Kids Book Review

Review: Riley and the Grumpy Wombat

2012-01-29T06:00:00.018+11:00

Ask 1,001 Australians what a kid’s picture book is and they’ll come up with a variation on ‘bright pictures, simple words and lots of white space’. Just sometimes there’s a touch of brilliance in the breeze, and it’s different.

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat is one of the different ones.

Like the others in the Riley series, it combines photos of iconic places with bright images of Riley, the boy who travels the world to find a dragon in Beijing, a lion in Hong Kong, a koala in Sydney and in this case a grumpy wombat in Melbourne.

They’re books for the travelling generation, who’ll get to see those places with their family or school excursion or at least on TV, and will recognise the images, or be able to find them later.

The books are fun, delightfully silly, but most of all, the conjunction of real places with imagined characters works with the intended audience, who can easily put themselves in Riley’s place.

Eighty per cent of the success of a picture book depends on a great concept, and this concept is superb. Riley and the Grumpy Wombat is also, I think, the most polished and inventive of the Riley books so far.

The kids I read it to loved it. So did I.

- this review by very generous author Jackie French

Title: Riley and the Grumpy Wombat: a journey around Melbourne
Author: Tania McCartney
Illustrator: Kieron Pratt
Publisher: Ford Street Publishing, $16.95 RRP
Publication Date: Sept 2011
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781921665486
For ages: 4 - 10
Type: Picture Book

NYR12 news: Read This!

2012-01-28T14:00:00.000+11:00

For teens, NYR12 will be running Read This!, an expansion of something that already happens through the Centre for Youth Literature.

Young people will be asked to nominate the one book they think their peers must read in 2012 and then to provide a convincing argument in the form of a creative response to the story.

This will be a book review, but it could be in the form of words, pictures, film, song, or something even more avant garde.

NYR12 are partnering with insideadog.com.au, spineout.com.au and Madman Entertainment to create a fantastic competition with some really great prizes.

Learn more here!

Review: Set to Sign: Sleepover

2012-01-28T06:00:00.001+11:00

Just as all languages do, British Sign Language has its own grammar and word order. The main topic of any conversation is signed before its modifier, so rather than saying 'that is my house', you would sign 'house - mine'.

But sign language is much more than just hand signals. The same signs can actually be used to represent many different things, depending on its modifiers, expression, position and intensity.

Designed for kids who already have a basic understanding of sign language - or for children who may, for various reasons, have speech difficulties, this brilliant set of cards from Child's Play focuses on extending vocabulary and encouraging discourse in more complex events and emotions.

Complete with gorgeous illustrations by Jess Stockham, these sturdy cards feature a front face with image and word, then a back face with signing explanation and instructional picture. The BSL hand shapes are also explained on a card at the back of the pack - and all come in a handy plastic cover.

A wonderful extension for children with hearing loss, the cards could also be used for the development of vocabulary comprehension in children under two - also known as baby signing.

The cards also come in other themes: Baby Sitter, Big Day Out, Nursery. See the Child's Play website for more.

Title: Set to Sign: Sleepover

Illustrator: Jess Stockham

Publisher: Child's Play, $19.95 RRP

PublicationDate: 1 September 2009

ISBN: 9781846432972

Format: Card set

Forages: 2 - 5

Type: Educational card park

Review: Peter's Railway

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000+11:00

I recently stumbled across this wonderful train series and I’m so glad that I did. The Peter’s Railway series is the perfect next step for any Thomas the Tank Engine fan looking for something a little more detailed.

Peter lives in the English countryside with his parents and twin siblings, Kitty and Harry. Peter’s grandparents live nearby, across some fields and on the other side of Bluebell Wood. Peter and his grandfather devise a plan to build a railway to connect their homes so that they can see each other more often.

Peter’s Railway contains a series of short stories following the adventures of Peter and his grandfather as they build their railway. Between each story are brief fact pages explaining a detail from the story, such as how a locomotive makes its steam or how trains remain on the track. There is a brief glossary of terms at the end of the book as well.

With my own budding train engineer at home, I can guarantee that Peter’s Railway is perfect for young railway enthusiasts. The story and illustrations are entertaining for younger readers, with more detail and technical information for those who might be outgrowing the simplicity of the Thomas books.

We love Peter’s Railway. We already have the second book and will be collecting other books in the series as well. This is definitely one of my favourite book finds of 2011. The books are available through local online bookstores, but can also be purchased from the publisher/author with an included personal inscription - a perfect birthday or Christmas gift idea for any train-loving children you know.

Title: Peter’s Railway (Book 1)
Author: Christopher Vine
Illustrator: John Wardle
Publisher: Christopher Vine, £11.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2008
Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9780955335914
For ages: 5+
Type: Young reader

Guest Post: Some Secrets should Never Be Kept

2012-01-26T06:00:00.017+11:00

Kids Book Review welcomes Jayneen Sanders — teacher, editor, author and publisher — to tell us about the challenges she faced with writing a book about sexual abuse. The lessons she has learned along the way and the lessons she hopes to share with the book. Over to you Jayneen.

About three years ago, when I was on my children’s school council, I brought up the topic of protective behaviours. I asked my fellow committee members why we did not have a protective behaviours program in our school. No one could give me a satisfactory answer, and time and time again the topic was placed at the bottom of the agenda.

At this time, I was teaching at another primary school, and I suspected at least two young girls were being abused. All the staff felt the same — frustrated — we simply did not have proof of the abuse and the perpetrator knew it. I decided then and there that I personally would try to do something about the protective behaviours issue, and how it was being ignored.

As an author, I challenged myself to write a picture book that broached the subject of sexual interference. I wanted to write in a way that was neither confronting nor frightening for both parents and children. My husband was dubious that I could actually write such a manuscript, but I was not. I had seen story be used in philosophy classes with kinder and primary school-aged children, and I knew it was a powerful medium when discussing difficult topics. Through story we can get children talking.

So I wrote Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept and I wrote it with all the passion I feel about keeping our children safe from sexual interference. The statistics speak for themselves; 1 in 4 girls and I in 7 boys will be sexually interfered with before adulthood. There is an elephant in the room and we need to look at it.

Sometimes, as parents, we are not there to protect our children — the first sleepover, a school camp. Our children need to know their rights. They need to know their body is their body and no-one has the right to touch it inappropriately. Perpetrators rarely target confident children.

After I had written the manuscript for Some Secrets, I showed it to three publishers. I have been published many times so I had a number of contacts in the industry. All three publishers rejected the manuscript saying it was too ‘educational’. I felt frustrated with their response but this made me more determined.

My husband and I then decided we would publish the book ourselves, at our own expense. We are by no means affluent so this was quite a big commitment on my family’s part. But we all agreed (including my three teenage daughters) if the book made a difference to one child, it would be well worth it.

The next hurdle was finding an illustrator. I tried two I knew of, but both said they felt uncomfortable with the topic. Finally, I approached Craig Smith and thank goodness I did. His artwork is fantastic. Craig’s words to me were ‘the topic makes me feel uncomfortable but that is every reason why I should do it’. And I am eternally grateful for his response. Craig worked tirelessly on the illustrations and for a minimal cost, as he knew we were producing this book ourselves. Craig is an outstanding artist and I cannot thank him enough for his beautiful work.

At around this time, I heard the CEO of Child Wise, Bernadette McMenamin, being interviewed on ABC radio. Child Wise is charity that works tirelessly to stop child sexual abuse both in Australia and internationally. I straightaway rang them and asked if they would write me a foreword for my book. They agreed! The staff at Child Wise have been wonderful and very supportive. And hopefully, Child Wise will help me launch the book early this year.

So, late last year, Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept arrived from the printer. We now have a wonderful hardcover book with gorgeous glossy paper to show off Craig’s lovely art. There are a large number of boxes in our garage containing 2,000 copies. Well, 1,900 as we have sold about 100 books. Upload Publishing, which is our small publishing company, has finally published their first book and what a worthwhile project too!

I feel quite proud that we were able to publish this book ourselves. We are only selling the book on-line and lots of people are posting about us on Facebook, which has been fantastic. The feedback has been great. Our website has sample pages, testimonials, etc. We are all set up!

So now it’s marketing – which is not really my area but I’m learning. ABC radio in Melbourne was wonderful and invited me, along with Bernadette, onto the Richard Stubbs Show. It was a great interview even though it was my first time on radio. I hope to get a few newspapers to review the book, but we’ll see.

The whole reason why I wrote Some Secrets was to get answers to my questions: what are we doing about protective behaviours in our schools and why isn’t it mandatory. We teach road safety and water safety — as a community of parents and teachers we need to teach our kids body safety. I strongly believe protective behaviours needs to be a part of our new Australian Curriculum.

On that note, I will leave this post and continue ringing and sending emails to various organisations. I have provided discussion question at the back of the book to guide the reader and child through the essential discussion that should and must occur after the book has been read.

It’s interesting; a friend of mine was ‘worried’ about reading Some Secrets to her four-year-old son. Finally, they sat down, read the book and went through the discussion questions. She said later that it was really no big deal after all her angst, and the next morning there was her son, sitting up in bed reading the story again, as his book of choice.

I’d like to assure parents that after reading Some Secrets to their child, he or she at least would know that if anyone does touch them inappropriately that it is wrong and that they must tell someone. Some secrets should never be kept. This book is meant to be a preventive measure. Forewarned is forearmed!

For more information about the book or to buy a copy go to www .somesecrets.info

Review: The Little Old Man Who Looked up at the Moon

2012-01-25T06:00:00.064+11:00

I almost feel like Pamela Allen should have her own category when it comes to kids books. She is one of the most prolific writers in Australian children's literature. If you don't have the pleasure of knowing her work you then you must track her down. She is one of those writers whose work that perhaps you would see and go "Ah yes, I know that book, I loved that book." THAT is a Pamela Allen book.

There was something on the back flap of the book that I really wanted to share as there was simply no other or better way of putting it.

"Pamela's books are full of the magic of language; they are 'fragments of theatre', designed to be read aloud and shared between an adult and child." THAT is a Pamela Allen book.

We meet a little old man and a little old lady who are very happy together, in their little house, on top of a hill.

One day, the little old man looks up at the moon and is troubled. Questions bubbling in his mind.

"Does the sky go on forever and ever?"
"Where do we come from?"
"Where do we go?"
"Why are we here?"

Very good questions little old man!

Come on the journey as the little old woman tries to find the answers for her beloved. Along her way, she meets some characters who share their thoughts with her.

This book is a gorgeous way of opening up conversation with your child. Ask them, what do they think? What are the answers? Whatever you want them to be.

I [heart] this book for encouraging an inquisitive and curious mind. Nurturing the imagination. THAT is a Pamela Allen book.

Title: The Little Old Man Who Looked up at the Moon
Author: Pamela Allen
Publisher: Penguin , $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: January 2012
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780670075812
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

Guest Post: Dee White's Writing Classes for Kids

2012-01-24T06:00:00.045+11:00

KBR warmly welcomes author and friend Dee White, to chat about her love of books and her exciting new venture - Writing Classes for Kids.

I am so thrilled to be at Kids Book Review talking about books and writing, the things I love most (besides my family and friends).

As a kid I lived in my imagination (still do when I can). I was lucky to grow up in a house full of books that provided me with endless opportunities to explore and inhabit new worlds.

Books were always savoured like fine food in our family. What we read was talked about at the dinner table as if it were something exciting that had happened in our day, not in the life of a character in a book. I remember being read to from a very young age and being taken to public libraries every week.

I have followed these reading habits/patterns with my own children, so it has brought me much joy to see them grow up to love books in the same way I do.

I know many children are not so lucky and that's why I've become a friend of the National Year of Reading 2012 and will donate 10% of this year's author visit earnings to support projects of the NYOR that give kids access to books and the chance to learn to read and enjoy the world of literature.

I have wanted to be an author since I was seven, so writing has always been as important to me as reading.

After my twelve-year-old wrote his first novel, I realised that writing is important to a lot of kids, but there are not many resources available to help them become better writers and get their work published.

So I started Writing Classes For Kids. I wanted to provide a site with free and affordable activities for anyone who wants to write, no matter how old they are.

Over the last few months I've been adding to the site and I now have a number of 6-week online writing classes for kids and adults.

I also thought it was important to provide resources like lesson plans for teachers who want to encourage creative writing in the classroom and for home schooling parents.

But my favourite thing about Writing Classes For Kids is the free writing competitions. I'll be holding four of these in 2012.

What I love about the writing competitions is reading all the wonderful and inspiring stories from kids and new adult writers all over the world.

And even if it's just online, I love meeting people who enjoy books and writing as much as I do.

And sometimes, I'm lucky enough to meet them in person . . .

KBR founder Tania McCartney with writing pal Dee

For more tips, writing activities, online writing classes and FREE competitions, check out Dee's Writing Classes for Kids blog or follow her on twitter @KidsWhoWrite.

Dee also runs a writing blog at DeeScribe Writing. She is currently developing a series of e-books on writing that will soon be available from her sites, and be sure to check out Dee's books - below.

Review: Famous Classics for Girls and Adventure Classics for Boys

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000+11:00

One of theregrets I hope never to have, is that I never read enough of the classics. Mostof us probably have great visions of immersing ourselves in not only thegreatest adult classics of all time, but the great children’s classics, thathave very much shaped our literary lives and become the stuff of legends.

In thesebeautiful new releases from Hardie Grant, our own children can enjoy a lustrouscollection of classic tales, cloth-bound and resplendent with vintage inkdrawings. Even the typesetting looks vintage, giving children a classic retrobook experience that adults will also love.

‘Retold andabridged for younger readers’, there are three classic tales per tome – Heidi,What Katy Did and Black Beauty for girls – Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island andKidnapped for boys.

If you’vebeen drooling over finding the time to immerse yourself in a classic, make sureyou pilfer these books from your own children’s shelves and dive on in.Abridged or no, this is thrilling reading.

Title: Adventure Classics forGirls/Adventure Classics for Boys

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $19.95

PublicationDate: 1 December 2011

ISBN: 9781405254663 / 9781405254656

Format: Hardcover

Forages: 8+

Type: Junior Fiction

How to Maximize your Book Readings to Children with Karen Tyrrell

2012-01-22T06:00:00.053+11:00

KBR is thrilled to welcome author Karen Tyrrell with her first in a series of posts that will enlighten, delight and educate both adults and kids alike. Karen will be a regular contributor, with some really fabulous posts - learn more about her on our Contributor Page.

We hope you enjoy this first post on maximising book readings to kids - whether you are a teacher, librarian, author or parent - you're sure to learn some great ideas.

Do you have an author gig lined up at a school, library or book store? Want to connect with your young audience from the very start? Grab their attention? Create an interactive atmosphere? Do you yearn to leave them begging for more?

When I was first contacted by schools and libraries to read my Super Space Kids series to kids, I focused on dramatizing gripping excerpts, stimulating the kids' imagination. When you read to young children, it's important you tap into their collective and individual imaginations.

Here are my top 10 secrets for engaging children at a book reading:

Liaise with the library and school for a prime time. Make sure your visit is well-advertised and promoted beforehand. Consider a costume competition with prizes.
Be ultra organised. Rehearse your book reading and fun activities from beginning to end. Print off photo permission forms for parents to sign. Provide all props including books, worksheets, materials and handouts. Be flexible on the day. Tailor each session to suit the ages and specific needs of the group.
Wear a big smile, a costume, hat and make-up related to your book.
Introduce yourself and your main character by name. Write your name and book on the whiteboard. Give the audience your eye contact. Make everyone feel warmly welcome.
Dramatize your story with voice inflections, whispers, pauses and actions, varying your voice for different characters and emotions. Pause to create tension and effect.
Make your story reading interactive with actions, chants, and direct involvement from the audience. Build-up to a climactic response at the end.
Ask the children questions. Create a discussion. Follow up with a writing activity. Structure the children’s writing. Support every writer in the group.
Leave a lasting impression on the students. Leave them hanging for more of your story. Share your author and writing secrets. Hand out postcards, bookmarks and promos to the students, encouraging them to check your website.
Take group photos celebrating the event for your website or school and library website.
Create a promotional glossy brochure filled with photos, details and endorsements for future book readings and writing workshops.

When I first test drove Josh and the IT, I studied the kids' reactions to my new comedy lines. I heard their giggles and spotted their sly grins. For my new suspense sequences, I watched their eyes bulge with concern for Josh and the Super Space Kids.

At Logan North Library in Brisbane, hordes of aliens, space pirates, Jedi knights and super heroes descended there to hear Josh vs Lord Terra, book two of the Super Space Kids series. I delivered the first three chapters, leaving them begging for more … Gee, I miss teaching sometimes!

With my most expressive Josh voice and dramatic actions, I zipped out all my teacher and theatrical resources to keep a lively bunch entertained. After each chapter, the kids stood up, reaching for the stars, and formed a rocket shape with their arms to Blast Off!

I made my audience honorary Super Space Kids, inviting them to punch power into the cosmos, fight evil and save the galaxy from destruction. After the library reading, I judged the most original costumes for super prizes donated by the library including a DVD, colouring books and super strips of space stickers. Cameras flashed. The audience cheered.

