Review: Potion Commotion

We’ve all been there … a pot of soup boiling over, a red sock turning the whole wash pink, a fizzy volcano experiment exploding everywhere. It’s annoying. And messy. But could you call it a commotion?

Nell the witch and her dragon are making a potion. Nell chants the spell. Her dragon stirs the pot. A bubble grows … and grows … and grows, capturing everything around it.

Guest Post: Fiona Dalwood on When Ghosts Hide In Plain Sight

I used to look out of the train during my commutes and notice graffiti in unusual places. 

How did someone manage a giant wheat paste on a wall without being seen? Did a hooded figure dangle someone upside down from the thirty-second floor? Had they taught themselves to draw and write upside down? 

These short glimpses sparked countless questions—moments that felt magical in their mystery or mildly frightening, depending on how tired I was.

Review: Vlad: The Fabulous Vampire

As any vampire worth his garlic salt will tell you, vampire-esque activities are not wholly confined to Halloween. 

Indeed, for Vladislav Varnaby Roland Dragul,Vlad for short, being a stylish vampire is a year-long occupation.

Vlad is a horrifically huge fashionista you see. Fashion is his passion.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Meet The Illustrator: James Foley

Name: James Foley

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Cartoony, comedic, cinematic, occasionally creepy, detailed, funny

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Wacom Cintiq, ipad, laptop, lemon-ginger tea, snacks, natural light, noise-cancelling headphones, music/news/podcasts

What is your favourite Halloween costume?
One time when I was in scouts we had to make a mask for a craft project. I made a Dracula mask, because, you know, it’s Dracula! I misread the instructions though and thought we had to dress up too. So the other kids were all wearing these basic paper-plate masks of animals etc, still in their scouts uniform, and I rocked up a couple of minutes late in a full vampire costume wearing my vampire mask. Talk about making an entrance. I’ve done that a bunch of times in different situations – I’ve accidentally worn costumes that didn’t quite fit with the status quo. Very embarrassing. 

Junior Review: Ninja Kid 6

It is October, which means Halloween is coming and the Fair is in town. 

This year Nelson and Kenny will be tall enough to go on all the new, scary rides after many years of stretching and growing. 

But after testing their Grandma’s invention without permission, they are abruptly too small to go on any of the new rides. 

They are even too small for the merry-go-round and Grandma will not have the invention fixed until this AFTERNOON!

Unless they think of good reasons (and disguises) to be small, their hero identities will be discovered. 

Review: Mr Walker Braves the Night; Mr Walker and the Perfect Mess

Mr Walker Braves the Night is the fourth book in this delightful series inspired by the real-life Guide Dog Ambassador, Mr Walker, whose home is the Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Life is a sensory experience for Mr Walker. He loves walks. They offer up different smells, sights and opportunities for a chase. He dreams of walks and chasing rabbits, although he has never encountered a rabbit in his life.

Halloween is drawing near. Mrs Reeves is looking forward to her sister coming to visit with her eleven year old son Lawrence. 

Sophie and Amanda want to go on their first trick or treat. The girls demand a scary story from their dad. But it is Mr Walker that has bad dreams that night.

Lawrence arrives with a bored expression on his face. He’s rude and definitely not what the girls expected. Even Mr Walker senses trouble afoot.

Elvis, in charge of the laundry department, suggests trolley-racing to liven things up. They have a great time! Omid challenges them to a game demanding stealth, silence and invisibility. Then, before they know it, it is evening.

Chef Remy and Elvis hollow out pumpkins and shape them into jack-o’-lanterns. To add to the atmosphere, Elvis takes the three children through the hotel’s secret and spooky passageways, while he recalls a ghost story that scares Mr Walker more than the children.

What is that noise that Lawrence and Mr Walker hear at night? Can it be ghosts? Why does Mr Reeves tell them to stay away from the nineteenth floor? When the girls hear it too, they all set out together to discover the scary source.

Again entertained by the intelligent, lovable, always helpful hotel Labrador, Mr Walker, the Park Hyatt’s Ambassador role includes lookout when called for. He is also a useful instrument of diversion when needed. Mr Walker and the Perfect Mess is the fifth book in the series.  

The Reeves household prepares for Christmas with a new advent calendar and a humorous made-up rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas based on Mr Walker’s favourite thing - food!

