Review: Kate and the Thing

Kate and the Thing is written and illustrated by the hugely talented Heidi Cooper Smith.  Her illustrations are just divine. The back cover is just as gorgeous as the front, drawing you in with the soft movement of falling leaves.

This is a story of starting at a new school.  Feeling alone and afraid, Kate brings an imaginary friend (the Thing) along with her to help with the transition. The Thing is illustrated in white--soft and snuggly, gentle and kind--just what a lonely child needs.

Review: The Art Garden

An absolutely gorgeous story about creativity and friendship, showing there is more than one way to be an artist.

My first thought when I opened the cover was, 'Ooooo Beautiful.' And that was just my reaction to the end papers! The beauty continues with each turn of the page. Soft watercolour illustrations perfectly complement the gentle language that tells the story. 

Review: It's OK to feel the way you do

Here is the follow up to Josh Langley's fabulous book Being You is Enough. I have an eight year old daughter, who is socially a bit awkward and a reluctant reader.  She gobbled up Being You is Enough, took it to school to share with her class, cuddled it in bed, and read it multiple times. So I was really keen to get my hands on It's OK to feel the way you do--I was not disappointed.  My daughter instantly recognised the format of the book, grabbed it and immediately began to read.  

Review: Being You is Enough

Josh Langley has created a very important book.  It is simple, colourful and humorous, but most importantly it touches the heart.  Being you is Enough shares the messages that it's OK to be different, no-one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes--being you is enough! 

The clear words of wisdom are presented with minimal text, spread out over 117 pages. This format makes for easy reading, ensuring the important messages are easily accessible.

Review: Shapes of Australia

A gorgeous, colourful book, full of patterns and shapes inspired by Australia's landscape, both natural and man-made. 

From the first page you are transported into a dreamlike wonderland of colour, shape and pattern. Bronwyn Bancroft has used bold colour, intricate pattern and geometric shapes to represent aspects of Australia including, forests, oceans, cities and farms in a beautiful expression of creativity.

Review: Two Rainbows

Two rainbows is a beautiful book showcasing a clever comparison of colours in the city and in the country. 

The pages are organised into paired double spreads. Each colour is shown as a spot of bright in an otherwise grey city scene with the alternating page celebrating the same colour in a simple monochromatic farm landscape. For example, yellow is a danger barrier in the grey city, while yellow is ducklings in a sun drenched, wheat field on the farm.

Review: Rusty, Buster and Patch versus The Opera

Here is a wacky book, sure to appeal to kids who like a bit of silly between the pages--which is most kids really!  

A trio of cheeky boys get up to all sorts of mischief, much to the dismay of their mother. One day she decides to take them to The Opera, to try to instill a little class into their characters. While they may have looked classy, their behaviour was anything but! The three boys create chaos before, during and after the show. But perhaps they have shown just enough promise to convince their mother to keep trying to bring up cultured children.

Review: Danny daVinci - The Secret of the Mona Lisa

Here is a picture book with a difference! Interesting facts and humor are woven into an imaginative tale about the famous Mona Lisa painting and how it was created.  

I sat down to read this to my eight year old daughter. She was initially unsure about the unusual layout of many small pictures and boxed text scattered over the pages. But as I started to read she became fully immersed in the story and started to relate it to her own life--things she likes to do, such as drawing and sculpting, and images she has seen before, on the walls of her Art room at school.