Karen Tyrrell is a Brisbane writer for children and grown-ups. Karen writes kids sci-fi chapter books and picture books. She's also a teacher, mental health advocate, blogger and workshop presenter. Find out more at her website.

Review: The High Street

2012-01-21T06:00:00.008+11:00

If the cover doesn't instantly suck you into this gorgeous book, you've probably got your eyes shut.

Of course, a cover can sometimes belie the content - but not so with Alice Melvin's striking book.

The author takes us on a visual journey down a charming high street, revealing the outside and also the inner workings of a series of shops along the way.

Sally is in need of some items. So off she trots with her basket, down the high street - to the first (and in my opinion, most important) shop - Mr Foggin's sweet shop.

A double spread then folds out to reveal the inside of the shop, with all its delicious goings-on. Sally doesn't find most of the items on her long list - BUT! she does find the candy heart. She tucks it into her basket and is on her way.

Next stop is Mr Botton's Bakery where she finds her cherry tart. Then Mr Kumar's china shop where she snaffles the perfect stripy rug. And so on it goes until Sally finds all but one of the items on her list - a yellow rose. And no - Miss MacDonald's flower shop has failed to come up with the goods.

Can Sally find a yellow rose before she finishes her shopping expedition?

Sweet, succinct and clever writing bring the charming Sally and her cast of shop characters to life, and I particularly love the perfectly whimsical ending.

Winner of BookTrust's Best New Illustrator Award, Melvin's The High Street is a truly beautiful visual feast, and is a must for picture book collectors.

Title: The High Street
Author/Illustrator: Alice Melvin
Publisher: Tate, $22.95 RRP
Publication Date: August 2011
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9781854379436
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

Review: Legend

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001+11:00

The first book of a new trilogy by author Marie Lu, Legend is a gripping dystopian thriller set in the distant future. The western United States is now the Republic, perpetually at war with its neighbours. Within the Republic, citizens are forced to undertake a test at age 10 which determines future education and career prospects.

15-year-olds June and Day know this well. From an elite family, June is the first ever citizen reported to score full marks in the test and she has progressed quickly through the ranks at the military training facility she attends. Day failed and he now lives on the streets trying to undermine the Republic and bring what support he can to his impoverished family.

Despite their different backgrounds, both June and Day are about to discover that the Republic is not what it seems and they will have to decide to trust each other if they wish to survive.

This story had me hooked from the first pages. June and Day are both charismatic characters with a personal background that draws the reader into their story. The story is compelling with gifted prodigy facing off against master criminal with results neither could anticipate. There is a good balance between thriller/action and relationship elements of the story.

Legend is an excellent dystopian thriller for teens, with a fast-paced plot and interesting, multifaceted characters. While there is an element of romance to the story, this is secondary to a well-written plot filled with the types of complicated relationship dynamics that mirror everyday life with family loyalties and friendships also playing a role in what motivates June and Day to take the risks that they do.

I can’t find information about when the second book in the trilogy will be released, but I will certainly be looking out for it as I am eager to see how this story develops.

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin), $19.95 RRP
Publication Date: 28 November 2011
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141339412
For ages: 12+ years
Type: Young Adult Fiction

Review: Knit One, Purl One

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000+11:00

In the style of One Stitch at a Time, and one of the first books to come out of the Black Dog Books/Walker Books merger, this adorable craft book is published in kit form, with a removable instruction book and 'knitting box' filled with all the ingredients needed to make some pretty cute friends.

Spiral bound for ease-of-use, the book introduces knitting techniques to youngsters, and offers up info on the equipment a true toy-creator needs - items such as knitting needles, scissors, crochet hooks and yarn needles.
Diagrams of knitting styles clearly show the varying types, and helpful tips such as picking up that dreaded dropped stitch, joining the pieces, and stuffing your new friend, are laid out in a clean and accessible format.

Then there's the bunny. So so cute - with clear instructions and details diagrams on adding final details like facial features. There's even an opportunity to turn your rabbit into a frog (hey, presto!), panda, monkey or lion, with patterns for added accessories such as a lion's cape, monkey's tail and adorable rabbit hat, complete with ear holes.

The final 'chapter' to the instruction book is a fabulously fun mix and match section, where kids can flip page-thirds to create their own animal hybrid, and learn cool ways to add extra accessories - like leg warmers, socks, crowns, bead necklaces and pom pom ear muffs.

Perfection for the crafty type and bliss for the school holidays.

Title: Knit One, Purl One
Author: Zoe Halstead
Illustrator: Rachel Borello
Publisher: Walker Books, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 December 2011
Format: Hard cover boxed set
ISBN: 9781921720710
For ages: 7+
Type: Non-Fiction, Craft Book

Review: The Bicycle

2012-01-18T06:00:00.005+11:00

What does a bicycle mean to you?

Do you think of your first time learning to ride with the wind in your face? Do you think about your first grazed knee? Or do you think about that thing gathering dust in your garage that you think you should probably use more?

Perhaps something else?

Well, let me tell you, this book is something else. It is a celebration of bikes and what they mean to people for a very, very wonderful reason.

In 2008, Colin Thompson visited Cambodia with Save the Children. Struck by the way the humble bicycle was central to so many people lives, he was inspired to create The Bicycle. What he saw were lives forever changed. A bicycle meant that children could now go to school. (the nearest school being too far to walk to every day). It meant an education.

“At first I thought I might stop studying after finishing primary school at Grade six. Luckily, Save the Children gave me a bicycle, which enabled me to continue my study. I am extremely happy.” — Kuyly, 15, Cambodia.

Not only is this a celebration of the bicycle, it is a collection of wonderful illustrators all under one cover! You will see my childhood favourite (and I am sure a few others!) Quentin Blake on the cover. Shaun Tan, Sarah Davis (I think Sarah's contribution might be my favourite), Tony Ross and … could that be Banksy?

By adding this book to your collection, not only do you get a whole range of illustrators in one, but you are helping give back to the charity that inspired it. All the royalties from the sale of this book are being donated to Save the Children.

There was a quote in here that made me smile that I just have to share.

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."—H.G. Wells (1866—1946)

Title: The Bicycle
Author: Colin Thompson
Illustrator: Various
Publisher: ABC Books, $27.99 RRP
Publication Date: September 2011
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780733329876
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

Review: The Treasure Thief

2012-01-17T06:00:00.027+11:00

Some friends - a fox and a chicken - farewell some other friends - a bear, rabbit and chicken - as they set sail in a little rowboat, perhaps on a daily outing.

The boat is hit by a storm and the trio end up on a strange island with odd shaped boulders and a mysterious cave.

Exhausted, the rabbit and bear collapse in the cave, but the chicken spies a treasure. A strange, glowing orb.

Overcome with greed, the chicken grabs the orb and takes off from his friends, hoping to outrun them, but the friends quickly follow.

Maniacal with greed, the chicken continues to run but when he trips and drops the orb - a surprise is waiting inside.

This is a quirky tale of friendship and family that celebrates diversity and belonging. Wordless, poignantly illustrated, with magical double-page spreads sure to enchant children, this beautiful book is a must-have for serious picture book collectors.

Title: The Treasure Thief
Author/Illustrator: Béatrice Rodriguez
Publisher: Gecko Press, $22.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2 September 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9781877467844
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

Review: A House in the Woods

2012-01-16T06:00:00.001+11:00

Two little pigs live in the woods, in crude little dwellings - a hut and a den. One day, the pigs go wandering and discover an interesting stick and a pretty feather. When they return to their dwellings, they see Bear and Moose have moved in to their homes!

Of course, Moose and Bear are BIG, so the little dwellings are smashed to smithereens, but the little pigs are unfazed. Whilst the friends sit and chat about the inadvertent destruction, Moose comes up with a brilliant idea ... why not build a proper house all four of them can live in?

Moose gets on the phone to the beaver patrol, and pretty soon, work starts in earnest on a rather impressive home ... but how on earth will the friends be able to afford to pay the builders? Not to worry, the beavers are happy to be paid in peanut butter sandwiches.

A classic-style picture book with a very simple tale of friendship - with no twists nor extraordinary plotting or surprises - Moore has set A House in the Woods apart by using a humorous and almost 'dry' tone that's a delight to read. She really effectively uses carefully posed questions and statements that children respond so well to - and her characters are charm personified.

But the highlight of this book - for me - are the stunning illustrations, filled to brimming with breathtaking landscapes and striking warmth and charm. I would have loved to read illustration notes on the work in this book, but shall have to sate myself with just ogling in wonder, instead.

A gorgeous book with a simple tale and luscious visuals, this is a rewarding book, although I would have liked to have known the relevance of the feather and the stick - I did find them on the bedheads of the pigs at the end of the book - but I wanted more!

Title: A House in the Woods

Author/Illustrator: Inga Moore

Publisher: Walker Books, $29.95 RRP

Publication Date: 1 September 2011

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 9781406324327

For ages: 3 - 8

Type: Picture Book

Blog Tour: Gunnedah Hero by Clancy Tucker

2012-01-14T06:00:00.054+11:00

KBR warmly welcomes author Clancy Tucker on his blog tour, in celebration of the release of his new book Gunnedah Hero. Enjoy this wonderful interview!

Welcome, Clancy! What's your story?
I have lived in four countries and speak three languages. I currently live in Victoria and write young adult fiction for reluctant readers. I have also achieved success as a poet and photographer. I am now a full time writer, but I been a speechwriter, public servant, farmer and small business operator. I have also taught students in the USA, and worked with street kids. I draw on all of these life experiences to write entertaining stories for kids.

How long have you been writing?
I began mentally writing as a kid. Then, in my early twenties, I began writing short stories and poetry, entered contests and had stuff published in newspapers. I wrote my first manuscript eleven years ago, and I’ve written seventeen more since. I have at least ten manuscripts ready to roll.

What genre do you write in?
I write for the young adult market but adults enjoy my books too. I write historic adventures that people can identify with.

What other genres have you written in?
I write poetry and maybe one day I may publish anecdotes about my life experiences. It’s called A Free Spirit.

What is your greatest joy in writing? Climbing into my character’s heads to make them real for my reader.

Tell us about the birth of Gunnedah Hero. Where did the idea come from?
Having a great appreciation for Australian history, I wanted to write a story that would not only be adventurous and factual, but also one that described the harshness of the Australian bush and the spirit of our pioneers.

The book parallels the story of two fourteen-year-old boys - one a present day student named Gunnie, the other his great-great-grandfather, Smokey. Gunnie's grandfather left him a box containing a manuscript written by Smokey after his epic journey up the long paddock as a fourteen-year-old drover - during a harsh drought in 1910. At the back of the manuscript is an envelope. It’s NOT to be opened until Gunnie has read the entire story. On a visit to the family property, Gunnie discovers that it is again under threat - but from a different source. He must read the story and letter in an attempt to save it.

Does the life of your main character parallel with yours in any way?
Good question. Answer: Yes! Life is a collection of grand finals. Do you roll over when you are a goal down, with minutes to go? No way! You stand up, dust yourself off and push on regardless. If you win, you grin. If you lose, you suck it in and fight another day. That’s life, and that is how Smokey led his.

What do you hope Gunnedah Hero will impart its readers?
This story contains many disguised messages – the final letter, ‘To my reader ... from a simple drover’, from Smokey, at the end of the story, says it all –

‘Life sucks sometimes, but don’t let it suck you in’.

What do you love most about producing books for young adults?
There is a kid inside me who understands exactly where kids are today. I clearly recall what it was like when I was their age and love getting in touch with my inner child. And I love writing stuff that is equally suitable for 'cotton wool' kids and for 'struggling' kids. Both types have issues.

What advice would you have for anyone wanting to write a book in the young adult genre?
Find something you are passionate about and write passionately about it. Don't preach, be a kid, observe young people and write from the heart.

Other than writing, what else do you love?
Travel, sport, people older than me, naughty kids, Thailand, photography, my folks, my readers, debating serious issues, and the company of very close friends.

Describe your perfect day.
Great company, good food, warm weather and a great discussion.

What five words best sum you up?
Passionate, self-motivated, loyal, blunt and real.

What’s next for Clancy Tucker?
I will not live long enough to write what I have planned. I am about to begin the third book in the Gunnedah series – Magic Billie. After that, I have at least ten more books to write in the same series.

Also, I’d like to publish a powerful story about a beautiful young Thai girl named Boo that I recently finished. It’s based on a true story - titled Pa Joe’s Place. Other than that, I have a folder of ideas – ones I’ve collected for many years. That folder would have about 400 ideas for manuscripts.

Learn more about Clancy and his work at clancytucker.com.au and morrispublishingaustralia.com.

Gunnedah Hero is available in paperback from morrispublishingaustralia.com and clancytucker.com.au. The eBook is available from Smashwords and Google eBooks. During Clancy's blog tour, from14 to 31 January, the price of the Gunnedah Hero paperback will be slashed to $25! Head to Morris Publishing and choose the Buy Now button under discount copy text.

Want to win a copy of Gunnedah Hero? Just head to the Morris Publishing website contact page, fill in your details and write Blog Competition and your preferred eBook format in the message (ePub, PDF, Kindle). Please don't worry if the message doesn't disappear after you have sent it; it will disappear when you leave the page. The winners will be drawn on 31 January 2012 and notified by email.

Clancy Tucker - Gunnedah Hero - Blog Tour Schedule

January 14 - Kids Book Review Author Interview

January 15 Jill Smith - Book Review

January 16: Buzz Words- Article - Writing Historical Fiction

January 17: Carol Warner- Author Interview

January 18: Elaine Ouston - Review

January 19: Buzz Words - Review

January 20: Sheryl Gwyther - Author interview

January 22: Aussie Book Reviews - Review

January 23: Morris Publishing - News Update

January 24: Sherford Bear- Review

January 25: Miss Helen - Author Interview

January 25: Kids Book Capers- Author interview

January 26: Grand finale - Blog Bud- What's next for Clancy

Review: Bronwyn Bancroft's 1, 2, 3 and abc box set

2012-01-13T06:00:00.096+11:00

I love to give books as a gift for newborns and I have always been a fan of Indigenous Australian artist/illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft, so it is no surprise that I enjoy this wonderful board book set for little ones.

Featuring two books, An Australian 1, 2, 3 of Animals (numbers 1 – 12) and An Australian a b c of Animals, the books feature Bancroft's gorgeous, colourful illustrations of Australian wildlife. From ants to zebra lionfish and platypus to emu, the books are a wonderful way to introduce babies and toddlers to the joys of reading.

The clear, colourful images are sure to delight babies and as they grow to become toddlers they will be able to enjoy recognising some of our wonderful Australian animals.

Both books are also available separately in standard picture book format.

Title: Bronwyn Bancroft’s 1,2,3 and abc box set
Author/Illustrator: Bronwyn Bancroft
Publisher: Little Hare Books, $19.95 RRP
Publication Date: January 2011
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781921714207
For ages: Baby and toddler
Type: Board Book

Guest Post: Nine-Year-Old Author Jarod Bainbridge

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000+11:00

KBR warmly welcomes author, movie maker and philanthropist Jarod Bainbridge - a little man with some pretty big ideas.

My name is Jarod Bainbridge, my friends call me JJ. I am 9 years old and currently a 4th grader at an Elementary School in Poway, California, USA. I have been writing books since I was six years old. I have a vivid imagination and enjoy reading, drawing, and writing in my free time. I also enjoy making and publishing my books.

When I was six, we were on vacation at my grandparent's house, when my mom wanted to take a day trip to visit a friend. I sat down in the car and my parents gave me paper and a pencil to occupy myself.

As my dad drove, my younger sister, about 2 years old at the time, was being fussy in her car seat. In order to entertain her, I drew pictures. After I completed my last picture I announced “Mom, Dad, I wrote a story.” My mom asked for the pictures, so I handed them to her and started telling the story. My mom and dad thought it was a good story and asked if I would tell it again on the ride back so she could write it down.

On the way back I told them the story again and my mom wrote it down for me. When we got back to my grandparent’s house we scanned in the pictures and edited them on my grandma’s laptop. My dad found a site that allowed us to make a picture book. We uploaded the pictures and typed in the story and my first book, The Sad Princess, was complete.

In the years that followed, I wrote The Haunted House with my first grade classmates. With my dad’s help, we made that into a picture book as well. In the summer of 2010, I wrote a journal of our family trip from San Diego to North Carolina and back. The journal became my third book, Summer Vacation.

I decided that writing was something I wanted to pursue.

My dad searched for a self-publishing site and found one that allowed us to sell on Amazon.com. We typed up my vacation story, printed two copies from our home computer and ask my teachers if they would edit it. I read through my teacher's comments, chose the ones I felt made sense, and updated the book. When finished, my dad submitted the book for self-publishing and Summer Vacation, my first chapter book, was completed.

My fourth book came about when I was being teased by a girl at school. After talking to my parents about it and getting both good and bad advice, I was encouraged to work through the issue with my writing. So I took this, my sense of humor, and the other experiences going on in my life and wrote: Jake Peterson and His Not So Secret Admirer. This became my second chapter book, but it then took on a life of its own.

While I was a little embarrassed about the subject and the title, my teacher loved it and I was allowed to read it to my classmates. They all said they liked it. Soon after, the topic of making my book into a movie came up. I had always wanted to make a movie, but my dad would say it was a lot of work. This time he said that if I was willing to do the work, write the screenplay, cast the characters, and direct, then I could make the movie.

