Review: Phoenix and Ralph

'...First, the fires came rampaging up the valley, taking everything in their path.

Those of us who were here that summer got ready to run...'

And there is the opening to this harrowing yet hopeful picture book.

Goosebumps? I thought so. Prepare for more.

Canberran icon, Barbie Robinson, is an arts journalist, writer, book designer, photographer and arts advocate, whose support for locals and the wider community is legendary. In her new book, Phoenix and Ralph, she utilises her every artistic skill to bring us a fiery tale based on true life events.

Review: Charley Harper's Animal Kingdom

Charley Harper is a mid-century artist who long ago captured my heart. His work is beyond iconic, exquisite and way ahead of its time, with graphic design-style illustrations that are both pure simplicity and intricate detail. Using elements like line and pattern to bring richness to shapes filled with predominantly flat colour, Harper's illustrations are both modern and retro, stylised and classic.

Review: Full of Life

The title of this astonishing book says it all - it's not only full of life, it's bursting at the spine seams. 

Subtitled 'Exploring Earth's Biodiversity', Full of Life sets out to tackle a universe of content. Abridging and arranging life on Earth is an almost incalculable feat. I know - I've tried this with some of my own books - but what I've produced doesn't come within a protozoa's whisker of what Isabel Thomas has achieved in this book.

Review: Letters to Live By

Gotta love an alphabet book. They are ever such fun, and it's even lovelier to find one that sits outside the square and is clever in so many ways, it entices both adults and children in equal measure.

'An alphabet book with intention', Letters to Live By features a range of vibrant children from around the world, engaging with each other, caring for animals, sharing emotions, discussing differences, giving, learning, offering, embracing good things, resisting not so good things, and honing that desperately underrated gift - being kind.

Each page features just two or three [mostly alliterative] words, making it perfect for early childhood, and kids learning to read. 

Review: The Book of Dirt

Two books that sit on the top shelf of my favourite picture books of all time (it's a squeeze - every single Miroslav Sasek book sits there, too) are The Book of Trees and The Book of Bees by the phenomenal Piotr Socha, written by Wojciech Grajkowski. Have you seen them? If not, I'll wait right here while you go look them up.

Subtitled 'A smelly history of dirt, disease and human hygiene', and penned with utter panache by Monika Utnik-Strugala, The Book of Dirt is the latest in this series, and is a book you never thought you'd need let alone take such delight in. 

From Cleopatra's donkey milk baths to Roman toilets where everyone wiped them bums with the same poo stick (I know...), it's little wonder kids of all ages will be both fascinated and boggled by some of the coolest content they'll ever read.

Review: Ghostie

Ava is bored. And when she's bored - so is her elusive friend, Ghostie. And what do ghosts do when they're bored?

They howl and screech! They float and flicker! And their absolute specialty? Slime!

Pets terrorised, bathrooms flooded, an indoor mud-pie mess - naughty Ghostie!

... or is it really Ghostie?

This eerie romp for little ones is a howl of a hoot - skittering along with humour and charm. 

Review: The School of Music

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the School of Music. Write your name on your certificate, and join us on the first day of term.

The inspiring people of the School of Music will guide you through 40 lessons, where you will be introduced to a wide range of music and musical instruments.

In term 2, you'll even learn about harmony, melody, rhythm and pitch, and will even learn how to read and write music!

Review: The Catawampus Cat

I had never heard the phrase 'catawumpus' until I read this book. And I love learning new words. It sounded so evocative, so I spent a short time guessing what it might mean.

Naughty? Unusual? Independent? A city-dweller? I was intrigued.

And I'm hoping this is how kids feel when they read the title of this book. For the record, this is how the dictionary defines it:

Review: Triangle

You know you've made it when you can release a picture book without a single creator name, let alone a title, on the cover. You may instantly guess, by the cover image, this book has been illustrated by Jon Klassen. And the pairing of Mac Barnett may be easy to guess, too ... quirk all the way.

And we love it.

With a thick, solid card cover and regular matte pages inside, Triangle is a book that already sits... er... outside the square.

Review: The Night Gardener

William wakes one day to find the most astonishing topiary owl, carved from a tree, right outside his window. So entranced, he stares at the creation all day and well into the night (along with a handful of curious neighbours).

The next morning, he wakes to a topiary cat! Then a bunny, a parakeet and elephant. Each and every creation is so beautifully crafted, people come from all around to witness the leafy sculptures in Grimloch Lane.