It is the groundskeeper Josephine’s last Christmas at the Park Hyatt. Her father is retiring and she is taking over the farm. So it is to be a special festive celebration and send-off combined.

This isn’t the only special event on a program filled till well into January. The Guide Dogs fundraiser is keeping them busy but the family is determined to find the right gift for Josephine.

Review: Is It Halloween Yet?

Pumpkins turned into jack-o'-lanterns. Bats, ghosts, pointed hats and black cats.

Spooky themed food and candy.
Costumes of ghosts, mummies, witches and bats.

Is it Halloween Yet? by Susannah Chambers and Tamsin Ainslie is a story about a little girl, Emily, and her excitement for the arrival of Halloween.

Review: Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts

This is a fantastic idea from Lonely Planet Kids. What kid wouldn’t love to read about the best ghosts and monsters in the world?

The book is narrated by monster hunter Van Helsing, and he takes the reader on a journey around the world to explore the famous and not so famous ghosts and monsters of history.

Starting in Europe, we read about Dracula and the Loch Ness Monster, trolls, goblins and ogres, and some lesser known ghosts such as the Undead of Poveglia and the White Lady of Dragsholm Castle.

Winners: Spooktacular Halloween Book Packs

And our lucky winners are...

Sharon Hammad, NSW

Mel Sajeva, VIC

Joseph Spagnolo, NSW

Congratulations!

You have each won a ghastly Halloween Prize Pack including: Scared to Death by Anthony Horowitz, My Dead Bunny by Sigi Cohen and James Foley and Bab Sharky and the Animal Mummies: The Giant Moth Mummy by Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts


Enjoy!

Thank you to ALL tried to 'trick' us. Your answers were truly disturbing!

Happy Halloween!

Looking for Books for... Halloween

Halloween is only a few days away, so we though we'd get in the mood with some spooky and scary picture books! So what is it about freaky, spooky, gruesome and ghoulish books that kids like? Scary books give kids the opportunity to experience the thrill of a little bit of fear whilst knowing they are actually safe and comfortable, sitting with whoever is reading them the story. They can feel a sense of achievement at being brave whilst exploring their fears in a safe environment.

We hope you enjoy reading some of these scary and spooky (and fun!) picture books over the coming days!

Scary Night by Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King, Working Title Press, $24.99, 9781921504631, 3+, KBR Review

Giveaway:Spooktacular Halloween Book Packs

It's time to get your spook on! We have three brilliantly beastly Halloween themed book prize packs to giveaway.

The freakishly fantastic people of Walker Books Australia have been sifting through the skeletons in their closets and uncovered these ghoulishly gruesome titles: Scared to Death by Anthony Horowitz, My Dead Bunny by Sigi Cohen and James Foley and Bab Sharky and the Animal Mummies: The Giant Moth Mummy by Andrew Hansen and Jessica Roberts

Review: I Want To Be In A Scary Story

I've been loving the wave of interactive picture books that have been released over the last few years. I take such delight in leading young readers, be it visitors to the library or my own children, through a story that requires them to respond to questions from the characters, follow requests or instructions, and converse animatedly with what is the brilliantly simple combination of an inanimate illustration and their own stimulated imaginations.

While I have read many (many, many!) picture books that directly address the reader(s) and ask for verbal or physical interaction, I haven't come across one quite like I Want to be in a Scary Story. This picture books is unique in the sense that it is the narrator and the character of the story that are interacting, while the reader remains a passive, though still highly engaged, participant.

Review: Sam: The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World

Oh how I relish the first viewing of a Mo Willems title - his books are delightful, often charming, always hilarious and so deliciously odd.

Characters do not always act as expected and it is an adventure to read through each new offering that Mo presents, and repeat readings are always must - he is the top of my recommendations list when patrons ask for my assistance at the library.

In this sequel to Leonardo the Terrible Monster (KBR Review here), we learn a bit more about Leonardo's friend Sam who as the title suggests, is the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world. Sam is scared of absolutely everything, well everything except for Leonardo of course, because Leonardo and Sam are very good friends.

Review: Eat Your People

A funny twist on the age-old frustrated chant that every parent knows - "Eat your dinner!".