So over the summer I spent almost every day working on the movie. My dad and I would sit at the computer and work on the script chapter by chapter and scene by scene. Since it was my movie, I had to call and schedule my friends and their parents for the scenes as well as get permission to film at different locations. We created sets in our house, used friends’ houses, and even our school. After three long months, we completed the final edits and my 64-minute movie was complete.

When we were done with the movie, we had a grand premiere party for the actors and their families where the movie was shown on bed sheet with a borrowed video projector. Not wanting the project to end, I submitted proposals for making my movie into a fundraiser and on November 5th, 2011 my movie was shown at our local theater as a school fundraiser for our digital library. Over 200 people attended and I made over $800 for our school.

The movie, like the book, is about a 9 year old boy living in a small town. He likes playing with his friends, riding his bike, and teasing his sister. However, he has a problem. His neighbor Amanda Zimwalter likes him.

I love to receive e-mails asking me about my writing or so I can let people know about my books and other projects. Please e-mail me at: JJ.TheAuthor@gmail.com

Learn more about Jarod and his amazing work at his website. And if you're interested in taking a look at his books, see his Amazon author page. Jarod's movie is also available on Amazon Instant Video.

Review: Fly Guy vs The Flyswatter!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000+11:00

It's so easy to enjoy Tedd Arnold's iconic illustrations and warmly funny storylines, and this adorable addition to the Fly Guy collection, in chapter book format, is ideal for beginner readers who want some humour and literary punch with their learning.

Fly Guy is the pet of a young boy who loves flies - a boy called Buzz.

One day, Fly Guy is eating a delicious lunch in Buzz's backpack when Buzz grabs his pack and heads off to school.

Making a surprise appearance outside the lockers, Buzz stows his little mate in his pocket as the class heads off on an excursion to a local factory. A factory that makes . . . flyswatters!!
Horrified he's going to end up fly mash, Fly Guy hides away in Buzz's pocket while the children listen to a presentation on flies . . . how they love to wallow in slime . . . eat garbage and be eliminated by the Super Swatter 6000!

Of course, Fly Guy is not an unreasonable guy, but how can he put up with such impersonable horror!? When an unsuspecting fly is released to the peril of the Super Swatter 6000, he knows just what to do.

Featuring Arnold's classic, iconic, full colour illustrations, the latest in this priceless series of chapter books continues to delight.

Title: Fly Guy vs the Flyswatter!

Author/Illustrator: Tedd Arnold

Publisher: Scholastic, $13.99 RRP

PublicationDate: January 2012

ISBN: 9780545312868

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 4 - 8

Type: Young Junior Fiction, illustrated

10 Little Penguins Stuck on the Fridge

2012-01-10T06:00:00.003+11:00

If two little penguins each have two fish and the polar bear takes two fish and eats them, how many fish (and penguins) are left?

We at KBR love anything that will help kids thrive - whether it be reading . . . or counting. In this adorable new pack by award-winning, dynamic French duo Fromental and Jolivet, we meet 10 little magnetic penguins and their hungry polar bear friend - who have a lot of numeracy-associated activities to perform.

The kit includes a booklet with a series of counting 'games' like The Miraculous Catch . . . 5 little penguins are on an ice floe with empty bellies and feeling rather low. 3 of them jump in the canoe, where they catch 8 fish. Unable to resist such a delicious dish, each gobbles down 2 fish each. Kids then have to work out how many fish these adorable little fishermen take back with them to the ice.

Creating a 'story' that requires numerical problem-solving is a lot of fun - and the enclosed magnets (44 in total) make story-telling-counting a whole lot of fun, too - either on the fridge or other magnetic surface.

Educational purposes are not the only delight here . . . iconically gorgeous illustrations by Jolivet are a joy to have on your fridge. Talk about ogle-worthy pop art, all wrapped up in a pretty impressive educational package. Worth it for the art alone!

Note: fridge not included.

Title: 10 Little Penguins Stuck on the Fridge

Author: Jean-Luc Fromental
Illustrator: Joëlle Jolivet

Publisher: Abrams, $25.95

PublicationDate: 1 November 2011

ISBN: 9781419701375

Format: Soft cover book with magnets

Forages: 2 - 6

Type: Educational kit

Review: The House Baba Built

2012-01-09T06:00:00.003+11:00

Subtitled An Artist's Childhood in China, The House Baba Built is a biographical account of the childhood of Ed Young, ensconced in the house his father built in war-stricken Shanghai with extended family and friends.

Born in Tianjin 1931, two years into the Great Depression and just as China was invaded, leaving incalculable people homeless, Ed retells his memories of this time, both through word and picture.

When Ed's father, an engineer, couldn't afford to buy land to build a safe house for his family, he instead offered a land owner the free construction of a large house, complete with courtyards, gardens and a swimming pool - so long as the family were allowed to live in it for 20 years. After that time, the house would revert to the land owner. The land owner agreed.
Tumbling and rolling text and labelling bring intimate insights into Ed's family and everyday experiences during his family's time in the house . . . from waxing the floor to make it slippery enough for social dancing, to game-playing and listening to war reports on the radio. I particularly love the references to childhood imaginations that make an extraordinarily difficult wartime experience into something magical and memorable.

In the rooms of that house, Ed became a pilot, a mountain adventurer, a tightrope walker and Tarzan. There was rollerskating on the roof, scooter-riding in the empty swimming pool, storytelling with guests, all manner of childhood games in the halls, bamboo shoots and fava beans in the garden - all to the dulcet tones of fighter planes over the skies of Shanghai.

Pockmarked with references to the goosebumping sounds of war and an astonishing line-up of guests and relatives and even strangers who came to take refuge in Baba's house, this book is about offering support, about being close and about pulling together to survive, protected by the walls of a house built on love - through which nothing, not even bombs, can penetrate.

Using a striking combination of paintings, sketches, outlined images, photographs and collages of stunning ephemera, this book is a true joy to behold. Fold-out pages reveal lustrous double-page spreads, resplendent with texture and muted colour. An extraordinary amount of work has gone into creating this beautiful keepsake of a most remarkable childhood . . . and having the privilege of peeking into that childhood feels mighty special.

A timeline, author's notes and 3D house plan at the back of the book round out an astonishing creation that will mesmerise both children and adults.This is a strikingly beautiful, emotive book - a true work of art and an historical tale well worth the retelling.

A Caldecott Medalist, Young is the illustrator of more than eighty children's books, and author of seventeen. Having lived in Shanghai, Hong Kong and the United States, where he studied architecture before turning to art, graduating from the Art Center College of Design, Young was awarded the Caldecott Medal for his book Lon Po Po.

Title: The House Baba Built

Author/Illustrator: Ed Young

Publisher: Little, Brown, $24.99

PublicationDate: September 2011

ISBN: 9780316076289

Format: Hard cover with dust jacket

Forages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

Review: The Cloud

2012-01-07T06:00:00.016+11:00

Art class is fun. Everyone loves to paint and draw. Except one little girl who seems to have a big black cloud over her head.

Determined to make friends, a little fair-haired girl approaches the black cloud girl and brings her some starry bright conversation.

But all she gets is black, scribbly cloud conversation in return. Drats.

Does she give up? No. She tries the language of art. She offers the opportunity to draw something nice together - a bunny rabbit, a house, an ice cream cone . . . but the gloomy little girl continues to add nothing more than a squiggly black cloud.

Not to worry! The whole point is that they're now working together . . . and is that a hint of a smile on the gloomy girl's face? Before long, everyone is painting and drawing together in this lovely story of inclusion and togetherness, and the understanding that a positive attitude can overcome anything.

Even black clouds. Well, almost.

Warm and truly gorgeous illustrations rounded off with an adorable and humorous ending make this simple picture book an enormously satisfying one both big and little kids will love.

Title: The Cloud

Author/Illustrator: Hannah Cumming

Publisher: Child's Play, $12.95 RRP

PublicationDate: June 2010

ISBN: 9781846433436

Format: Paperback

Forages: 2 - 5

Type: Picture Book

Review: Cahills vs. Vespers: The Medusa Plot

2012-01-06T06:00:00.003+11:00

After travelling the world to discover the 39 Clues that would secure their position at the head of the powerful Cahill family, siblings Amy and Dan thought that they had won and life would return to normal. Instead, a thrilling new adventure begins as they are called on to protect the 39 Clues from the ruthless Vespers.

The Medusa Plot is the first book in a completely new six-book 39 Clues series, Cahills vs. Vespers. The first book promises to bring the same sense of excitement found in the original series. Amy and Dan try to outwit the Vespers to rescue their kidnapped family members and keep the 39 Clues from falling into the wrong hands.

My son has been enthralled by The 39 Clues books since the first book of the first series, The Maze of Bones. He has loved the logic challenges, history and geography puzzles, and the suspense of the thriller-style adventure story as each new book in the series brought Amy and Dan closer to discovering the truth about their family. Three years on, he is still looking forward to the release of each new 39 Clues book.

It is great to see these books continue into a second adventure in Cahills vs. Vespers. I’ve lost count of how many times my son has known some random piece fact about a place, historical event or famous person thanks to a plot development in The 39 Clues.

He has also enjoyed the logic puzzles and games related to the books on The 39 Clues website as well as the author interviews, story extensions and following the countdown to the release of the next 39 Clues title.

The website offers readers a chance to really feel like they are interacting with the action of the story.

With the second book in the Cahills vs. Vespers series, A King's Ransom, released in early December 2011, now is the perfect time to get confident young readers started on their 39 Clues adventure and to extend existing fans with the second series.

Title: The Medusa Plot
Series: The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers
Author: Gordon Korman
Publisher: Scholastic, $17.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780545298391
For ages: 9+
Type: Junior fiction, adventure story

Review: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

2012-01-05T06:00:00.001+11:00

For boys, in particular, there's so much fun and creativity to be found in a fully illustrated junior fiction book. Yes, the text may be nominal but sometimes the gist of the text, the humour and relatability are more than enough to feed the literary well of kids.

War and Peace can come later - or - more righly - when they are ready.

I mean, if they're struggling to read or just want something light, why scare them away with the onus of heavy nightly texts?
My own eight-year-old son enjoys a good solid read but he also adored these Tom Gates books for their rollicking fun and humour - a bit like a footloose cartoon after a mind-pumping documentary.

Tom Gates is an irreverent yet 'normal' school kid who takes much delight in torturing his older sister Delia. He's also a master homework escapologist and likes to spend his time doodling in his homework book and planning his next rehearsal with his band the Dog Zombies.

In diary format, complete with kooky illustrations, the books feature fabulous kidspeak dialogue, adorable line drawings, wonderful typesetting and a rollicking pace of unfortunate events that bring out loud giggles.

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates was shortlisted for Roald Dahl Funny Prize: The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen 2011.

Title: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates / Tom Gates: Excellent Excuses

Author/Illustrator: Liz Pichon

Publisher: Scholastic, $17.95 RRP

PublicationDate: 4 April 2011 / 1 September 2011

ISBN: 9781407120690 / 9781407124407

Format: Paperback

Forages: 6 - 12

Type: Junior Fiction, illustrated

Guest Post: Author Lian Tanner

2012-01-04T14:00:00.002+11:00

Kids Book Review is thrilled to welcome Lian Tanner, author of The Keepers Trilogy, to give us an insight into the amazing world she has created. Sit down and have a well-deserved break and read about how the brizzlehounds came about and the magical 'What If?'. Over to you Lian.

There’s a wonderfully unusual beast in the Keepers trilogy called a brizzlehound, and one of the questions I am often asked is ‘Where did you get the idea for such a creature?’

I remember very clearly how the brizzlehound came about. It was right back at the beginning, when I had just finished the very first draft of the first book in the trilogy – Museum of Thieves. The animals in that first draft were not particularly unusual; there was a small Jack Russell terrier called Blind Jimmy, and a very large and very dangerous bear called Crackbone.

The trouble was, when I read through the manuscript, I realised that – among other problems – I had too many characters. It was pretty easy to get rid of some of the humans, but when I came to Blind Jimmy and Crackbone, I was stumped. I loved both of them. I loved their personalities, I loved the part they played in the story. I didn’t want to lose either of them.

But one of them had to go. And this is where the magical ‘what if?’ comes in.

There are a number of useful tools that writers can draw on when they are stuck, or need new ideas. One of the best is the question ‘What if?’ I use it all the time in all sorts of situations. Sometimes it can spark a whole novel.

For example …

Some years ago, in my street, there was a small boy who was barely allowed outside the front gate. Now I should explain that my street is very quiet – it’s a dead-end with only twelve houses, and has hardly any traffic. It’s the sort of street where kids play cricket in the middle of the road, and football, and chases.

But not this boy. His parents were nervous people and he was hardly ever allowed out to play with the other kids. And after a while I noticed that, on the few occasions when he did get out, he didn’t know how to do things. Quite ordinary things like climbing fences and trees, that the other kids did without thinking, were beyond him. Not only that, but he didn’t seem to have any sort of instinct for danger, or any traffic sense. He’d been protected so carefully that he had never had the chance to learn proper survival skills.

And I started to ask myself – What if all parents were so fearful of what might happen to their children, and so over-protective?

That question sparked off a series of new questions. What if you had a whole city full of frightened parents; what would it look like? What lengths would these parents go to, to protect their children? How might someone try to exploit their fear? What if a naturally bold child was born into such a city – how would she react to this over-protection?

And that, of course, was where the Keepers trilogy and the adventures of Goldie Roth began.

‘What if?’ is one of the most powerful tools I know. And when I applied it to the puzzle of Blind Jimmy and Crackbone, it gave me an immediate answer:

What if, instead of getting rid of one of them, I joined the dog and the bear into a single character?

I tried it out. And what did I get when I combined a small dog with a very large bear? Why, I got a brizzlehound, a creature which is sometimes small and white and cute, and sometimes huge and black and very very scary.

The brizzlehound went on to become a major character, and a favourite among readers. He’s one of my big favourites too – all thanks to the power of ‘What if?’

Learn more about Lian at http://liantanner.com.au.

Book Review: City of Lies: The Keepers 2

2012-01-04T06:00:00.004+11:00

This fast paced adventure begins with Goldie Roth being offered the honourable role of Fifth Keeper in the Museum of Dunt. Due to the declining health of her parents, Goldie decides to refuse the position in person.

“Tonight she would reply. Never”

This is when the trouble begins.

During her journey to the Museum, Goldie finds her friends Toadspit and Bonnie whisked away by kidnappers, and so begins her adventure in Stoke, where the Festival of Lies is about to begin. Stoke is an odd city, where everything said is twisted into a lie, and no one can be trusted. Goldie must access all her skills as liar and thief to survive through the festival and rescue her friends.

The return of the Fugleman and his underlying ambitions, the mystery of the infamous Harrow, and the promise of characters being swept up in the mystique of a ‘Big Lie’, left me enchanted! There are plenty of twists and turns to keep one guessing!

The wonderful array of characters, including thieving street children, a convict marching band, inept child-stealers, and animals that are almost human-like (such as mothering mice!), made this voyage all the more satisfying. The colourful imagery of the costumes, and the city of Stoke, make this an intriguing read. If you enjoy adventure and fantasy, this second instalment of The Keepers trilogy will not fail to please.

Visit The Keepers website
Play The Keepers game

Review by Bree Sherd

Title: City of Lies: The Keepers 2
Author: Lian Tanner
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $22.99 RRP
Publication Date: October 2011
Format: Hard Cover, pp.320
ISBN: 9781742371962
For ages: 8-12 year olds
Type: Children’s Fiction

Guest Post - Collaborative Writing 2.0 with Tristan Bancks

2012-01-03T06:00:00.004+11:00

KBR is delighted to welcome author Tristan Bancks with this fabulous post on collaborative writing with schools.

My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up is a book of short stories that I wrote not only for kids but with them. Now, more than ever, children’s authors have an opportunity to invite readers into the process and blur the line between creator and audience.

I often use my workshop, festival and Skype sessions as a chance to brainstorm stories with kids.

As the title suggests, My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up is part autobiography and part fiction. On the purely fictional stories, I would come up with an idea and share it with a group of students. For instance I might ask them, ‘What if your grandmother found herself in a back-alley brawl with another grandmother? What might she use to defend herself?’ or ‘Imagine you woke up and everything was hovering. What would be some funny or amazing things to find hovering around your home or school?’

I would then take a photo of our whiteboard brainstorms and work the best of the group-generated ideas into the story, acknowledging the school at the end of the book.

Of course, working in this way brings up some ethical issues around using group ideas for a book that only the author will be paid for. I asked many librarians, teachers, kids and even a lawyer-friend about this and the general consensus was, ‘Go for it.’ I ultimately felt that if I created the original idea and then acknowledged the group in the book for their contribution I could feel good about it, giving kids a sense of ownership over the stories.

The collaboration did not stop there. Once the story was written, I would read it aloud to groups and get feedback before sending it to the publisher. It is slightly scary to read unpublished work to an audience but an amazing way to hone comedy. The Dog Kisser (recently recorded as a free audio story) evolved over a period of months using this read-aloud approach.