Review: That's Not a Hippopotamus!

Kids love a good romp of a story, and this delightful pairing, by two of my favourite creators, is a romp extraordinaire.

On a school excursion to Don's Safari, the kids are keen to see 'every creature in the land', until a smart alec (there's always one) proudly points out there is NO hippopotamus.

Review: The Fantastic Recipe Machine

I just loved Chihiro Takeuchi's Can You Find My Robot's Arm (our review here)--the perfect blend of visual splendour and quirk. So it was with much eye-popping happiness that I took a swan dive into his latest creation--all about a pretty fantastic recipe machine.

Again, Chihiro delights with a fantastical storyline that will enchant readers of all ages. As the day begins at the factory, the little robots are out in force. I wonder what they'll whip up with their fantastic recipe machine?

Review: Florette

When Florette arrived at my house, I slipped the book from its packaging and placed it gently on the kitchen bench. I read it immediately.

When I was done, I said aloud the following words:

No way, Anna. No way.

Let me explain.

When I read Mr Huff last year, I believed nothing could be better. I didn't think Anna could outdo herself. Strangely, I don't think Mr Huff has been at all superseded here, because each book stands alone, especially Anna's books.

Review: The Fix-It Man

Grief and loss is a difficult thing to master in picture books. Children have a vastly different way of both comprehending and understanding the concept, particularly when it's the loss of someone close.

The world surely becomes an incoherent tumble--a washing machine of confusion and uncertainty. And, ironically, it's often adults who struggle to come up with the answers--both in regard to explaining loss, and in providing comfort to children.

Review: Agatha Christie

This might come as a shock to you, but I've never in my life read an Agatha Christie novel. I know! I simply must make the time. And I must say, this abridged version of this remarkable woman's life makes me even more keen.

Part of the Little People Big Dreams series from Frances Lincoln Children's Books--a series I love so much, most especially because of the female focus) Agatha has been released this year alongside Marie Curie.

Agatha's life began with books. She would read a book with her mum every afternoon, and Agatha always had an opinion on how the story should end.

Review: Boo!

Feeling scared is so subjective. What scares you may not scare me. What scares her may not scare him. And, of course, what scares an owl may not scare a tiger.

In this clever book, Ben Newman takes us through a variety of animals as they realise they're not so fearless, after all... there's always something bigger than us, perhaps more fearsome that us, and that none of us are immune to feeling vulnerable!

Review: The Land of Nod

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic bedtime poem is brought to life in this gorgeously-illustrated picture book for little ones.

Where do we go when we fall asleep? We enter the Land of Nod, where magical creatures appear and take us on a surreal journey into strangeness.

There are curious things to eat and see. Perhaps a frightening thing or two. And all in all, a wonderful adventure.

Review: Town and Country

There's an eternal fascination between the city and the country--and the variables are endlessly fascinating, especially for young eyes. Life is definitely lived differently in the big smoke or on the farm, and this book perfectly encapsulates the many and varied ways we live according to WHERE we live.

Designed as a 'flip' book, kids can turn the book upside down to view a country scene and a town or city scene, correlating to a theme. The range of themes is fantastic--from the expected (animals, plants, transport, buildings) to the less expected (fun, jobs, snow, beach).

Review: Ginger Green Playdate Queen: The Clever Friend

Ginger is off to Meagan's house for a playdate. Megan's house is super tidy. There isn't any messy gumboots or mud on the doorstep and her hair is so neat. There are books everywhere, there's no TV, and everything has its place.

Ginger is keen to play, and she comes up with brilliantly creative idea after idea, her imagination in full swing. But her ideas are too messy. Too noisy. Too crashy.

And Meagan, quite frankly, is too hypercritical.

After one insult too many, Ginger stands up for herself beautifully (love this little fox!) and Meagan the Perfectionist learns an important lesson (and perhaps her perfect mum does, too).

Review: Neon Leon

Leon is a chameleon. A chameleon with a difference. While all the other chameleons change to match their surroundings--a leafy jungle, a sandy desert, craggy rocks--Leon can't seem to make the shift from fluorescent, luminescent, glow-in-the-dark, sherbety orange.

Alas, this is not overly helpful when you're a chameleon, especially if you're trying to fit in. Perhaps Leon can find other animals with a similarly endearing shade of bright?