old in stitches, giggling. Sesame Streets most lovable monster Grover is in shock when he hears that title of the book. You see Grover is scared of monsters and has worked out if you don't turn the pages of the book the reader will never get to the end of the book. But all reader know that to hear the story you need to turn pages. Grover tries everything to get the reader to stop turning pages from pleading, to tying down pages to building brick walls. Put as all reader do we continued to turn the page. Grover gets more and more frightened (and my son more and more excited) as we get the the next to last page........ But don't worry, since it is Sesame Street it does have a happy ending.

I'd love to see this book in a larger format as the version I have is in the 'Little Golden Book' series. I wonder if it would work without the sesame street characters as it is a lovely interactive story that kids really get involved in. There's a thought for anyone out there wanting to write a kids book. Who would be a good illustrator. Maurice Sendak's monsters are too scary, but perhaps Mo Willem with Leonado the monster

I had lots of fun reading this book and putting some Grover like qualities into my voice. But you can hear Grover reading this book here. 9/10

Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems

When I was growing up we had words that we used that were Dutch but we never knew it. They were used with such frequency in our house that I just assumed they were English, so when I talked to my friends about sitting near the kachel when it was cold or sitting in the kamer they had no idea what I was talking about. Knuffel is one of those words that I remember my Oma using. It means hug or cuddle in Dutch, so when I saw Knuffle Bunny I immediately translated it into Cuddle Bunny.
Knuffle Bunny is a very special toy. Trixie is very attached to her Knuffle Bunny but when it gets left behind she doesn't have the words to let her Daddy know. When they get home Mummy knows exactly what the matter is, and there is a mad dash around town to find Knuffle Bunny.
I love the illustrations in the book. The backgrounds are black and white photographs and the characters, including Knuffle Bunny are bright and comic-like and while reading the story my children knew what was going to happen and were excited that they were right and knew where Knuffle Bunny had been left.
I, like many parents, was able to relate to this story as I have a child who has their own 'Knuffle Bunny'. For my oldest daughter it was a cute stuffed Dalmatian called “Dukey”. He came everywhere with my daughter and was forgotten a zillion times in shopping centres and in parks. Then 20 minutes down the road my daughter would realize that Dukey was missing. And we will always find him, until an ill-fated trip to the Melbourne zoo. Dukey was left on a rock near the platypus enclosure but when we went back he was gone. Daily phone calls to the lost property office gave no success and finally my daughter had to accept that Dukey was gone forever. We did try and get a replacement but she never bonded with the new toy. Luckily Knuffle Bunny has a happier ending. 8/10

The Lost Thing – Shaun Tan

Well I must admit I didn't realize this book existed until it won an Oscar for Best Animated Short film. The book was first published in 2000. It is told from the perspective of a boy and reads like a story of what he did on the holidays. While collecting bottle tops for his collection he comes across a large red thing that definitely looks lost. He tries to find where it belongs but most people really can't be bothered helping, even his parents loss interest in helping when he brings it home. He finds a advertisement in the paper for The Federal Department of Odds and Ends (with the Latin inscription (sweepus underum carpetae) which has a place for everything. As he fills in the reams paper work he is given a business card with a twisty arrow by a mysterious looking thing. The boy forgets the paper work and follows the twisty arrow signs and arrives at a marvellous place with many happy weird and marvellous things. Since the lost red thing made approving noises the boy leaves it there and went home to classify his bottle-top collection.
Illustrations are brilliant reminding my a little of steampunk. The story is very bland but it is the illustrations that bring humour and colour to the story. For example in the story the lost thing is never described, other than it is friendly, but it is a huge red pot shaped object with tentacle-like arms and legs. The illustrations of the Federal Department of Odds and Ends are very witty. No wonder it makes a good animation. You can see the trailer here.
The story is rather nonsensical but can seen as a metaphor for social concern. It raises issues of people who don't fit in, noticing them and finding a place for them to fit in as well as apathy toward strange lost things/ people. I love the boys summary at the end.... “I still think about that lost thing from time to time. Especially when I see something out of the corner of my eye that doesn't quite fit. You know, some with a weird, sad, lost sort of look. I see that sort of thing less and less these days though. Maybe there aren't many lost things around anymore. Or maybe I've just stopped noticing them. Too busy doing other stuff, I guess it reminds me that it is easy to get too busy and to slip into apathy.
9/10