Now that My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up is published, I use the story-openings as stimulus for kids to create their own stories just like Tom Weekly, the character in the book. And so the collaboration continues. (See teachers’ pack for story starters.)

Coming from a TV and film background, I love this approach. I plan to continue to work collaboratively, always acknowledging contributors and blurring the creator/consumer line in ever-more-interesting ways.

Learn more about Tristan and his work at www.tristanbancks.com.

Review: You Will Be My Friend

2012-01-02T06:00:00.005+11:00

You can just hear the droning tones of this delightfully adorable and very irritating little bear as she flings herself around the friendly neighbourhood forest with the sole purpose of finding herself a new friend.

After announcing to her mum that she is off to hunt down all manner of local critters and make them her friend, Lucy sets off into the forest, skipping and dancing - with every intention of climbing trees, doing cartwheels, going swimming, having a dance party and picnics with her new recruit.

Woebetide.

Her first potential friend is a frog in a pond, leaping from lily pad to lily pad. Lucy also does a flying leap . . . right into that pond, empyting it instantly of all water . . . not to mention all potential, slimy green friends.

Next is a bespectacled giraffe, making breakfast of the leaves at the top of a rather tall tree. Unable to wait til he's finished eating, Lucy barges up the tree and right into his breakfast dish. Needless to say, things don't work out that well.

Her encounter with a skunk is a similar disaster, ditto an ostrich, some rabbits, a beaver and a kangaroo.

Lucy can't work it out. She's doing all the right things. She's being warm and friendly. She's asking questions. She's attempting to fit in, even when she simply can't possibly fit. That's when Lucy starts getting grumpy. You know you're probably being a tad psychotic on the friend front when you point at an egg in a nest and tell it "You WILL be my friend. I can wait."

Dear, sweet, bull-at-a-gate Lucy is a picture book's dream character. She's funny, real, joyous and totally over the top - ideal ingredients for having kids in stitches. The warmth and brilliant humour of the storyline beautifully buffers the central 'moralistic message' and the illustrations are beyond priceless.

Using vintage-inspired colour, cartoonish layout and speech bubbles, author/illustrator Peter Brown has created a visual feast with this book that make it a spectacular all-rounder for kids of all ages.

Title: You Will Be My Friend

Author/Illustrator: Peter Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown, $24.99

PublicationDate: October 2011

ISBN: 9780316070300

Format: Hard cover with dust jacket

Forages: 3 - 10

Type: Picture Book

KBR Favourite Book of the Year 2011 - WINNERS!

2012-01-01T12:00:00.039+11:00

We are delighted to announce the winners in our annual Favourite Book of the Year for 2011. Congratulations to all these glorious books and people - we love your work!

Books for Littlies

Let's Play Games series
by Hervé Tullet (Phaidon)

Eye-Popping Picture Book

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School
by David Mackintosh (HarperCollins)

Mesmerising Early Reader

Claude in the City
by Alex T Smith (Hachette)

Enthralling Junior Fiction Book

Surface Tension
by Meg McKinlay (Walker Books)

Cool Fact Book

What Body Part is That?
by Andy Griffiths (Pan Macmillan)

Intriguing Young Adult Read

Nanberry: Black Brother White
by Jackie French (HarperCollins)

That 'Something Extra Special' Book

Doodleday
by Ross Collins (Gullane Children's Books)

Enchanting e-book

The Heart and the Bottle
by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

Favourite Author of the Year

Jackie French

Favourite Illustrator of the Year

Sarah Davis

Favourite Proactive Person NEW CATEGORY!

Angela Hall, Bug in a Book

Favourite Book of the Year

Stuck
by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

What do you think of our choices? It was very hard to decide! Leave a comment and tell us what you think - and also tell us your favourite children's books for 2011.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.004+11:00

Happy New Year and a prosperous,

literary 2012 to everyone!

from the Team at KBR

xxx

ebook Review: Gone Wishing

2011-12-31T06:00:00.016+11:00

Sometimes an ebook comes along that makes you gasp out loud with delight, and clap your hands like a small child. These are the books saturated not only with talent, but with a passion for simply fabulous, utterly creative mettle.

In Gone Wishing, we are taken to another world where wishes are calibrated and granted. The wishes on birthday candles, those hidden in coins or wishbones – all these precious desires are granted beneath a magic wishing well, which must be accessed before the story can begin.

Simple, just throw all those coins in the fountain – and be prepared to enter the fantastical world of Best Wishes, the largest wish-granting company in the world. Within this world, you’ll find many a genie, fairy and leprechaun, including the great Mortimer Mimble, director of Best Wishes, and his young son Jacob.

Poised to take over fultime wish-granting from his father, young Jacob has a problem. He can’t make wishes come true, no matter how much he tries – and with his father demanding he makes seven wishes come true or he’ll no longer be his son, Jacob has no choice but to asks his friends Pru and Basil for help.

But can these learner wish-granters help Jacob achieve his magical requirements? It’s not until Jacob uses his inherent creativity that his first wish grant comes true [ish].

Not only is this a beautifully-penned and utterly clever story, with bundles of magic and pink-faced humour, it is an utterly gorgeous visual delight. Rarely do images, text, music, sound effects and eye-boggling interactivity come together so seamlessly to provide an holistically enchanting story experience.

There is loads of interactivity – so much, you’re spoiled for choice – and all of it is highly imaginative and eye-popping and unexpected. The scene where Basil the leprechaun spins wishes into the air is absolutely priceless, as is the supersonic version of little Timmy’s red bicycle wish.

Easy navigation, brilliant sound effects and a question mark option to help kids find all the touchable surprises, this is one of my favourite ebooks this year.

Gone Wishing is available in English, Danish, Spanish and Chinese – just head to the information section to change the language.

Written by Luca Lorenci and and illustrated by Matej Jenko, Gone Wishing is published by Fi Productions and is available on iTunes for $4.49.

Review: Big Bear Hug

2011-12-30T06:00:00.027+11:00

Bear is meandering through the very Canadian-looking forest, overflowing with sentiments of love and good will. In fact, he's so overcome with bliss, he can't help but hug everything he sees.

He hugs rabbits. He hugs mooses (is that the plural?). He hugs skunks, birds and snakes. In fact, nothing is too small, big, stinky or scary for bear to hug. Such is the love.

But what Bear loves to hug very most of all - is trees.
He never met a tree he did not like.

Then one day, whilst hugging a beaver and a tree at the same time, Bear witnesses something horrible. A man. With an axe. Wanting to chop down a tree.

Let's just say the love and peace drains very quickly from that big old Bear. Until . . . he realises that violence is no cure. What he must do is what he does best. Hug.

This book is so cute, you just want to rip that bear off the page and hug it and squeeze it tight. You also want to applaud Nicholas Oldland for taking a heartfelt, sustainability message and creating a charmingly beautiful story, with equally charming and beautiful illustrations.

Cool, contemporary, clever. That's Nicholas Oldland.

Title: Big Bear Hug
Author/Illustrator: Nicholas Oldland
Publisher: Kids Can Press, $23.95 RRP
Publication Date: September 2009
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9781554534647
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture Book

Review: Stripy Horse Board Books

2011-12-29T06:00:00.006+11:00

StripyHorse is back in his very own baby board books, and he's on the move. In these adorable books, Stripy is doing what totslove most – playing hide and seek, and keeping physically active, with a stackof fabulously fun things to do – like climbing, sliding, hopping, splashing andskating.

This is onehorse who loves to have fun. In Off We Go, he’s flying high, belly flopping,jumping, bumping, smashing and crashing. Loving the use of onomatopoeia toamplify his actions.

In Hide andSeek, he’s trying to find his sausage dog friend. He’s searching high and low,in and out, in front, behind – in this very clever version of opposites.

Adorableillustrations in lollypop colours, with beautifully rhyming, deliciouslytoddler-friendly text, these books are one of my picks of the year for babiesand tots.

Title: Stripy Horse Hide and Seek / StripyHorse Off We Go!

Author: Jim Helmore

Illustrator: Karen Wall

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $9.95

PublicationDate:1 December 2011

ISBN: 9781405257459 / 9781405257466

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 0 - 3

Type: Board Book

Review: The Scariest Thing of All

2011-12-28T06:00:00.009+11:00

Pip is a little bunny who lives in the woods with lots of other bunnies - little bunnies, big bunnies, medium-sized bunnies. Pip is extra small. And he's always scared.

Pip is scared of a lot of things. The usual things. The less usual things. Things that are just plain weird.

One evening, Pop wakens from an afternoon nap and hears a scary noise. Raaar. Raaarrrrrr!

Terrified, he hightails it into the dark woods where he encounters plenty of spooky sounds and scary-looking shapes in the dark ... but it's not until he stops to really listen that he realises something ... perhaps he's not afraid of anything, after all.

Gliori's adorable, highly detailed and imaginative illustrations are a highlight of this sweet book about bravery, about believing in yourself - and about viewing the world from a different perspective.

Title: The Scariest Thing of All
Author/Illustrator: Debbie Gliori
Publisher: Bloomsbury, $22.99 RRP
Publication Date: December 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780747599692
For ages: 3 -7
Type: Picture book

Review: Little Things for Busy Hands

2011-12-27T06:00:00.033+11:00

Oh my goodness, thank goodness. A craft book for kids that achieves many wonderful things.

Firstly - it's small. In format, I mean. A totally kid-friendly size, but not too small that the pages are squished and we can't enjoy the lovely photos.

Secondly - it provides projects that don't require a sewing machine. Not that we're discouraging sewing machines, but with the long school holidays ahead of us, it's nice to know the kids can immerse themselves in projects that don't require "the needle's jammed-AGAIN!" adult intervention.

The other thing Little Things for Busy Hands does is provide really super cute projects that are actually attractive - not daggy homespun - and that, ergo, young chicks will want to actually create.

There are 16 projects in the book - kind of on the lower side of options - but the pages are certainly quickly filled by detailed, step-by-step projects - and being that all projects are covetable (unlike many craft books) and totally doable - the 16 items do feel like good value for money.

Projects range from the super simple - fabric button rings, lace brooches, bunting - to the more detailed - owl canvas, pony friends, frog purse - and include gorgeous photos and easy-to-follow, illustrated directions.

The tone of the book's text is appropriate, clear and kid-friendly, and there are helpful notes on stitches, cutting, patterns, equipment, using glue, and other crafting and sewing tips.

A must-have for school hols and for anyone who loves to create.

Title: Little Things for Busy Hands
Author: Katie Evans
Publisher: Penguin, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: 29 August 2011
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 9780143206200
For ages: 7+
Type: Non Fiction, Craft Book

News: Lotta Magazine

2011-12-26T06:00:00.027+11:00

We at KBR are just LOVING this superb new magazine for kids - Lotta magazine, run by the ultra talented Leonie Gould. The inaugural issue is called The Story Issue - something close to our hearts - and features a stack of school holiday ideas that focus on children's literature.

Stunningly photographed, laid out and designed, with original, quality content, Lotta covers art, craft, drawing, gardening, writing, play and many other activities. Creativity and eye-candy all rolled into one publication, this is a parents' dream . . . oh, and the kids just may enjoy it, too.

You can learn more at www.lottamagazine.com

Merry Christmas! from KBR

2011-12-25T06:00:00.014+11:00

Wishing everyone

a fantabulous Christmas

and a bookishly wonderful

New Year!

from the KBR Team

(left to right)

Susan * Tania * Kelly

Review: An Aussie Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T15:00:00.000+11:00

Based on the story and rhythm of the traditional Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore, An Aussie Night Before Christmas creates a Christmas Eve scene much more familiar to Australian families.

Gone is the chimney, new-fallen snow and reindeer pulling jolly St Nicholas in his sleigh. A bush setting with gum trees, possums and other native plants and animals replace the European winter scenes with eight mighty kangaroos pulling Santa’s Christmas ute.

An Aussie Night Before Christmas is perfect as a gift for Australian friends and family living overseas or to balance traditional Christmas stories which often appear in a mid-winter setting. Although the bush setting may not reflect the experiences of urban and coastal Australians, the are many images in the illustrations such as lamingtons, wattle, fairy bread and a kelpie pup jumping about on the back of the ute that readers will find familiar.

An Aussie Night Before Christmas is part of a series of Australian adaptations written by Morrison and Niland that includes An Aussie Day Before Christmas.

Title: An Aussie Night Before Christmas
Author: Yvonne Morrison
Illustrator: Kilmeny Niland
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $15.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2005
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 1865046531
For ages: 3+ years
Type: Picture book

Review: The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000+11:00

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

Reading these words is a fundamental part of our Christmas Eve traditions. The kids are ready for bed and we settle down to read The Night Before Christmas together before everyone (hopefully) goes quickly to sleep.

There are so many different editions of this classic poem, written by a New York clergyman and first published in a local newspaper in 1822. This edition, with its gorgeous soft-focus colour pages and smaller black and white illustrations, captures the atmosphere of the story perfectly for me. The large pages (a little larger than A4) also make it ideal for a family to read together – no fights over who can and can’t see the pages.

Finding Christmas stories to read together, whether Bible and nativity stories or more contemporary tales, can be a wonderful part of forming lasting family Christmas traditions. For our family, The Night Before Christmas is a special part of how we celebrate Christmas together.

Title: The Night Before Christmas
Author: Clement C. Moore
Illustrator: Christian Birmingham
Publisher: HarperCollins, $16.99 RRP
Publication Date: 29 March 2003
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 0007167113
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture book

Review: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas!

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000+11:00

On Christmas Eve, I always read Clement C. Moore’s classic The Night Before Christmas with my children. On the night before Christmas Eve, we snuggle together for a slightly less formal story, Richard Scarry’s The Night Before the Night Before Christmas.

Accident-prone Mr Fumble is desperate to spread some Christmas cheer, but no-one seems to want his help. He finally decides to seek out the one person who most needs help leading up to Christmas, heading to the North Pole to offer his assistance to Santa Claus.

Unfortunately, Mr Fumble’s help results in Santa heading out a whole day early to do his Christmas rounds with an empty sleigh. Now Mr Fumble really does need to be helpful or all the good little boys and girls in Busytown will miss out on their Christmas gifts.

I have always loved Richard Scarry’s wonderful stories of Busytown and love reading this book with my children each Christmas. There are a few familiar characters from other Busytown books, the Cat family and Mr Fixit for example, but Mr Fumble and his Ski-pickle-doo car are at the centre of the story as he attempts to save Christmas and rescue Santa.

The Night before the Night Before Christmas is a wonderful part of our family Christmas traditions.

Title: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas!
Author/Illustrator: Richard Scarry
Publisher: HarperCollins, $12.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2005
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 0007207212
For ages: 3 – 8 years
Type: Picture book

Review: Princess and Fairy - A Very Sparkly Christmas

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000+11:00

It’s Christmas Eve and the Keepers of Christmas have asked Princess and Fairy to decorate the grand Evergreen Moor tree. Adorable bunnies Princess and Fairy need to find all the items on their sparkly to do list before everyone in Fairyland gathers for the midnight Christmas display.

Princess and Fairy’s Christmas Eve adventure is revealed in Anna Pignataro’s sweet rhyming story and gorgeous detailed watercolour illustrations. The two bunnies wander through the streets marvelling at the Christmas decorations and activities. They have a list of tree decorations they need to find, with two or three items from the list to be found on each double page.

This lovely Christmas seek-and-find book will delight little girls as they follow Princess and Fairy along the boardwalk of Christmas Sea Wonders at Starfish Beach, watch the Noel Parade march and visit a variety of Fairyland locations including Gingerbread Lane. When they finally arrive at Evergreen Moor, they find the tree decorated with the ornaments they have found and a liberal dash of silver glitter to make everything sparkle.

A Very Sparkly Christmas is a lovely book to read with young children in the lead up to Christmas.

Title: Princes and Fairy – A Very Sparkly Christmas
Author and Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $15.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2008
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9781741691269
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture book

Review: Welcome the Baby Jesus

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000+11:00

A simple Nativity story to read with toddlers and preschoolers, Welcome the Baby Jesus builds a picture of the first Christmas for young children. Following the ‘This is the House that Jack Built’ text style, readers are introduced to Jesus, his parents, the shepherds and Wise men and many of the other familiar symbols of the first Christmas through the repeating rhythm of the story.

With appealing illustrations and the building repetition of the text, Welcome the Baby Jesus is a lovely way to share the story of the first Christmas in the Bethlehem stable with little ones.

Title: Welcome the Baby Jesus
Author: Maggie Barfield
Illustrator: Joy Hutchinson
Publisher: Scripture Union, $17.99 RRP
Publication Date: August 2002
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 1859996116
For ages: 2 - 5
Type: Picture book

Review: Rainbow Magic : Natalie the Christmas Stocking Fairy

2011-12-20T06:00:00.035+11:00

Let me introduce you to Natalie. She is the Christmas stocking fairy.

Did you know there was a Christmas stocking fairy? You didn't? That is because she does such a wonderful job!

You see it is Natalie's very special magic that makes sure everything runs smoothly at Christmas time.

This year though, it seems Jack Frost is up to mischief. Oh no! In fact, nasty Jack Frost has stolen Natalie's three enchanted objects! Without them, Christmas will not be Christmas.

