'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Sunday 14 August 2011

KBR Recommends: Picture Books, August 2011

Ready for some gorgeous new picture books? These books run the gamut from babies and toddlers to adventurers and explorers. Enjoy!

Mad About Minibeasts! by Giles Andreae (Orchard Books, $28.99, August 2011)

Come into the garden for lots of noisy, rhyming creepy-crawly fun from the creators of Rumble in the Jungle and Commotion in the Ocean.

This brilliantly beastly bouncy rhyming romp from Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz will delight the many fans of this bestselling duo. From slugs and snails to bustling beetles and beautiful butterflies, these rhymes are full of humour and great to read aloud. The bright, distinctive artwork is full of child appeal. 


The Happy Book by Malachy Doyle (Bloomsbury, $14.99, August 2011)

Squabble less! Share more! Tease less! Tickle more! This charming picture book text is perfect for adult and child to read together.

It has cheerful messages about sharing, giving and how to spread a little happiness to others, all complemented by bright, warm and colourful illustrations. 

The Road to Goonong by David Cox (Allen & Unwin, $29.99, August 2011)

The road to Goonong was just a pair of wheel tracks packed down by buggies and drays that had travelled that way over the years. It ran through forest and passed by farmhouses and the hut where the Schmidt boys lived.

Goonong, our farm, was at the end of the road. We had beef cattle and dairy cattle, and there was plenty of room to play and plenty of horses to ride. The skies were always blue over Goonong...

With laid-back charm, bush humour and a spirit of optimism, David Cox captures the joy and freedom, as well as the harsh reality of farming life during the Great Depression.


Let's Go, Baby! by Janet and Andrew McLean (Allen & Unwin, $24.99, August 2011)

Let's Go, Baby-o! You and me! To the up, to the down and the turn around, to the wibble and the wobble, and the flip, flop hop. Then twist, twirl, whirrrl...

When sleep-time is over, a little boy and his friend play action games, but in between they stop to look out the window. What do they see? Grandparents are digging in the garden, children are building a cubby house, the cat has her eye on the baby birds and the dogs have their eyes on the cat!

Let's Go, Baby-o! is a fun-filled story for parents, grandparents, teachers and childcare educators to share with babies and young children. This book shows that learning language and playing games go together and will encourage the conversations between children and adults that are so important for children's development. 

Red Plane to the Rescue by Melissa Firth (Scholastic, $14.99, August 2011)

Red, blue and yellow planes-there they go! Today they're putting on a show. Chucka chucka chucka, vroom vroom vroom! Zing zing zow, zoom zoom zoom!

Red plane, yellow plane and blue plane are whizzing through the sky and the pilots create a spectacular show. Then the yellow pilot misses his plane and starts to fall through the sky.

Can Red plane catch him just in time?


The Tiger Skin Rug by Gerald Rose (Bloomsbury, $14.99, August 2011)

It's amazing how easy it is for the tiger to pass himself off as a rug who enjoys a life of luxury with the rajah's family, snacking on midnight feasts and playing with his children.

Tiger goes entirely undetected, until one night, when he risks expulsion from his comfortable abode as burglars break into the palace and he has to decide whether to stay in disguise as a rug-or save the rajah from a horrible beating.

However, tigers who live in houses can have happy endings...

Hilarious pictures and a clever tail - er, tale.