The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain – Cath Crowley

So....I've started reading my daughters novels for Year 7 English. Not sure if this is the done thing, as my parents didn't do this for me, but then again they aren't readers. Are their other parents out there that do this?? Surely they are. I don't know if my daughter wants to talk about the books, but IF she does then I have some idea of what is going on. At the moment getting her to answer questions about school is like pulling teeth (unless it is time to go to bed and suddenly she is chatty).
Grace Faltrain is a Australian teenager who loves soccer. Ever since her father took her to a game and she saw the school soccer team she has wanted to play. She has pushed and got a position on the boys team and she is good, real good. But thing are not going according to Gracie's plan, shooting goals has become so important to Gracie she has lost touch with the team and they have lost trust in her; she had a disastrous date with Nick a boy she has liked forever; and her Dad has been absent for a long time and it looks like he might not be coming home. Gracie needs to pull something special out of the hat to get her life back on track again.
The book is written from the perspectives of the characters in the book. Gracie; Martin(the soccer captain); Helen (Gracie's Mum); Bill (Gracie's Dad); Nick; Annabelle (Gracie's rival for Nick's affections); Alyce (a classmate); and various soccer team mates. The book has an interesting format where each character's perspective is told on a separate page and sometimes it may only be one line. Sometimes they are speaking to the reader and other times they are responding to another character.
The book is at times humorous but also poignant as Crowley addresses themes of friendship, love, family relationships and self-esteem which are issues that effect teenagers. I'm glad that my daughter is reading this book and hope that she can take on board some of the lessons in the life and times of Gracie Faltrain.

Before Midnight – Cameron Dokey

Continuing right along with my reading of all things fairytale is this retelling of the story of Cinderella. When Cendrillon's mother dies just after giving birth to her, her father is devastated and leaves the estate and his daughter into the care of Old Mathilde. He also leaves a mysterious baby boy with instructions that this boy was to never leave the estate unless he was sent for. Thus Cendrillon and Raoul are bought up together in the care of Old Mathilde, who magically believes in wishes. Each year on their birthday Cendrillon and Raoul each make a wish. For Cendrillon it is that the ground around her mothers grave would grow something, for Raoul it is that he would know his origins. This continues until one birthday Cendrillon wishes for a mother and two sisters to love her. Wishes have a tendency to come try sooner or later, especially if they are spoken out of love, and soon a stepmother and two stepsisters arrive. Not knowing that Cendrillon is her husband's daughter, she is treated like a servant, but with kindness. But there is a sorrow in her stepmother's heart that Cendrillon longs to ease. Events take a turn when all the eligible girls of the kingdom are invited to a ball in the Princes' honour. Cendrillon is revealed to be a noble and all three girls prepare to go to the ball. However a message from Cendrillon's father tells them not to come. In ignoring this order the destinies of both Cendrillon and Raoul's are revealed.

I love the way that Dokey adds different dimensions to her tales. Instead of Cinderella's father dying and leaving her to her evil stepmother she adds the “what if” he was still alive and what effect would it have on the story. It is her father who is the man who has little regard for his daughter and would harm her if he could. In her stepmother Cendrillon finds the love that she craves.
Dokey sets the story in a familiar but magical landscape; where the garden grows mysterious and odd produce, where poor men can become princes, and where wishes are treasured and often come true. Perhaps the story is a little predictable, but it is to be expected as it basically follows a well known fairy tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 9/10

Feathers for Phoebe - Rod Clement

Reading to children is one way that you can instil a love of books into a child. I try to read daily to my children. Not only picture books but I read chapter books to my older children. It is a time that we all love. To promote reading stories and to add some fun to the activity ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association) has an annual event, National Simultaneous Storytime. This is an event where schools, libraries and families can register to read a specific story and an agreed time. This year it is 11am Wednesday 25th may, 2011. This year the story is Feathers for Phoebe

Phoebe is a plain grey bird who wants to get noticed. Zelda is a multicoloured, extroverted, talented and famous bird who owns the local salon. She is more than happy to help Phoebe realize her dream by adding some colour here and there and everywhere. From head dress to tail feathers, wing trims and chest feather Phoebe becomes the colourful flashy bird she has always wanted to be. She also adds some grooves and a new warble to get others to notice her. Will this fabulous transformation get Phoebe the attention she so desires?

This book has eye-catchingly, colourful illustrations and the voice of Zelda is flamboyant and genuine. As I read the story I used a voice for Zelda that was (hopefully) reminiscent of Dame Edna Everage which the kids loved. This story encourages children to consider outside appearances and to look beyond these and to think about what is most important. There are several themes that are addressed though the book that you can discuss with children after you read. Ideas such as self-esteem, identity, self-acceptance and appearances.

A great book with a message that isn't pushed too hard but gets kids thinking. 8/10

Slightly Invisible – Lauren Child

Have you had an imaginary friend, or does you child have one. They are pretty common. One of my daughter had an invisible friend called Elizabeth and now at 9 she admits that she still sometimes plays with Elizabeth. “Imaginary companions are an integral part of many children's lives. They provide comfort in times of stress, companionship when they're lonely, someone to boss around when they feel powerless, and someone to blame for the broken lamp in the living room. Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world”. Lawrence Kutner
Those of you who are familiar with Charlie and Lola, whether through Lauren Child's books or the adaptation on ABC TV will know that Lola has an imaginary friend called Soren Lorenson. He plays a very important part in Lauren Child's latest book. Big brother Charlie and his friend Marv want to play by themselves as Lola often seems to always take over their make-believe play. They are planning how they can catch the 'strange and terrifyingly tricky creature' and decide to make an invisibility potion. Before they get to use it they find that someone has already drunk it and now they can't creep up on the creature. But help is on the way in the form of Soren Lorenson and all they need is a tea set, a little card, a rabbit and three glasses of pink milk........
The book is the fourth Charlie and Lola book that Child has written. (There are other Charlie and Lola books around but they are based on the script from TV series). It is full of typical Lola-isms and child logic. The illustrations are bright and the text is wound through the pictures as is typical for Charlie and Lola books. The story line really reflects child make-believe play with the illogical turns that the role playing can take. My children enjoyed this book and the idea of making a potion that can make you invisible. This book is quickly becoming a favourite bed time story 8/10.