The first item is the enchanted stocking that makes sure all the stockings are ready for Christmas. Then there is the magical mince pie that makes sure all the mince pies are tasty and finally the charmed candy cane that makes sure the stocking gifts are perfect for each girl and boy.

It's certainly lucky that Kirsty and Rachel are around to help search for the magical items.

Jack Frost and his awful goblins might be nasty but at the core of it, they just want to celebrate Christmas too, in their own yucky way. Read to see how the goblins and Jack Frost are outsmarted!

This is such a wonderful early chapter book for a young reader gaining their confidence. Essentially split into three books in one and then each book divided by short, sharp and illustrated chapters. They make for a wonderful way to mark your achievement of just how much you have read. For younger readers not yet at this reading level, you could read a chapter to them each night, helping them familiarise with the story to assist when they are ready to tackle it for themselves.

There are so many books in this series to keep you girls (and boys should they wish!) interested and collecting.

A wonderful Christmas read. Happy Christmas!

Title: Rainbow Magic : Natalie the Christmas Stocking Fairy
Author: Daisy Meadows
Publisher: Orchard, $15.99 RRP
Publication Date: November 2011
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781408312797
For ages: 5+
Type: Young Junior Fiction

Review: The Gift of the Magi

2011-12-18T06:00:00.000+11:00

If you are looking for a Christmas story that doesn’t feature either a nativity or Santa, The Gift of the Magi is a story that reinforces the value of selfless giving. This classic story by O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) shares the story of Jim and Della as they seek to show their love for each other in a special Christmas gift despite their poverty.

Hard times have hit the Dillingham Young family. Earning only $20 per week, Jim and his wife Della can barely make ends meet and certainly can’t afford to buy each other expensive gifts for Christmas. Despite this, they each want to find the perfect gift to show their love.

In a beautiful tragedy, each sacrifices something the other treasures in order to earn the money to purchase a gift. The author refers to them as ‘two foolish children’ for doing so, but also describes them as wise, for they understood the value of love and showing their love to each other.

The language of this story is formal, but the message is one that can be understood by children as well as adults. The illustrations in this edition are beautifully suited to the story, capturing the feeling of the relationship between Della and Jim in this classic story first published over 100 years ago.

Title: The Gift of the Magi
Author: O Henry
Illustrator: P J Lynch
Publisher: Walker Books, $27.95 RRP
Publication Date: 28 September 2008
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9781844280384
For ages: 6+ years
Type: Picture book

Review: The Lump of Coal

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000+11:00

If you’re looking for a Christmas story with a difference, it’s hard to go past Lemony Snicket’s The Lump of Coal. If you enjoy unusual stories that use words in clever ways, you probably already stop whenever you see a Lemony Snicket book anyway. I know I do.

The Lump of Coal is the story of a Christmas miracle. Nothing unusual there. The hero of the story is a lump of coal who can think, talk and move itself around. See, I told you this book was a little out of the ordinary.

The Lump of Coal is a short story, following the efforts of the story’s hero as he tries to find some purpose for his life – preferably as an artist, but he’s willing to accept that he is more likely to be used in helping to heat up someone’s barbeque.

While the story is short enough, the offbeat sense of humour and word play may be lost on younger readers. There is a lovely moral at the end of the humorous tale, so the book is ideal for slightly older children and those with a quirky sense of humour and well-developed vocabulary.

We read a lot of Christmas stories at this time of year and I love being able to include books that are a little different. The Lump of Coal is definitely one of my favourites.

Title: The Lump of Coal
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Publisher: HarperCollins, 14.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1/11/2008
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9780061574283
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior fiction

Review: Santa's Aussie Mix-Up

2011-12-16T06:00:00.084+11:00

Santa needs help! He needs help to deliver ALL of the Christmas presents on time. Lucky that all of the Australian animals are here to help him ... or is it?

They are all super keen to show Santa what they can do, yelling "Pick me! Pick me!"

Enthusiasm, however, doesn't equate to helpfulness!

Koala falls asleep. Possum gets the tinsel tangled in trees and Tassie Devil accidentally Christmas-wraps a mob of wallabies.

What ever will Santa do?

"Pick me! Pick me!" comes the cry again. This time it is Emu and Kangaroo busting to show Santa what they can do. Kangaroo puts the presents in her pouch to show Santa how great she can bounce. As she does, ALL of the presents fall out. Emu declares he is faster than a Bondi bus but then promptly trips up on the cattle grid.

All of a sudden both Kangaroo and Emu are in big argument! Hitting and yelling when Santa tells them to "STOP!" The only thing that will work, is if they both do the job TOGETHER!

But what a mix-up! Kevin gets a dolly! Grandad gets a hula hoop and dad gets a fairy princess book. Whoops, Emu and Kangaroo seem to have gotten things a bit mixed up, but oh what fun!

Filled with a troop of Aussie animals, the book comes with a CD in which you can sing along with the book, to the tune of Advance Australia Fair. You can read the book along with the song or try and sing along yourself with the instrumental version. Great for schools and child care groups.

Review: Happy Christmas, Spot!

2011-12-15T06:00:00.048+11:00

Christmas morning is so exciting. The anticipation that Santa has been. Drank his milk and eaten his snack, oh ... and left some presents!

Spot and his friends wake on Christmas morning. I wonder what Santa has left for them?

A present for Spot — What can it be?

Let's lift the page to find out?

It's a bicycle! Wow! Happy, Christmas Spot.

Thick board pages which make page turning and lifting easy for wee hands. Bright colours and simple repetitive text make it a joy for a young reader to read along with and get involved.

Such a wonderful package, the red on the cover is shiny, just like a beautiful Christmas decoration. Enjoy Christmas with Spot and his friends.

Review: The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Ray

2011-12-14T06:00:00.015+11:00

I couldnever tire of this iconic Christmas song. Its words and melodic lilt are thestuff of Christmas, and in this picture book version, illustrated by Jane Ray,both children and adults will get completely lost in the snow-flecked pages.

Whimsical and mesmerising, Ray uses stunning colour and detail to tell the taleof a woman wooed by her festive love… and on the twelfth day, said loverappears at her door holding a single rose.

For those who adore whimsically-illustrated books with that folksy touch and striking detail - this is the Christmas book for you.

Beautiful, and a must for collectors.

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Illustrator: Jane Ray

Publisher: Orchard Books, $19.99 RRP

PublicationDate: October 2011

ISBN: 9781408307038

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

News: Australia's First Children's Laureates

2011-12-13T20:00:00.007+11:00

Double the stories, double the fun as two champions of Aussie storytelling and literacy announced.

Much-loved children’s authors Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor have been announced as the first Australian Children’s Laureates at the launch of the initiative in Adelaide. Both are talented and award-winning storytellers who bring a wealth of experience and creativity to the position – Alison as a renowned author and illustrator, and Boori as a celebrated author, performer, dancer and poet.

This prestigious national honour, the first of its kind in this country, was awarded at the launch on 10 December by the Hon. Grace Portolesi, SA Minister for Education and Child Development and iconic children’s presenter Noni Hazlehurst, and is the culmination of the work by the Australian Children’s
Literature Alliance (ACLA) to promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians.

ACLA is a not-for-profit venture between children’s book creators and advocates, including authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, teacher librarians, literacy organisations, private benefactors and the federal and state governments.

The Australian Children’s Laureate award will see an outstanding author or illustrator of children’s literature appointed every two years to encourage children to read and be part of an active literary culture for enjoyment, wellbeing and success in life.

Learn more here.

Review: Christmas Wombat

2011-12-13T06:00:00.003+11:00

To write one-word sentences and still pull impressive literary punch? Well, that's Jackie French for you.

Mothball the wombat is keeping his Christmas Diary.

"Slept. Scratched. Slept."

What more could a festive wombat need to do? Dangly things that look suspiciously like Christmas decorations? Nah. Get rid of those, for a wombat Christmas is like any other day of the year ... that is, until he smells... CARROTS!

And those carrots just happen to be disappearing into the mouths of some very strange creatures. Bridled creatures. Be-antlered creatures. Large, jingle-jangling, sleigh-anchored creatures! Let's just say this: whatever they are, when it comes to carrots, they're no match for Mothball!

This book is a visual delight. I don't know how illustrator Whatley does it. He somehow manages to consistently combine cute with classic with charming with whimsical with beautiful with hilarious with kooky with contemporary with traditional.

Our friend Mothball is as dry and self-serving as ever - but in that delightfully charming, hilarious way. The hooded eyes, the attitude, the rear-end pudge, the way he runs at a gallop - it's always a sight to behold ... eye-smiling all the way.

French once again does Mothball proud in this utterly adorable, must-have Christmas book, touring the Christmas Eve world via that magical sleigh, munching carrots and even making some unlikely friends.

Essential Christmas reading - as bright and funny as a cracker at the festive table.

Title: Christmas Wombat
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
Publisher: HarperCollins, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780732291716
For ages: 2+
Type: Picture Book

Magabala Books to Publish Indigenous Writing Fellowship Winners

2011-12-10T06:00:00.004+11:00

Western Australian publisher Magabala Books is thrilled to recently sign with the State Library of Queensland to publish the winner of the kuril dhagun Indigenous writing fellowship.

Launched in 2010, the Library's black&white project comprises writing and editing mentorships which recruit, train and mentor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander editors to develop Indigenous authored manuscripts.

The first of its kind in Australia, black&white is aimed at fostering a significant Indigenous writing community, and Magabala Books will have the honour of taking the winning titles to national and international heights.

Linda McBride-Yuke and Ellen van Neerven-Currie were the winners of the inaugural Editing Fellowship, and winners of the Writing Fellowships were poet Ali Cobby Eckermann for her verse novel Ruby Moonlight, and first-time author Sue McPherson with her adult novel Grace Beside Me. Both books will be published in April/May 2012.

Author McPherson said: "Both Magabala and the black&white team believes in and supports the integrity of the manuscript and me the storyteller, for this I am grateful. It's an awesome partnership which I'm very proud and honoured to be part of."

Review: Russell's Christmas Magic

2011-12-09T06:00:00.015+11:00

Gotta love Russell the Sheep. He’s just the most scrumptious ball of wool, so outright tactile, the fingers are literally called to stroke the page. Such is Rob Scotton’s artistic genius.

It’s without a doubt that Scotton’s work is utterly eye-entrancing, but even so, it’s the addition of adorable characters, the humour and the beautifully-penned storyline that combine create such lust-worthy books. Russell’s Christmas Magic is no exception.

Santa has crash-landed in Firefly Wood. His sleigh is broke and it’s looking like Christmas might have to be cancelled. Dire straights indeed. Until Russell comes up with a brilliant idea.

Unearthing an old car chassis, he sets to work with his whiz bang tool chest – and creates a phantasmagorical gift-toting vehicle . . . thanks to a little bit of Christmas magic.

This is a timeless and beautiful book, with delectable detail (the frog making snow angels is my favourite), a heartfelt storyline, and truly heart-palpitating imagery. The perfect Christmas Eve read.

Title: Russell’s Christmas Magic

Author/Illustrator:Rob Scotton

Publisher: HarperCollins, $23.95 RRP

PublicationDate: October 2007

ISBN: 9780060598549

Format: Hard cover with dust jacket

Forages: 3 - 8

Type: Picture Book

Review: Babar and Father Christmas

2011-12-08T06:00:00.016+11:00

You don’t have to be a Babar the Elephant fan to enjoy thisbeautifully-designed book – a tale following Babar and his friends as theyattempt to get the land of the elephants on Santa’s present-giving route.

Ofcourse, Santa, in dire need of a tropical holiday, soon becomes fast friendswith Babar.

Stunning, iconic illustrations as as relevant today as they ever were, bringing that timeless retro feel. Loving the colour choices, the gorgeous detailed layouts (including some pretty gorgeous cursive typeface) and the warm voice the author is known for.

First published in 1940, following de Brunhoff’s untimely death atjust 37, the book’s images were coloured-in and made complete by his brotherand twelve-year-old son Laurent.

Special.

Title: Barbar and Father Christmas

Author/Illustrator: Jean de Brunhoff

Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $16.95

PublicationDate: 1 October 2008

ISBN: 9781405238229

Format: Soft cover

Forages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

Slingshot Christmas Charity Auction

2011-12-07T18:03:00.000+11:00

The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation are excited to announce the launch of a week-long Christmas auction with all proceeds going to their Wall of Hands Indigenous Literacy Appeal.

Click below to place your bid now on a range of exclusive experiences including a meet and greet with The Wiggles at one of their shows and VIP tickets to a Sydney Swans game and a kick-around with the players!

100% of the proceeds go directly to the ALNF Wall of Hands Indigenous Literacy Appeal so more kids can be reached with the ALNF's award-winning literacy programs.Buy one for yourself, a present, or have your company bid then give it away as a Christmas bonus!

Remember, you only have until this Tuesday, December 13, to place your bid.

Review: All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

2011-12-07T06:00:00.089+11:00

You know the song, right? I can tell you, the year I actually lost my front teeth was nothing but comedic perfect timing.

In this charming adaptation of the song we meet a beautiful little monkey who wants nothing more than a pair of front teeth. Where did they go? Who could be responsible for this utter catastrophe?
"Gee, if only I could have my two front teeth, then I could wish you Merry Christmas!" (try saying it with a toothless lisp!)

From the same team who gave you The Wonky Donkey. I have taken this little monkey to my heart. The wonderfully gorgeous illustrations of a lovable little monkey are so sweet.

On each page you will find the monkey has a wee little friend. A tiny toothy snail that will make you smile.

I think the last page might have to be my favourite. What is that in monkey's mouth? Could they be new teeth? In time for Christmas?

In great value for money, this book comes along with a CD recording of the story that you can sing/read along to. There is also an original bonus recording called Toothless and a version of All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth ... sung by a monkey.

Ohh, ohh, ah, ah!

Title: All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
Author: Don Gardner

Illustrator: Katz Cowley
Publisher: Scholastic, $16.99 RRP
Publication Date: October 2011
Format: Paperback with CD
ISBN: 9781741697841
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

Review: The Third Gift

2011-12-06T07:42:00.000+11:00

A young boy is learning his father’s craft – how to harvest the precious myrrh resin that is sold to create valuable medicines, perfumes and embalming oils. On this day, the boy is allowed to harvest the resin pearls and he is excited to find one of unusual size, large enough to fill both hands. At the marketplace, three strangers purchase his special pearl and the boy is curious about who will ultimately receive such a wonderful gift.

Based on a single Biblical reference in the Gospel of Matthew, the image of the three wise men or kings has become one of the familiar elements of the traditional Christmas nativity scene. This beautifully illustrated picture book shares a possible source of the wise men’s gift of myrrh.

It is lovely to read a book that brings such life to the culture and setting of the traditional nativity story. I was unaware of the process involved in harvesting the resin that is used for myrrh and found myself sharing the young boy’s excitement that the results of his hard work were of interest to the travelling wise men, who seemed so exotic to him.

The Third Gift includes a brief explanation of the source and history of the wise men as part of the nativity setting and further information about the harvesting and use of myrrh.

The author’s end note also includes a reminder that we can all be encouraged by stories such as this: “History is happening all around us every day and stories can help remind us that we are as much a part of it as those whose names dominate the headlines.” With the busyness of the Christmas season underway and the focus often on gifts and shopping and getting everything organised, this book is a lovely reminder that we are all significant and have the potential to make a valuable contribution to the world around us. Now that’s a lovely message to share with children at any time of the year.

Title: The Third Gift
Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: UQP, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: 28 November 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780702239304
For ages: 5 - 10
Type: Picture book

Review: The Twelve Days of Christmas by Robert Sabuda

2011-12-03T06:00:00.018+11:00

If you aren’tfamiliar with Robert Sabuda’s work, you soon will be, for there is little morebeautiful than the masterful creations of this major paper engineer.

One ofseveral Christmas books (also The ChristmasAlphabet and The Night BeforeChristmas), this stunning pop-up book relies on colour-blocked pages andstriking white creations that jut from the page in the most eye-boggling of shapes.

From thatmagnificent partridge in its pear tree to a glorious music box shimmering withsilvery mirrors, this is a book that utterly delights the senses in every way.Get two. One for keeping and one for grasping by tiny fists bursting with excitement.

Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Author/Illustrator: Robert Sabuda

Publisher: Simon and Schuster, $39.95 RRP

PublicationDate: October 2006

ISBN: 9781416927921

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 5+

Type: Picture Book, Pop Up Book

Review: Eloise at Christmastime

2011-12-02T06:00:00.026+11:00

Firstpublished in 1958, this timeless Christmas book features the irrepressibleEloise at her very best, living it up at the Plaza Hotel with her nanny onChristmas Eve, causing all sorts of typical mischief with the staff and guests.

For those unfamiliar with the Eloise books - this savvy young girl is raised in the most wealthy of circumstances, by her adorable Nanny. Eloise may want for nothing, but she is certainly poverty-stricken when it comes to the attention - or lack thereof - of her pretty permanently missing parents.

Ratbaggy Eloise is absolutely a result of external circumstance, however, her miscreant nature is far from scratchy - indeed, this feisty little girl is charm personified.

