Review: Room on the Broom

During the witching hour in my house, this book is a favourite in our noisy household, from toddler to seven-year-old alike. This book is magical journey with a delightful witch who loses lots of her accessories as she flies. With the help of various animals who help her retrieve them, she generously offers some room to every animal she encounters on her journey. Until of course, the broom snaps in two, unable to bear the weight of all its passengers. Following an encounter with a dastardly red dragon, the witch faces dreadful danger and needs her friends to help. But will they step up?

Review: Look Out Leon

Title: Look Out Leon

Author: Jez Alborough

Illustrator: Jez Alborough

Publisher: Walker Books, $24.95 RRP

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9781406319927

For ages: 1 - 5

Type: Picture book

About: This is an absolutely delightful book that will be enjoyed by all children, especially those with an interest in animals. The story follows Leon the chameleon as he learns to use his skills to blend in with a few mishaps along the way. Written by the hugely talented and award winning author and illustrator Jez Alborough parents can be assured this fantastic book is both educational and entertaining.

The cover title gives the reader an excellent insight into the story. We watch Leon as he ventures into the jungle trying to avoid being eaten for lunch and wondering who is watching him now?

The illustrations are fantastic and the push pull flaps were absolutely brilliant. Children can see how a chameleon uses his skills to “blend” and we also see the many colours and textures of the jungle through the artful illustrations throughout the book. In addition to the tabs, children can also rotate flaps and it allows them not only to physically interact with the text, but also to develop their manual dexterity as well.

The use of repetition throughout means children can easily pick up the language of the text which means they can be active rather than passive readers. Alborough has also used a mix of font sizes which are excellent signposts for parents regarding how to read the post with increased volume on occasion!

This book is a great addition to our family library and will make for an excellent birthday present on up coming occasions.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

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Author/Illustrator website

Review: Dead Man's Gold

Title: Dead Man's Gold

Author: Michael Torres

Illustrator: Sharyn Egan

Publisher: Magabala Books, $19.95 RRP

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781921248191

For ages: 10 - 13

Type: Novel

About: Written by Michael Torres, himself a keen adventurer, this book tells the tale of an Aboriginal drover who discovers a secret that has been buried for years. It has a parallel narrative, that of a quest to discover buried treasure; and one of ghosts and legends and the importance of letting the dead rest in peace.

Set against a vividly described backdrop of our vast outback, we see our drover Billy Stone travel through No Man’s Gorge to Black Hills Station for a cattle muster. A chance encounter sets him off on a search for buried treasure and following a map to find it. We see the loving relationship with his horse Pindan and share his sorrow when the horse must be put down after it suffers a serious injury.

Torres doesn’t sugarcoat the harshness of life in the outback and it makes for compelling reading. His interactions with characters with the name One Arm Jack allow for the reader to meet some engaging, not always likeable larrikins, and we are positioned to support Billy in his quest to find the treasure.

The mixed media of illustrations that incorporate the use of watercolour, pencil and ink by the talented artist Sharyn Egan enabled the narrative to develop at a quick pace. My son sat entranced with me as I read the story to him and we spent several minutes pouring over her drawings, discussing them as well. She showcases the beauty and harshness of our outback landscape beautifully and her sketches of the characters are truly wonderful.

This story is one of travel, a search for treasure, ghosts, friendship, betrayal and death. Whilst they are heavy themes in many ways, Torres has worked to make them accessible for younger readers. It certainly makes for a good jumping off point for some deeper discussions with children. As well as that it allows for broader exploration of our outback and the wealth of heritage it has for us.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

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Review: Dinosaur Dinosaur

Title: Dinosaur Dinosaur

Author: Matt Cosgrove

Illustrator: Matt Cosgrove

Publisher: Koala Books, $12.99 RRP

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780864615589

For ages: 2 - 5

Type: Picture Book

About: For young children interested in dinosaurs this book is a fantastic introduction to them. Cosgrove has used colour and a series of questions (all in rhyme!) to show young children the wide variety of forms of dinosaurs that used to walk the earth.

The use of the flaps is wonderful. For instance, on one page there is a picture of a dinosaur eating a plant accompanied by the caption: “Dinosaur, dinosaur what do you eat? Do you like plants” and then the child turns the flap in the middle and hey, presto the picture changes and we see a dinosaur charging accompanied by the caption: “or do you like meat?”

The flaps allow the children to physically interact with the pages and also to see how different the dinosaurs could be. From herbivore to carnivore, from short to tall, from bumpy to smooth, Cosgrove looks at many aspects of dinosaurs in an easily accessible way.

It also ends with the unanswered question as to how these fearsome creatures were wiped out.

