Valentine's Day Special: Books to Fall in Love With

Have you ever, seriously and truly, fallen head over heels in love with the book? We at KBR frequently have this experience - so much so, we were compelled to ask some well-known literary faces for their secret children's book crushes.

In support of the National Year of Reading, here are the books making hearts aflutter all over the country . . .

Jackie French, author  
Nation by Terry Pratchett  
The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay  
Karalta by Mary Grant Bruce

Graeme Base, author/illustrator
The Favershams by Roy Gerrard
Peepo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Tuesday by David Wiesner

Anh Doh, Author and Comedian
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
Dumb Bunnies Easter by Dave Pilkey

Goldie Alexander, author
There’s a Hippopotamus on My Roof Eating Cake by Hazel Edwards
Animalia by Graeme Base
The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

Sarah Davis, Illustrator
The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The Worst Band in the Universe by Graeme Base

Michael Wagner, Author
All Join In by Quentin Blake
The Big Honey Hunt by Stan and Jan Berenstain
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Sophie Masson, Author
The Stone Cage by Nicholas Stuart Gray (as a child)
Michel Strogoff by Jules Verne (as a teen)
The Song of Wirrun trilogy by Patricia Wrightson (as an adult)

Ursula Dubosarsky, Author
An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden
Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
The Chicken Thief by Béatrice Rodriguez

Andy Griffiths, Author

How to be Topp by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Margaret Clark, Author
Little Women by Louisa Alcott
Pete the Sheep by Jackie French
Love Hearts by Margaret Clark

Gabrielle Wang, Author
The Little Green Road to Fairyland by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
Where the Wild Things Are by Marice Sendak
The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Margaret Wild, Author
Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest by Amos Oz
The Stone Book Quartet by Alan Garner
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Anthony Hill, Author
The Collected Poems of Christopher Robin by AA Milne
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

Nick Earls, Author
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss
What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

Katrina Germein, Author
The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, Michael Foreman & Freire Wright
Koala Lou by Mem Fox and Pamela Lofts
Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood

David Mackintosh, Author/Illustrator
Grimble by Clement Freud
Eric by Shaun Tan
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin

Di Bates, Author
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
The War of Jenkins' Ear by Michael Morpurgo
Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill and Vera Cleaver

Peter Carnavas, Author/Illustrator
Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood
Penguin by Polly Dunbar
The Flying Orchestra by Clare McFadden

 

Sean Williams, Author

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

 

Allayne Webster, Author

Deenie by Judy Blume
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Harry Potter series JK Rowling

Margaret Hamilton, Publisher

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Grug by Ted Prior

Deborah Abela, Author
The Lorax by Dr Seuss
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
The Shadow Girl by John Larkin

Katherine Battersby, Author/Illustrator
A Small, Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Michael Morpurgo
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan

George Ivanoff, Author
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron
The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Marianne Musgrove, Author
The Ramona books by Beverley Cleary
The Tomorrow series by John Marsden
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Tristan Bancks, Author

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Rosanne Hawke, Author
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard
Where Does Thursday Go? by Janeen Brian

Meredith Costain, Author
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
A Book for Kids by C J Dennis
Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks
 

Anita Heiss, Author & Social Commentator
Once There Was a Boy by Dub Leffler
Papunya School Book of Country and History by Papunya School
New York New York by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Frané Lessac

Janeen Brian, Author
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo  
The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson

Frané Lessac, Author/Illustrator
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks
Millions of Cats by Wanda Ga’g 

Chris Morphew, Author

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 

How To Be A Baby by Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Adam Wallace, Author

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr Seuss

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
 

Chris Cheng, Author
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Biggles Books/A Christmas Carol/Huck Finn by Capt. W.E. Johns, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain 

Wendy Orr, Author
John Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat by Jenny Wagner and Ron Brooks
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper  
Ark in the Park by Wendy Orr

Sally Murphy, Author
Ca-a-r Ca-a-a-a-r by Geoff Havel & Peter Kendall
The Naming of Tishkin Silk by Glenda Millard 

Jinx by Margaret Wild

Sandy Fussell, Author
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Angela Hall, Literary Aficionado

Samuel's Kisses by Karen Collum

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam by Juliette MacIver

Robyn Opie Parnell, Author & Screenwriter
The Tiny Tawny Kitten by Barbara Shook Hazen 
The Mystery of the Hidden House by Enid Blyton
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Susan Whelan, Writer & KBR Reviewer 
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr Seuss (with Jack Prelutsky & Lane Smith) 

My Place by Nadia Wheatley 

Mirror by Jeannie Baker

Kelly Morton, Publishing Marketing & KBR Reviewer 

The BFG by Roald Dahl

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

The Babysitters Club/Sweet Valley High series by Ann M. Martin/Francine Pascal

Tania McCartney, Author & KBR Founder
Leaf by Stephen Michael King
Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 

Does this not make you want to explore new (and old!) books? We hope these titles have inspired you to revisit old classics or even seek out a title you may be unfamiliar with. Thanks to all the wonderful people who participated in our book-love session - I know it was very mean of us to ask you for only three titles, but what a treasure trove your choices are.