Kisses are Yuk – Julia Jarman

I guess it had to come some time but my 4 year old has decided that he doesn't like kisses. I fondly remember the little boy who would have kissing frenzies and kiss everyone in sight (almost). Now it is all about hugs or pseudo kisses such as the Koala kisses are ones where he will rub noses with me or the Butterfly kiss that is done by fluttering his eyelashes against my cheek. I grew up in a kissing family where it was expected that children will give kisses for hellos and goodbyes. I like this too and would love for this to be so in my family. But Daniel is adamant that he hates kisses. Sometimes I manage to sneak one in but he will always use the back of his hand to wipe it off. So when I saw this book, “Kisses are Yuk” I thought that this was a book for Daniel. In the story young Jack likes getting thanked by people when he does a good deed such as getting a pat on the back, or a manly handshake but he felt that “kisses were yucky, kisses were sucky, kisses were very very unlucky”. There is a list of people who want to kiss Jack such as Aunty Poppy's who were sloppy, Uncle Micky whose were sticky, and some that were hairy and scary. He ends up writing a list of rules which include no kisses, no bum patting, no knee squeezing and signs it from Macho Man. However no one knew his secret especially when he was tucked up in bed.......so “please don't tell anyone – he didn't mind....a kiss from Mum”. This book has worked a treat, for me anyway. Daniel now says that he only likes kisses from Mum. I am very privileged to be on the receiving end of these very rare treasures. So if you have a son who is shying away from your kisses I highly recommend this book.

Old MacDonald had a farm - Mandy Foot

Do we really need another Old MacDonald picture book? The answer is YES if this lovely edition illustrated by Mandy Foot is anything to go by. This is a uniquely Australian version of Old MacDonald had a Farm combines traditional animals such as sheep, cows and horses with animals that by default are often part of the Australian farming life such as kangaroos, emus and cockatoos.
It is the illustrations that make this book. Foot has dispersed humour through her pictures with Old McDonald getting chased by a cheeky Emu, taking a bath under the water tank, and kangaroos jumping fences. It ends with a jamboree of animals. Children can also count how many kookaburras are on each page starting with one to ten.
The book also has its own website http://www.oldmacdonaldsfarm.com.au/ where children can scroll through a farm scene based on the book, listen to the song and get information about the animals in the book. There are also some activities that can be downloaded.
This was a wonderful and fun book that combines rhyming and counting. 8/10

Just Another Ordinary Day – Rod Clement

I love this book! As a parent I love routines. It helps me to be organized and it teaches kids what to expect and what they need to do in their day. But not everyones routine is the same and even if they go through the same motions they will differ. Amanda is just having another ordinary day. From waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, going to school, having science, forgetting lunch, playing with the new girl, going home, having a shower, eating dinner, reading a book and going to bed. A pretty average day until you look at the illustrations and find that her day is really extraordinary. Awaking to a genii gonging an alarm; flying down stairs on metal wings; being driven to school by the oldest person she knows (a dinosaur); playing with the new girl who is an alien planet; going home in an off road vehicle such as an elephant; and showering in a waterfall.

The text is intentionally boring and the humour of this book is in the contrast between the text and the illustrations. For older children reading the text to them once without the pictures and then again with the illustrations really brings out the incongruity of the text and pictures. Younger kids love this books as even though Amanda is doing all the things they would do it their day, her day is amazing and magical. 9/10

Little Red – A fizzingly good yarn - Lynn Roberts

Continuing on my theme of all things fairy-tales I pick this book off the shelf at the local library. Little Red loves his read coat and also goes by the name Thomas. Thomas' family run an inn which is renown for its ginger beer and Thomas loves talking the all the travellers who stop by to listen to their tales of robbers and wolves in the forest. One day Little Red steps out on his weekly trip to grandmothers to bring some treats and a weeks supply of ginger beer. However a bad and hungry wolf was watching and scheming........ Can Little Red escape the wolf and safe grandma. And how does the ginger beer save the day?
A funny retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and children will have fun pointing out the similarities and differences from the traditional story. This is not the watered down version where grandma hides in the cupboard – she is eaten in one gulp. Children will enjoy the addition of bodily noises such as burps. In my house just the mention of burps and......back door burps ensures uproarious laughter from my 4 year old. (Favourite family joke: Q: What did one burp say to the other burp? A: Let's be stinkers and go out the back door!). The illustrations by David Roberts are almost comic-like and lend themselves to the menacing undertones of the story. 6/10