In this Christmassy adventure, HilaryKnight’s iconic illustrations in black, white and pink, lend a decidedlyfestive feel – and children will love exploring the hotel’s floor plan asEloise sets about on her running, leaping, skibbling, zapping and zimberingrampage.

Vibrant and utterly adorable. Every home should have one.

Title: Eloise atChristmastime
Author: Kay Thompson
Illustrator: Hilary Knight
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $26.95 RRP
Publication Date: December 2000
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9781742376868
For ages: 5 - 12
Type: Picture Book

Review: Lily's Wish

2011-12-01T06:00:00.006+11:00

Lily is writing her Christmas list for Santa, but this year she has only one wish. She wants wings so that she can fly like a bird.

Santa writes back offering fairy wings, but Lily is emphatic. She needs to be able to fly.

Will Santa be able to grant her Christmas wish?

Lily’s Wish is a lovely reminder that the best gifts don’t always come wrapped underneath the Christmas tree. Lily’s wish isn’t really about flying, but rather about wanting to see someone special for Christmas.

With lovely illustrations by Serena Geddes (my favourites are the snow-mountains and the London scene), this sweet story brings a magical touch to asking Santa for something special for Christmas.

Title: Lily’s Wish
Author: Barbara Pyett
Illustrator: Serena Geddes
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing, $9.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 November 2011
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 9781921042829
For ages: 4 – 8 years
Type: Picture book

Review: How Machines Work

2011-11-30T23:00:00.001+11:00

With an inquisitive young mechanical engineer-in-training in my home, I’m always on the look out for interesting books for children about machines, construction, gears and similar topics. This great book caught my attention immediately.

Not only does How Machines Work promise to ‘explore the science behind simple machines and mechanisms – from levers, gears and pulleys to ratchets, cams and cranks’, it also supplies a collection of moveable parts and instructions for readers to build 12 working models for themselves.

From simple inclined planes and levers, to cranks, ratchets, and rack and pinion systems, the book covers a range of basic machine mechanisms. For each mechanism, there is a straightforward explanation, examples from everyday life, an illustrated timeline of uses of the machine through history and the layout for a working example to be constructed from the included machine pieces, nuts and bolts.

While the information is fascinating and well presented for young readers, the working models are the real draw card. Thick cardboard gears, cogs, rods and wheels attach to an enclosed perforated workshop card. The pieces are sturdy and well sized for younger hands, however care would need to be taken around small children as the nuts and bolts particularly are small enough to be put into the mouths of babies and toddlers.

The interactive nature of this book makes it perfect for inquisitive minds that learn through ‘doing’ as well as reading. There is a great balance between information and activity and this book is a perfect gift for budding engineers. My son will be finding a copy in his Christmas stocking and I know he will love it.

Title: How Machines Work: The Interactive Guide to Simple Machines and Mechanisms
Author: Nick Arnold
Illustrator: Allan Sanders
Publisher: Walker Books, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 December 2011
Format: Hardcover + activity parts in storage section
ISBN: 9781921720727
For ages: 8+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction, Interactive

Recipients of our Massive Book Giveaway

2011-11-30T21:02:00.001+11:00

KBR's

MASSIVE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

It was an overwhelming experience receiving nominations for our first ever massive book giveaway. You can imagine how tough it was to single out just two recipients from a stash of superbly deserving entries.

We have, nonetheless, carefully weighed up the entrants, and made our decision.

Our older reader book pack, valued at over $1000, will go to:

Matong Public School in rural New South Wales, nominated by Valerie McKelvie. Valerie says these books will be a priceless addition to the school's students.

Our younger reader book pack, valued at over $1000, will go to:

Marymead, a Canberran, community-based not-for-profit organisation with a 43 year history of supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families, to provide hope and positive change. Nominated by Christine Evans.

Driven to help as many of the nominees as we possibly could, KBR managed to do a few song and dances, and rustled up a second younger reader book pack, also valued at over $1000. This pack goes to:

Children's Book Council of Australia ACT Branch Children's Christmas Book Appeal, whose volunteers collect and disseminate books to needy children through the aid of Family Services, Care and Protection, and women's refuges. Nominated by Jill Howard and Rachael Hind.

We have also awarded a picture book set valued at over $350 to:

Tupou Tertiary Institute in the Kingdom of Tonga, where Helen Laidlaw, an Australian volunteer librarian, works with local children, teaching them English and expanding their literacy skills. Nominated by Helen Laidlaw and Jodie McAlister.

Running this nomination process has been an emotional ride for us at KBR. There are so many amazing people doing phenomenal things for literacy, both in our country and abroad. Thank you to everyone for nominating very worthy recipients for this giveaway and congrats to those who will benefit from the books.

Thank you, too, to all those who take pride in giving children the best possible start to life - through the magic of books.

If you are interested in learning more about bringing literacy awareness to Australians - both children and adults - head to the National Year of Reading website and learn about all the exciting events and opportunities unfolding around the nation in 2012.

KBR Favourite Book of the Year 2011: The Shortlist

2011-11-30T06:00:00.010+11:00

Our annual Favourite Book of the Year is back! This year we are nominating five books, once again, in several categories - and will announce the winners on 1 January 2012.

Enjoy this peek at some of our very favourite books for 2011!

Books for Littlies

Mesmerised

by Katey Love (Books for Newborns)

Let's Play Games series
by Hervé Tullet (Phaidon)

Alphabet

by Paul Thurlby (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Oliver

by Christopher Franceschelli (Bloomsbury)

Colours

by Orla Keily (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Eye-Popping Picture Book

Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School
by David Mackintosh (HarperCollins)

Once There Was a Boy
by Dub Leffler (Magabala Books)

The Great Expedition by Peter Carnavas (New Frontier)

No Bears
by Meg McKinlay (Walker Books)

Stuck
by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

Mesmerising Early Reader

Animal Tales
series by Susan Hall (National Library of Australia)

Claude in the City
by Alex T Smith (Hachette)

Operation Alphabet
by Al MacCuish (Thames & Hudson)

Violet Mackerel's Remarkable Recovery
by Anna Branford (Walker Books)

The Our Australian Girl Series

(Penguin)

Enthralling Junior Fiction Book

Surface Tension
by Meg McKinlay (Walker Books)

Too Small to Fail
by Maurice Gleitzman (Penguin)

The Golden Day
by Ursula Dubosarsky (Allen & Unwin)

Pizza Cake
by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin)

Wonder Struck
by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)

Cool Fact Book

Not-for-Parents Travel Books
(Lonely Planet)

Playground
compiled by Nadia Wheatley (Allen & Unwin)

Into the Unknown
by Stewart Ross (Walker Books)

What Body Part is That?
by Andy Griffiths (Pan Macmillan)

Pop-Up London
by Jenny Maizels (Walker Books)

Intriguing Young Adult Read

Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys (Penguin)

Nanberry: Black Brother White
by Jackie French (HarperCollins)

Forgotten
by Cat Patrick (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Mole Hunt
by Paul Collins (Ford Street Publishing)

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins (Penguin)

That 'Something Extra Special' Book

My Grandma's Kitchen
by Louise Fulton Keats (Hardie Grant)

Press Here
by Herve Tullet (Allen & Unwin)

Starry Starry Night
by Sarah Kate Mitchell (Pier 9)

Spork
by Kyo Mclear (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Doodleday
by Ross Collins (Gullane Children's Books)

Enchanting e-book

The Three Little Pigs
by Juraj

Will & Kate: A Love Story
by Ink Robin

The Heart and the Bottle
by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

Peekaboo Forest
by Night and Day Studios

Nighty Night
by Shape Minds & Moving Images

Favourite Author of the Year

Meg McKinlay
Ursula Dubosarsky
Dave Hackett
Jackie French
Adam Wallace

Favourite Illustrator of the Year

Peter Carnavas
Tina Matthews
Emma Quay
Bruce Whatley
Sarah Davis

Favourite Proactive Person NEW CATEGORY!

This Proactive Person can be an author, illustrator, blogger, reviewer, publisher, publicist or other industry professional, who contributes consistently and invaluably to the children's book scene.

Dee White, author and literacy advocate
Angela Hall, Bug in a Book
Vicki Stanton, Buzz Words
Paul Collins, author and publisher
Hazel Edwards, author

Favourite Book of the Year

What will it be???

Stay tuned for our announcement on 1 January 2012, and please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts on our selection.

Guest Post: Author Katherine Pershall

2011-11-29T14:00:00.001+11:00

Kids Book Review warmly welcomes Katherine Pershall, author of The Dog Stole My Brain, who released her first book (co written with her mum) when she was only in grade five! This is one dedicated lady and this is one lovely story of how this author found her way into writing kids books. Reading her story made me want to drop what I was doing and write right now. Over to you Katherine!

As soon as I learnt to read, I was sure I wanted to be a writer. My early primary school days weren’t always easy. I had one very special friend but try as I might, my mum’s wholegrain sandwiches and carrot sticks didn’t get me far in the lunch-swap economy, and my brilliant attempts to appear ‘cool’ usually drew more laughs than accolades. Note: If long hair is in, do not swan around with black tights on your head as a speedy alternative.

See, I was always just that little bit different, and fitting in didn’t seem to be my forte. But when I discovered books, I found a way to escape the trials of the classroom. I would open my latest story and join my friends on the page. I devoured Paul Jennings’ funny tails one after the other, playing back the characters’ shenanigans in my mind as I fell asleep.

Walking back from school one day I was day-dreaming about a story I’d read. It was about a miniature girl that lived in a cupboard. She would sneak out at night and have a rollicking time teasing the cat, snacking on leftover morsels from dinner and swimming in the fish tank. Then all of a sudden I had an amazing realisation. The cupboard in the story was my cupboard! The house was my house! I hadn’t read this story, I was making it up!

From that day I knew I wanted to write. As soon as I put a book down I couldn’t help but begin a narrative in my mind. I loved trying to come up with distinguished sentences like my favourite authors did.

My mum is a children’s author, so of course she was a big source of inspiration. She read to me for hours every night until a rather embarrassing age that I won’t mention. She passed her childhood books down to me. So I wouldn’t say I caught the writing bug so much as inherited it. I tell you what, though, however you get that bug in the first place, you can’t get rid of it with antibiotics. It’s with you forever. Every experience that I have is just more fodder for the writing fire!

When I was in grade five, I told Mum that I wanted to write a book with her. She almost teared up she was so proud, and rang her editor at Penguin immediately. Julie, the editor, told us about a new series she had dreamt up to bridge the gap between picture books and novels. Now, this was the late 90’s, and the late 90’s produced many dubious pleasures, The Spice Girls, snap pants and Titanic amongst them. But there was one product of that time which I think has been great for kids all over Australia, and that’s the Aussie Bites series. Mum and I were invited by Penguin to be part of the first ever release of Aussie Bites.

We worked on the book every Saturday morning, nursing our hot chocolates and toasted cheese sandwiches at Mamma Lina’s café. We hand wrote every word together, and only had a few arguments when we couldn’t agree on what should happen next. The story was about a slightly dorky schoolgirl struggling to be part of the cool group. No free guesses who we based it on!

When we were done, I was shocked at how many times our editor kept sending the manuscript back, asking us to develop this character, change that one, and draw this scene out more. I felt it was all a bit tedious. But Mum explained to me that us writers should be very thankful for our editors, because they help us to write the best book possible!

Too Much to Ask For, by Katherine and Mary K Pershall, was the product of our toils. It turned out to be really popular, and made me Australia’s youngest author. Boy was I proud.

In high school I channelled my writing drive into essays and funny anecdotes for all my new-found friends. At University, even longer essays became the focus of my attention. I started to worry that my writing bug had been leached out of me by so many assignments! Then last year, a new story found its way into my brain. A story about a boy who accidentally swaps brains with his dog. I couldn’t stop chuckling to myself about the idea of a dog at school, trapped in a boy’s body, dashing around, shouting, and peeing everywhere! I rang Mum and told her it was time.

For the latest book I put my essay-structuring skills to good use. Mum and I worked out an outline before we started, that way we could write alternating chapters but stick to the same plot. After giggling our way through the manuscript, we finished our second Aussie Chomp, titled The Dog Stole my Brain. If you want to have a read it’s in bookshops and libraries now.

Now I’ve told you about my writing journey, how about getting started on your own? It’s a great start to keep a writing diary. Whenever you think of a funny idea or beautiful sentence, you can jot it down so you’ve got it for later. Don’t worry too much about making your writing perfectly polished, just write for the fun of it, and eventually you’ll find your natural style. And last but not least, read! The more books you read, the more you will learn about writing.

I don’t regret a single thing in my life, because all of my experiences have led me to where I am today. I’ve got the career I always wanted!

For more info on The Dog Stole My Brain click here

To buy a copy of this book click here.

Review: Shake a Leg

2011-11-29T06:00:00.003+11:00

Shake a Leg is about three hungry boys hunting for pizza in far North Queensland, when they come across a pizzeria. What they find is an Italian speaking ‘Murri fella’, and a feast accompanied by stories from the past.

This book cleverly weaves Indigenous culture through the stories told by the Murri fella, which relate to the food served to the boys. Crocodile pizzas and the boy who went hunting in the wrong waterhole and honey milkshakes accompanied by the warning dance about the stinging bee.

It is wonderfully illustrated and explores a variety of fundamental concepts such as cultural understanding, family and spirituality. When you view the visuals of the boys and men dancing, you can sense the underlying meaning to the dances and the great importance it holds to the people … beautiful.

I found this to be a wonderful teaching resource as I was able to incorporate it with a music and movement session that I retrieved from the teacher’s notes featured on Allen and Unwin website. The children found great pleasure in this and were able to relate it back to the book during further readings.

As a teacher of early childhood, I find it difficult to find entertaining texts for young children that explore Aboriginal culture in a way that does not represent Indigenous people as monolithic and unchanging. Shake a Leg was able to fuse both now and then in a pleasurable visual delight and give insight to contemporary Aboriginal life.
Review by Bree Sherd

Title: Shake A Leg
Author/Illustrator: Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod
Publisher: AllenandUnwin, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: October 2010
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781741758900
For ages: 6-10 year olds
Type: Picture book

The Winners! KBR's Unpublished Manuscript Award

2011-11-28T14:00:00.143+11:00

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . .

What a challenge judging KBR's inaugural Unpublished Manuscript Award for a Picture Book! We were absolutely inundated with entries and are very proud to announce the following winners:

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Mad Bad Uncle David by Catriona Hoy
winner of the Published Author Picture Book Award

Bollinger's Banquet by Rebecca Colless
winner of the Unpublished Author Picture Book Award

You have both won $150, a manuscript appraisal and the chance to interview on KBR! Stayed tuned for these interviews, which will be appearing at the end of December.

RUNNERS-UP:

Runners-up in the Published Author Category:
Pelican Creek by Tom Skinner
Megan Dances by Anne Young
Ruby Pickles by Adam Wallace

Runners-up in the Unpublished Author Category:
Practically Perfect Petunia by Annette Campbell
A - Z by Lisa Demos
Black Dog, Brown Dog by Spider Lee

Congratulations! You have all won a short manuscript appraisal.

But wait, there's more...

We were so impressed by the amount (and calibre) of entries, we feel compelled to offer some further mentions. Some Highly Commended nods (ie: that close!), followed by some Special Mentions for works that were either beautifully-written or featured unique or brilliant story ideas.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

Published Author Category
The Animal Whisperer by Renee Bennett

Unpublished Author Category
Fi the Flea by Rebecca Colless
Dinner with the Dipples by Annette Campbell
Biker Bread by Rebecka Sharpe-Shelberg
Hariette's Bed by Kate Sainsbury

SPECIAL MENTION:

Published Author Category
Whose Shoes? by Janeen Brian

Unpublished Author Category
Fast Eddie and the Slippery Snake by Ken Williams
Free to Remember by Rebecka Sharpe-Shelberg
Iris and the 96 Tram by Karen Charlton
A Real Superhero by Rebecca Newman
Monster Monster by Alex Finlayson
The Best of Friends by Kaye Baillie
The Cake That Went Bad by Jo-Ann Spataro
The Forgotten Playground by Gay McKinnon
The Naughty Flyaway Scarf by Carol Hepburn
Dark Black Night by Sylvia Forbes
Snowy by Mary Dunbar
Lilly's Amazing Coats by Chris Caelli
David's Diff-Ability by Fiona Van Lochem
Rainforest Magic by Dimity Powell
Harry's Cloud by Lillian Liu
The Monster in Timmy's Tummy by Kylie Fornasier
Trim by Pat Simmons
Molly McFuzzle Wanted to Fly by Lynn Ward
Old Bloat and Little Bleat by Rebecca Colless
Oscar Goes to the Moon by Mira Tanner
The Royal Arrival by Vicki Stanton

Thank you to everyone who entered our inaugural comp. We are thrilled with the response and positive feedback we received in running this KBR initiative - and were truly stunned at the amount and quality of entries, making it a very tough to choose winners. We take great pride in the work of our talented Australian writers.

Thank you, also, to the wonderful people who supported our Award, and helped us get the word out. It certainly worked!

Congrats again to our winners, and . . . happy writing, all! See you again next year.

Review: Just Right

2011-11-28T09:00:00.030+11:00

It's Christmas Eve and the King is out shopping for Christmas gifts when he spies a bolt of beautiful bright red cloth . . . the perfect fabric for a brand new cloak for his princess daughter.