NYR12 has been officially launched! Fall in love with reading all over again by checking out the wonderful events the National Year of Reading has organised for 2012. Get involved, and spread the book-love word!

Stay tuned for a report on the NYR12 launch at the National Library of Australia - right here, this afternoon, on KBR.

Review: Head Hog

Constantine is a responsible pig. A serious pig. A pig who takes his job very seriously… watching the other pigs, taking care of the other pigs, being there for the other pigs. Constantine is Head Hog, and he likes to keep his trotters clean.

One day, a little pink pig named Aristotle asks the Head Hog why he never has any fun.

WIN! Head Hog

Constantine takes himself VERY seriously. He’s the HEAD HOG! He is always very right, very proper and very dignified.

But one day Aristotle, the littlest hog, asks, “Constantine, why don’t you ever have fun?”

To his surprise, Constantine can't really find a good answer to that question . . .

Thanks to Koala Books, we have three copies of this adorable book, valued at $13.99 each, to give away!

Just tells us, in 25 words or less, why it's so important to have fun.

Type 'Head Hog' into the subject line and email your answer to taniaATkids-bookreviewDOTcom. The most creative answers, as judged by KBR, will win. Be sure to include your full name and address - entries without will be ineligible.

Competition opens 5am Monday 13 February 2012 and runs until Sunday 19 February 2012, 9pm AEST and the comp is open to Australian and New Zealand residents over the age of 18 (mum and dad can enter on behalf of kids). This is a game of skill, not chance. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Enter now for your chance to win!

Review: Having Fun! and On the Go!

 

Being a toddler is all about having fun, of course - and these bright and tactile books from Child's Play epitomise the early years and their adventuresome antics.

In Having Fun!, two little tots roll and wrestle just like dogs on the grass. They splash and splosh like dolphins at the beach. They slip and slide like otters on a sled. It's all about movement and exploration when you're little, and with lift-the-flap pages paralleling kids with the antics of animals, little ones will warmly relate to both image and text. I particularly love the use of onomatopoeia.

In On the Go!, a series of toddling babies meet a line-up of animals who jump, waddle, crawl and climb their way through the book. Opening the lift-the-flap recto page showcases, once again, the child paralleling the animal on the preceding double page spread.

Beautifully-designed with striking, totally toddler-friendly illustrations by Jess Stockham, these books are just two in a gorgeous series of Just Like Me/Just Like Us board books. See more at the Child's Play website.

Title: Having Fun! and On the Go!

Author/Illustrator: Jess Stockham

Publisher: Child's Play, $12.95 RRP

Publication Date: December 2006

ISBN: 9781846431784 / 9781846430497

Format: Hard cover

For ages: 0 - 3 

Type: Board Book

event: What's Coming Up at Pinerolo

Want to know what's coming up at Margaret Hamilton's glorious Pinerolo? Check out these tempters...

ECKERSLEY'S ART WORKSHOP

Eckersley's Art Supplies, in collaboration with the Australian Society of Authors, is providing workshops for illustrators - to demonstrate new materials and latest techniques. There will also be an attractive discount on products purchased at the workshop.

When: Friday 24 February
Where: Pinerolo
Time: 10 am to 12 noon
Cost: $10.00

Bookings essential. Click here or call the office on 1800 257 121 or (02) 9211 1004
. Maximum 20 participants.


PICTURE BOOKS @ PINEROLO

Our popular and very successful one-day course on creating children's picture books. Award-winning illustrator Dee Huxley and former publisher Margaret Hamilton lead you through all the steps involved - everything you always wanted to know about picture books but were afraid to ask. 

When: Saturday 25 March
Where: Pinerolo
Time: 10 am to 4 pm

Booking and pre-payment essential. See here for full details.
 

Pinerolo, the Children's Book Cottage, 116-120 Shipley Rd, Blackheath NSW
www.pinerolo.com.au

ebook Review: My Very First App by Eric Carle

Who better to take kidlings through their first app experience than the superlative Eric Carle? This gorgeous app for iPhone and iPad may be simple but it's beautifully-designed and enchanting for kids.

In Colours, kids have three game options - easy, medium and hard. Swiping the images left or right, kids can match the object to the colour. Medium and hard are matching games.

In Animal Homes, kids match the animal to their environment with similar games.

Carle's illustrations, simple sound effects and voice overs make for a pleasant app that's educational and fun but not overwhelming, and certainly lives up to its name. High quality production makes it yet another Night and Day Studios winner.

Great for comprehension and learning but also for hand/eye coordination, my only criticism is a lack of 'go back' buttons, to move from game to game . . . one must always return to the home menu.

There is also the option to add updates to the app, which comes with colours and animal homes, Numbers, shapes, animal sounds and food can be downloaded from your device.

My Very First App is published by Night and Day Studios and is available on iTunes for $1.99