The use of simple rhyme and the showcasing of the diversity of the dinosaurs make for an engaging text. It is also an easy read for grown ups, and with a few repetitions children will learn it off by heart very quickly.

A must for any budding paleontologist!

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

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Review: Room on the Broom

During the witching hour in my house, this book is a favourite in our noisy household, from toddler to seven-year-old alike. This book is magical journey with a delightful witch who loses lots of her accessories as she flies.

With the help of various animals who help her retrieve them, she generously offers some room to every animal she encounters on her journey. Until of course, the broom snaps in two, unable to bear the weight of all its passengers.

Review: Daisy to the Rescue

Title: Daisy to the Rescue

Author: Jane Simmons

Illustrator: Jane Simmons

Publisher: Orchard Books, A$15.95

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 9781846160837

For ages: 2-6 years

Type: picture book

About: Growing up in a country where water safety is a major cause of concern for parents, this book is a brilliant discussion point with very small children about the importance of water safety.

This book is both written and illustrated by Simmons and tells the tale of the growing friendships between Millet the chick and Daisy the duck. Whilst Millet wants to do everything Daisy the duck does. Unfortunately Millet comes a cropper in the water and it is up to Daisy to rescue her.

As well as teaching children about water safety, gentle lessons can be learned about compromising in friendship and learning to work with the differences that exist between us.

Simmons uses repetition and onomatopoeic words to engage her young readers. The dialogue between the characters relies on the parents to vary their tone and pitch, but it is cleverly matched with variations in the font sizes on the page as if to give parents a gentle nudge in the right direction!

The pictures are simply beautiful and my toddler kept reaching out to the pages as if to clutch at the adorable Daisy the duck.

This book is a much loved addition to our readers box, and as well as being a beautiful read underlines an important message for our children.

Author website

This book is available online

- This review by Sarah of Ah, The Possibilities!

Review: Nappy Duck and Potty Piggy

Title: Nappy Duck and Potty Piggy

Author: Bernette Ford

Illustrator: Sam Williams

Publisher: Koala Books

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781905417001

For ages: 2 - 4

Type: Picture book

About: This book is largely responsible for toilet training my daughter and I fully intend to use it soon in the hopes of training my toddler son!

The story is about a Duck who realises that nappies aren’t great and that he wants to be a grown up like his friend Piggy and learn to use the potty.

The book doesn’t explicitly teach toilet training, but through the characters of Nappy Duck and Potty Piggy, children can see that nappies are often wet and cold and that sitting on the potty is a nice way to pass the time. In fact for Potty Piggy it means he can spend valuable time looking at his picture book!

The writing and the dialogue are lovely and encourage parents to role-play the different characters. My only comment would be that I didn’t like Nappy Duck kicking her nappy across the floor, even though I understand the point the author is trying to illustrate here.

The illustrations for this book are absolutely adorable. It doesn’t get much cuter than a duckling waddling around wearing a little nappy.

A definite must for parents who are thinking of starting toilet training. This is a stress free way to introduce the process by reading about it with your child. I’m looking forward to recycling this story with my toddler very soon.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

This book is available online

Review: Isabella’s Secret

Title: Isabella’s Secret

Author: Jane Tanner

Illustrator: Jane Tanner

Publisher: Puffin Books, $14.95 RRP

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 9780140555677

For ages: 4-6

Type: Picture book

About: It’s hard to imagine any little girl not loving this book. Tanner is responsible not only for the writing but the illustrating as well, and as one who is woeful at drawing, I am wildly envious of her talents.

Tanner’s reputation as an award winning Australian writer/illustrator is richly deserved. This book is treasured in our home as I am sure it would be in many others. Tanner has been shortlisted for various awards, among them the CBCA Book of the Year Award.

The story depicts a little girl called Isabella lying in the garden and being approached by fairies to come and play with them. Who could refuse such an offer? And thus begins Isabella’s journey into a magical world every little girl longs for at some point. Isabella shrinks, learns to fly and when she leaves this magic land, she does so, knowing that she can return one day.

The book heightens the reader’s appreciation of the world around them and sparks the hope that maybe, just maybe, they could fly with the fairies too. Magical spells are written in rhyme so the young reader or listener can learn them off by heart too.

The typeface is beautiful and Tanner’s drawings are exquisite. The delicate use of embossment of silver and gold serve to heighten the delicate and ethereal nature of the fairies themselves.