Taking the cloth back to the castle, the King's seamstresses snip and sew up a glorious cloak . . . but what to do with all the left over fabric?

'Just bundle them up and put them outside the back door,' says the King.

And so sets in place a remarkable tale of some festive red fabric, whose unwanted scraps travel from place to place, serving purpose at the kitchen maid's house by becoming a jacket for her mother . . . then Bertie Badger's house where it makes the most gorgeous hat for his dad.

And as each left over pile of fabric makes its way to the back door of its finder, the scraps, of course, get smaller and smaller, until they finally become absolutely ideal for the scarf of a little mouse.

This is a story about giving and sharing, but it also reminds us that one man's trash is another's treasure.

Heartwarming without being the least bit schmaltzy, both kids and adults will adore the toasty message of this story - packed with festive spirit. Soft, divine illustrations make this a must-have book for collectors - or anyone who celebrates the spirit of Christmas.

Title: Just Right
Author: Birdie Black
Illustrator: Rosalind Beardshaw
Publisher: Nosy Crow, $22.99 RRP
Publication Date: November 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780857630308
For ages: 3 - 8
Type: Picture book

Guest Post: Publisher Sophia Whitfield from New Frontier

2011-11-27T16:00:00.000+11:00

Next year New Frontier will celebrate its 10th birthday. We started out by publishing across genres, but soon began to concentrate on children’s books. Like Winnie the Pooh, we are big believers in short, easy words!

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like 'What about lunch?'" A.A. Milne

Many of the simplest picture books are also the most powerful picture books.

This year we continued with our picture book list. Our three latest titles include Mr Darcy, Nancy Bentley and Lily’s Wish.

Mr Darcy started out as the pet duck of a dear friend and developed into the story written by Alex Field and illustrated by Peter Carnavas.

The story of Nancy Bentley first came to the attention of New Frontier three years ago on a family tour of the Australian War Memorial.

The children on the tour were entranced by Nancy’s story. Tracey Hawkins has brought it to life with her moving words, coupled with Jacqui Grantford’s magical illustrations.

Lily’s Wish, our first Christmas title, is written by Barbara Pyett and illustrated by Serena Geddes. It is a special book as for Barbara it is her first. One of the privileges we have at New Frontier is fostering new Australian talent.

Our list has now grown to 150 titles. We publish Australian authors and illustrators and sell rights to our books consistently overseas. We have also extended our list to Junior Fiction with a number of new series being developed. The fourth book in the Totally Twins series will be released next year and we recently celebrated the launch of the Totally Twins website – www.totallytwins.com.au.

Many authors submitted material for our new Little Rockets series, which will be launched with much fanfare next year. Four titles will be released along with a dedicated website. Our designer has done a fabulous job creating a new design for this series, which is for 6-8 year olds. Today, you can take a sneak peek at the cover. There will be coloured illustrations throughout these books.

We are so excited about this new series and hope it encourages independent readers to pick up a book and begin their reading journey.

We continue to be passionate about our Aussie Heroes series, which informs primary school readers about Australians who have made a contribution to society. The first two books are Dame Nellie Melba and Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop.

The next book in the series, Professor Fred Hollows, will be released early next year. An Aussie Heroes series website is also being developed with educational material for teacher librarians to use within schools.

It is an exciting time at New Frontier as we develop new series and continue our successful picture book list. In the next couple of weeks our updated website will be launched with better accessibility and extensive support material for educators.

We love what we do and are committed to continuing to foster Australian talent. Most of all we hope our books inspire, uplift and educate children. That is what we set out to do.

KBR loves hearing from publishers about the passion and drive behind books. Learn more about the hard work behind the scenes at New Frontier by visiting their website.

Event: Amazing Grace Reading

2011-11-27T14:00:00.002+11:00

Review: Amazing Grace - An Adventure at Sea

2011-11-27T06:00:00.005+11:00

Praised as Australia’s Grace Darling, teenager Grace Bussell was an ordinary girl who became a hero when she helped to rescue passengers and crew of the steamship Georgette, which ran aground near Margaret River in Western Australia in 1876.

Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea combines a gripping story with historical facts, images and information from the time of the disastrous journey of the Georgette in late 1876. The story creates a fascinating image of Australian pioneering life and the hardships of sea travel in the late 1800’s.

While the factual sections are quite interesting by themselves, the connection with the story of Grace, her family and the passengers and crew of the Georgette creates an extra element of fascination for readers. Fact pages include newspaper excerpts about the shipwreck and Grace’s bravery, letters, information about sea travel and pioneer life, information about early settlers in Western Australia in general and the Bussell family in particular, and even a colonial Christmas pudding recipe.

The story is accompanied by a range of drawings, paintings, newspaper clippings and photographs from the National Library of Australia archives depicting actual scenes and events from the story as well as general images of late 19th century life.

The introduction to the story explains that while official documents record the bare facts of an event, the personal recollections and eyewitness accounts add colour and detail. These details add an element to the story that makes it much more compelling, especially for younger readers, and the author has provided a wonderful balance between the adventure of the story and the historical background.

Amazing Grace is a combination of documented fact, eyewitness account and general knowledge of the late 1870s presented in a wonderful story that is sure to appeal to primary school-aged readers and older. The book is perfectly suited as a classroom resource for studies of Australian settlers and pioneering life for students in late primary school.

Title: Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea
Author: Stephanie Owen Reeder
Publisher: National Library of Australia, $29.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 November 2011
Format: Hard cover with dust jacket
ISBN: 9780642277435
For ages: 9+
Type: Historical fiction, Junior Non-Fiction

Guest Post: Creative Kids Tales

2011-11-26T16:00:00.019+11:00

KBR warmly welcomes Georgie Donaghey, who is poised to launch a new children's literature initiative - Creative Kids Tales. Here she tells us about her inspiration behind this brand new platform for emerging authors, illustrators and kids.

I am an emerging writer – nothing on the shop bookshelf yet but my shelf at home is filled with crumpled manuscripts and bulging notepads. Characters that are waiting to jump from my shelves and into your families’ hearts.

I was looking for somewhere to display my work with other unpublished or ‘emerging writers’ as I like to call them, and couldn’t find anything suitable. Consequently Creative Kids Tales was born.

Yes, I heard my friends say: ‘You have three children, a daughter aged 8 months, another daughter aged 5 years and a 13 year old son, a hubby, a dog, two budgies and a cockatiel. And don’t forget your daughter’s invisible elephant that lives on the roof. You’re MAD!'

Thankfully I chose to ignore them and persevered. I am happy to say thanks to my wonderful hubby, Creative Kids Tales will be launched on 30 November 2011.

Sleep is very overrated in my household. As a famous actor once said ‘I will sleep when I’m dead’. I live by that motto - just ask the rather large bags under my eyes! Anyway that’s, enough waffling . . . here is the useful information I put together about Creative Kids Tales.

Creative Kids Tales aims to bring together emerging children’s authors who love to write short stories, children’s poems or chapter books. With a wide variety under the one site, we hope to offer publishers, agents and manuscript services a smorgasbord of talent just waiting to be sampled.

Providing tips, contacts, competition information - we offer everything a children’s writer might need on their journey. Sorry, but we do not cater for children’s entries; you must be aged between 18 – 110 to submit work for inclusion on our website.

Each month we’ll also feature an interview with an established author just so our members can see that dreams do come true. We’ve had fun interviewing some of this country’s more colourful children’s authors. We are an Aussie site and only cater for Aussie writers.

We have a links page for professionals to advertise their services to children’s writers. At the moment we are offering free advertising for the first six months that our website is running. There’s also a competitions page for quick and easy reference for our members. We hope to be able to provide useful hints and advice on our ‘tips’ page.

That’s pretty much what we can offer. As I said membership is FREE! Advertising is FREE!

If you are an ‘emerging’ children’s author who writes for kids from 0 – 18 years, then drop us an email. We would love to display your short story, poem or up to 500 words from your novel.

Send us your submission along with a photo of yourself and a 50 word bio for inclusion on our website. If you want to advertise your services for children’s writers whether it is a competition, course, manuscript service or other in that field, please email us at info@creativekidstales.com.au

We look forward to welcoming you to the Creative Kids Tales family and reading your exciting adventures!

Review: The 10 Best Games in the World

2011-11-26T06:00:00.005+11:00

Who doesn't love a good game, and in this modern world of high-tech-haze - a book like this couldn't be more stimulating, nor more fun.

A book that's totally geared for kids of all ages, The 10 Best Games in the World has been translated from Spanish and features some of the coolest game ideas ever - mainly because they're probably something you've never heard of before.

I love learning something I didn't know! and of course - so do kids.

The book is large in format and features thick board pages, with removable playing boards.

The ten games comprise:
Barricade and The Viking Game from Europe
Yoté and The Hyena Game from Africa
Patolli and Zohn Ahl from the Americas
Jungle Chess and The Leopard Game from Asia
Mu Torere and Surakarta from Oceania

Each pop-out board that can be flipped over to reveal the playing surface, and pop out counters at the front of the book are provided for quick and easy play.

Not only is this book a wonderful way to absorb the culture of other places (and learn some pretty fabulous new games), they are a visual feast. Gorgeously-designed and laid out, with super-cool imagery, this is a book that is as fun to look at as it is to play with.

Let's roll the die!

Title: The 10 Best Games in the World
Author/Illustrator: Àngels Navarro
Publisher: Thames Hudson, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9780500515990
For ages: 6+
Type: Picture Book, Board Book, Activity Book

Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Cabin Fever

2011-11-25T14:00:00.052+11:00

Rowley and Greg are at it again. They put up posters for their Christmas bazaar and the rain stains it onto the school walls. Greg is being considered the main culprit but he insists he's innocent.

Then, a miracle happens. The Heffley family get stuck inside the house in an angry blizzard. Greg begins to wonder if his punishment for the school vandalism crime could ever be worse than spending the winter holidays stuck inside with his family.

With Christmas coming and Santa's scout watching carefully, Greg tries to behave but behaving is not Greg's piece of cake!

This is a must read book and its absolutely brilliantly hilarious.
Everyone just loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid no doubt about that!

This book is seven years and up but that doesn't stop adults and parents reading it. There are so many jokes in the books, it is just something you can read again and again! I would give it a 10 out of 10.

- this review by Ella, 11

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Cabin Fever

Author/Illustrator: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Penguin, $14.95

PublicationDate: 16 November 2011

ISBN: 9780143306641

Format: Paperback

Forages: 7+

Type: Junior Fiction

Review: BIG Kids Magazine

2011-11-25T06:00:00.001+11:00

BIG: Bravery Imagination Generosity. Such is the underlying message of the newly released BIG Kids Magazine, a publication that provides "an immersive, interactive and imaginative arts experience for children of all ages".

I was sent to the magazine website by a friend when it first launched on September 30th this year. The concept of the magazine grabbed me immediately:

“BIG Kids Magazine is a contemporary arts publication for children. Driven by discovery, experimentation and response, we invite children to participate in topical conversations about art and the world. With a senior editor who is eight years old, BIG challenges hierarchies of who is listening and who is speaking to amplify small voices in BIG ways.”

I immediately subscribed and was absolutely delighted when my copy arrived, as were my children who all managed to find something within the pages that captured their imagination. My daughter was particularly fascinated and has spent quite a lot of time reading through the magazine and creating wonderful pictures inspired by the stories, images and artworks within the pages.

I love the concept of featuring the creations of children and artists side by side – I love the value that this places on the creativity and abilities of children and their contributions. BIG Kids Magazine is like a creativity springboard, offering children a starting point for exciting discoveries and encouraging them to explore ideas, express themselves creativity and to be inspired by the creativity of their peers.

We can’t wait for the second issue of BIG Kids Magazine to arrive early next year. A subscription is a wonderful Christmas gift idea for creative children, particularly those who are more artistic or visual in the way they create.

Title: BIG Kids Magazine
Creative Directors: Jo Pollitt and Lilly Blue
Publisher: BIG Kids Magazine, $18.45 (single issue), $35 (annual subscription - 2 issues)
Publication Date: Biannual (first issue 30 Sept 2011)
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 9771839374006
For ages: 5+
Type: Magazine

Review: Thai-Riffic!

2011-11-24T15:00:00.000+11:00

Albert (Lengy) Lengviriyakul is like lots of other kids starting high school. He’s worried about making friends, hopes no-one comes up with a horrible nickname for him and finds his family a little bit embarrassing.

High school doesn’t turn out to be as difficult as Lengy expected. His teacher is quirky and fun, he makes a new friend, Rajiv, who thinks Lengy’s family is great and everyone seems to love Lengy’s parents and their Thai restaurant, Thai-riffic! Everyone but Lengy, who wishes he could have pizza for dinner and a surname that other people could pronounce.

This debut novel from comedian and teacher Oliver Phommavanh is a fun look at cultural diversity. Lengy is so busy focusing on how he is different from everyone else and trying to sabotage his family’s attempts to share their Thai culture with his teachers and friends, that he doesn’t notice that he’s surrounded by people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Thai-Riffic! is an enjoyable novel for kids, sharing information about Thai culture and some insight into what it is like to be a cultural outsider. The story is narrated by Lengy and his thoughts about his father’s lame jokes, his worries about standing out and his attempts to play practical jokes on his friends are sure to strike a chord with many readers.

From special recipe purple curry to donut eating contests, mud wars at the Thai New Year festival to spotting a food critic visiting the restaurant, Thai-riffic! is filled with entertaining stories from Lengy's life as well as a more significant message for those readers who want to look a little deeper.

Title: Thai-Riffic
Author: Oliver Phommavanh
Publisher: Penguin Australia, $16.95 RRP
Publication date: 28 May 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-14-330485-2
For ages: 9 – 14 years
Type: Junior fiction

Review: Pop-Up London

2011-11-24T06:00:00.011+11:00

Gloriously-talented Jennie Maizels must have had some seriously good fun creating this stunning pop-up book for children of all ages. I defy any adult not to dive headlong into the River Thames and splash about in the uniquely historical and visually stunning splendour that is London. That is, if you can rend it from the hands of your children.

From the very first page which pops into life a series of monument buildings along the Thames, the eye is sent on a flitting dance from delight to 3D delight. There are lift-the-flaps featuring 'can you find's and 'secrets' and 'the most haunted bed in Britain' - all those things adventurous kids love exploring the most.

There is a moveable boat race between Oxford and Cambridge. There is a spattering of characters from which speech bubbles burst. There is a catalogue of famous faces, known for haunting the area - and more - all gorgeously illustrated and utterly charming.

On page two we head to Piccadily and Buck palace where Beefeaters march in a trumpeting parade and the Thames opens to reveal the city's subterranean infrastructure that keeps this extraordinary capital in perpetual motion - the Underground.

On through Parliament and the London Eye (which lifts and spins on the page like a kiddie roulette), we're treated to more fun facts and interactive images that gently reveal the many independent treasures that make London so wonderful.

This is a beautifully special book; it's love for me.

Title: Pop-Up London
Author/Illustrator: Jennie Maizels
Publisher: Walker Books, $39.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2011
Format: Hard cover
ISBN: 9781406321579
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

Review: The Scar

2011-11-23T06:00:00.001+11:00

If you’reafter an opening line that shoves a manlike fist straight through your ribcageand grabs your heart in a vice-like grip, then The Scar is it.

Mum diedthis morning.

These words… are they too big to fit inside the pages of a children’s picture book?Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps it’s not until you’re an adult, with a lifetimeof pain and loss behind you, that the true weight of such a line holds suchimpact.

Forchildren, death is a relative concept. It has a finality, sure, but just howfinal? Perhaps only decades of life experience can delineate how much – and just howtruly wounding its conclusiveness.

Perhapschildren will also be unable to fully appreciate the angry, desolate,screaming, heart-wrenched child, kicking toys and stomping around the initialpages of this book. Ditto the child sitting on a chair with his head hung low,being more alone than alone could ever be … Can a child reading this bookreally feel that pain?

Honestly, Ihad to push myself to read this book. Not because I didn’t want to follow thislittle boy’s journey of loss, but because I wondered how anything could be moreheartbreaking for a mother (who also lost her own mother far too early) to read.

How willthis lad ever teach Dad how to make the right toast – cut in half with a honeyzigzag? How will he ever remember her face, her smell? Shut the house tight,close all the windows so her smell won’t disappear? Who will hold him close andtell him he’ll soon get better when he scrapes his knee?

When ourwee man does indeed scrape his knee, there is no mother physically in sight tosoothe his pain, but ... there! a voice! He can hear her soothing him! So he deliberately picks thescab to keep it bleeding and fresh – then perhaps he will always hear his mother’svoice - always - always.

As the daysand weeks and months pass, the scent of coffee begins to fill the house in themorning. The radio comes on again. Life is returning to ‘normal’ and when thelittle boy wakes one morning to see his knee scab has become a shiny, new-skinscar, he knows exactly what will help him remember his mum.

I’m notsure you’ll be able to read this book to your child without having some kid ofemotional breakdown, so read it alone first – several times, until you can getthrough it without becoming a blubbering mess.

And beprepared to develop a shiny, new-skin scar on your heart.