This book introduces us to a little monster called Monty, who does NOT like to eat his people at dinner time.

He whinges that they are too sour, they are too chewy, they are too wriggly and too jiggly. Plus, they keep waving at him. Yuck!

Review: Origami Finger Puppets: Fun Origami for Pinkies, Pointers, and Thumbs

Looking for advanced origami creations?

Origami Finger Puppets: Fun Origami for Pinkies, Pointers, and Thumbs is Muneji Fuchimoto’s newest origami book. 

He began to create origami designs after being inspired by a project in his son’s kindergarten class. Fuchimoto’s other origami books include Robogami and Origami Racer Kit.

Origami Finger Puppets provides instructions for readers to create twenty-five finger puppets. The puppet characters come from popular fairy tales; Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and much more. The book also contains directions for few finger puppets for Christmas and Halloween. Twenty-five sheets of paper are included so you can begin your origami straight away.

Spooky Books for Halloween October 2014

Kids love a good spookfest, and with the increasingly popularity of Halloween in Australia, these fabulous new books are sure to rattle their creepy bone.

Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett (Koala Books, $20.99, 9781783700295, see our review here)

Orion is scared of A LOT of things, but most of all he's scared of the dark. So one night Dark decides to take Orion on an adventure. Emma Yarlett's second picture book combines incredible illustrations and spell-binding storytelling with inventive die-cut pages that make Dark come to life in the hands of the reader.

Monster Chef by Nick Bland (Scholastic, $24,99, 9781742838250, see our review here)

"Marcel was a monster of medium size With crotchety horns and googly eyes. He was lumpy and grumpy and suitably hairy. But Marcel had a problem ... he just wasn't scary."

Marcel is not very good at being a monster. He doesn't seem to be able to scare anybody! But one day, Marcel discovers that his gruesomely-good cooking can give kids a real fright! From the creator of internationally best-selling Very Cranky Bear!

Ten Monsters in the Bed by Katie Cotton and Aaron Blecha (Koala Books, $14.99, 9781742761176)

A monstrous take on 'Ten Green Bottles' and Ten in the Bed with farty, burpy, slurpy sounds! Ten monsters are very squished on a bunk bed. On each spread, a monster gets pushed out onto the floor, making a disgusting noise. Eventually, all the monsters end up on the floor ... and realise theyre more squished than ever! 

10 Spooky Bats by Ed Allen and Shane McG (Scholastic, $9.99, 9781742839301)
Ten spooky bats doing flying tricks. Ten spooky bats doing flying tricks. And if one spooky bat has something new to fix, Therell be nine spooky bats doing flying tricks. Come and hang around with the spooky bats as they count all the way to ten!

Review: Orion and the Dark

Orion is scared of a lot of things. The world is full of scary, you see, but the most scary thing of all, according to Orion, is ... the DARK.

Orion has tried all kinds of things to solve his fear of the dark, but but not much has worked. But then one day, Orion becomes so frightened, he gets totally fed up and calls out to the Dark and tells it to GO AWAY!

Review: Monster Chef

Nick Bland's iconic books are renowned for their gorgeous illustrations, charming characters and crowd-pleasing antics. It's little wonder his books are frequently chosen for National Simultaneous Story Time--his books have the perfectly blending of read-out-loud perfection, and audience response.

Monster Chef is no exception.

In it, we meet Marcel the monster, who, like all good monsters should, goes to work nightly as a Child Frightener. The only problem is, he's not very good at his job. Kids love him. There is simply no frightening to be had.

Posts of Halloween Past: Meg and Mog

When Meg the witch and her cat, Mog, head to a Halloween party with the other witches, things take an unexpected turn.

We are taken through each step as Meg wakes at midnight, serves breakfast and gets ready for the spell party, meets up with her friends and casts a spell that changes the lot of them. 

Posts of Halloween Past: Scarygirl

This large format graphic novel picture book by the talented Nathan Jurevicius is a true riot of visual splendour. Virtually wordless, the incredibly beautiful, almost fluorescent paintings are a sight to behold.

The edgy, emotive and lusciously-coloured illustrations lend a haunting element to this story of a little, scarred ‘girl’ who lives alone in a dark forest. One cold dark night, a large octopus-like creature discovers the girl and – it’s love at first sight.