A wonderful escape from reality for reader and child.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

Author website

This book is available online

Review: The Snail and the Whale

Title: The Snail and the Whale

Author: Julia Donaldson

Illustrator: Axel Scheffler

Publisher: Koala Books

Format: Softcover

Language: English

ISBN: 978-0-86461-531-2

For ages: 4-7

Type: Picture book, Rhyme

About: This story is written by Donaldson who is known as an award winning and much-loved UK children’s author. Her collaborations with the equally talented Scheffler mean the duo are responsible for producing children’s books that are both visually and verbally memorable and engaging.

This beautiful rhyming tale is about a snail and a whale. It begins with a sea snail that longs to see the world and serendipitously meets up with a whale who invites her to join him as they travel the world. They see all manner of wondrous sights. Then one day the whale becomes stranded on the beach and it is up to the tiny sea snail to rescue him. Despite her small size the snail finds an innovative way to get help for his friend and the rescue operation is soon underway to save him. The ending will leave even the most hard-hearted person near tears.

Donaldson’s brilliant use of rhyme, alliteration, repetition and onomatopoeic words make this a great text to read with beginning readers. It allows for participation in the reading process and is a great book for working on sounding out and chunking words with children. The vocabulary occasionally require explanation, however it all helps to broaden little minds as well.

The messages about limitations only being in our mind and the world is a wonderful place for us to explore are perfect. In addition, this book is a starting point for projects about places around the world and marine life as well. Children can do their own drawings and learn interesting facts about the places and animals depicted in the story.

A beautiful addition both visually and verbally to a little one's library.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

Author website

This book is available online

Review: Commotion in the Ocean

Title: Commotion in the Ocean

Author: Giles Andreae

Illustrator: David Wojtowycz

Publisher: Orchard, A$14.99

Format: Board book

ISBN: 9781408308455

For ages: 2-5 years

Type: Picture Book

About: It is entirely possible I love this book even more than my children. Except that I read it to them at least twice a day, so it is a close run thing.

This book teaches children and adults alike about marine life ranging from starfish through to whales. Andreae uses rhyme throughout to engage his little reader and Wojtowycz uses an absolute riot of colour and shading to delight the eye.

The personification of the various fish such as the angelfish being vain and the jellyfish enjoying jiggling, helps to stimulate children’s imaginations and broaden their understanding of the way the world beneath the water might exist.

A visit to the local aquarium becomes almost compulsory after reading this book and will often be a great occasion, because children have some familiarity with the marine life they have been introduced to in this book.

Its also a wonderful way to introduce some simple craftwork and drawing. This book is a great 'jumping off' source for drawing fish, making starfish and learning facts and figures about the creatures in the ocean.

The simple verses make for easy reading the rhyme and repetition almost ensures that small children will be able to be participatory readers rather than passive ones after a few read throughs.

A 'must-read'.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak

Author website

Illustrator website

This book is available online

Review: Giraffes Can’t Dance

Title: Giraffes Can’t Dance

Author: Giles Andreae

Illustrator: Guy Parker-Rees

Publisher: Orchard

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 1-84121-565-1

For ages: 3-6 years

Type: picture and rhyme book

About: Our soft-back version of this book is dog-eared which in our household symbolises deep and abiding love. I was delighted to see that a smaller hardcover version of this beloved book has made its way into print. It’s destined to survive a great deal longer in our home!

This story is about a giraffe called Gerald who can’t dance. At least he can’t dance very well. As a result, he gets teased by the other animals. After a devastating encounter at the local 'Jungle Dance', he is laughed out of town.

With the guidance of a wise and gentle cricket, Gerald learns to listen to the sounds around him and to his own body, and is able to dance so well that the other animals are left in awe.

The message of this lovely rhyming tale is that it is okay to be different and dance to the beat of our own drum.

The book is delightfully illustrated with rhinos who rock and roll, lions tangoing, and baboons performing a Scottish reel. The humour appeals to adult and child alike.

The rhymes makes for easy reading and children will love and laugh at the pictures showing animals doing all manner of unusual things. As well as the message about being brave by doing brave things, the story is a wonderful tool for teaching about the damage prejudice can do.

- this review by Sarah Pietrzak Author website

Illustrator website

This book is available online

Review: Sparkly Touchy Feely Fairies

This book is designed to appeal to virtually all the senses. It is a riot of colour, fabric and is complemented by a simple, yet effective narrative that describes the role of the different fairies, ranging from the Treetop Fairy to the Night Fairy.

The book is accompanied by overlays of various fabrics. They have clearly been carefully selected to encompass a diverse range of touch sensations, and equally, help to broaden the visual appeal of the book. Little girls and boys can touch the gauzy fairy wings; feel the sandpaper quality of a passing dragonfly and the spongy nature of a colourful toadstool.