Title: The Scar

Author: Charlotte Moundlic

Illustrator:Olivier Tallec

Publisher: Walker Books, $27.95

PublicationDate: 2 October 2011

ISBN: 9781406335958

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 5+

Type: Picture Book

KBR Recommends: Picture Books, November 2011

2011-11-22T06:00:00.105+11:00

New picture books are flooding in, just in time for the festive season - some from established talent, some from lesser known, but all well worth perusing and adding to your groaning PB collection.

Ten Blue Wrens by Elizabeth Honey (Allen & Unwin, $24.99, ages 2 - 6)

A playful counting book that celebrates the special things we know and love about Australia. Start with 'one little nipper', then count the pies, potaroos and blue wrens ... all the way up to 'twelve kelpie legs'.

Iconic Australian images (thankfully beyond the koala and the kangaroo) are a joy to flick through, as are the stunning illustrations, created from hand-cut stencils. Even the endpapers are a visual delight.

The Carousel by Ursula Dubosarsky (Penguin, $24.95, ages 5 - 10)

One winter's day my dad and I
Went down to see the carousel.
We stood and watched as round and round
The little horses rose and fell.

So begins the magical journey of a small girl and a wooden horse. A journey of music and mirrors, of green hills and sunlit skies, of wishes and freedom. From this much-loved author and brilliant new illustrator comes a glowing, timeless picture book that celebrates the enduring wonder of the carousel.

Enormouse by Rebecca Gerlings (Hardie Grant Egmont, $16.95)

Long, long ago there lived a kitten. He was tiny. But he had BIG ideas ... When the kitten drops into a caravan filled with circus squirrels, they do their very best to build him into their act. But the kitten can't quite get the hang of it.

However, his big ideas soon become ENORMOUSE, and the kitten - with help from a few mice - conjures up an amazing spectacle that will wow audiences around the world. A beautifully-illustrated anduplifting tale about the teeny, tiny things the BIG things are made of - perfect for young readers everywhere.

Lives of the Great Spiritual Leaders by Henry Whitbread (Thames & Hudson, $25.95, 8+)

From Moses and Buddha to Mother Teresa and the current Dalai Lama, this book takes children on an extraordinary tour across the world and across the ages, looking through the eyes of thinkers, philosophers, spiritual adventurers and courageous leaders, from ancient Egypt to the contemporary West.

A visual feast and a treasury of ideas about history, religion and culture for young and curious minds everywhere. It's also important.

How Do You Feel? by Anthony Browne (Penguin, $27.95, ages 1 - 5)

How do you feel? Sometimes you feel happy, sometimes sad. Sometimes you even feel surprised.

Supreme artist and Children's Laureate Anthony Browne brings all his understanding and skill to bear in this exploration of emotion for very young children. This book will reassure and help them understand how they feel, using simple words and pictures.

Monster Day at Work by Sarah Dyer (Frances Lincoln Children's Books, $16.95, ages 3 - 7)

Little monster spends a day at work with his father. First he has to dress and choose which tie to wear. Then he must travel with Dad and all the other commuters. At work he eats the biscuits at the meeting, colours the graphs his father makes on the computer, goes to the canteen for lunch and even stops off for a drink on the way home. Monster thinks hisfather has it easy at work.

Sarah Dyer's highly entertaining portrayal of a child's-eye view of the adult world of work is full of wit and charm and will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson, Scholastic UK, $24.99, ages 5 - 8)

Life is not safe for the other animals, as the villainous Highway Rat gallops along the highway, stealing their food. Clover from a rabbit; nuts from a squirrel - he even steals his own horse's hay.

Then he finally meets his comeuppance, in the form of a cunning duck...

Featuring lustrous, iconic illustrations by Axel Scheffler, this is a story about karma - rhyming-woodland-animal style.

Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake, Gecko Press, $16.99, ages 3 - 8)

This adorable little rabbit is loved by his family, even though whenever they ask him a question, he answers most rudely. In the morning his mother would say, "Time to get up, my little rabbit!" He'd reply: "Poo bum!" At lunchtime his father would say, "Eat your spinach, my little rabbit!" He'd reply: "Poo bum!" One day, he meets a hungry wolf. Will the little rabbit learn his lesson once and for all? Bright, adorable illustrations and a kooky edge, you can bet your bottom dollar young kids will love echoing the rabbit's words. Be warned.

Slightly Invisible by Lauren Child, Orchard Books, $16.99, ages 4 - 8)

Charlie and friend Marv are in search of strange and tricky creatures. And they would like to search without Lola bothering and interrupting. Luckily, Lola knows exactly how to catch strange and tricky creatures and enlists a little bit of help from her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, and, of course, one or three drops of pink milk. Lauren child's beautiful images and ability to immerse her literary voice so deeply into childhood is as inspiring as ever. A must for collectors.

Pink by Janet A Holmes (Little Hare, $24.95, ages 2 - 6)

Lily loves all things pink - her boots, her bicycle, the food she eats - but she has no one to share them with. She begs an assortment of animals to play with her, but none of them is quite right. The snail is too slow, the chicken is too silly and the goat eats her clothes. Then along comes a perfect friend...who is perfectly pink, too! Gorgeous illustrations will delight children.

Review: Wonder Struck

2011-11-21T10:00:00.002+11:00

Ben is half deaf. His mother has died and he feels all alone, even though he is living at his aunt’s house. One stormy night, he sneaks out . . . and eighty three steps away is his house. The one he and his mother shared before the funeral.

There he finds a book called Wonder Struck with red ink inside the front cover. It reads for Danny, Love M. Ben also finds a book mark with a phone number on it and he wonders if it might be a link to his long lost dad, who he never knew.

Ben calls the number as the storm rages outside, just as lightning hits the house and strikes Ben to the ground.

He wakes up in hospital with the realisation that he is now deaf in both ears. As he recovers, Ben wonders about the history of his dad and so he escapes and travels to New York where he meets a faithful friend called Jamie. Jamie’s dad works at the American Museum of Natural History – and this is where Ben discover some amazing links to his dad.

Rose is deaf and lives with her father and mother, movie star Lillian Mayhew. Life is sad for Rose because she never gets to see her mum and she’s locked in her house, unable to lead a normal life.

Like Ben, she too runs away to New York where she meets an old friend at the Museum of Natural History. His name is Walter and he takes Rose to his house and takes care of her.

When Ben’s and Rose’s stories meet, it ends in the least imaginable way possible.

This book is very thick and heavy but only took me about two hours to read. That’s because most of the book is pictures. The author has put so much effort into these amazing sketches, which tells Rose’s story … whereas the words tell Ben’s story. That is, until they meet . . .

This book has to be my favourite this year.

- this review by Ella, 11

Title: Wonder Struck

Author/Illustrator: Brian Selznick

Publisher: Scholastic, $34.99

PublicationDate: September 2011

ISBN: 9780545027892

Format: Hard cover with dust jacket

Forages: 9+

Type: Graphic Novel

Guest Post: Publishing a Book at 10 Years of Age

2011-11-20T16:00:00.026+11:00

KBR warmly welcomes our very first 10-year-old guest poster - writing under the pen name Skye Lotus. Skye tells us about her passion for writing, and publishing her very first book . . . with the help of her dad.

Hello, reader!

I’m Skye Lotus and I’m a ten-year-old writer. I write fantasy stories, but I’ve only published one so far.

I write stories in all of my spare time, and I like to draw, which helps me organise my covers!

I LOOOOOOVE to write because it makes my emotions flow. It helps me daydream and wish for things (that can’t come true!). I always let my mind wander at night and I prefer reading at night to watching Masterchef and other shows.

What inspired me, you ask? I guess the itch to always turn on the computer and type up a story or pick up a pen and show my creativity. Fantasy is my favourite subject to write because there are endless possibilities in Magic and it makes me wish we could live like that, with adventure around every twist instead of boring old schedules and organised life. Can you imagine that?

When I write, I feel like I’m in the story too, observing and being a part of it. I like to describe every little, tiny, measly detail. The more descriptive, the more it seems like it’s happening around me!

It’s NOT amazing to see a ten-year-old write stories and publish them. In fact, I think there should be more kids like me showing their ideas and opening up their minds to the world. Writing is fun for those who see life with no corners and opportunities by the thousand. If I could make every single person at my school write a separate story, I think the world would be a far more creative place.

My friends and family were all really supportive. I’ve inspired my friends to start writing a bit more as well. They even want me to try and publish their stories! I couldn’t be happier than to be amongst such wonderful people that help me to do my best.

Special thanks to my Dad (Very, very, very, VERY special thanks), for he kept updating me on what was happening and telling me to be patient with all the publishers (because the publishers take a jolly 11 days to publish!). I think he was really fantastic! (Dad's note: We have some lessons in reality ahead of us here! Apologies to all of you out there that have waited much longer.)

There’s nothing stopping you from writing as well. When my dad found a publisher he was interested in, we submitted my book. After at least one or two rejections and a lot of editing, SmashWords, a site that publishes books to different booksellers, such as Apple, Diesel and Barnes and Nobel, accepted my book.

My favourite books are Deltora Quest Series 1, 2 and 3, by Emily Rodda. I like them because they have mysteries and loads of fantasy and I end up wishing I were there too. (Daydreaming comes in there!) The characters are intriguing and different in every possible way, which gave me the inspiration for Star, the main character in my first book Sweet Dreams, Not!. She is a girl who likes black splashed with rainbows, and her hair is a deep shade of violet. (Strange, I know.)

I plan to write four more books in my series, Starry Wings. There will be different ideas in each one of them, just to keep things magical and exciting. I hope I don't put too many boys off my story by using 'pixies'.

My second book will be called Frozen to the Spot. It's about Star going on more exciting adventures with her friends. They are on a mission to destroy an enchantment over one of Jamie's (Star's new friend) best friends, Flynn. But the enchantment that holds him spellbound makes him tough, cruel and dangerous. There's no way he's going to let Star break the spell!

My third book is called Dancing Flames. I haven't started writing it yet, but I plan to do so very soon. I've finished writing the first draft of Frozen to the Spot, and I'm waiting for my dad to help me edit it and get it published.

I like writing books a lot. Something about writing makes me feel like I'm at home in my own little world, with no one to disturb my mind's ideas from flowing out. But this feeling always comes to an end after I'm asked to get off the computer or go to class. Sometimes I wish I could write all day!

Keep the creative juices flowing!

Skye Lotus
Official Author (yay!)

Sweet Dreams, Not! is available as an ebook on SmashWords, iTunes or Diesel.

Review: The Big Book of Words and Pictures

2011-11-20T06:00:00.013+11:00

Part of mybook reviewing strategy is that I rarely read the blurb, back cover or pressrelease for a book. At least, not until I’ve read the book. Like the spoilageof movie trailers, I want my experience to be pure – unfettered by thesubjective opinion of naturally zealous publicists, keen to influence myexperience of said book.

So, I love it whenI do finish reading a book, then check the back cover and see that itsdescription is exactly what I experienced. No hype. Just real.

Althoughthe cover for The Big Book for Words and Pictures certainly hooked myeye, it’s the inside pages that truly got my heart racing – faster and fasterthe more pages I turned.

For yousee, even this middle-aged book lover can appreciate content for two-year-olds,yes I can. Especially when it’s this good.

My firstimpression of this book is that it’s kind of the world on a platter for tots.It covers, like, everything. From colours and shapes to the contents of houses.From numbers and the alphabet to animals, the seasons and the weather. It’sjust all here. All of it. And it really makes me want to be little again. I lament the fact that I did not have this book as a toddler. No fair.

Plants,food, musical instruments, getting dressed. Sport, transport, jobs and emotions.It’s like every single toddler book rolled into one – and what I love mostabout it is the detailed simplicity. There’s no headings, no divisions, nocomplications. Just lots and lots of gorgeous pictures, sometimes spattered allover the pages, sometimes sequential, like the little bear getting dressed andthe duck who ages from pram to wheelchair.

This bookis just a detailed snap of… life. It’s everything – no rhyme nor reason. Justis. Just there. Like the world of a toddler – full to brimming with excitementand beauty, everywhere you turn.

If these40-something eyes can skip, utterly entranced, across page after page, smilingand soaking up these gorgeous images with hand-clapping glee, you can imaginethe collected hours of gobsmacked silence your child will experience by readingthis book. A silence that will be undoubtedly followed by pointing, asking,questioning, showing, ranting and book-toting from room to room and into bedfor the night.

Charmpersonified and so kid-friendly, simply everyone’s hands will be clapping inglee – whether four or forty.

Title: The Big Book of Words and Pictures

Author/Illustrator: Ole Könnecke

Publisher: Gecko Press, $24.99

PublicationDate: October 2011

ISBN: Könnecke

Format: Hardcover

Forages: 0 - 5

Type: Picture Book, Board Book

Review: When You Reach Me

2011-11-19T06:00:00.001+11:00

If you return five minutes before you leave, you would see yourself arrive, right?

I’m confused.

Miranda has been best friends with Sal since she was a kid. They do everything together. They walk home together, they even went to day care together.

When Sal gets punched by the new kid, he starts to ignore Miranda, leaving her to walk home alone by the garage boys and the laughing man who sleeps under a mailbox.

Miranda starts to get mysterious letters, not knowing who from. Then a key goes missing, then a shoe. As she uncovers mysteries, the laughing man tells her softly: “She’s gone now. Don’t worry, Ok?”

It still leaves me puzzled but if you read it carefully, you would think, oh, I was so stupid! This book is a crazy mind-bending one but puts a smile on your face at the end.

- this review by Ella, 11

Title: When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Publisher: Andersen Press, $14.95 RRP
Publication Date: 6 January 2011
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781849392129
For ages: 11+
Type: Junior Fiction

Review: Side by Side, Shoulder to Shoulder

2011-11-18T16:00:00.000+11:00

Young Tom is off with Grandpa to watch his favourite team at footy training. As they walk through the gates of Victoria Park, his grandfather removes his black and white Collingwood scarf from and curls it around Tom’s neck.

“Like your father and my father before me,” he says, “You have been born a Collingwood supporter.”

And so begins this story of loyalty, working together . . . and an unabashed addiction to one of the world’s most passionately supported ball games - AFL.

As Tom and his grandpa watch the team train, Grandpa begins talking about the team’s players and the value they bring to the side.

He then begins talking of historical players, the best handballers, the most fearless decoys, and the most thrilling grand finals. Tom listens wide-eyed as he learns even more about the ins and outs and nitty gritty of the game, from the white lines down the centre of the oval to the need for reservers and how shepherding and chasing are just as important as goal kicking.

Essentially, Side by Side is a book combining a warm grandfather/grandson relationship with an abridged account of the history of the Collingwood side. Vintage photos, news clippings, ephemera, cartoons and colour illustrations combine to create a collage of beautifully-crafted pages, all bordered by that iconic black and white stripe.

Broken into chapters with such headings as Men of Skill, The Innovators and Fearless Players, the book also features a glossary, an historical fact timeline, run-downs of Collingwood’s six grand final wins and biographic notes on the side’s best players.

Author Neridah McMullen has a clear passion for her side, even dropping in the old “We have a lot of good players, Grandpa. Is that why everyone hates us?” which made me smile.

In Side by Side, she has created a comprehensive and beautifully-researched account of one of the most successful AFL sides, and has created a unique book young footballers will enjoy. Using football lingo that will delight these young followers, this is a must-have for supporters of the Pies.

Title: Side by Side, Shoulder to Shoulder

Author: Neridah McMullen

Illustrator:Ainsley Walters

Publisher: One Day Hill, $19.95

PublicationDate: September2011

ISBN: 9780980794809

Format: Hard cover

Forages: 6 - 12

Type: Picture Book

Review: Parrot Carrot

2011-11-18T06:00:00.030+11:00

It's so lovely to find a book for the very young that ticks all the boxes ... gorgeous to look at, clever, charming, funny, educational. Of interest to adults, too (but call me selfish).

I'm big on books of great design, and Parrot Carrot has it in spades ... and mooses and gooses and snakes and rakes.

A rhyming picture book - with perfect rhythm - hurrah! - of the simplest form, we meet a series of objects that combine to create something new - something funny.

Little kids love funny.

A parrot that looks like a carrot. A snake that looks like a rake. A moose that looks like a goose. Sure, the object-blending topic is not new (most book ideas are not new) - but when they're done with such consummate and breezy ease and charm, it's truly like you're seeing the concept with the freshest ever eyes. Perhaps even baby or toddler eyes.

Utterly adorable illustrations, using clap-your-hands colour and humour, Parrot Carrot is a gorgeous, smile-worthy book. A must-have for little ones, it would make the perfect new-baby book, particularly for babies who love a bit of style with their literature.

Title: Parrot Carrot
Author: Jol and Kate Temple
Illustrator: Jon Foye
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $12.99 RRP
Publication Date: November 2011
Format: Hard cover, padded cover
ISBN: 9781742376868
For ages: 0 - 4
Type: Picture Book

Event: Unicorn and Fairy Parties in Canberra

2011-11-17T22:00:00.000+11:00

If you're in the Canberra region and have unicorn- or fairy-loving tots in tow, come along to Westfield in Belconnen and Woden to meet children's author Aleesah Darlison! Click the poster for more.