Remembering C S Lewis

Photo by Norman Parkinson/Corbis
Illustration by Dave Stevenson
Source: HarperCollins

Today, 22 November 2013, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of author C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963), whose work has been translated into 46 languages and sold over 100 million copies. Considered the most influential Christian writer of his time (Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce), and an “intellectual giant”, Lewis created some of the world's most-loved children's books: the Chronicles of Narnia series.

The Narnia books have hooked children into reading ever since, and are loved just as much by adults, many of whom remember them as having a special place in their childhood. The world of Narnia stands the test of time, cleverly merging fantasy with reality, and has been recreated in three major motion pictures – it was recently announced that The Silver Chair, the fourth in the Narnia series, will also go into production. 

Source

Did you know?

• Clive Staples Lewis, known to his friends as Jack, was born in Belfast, Ireland.

• He was an English Fellow who tutored English Language and Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford for thirty years.

• In Oxford in 1926, Lewis became friends and colleagues with J. R. R. Tolkien.
   
• The Inklings was the name given to the club formed by a group of writing friends which included C. S. Lewis and his brother Warren "Warnie" Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams.

Review: Manatee Baby

Manuela lives with her father Silvio in the Amazon rainforest. Silvio's a fisherman and when she's not at school Manuela gets to go with him in the boat. One day, Silvio catches and kills a manatee — it's illegal to do so, but everyone turns a blind eye as a manatee will fetch a high price and has so much meat on it that it can feed an entire village.

It's a moment of triumph for Silvio, but one of desolation for Manuela. Killing the manatee doesn't make her feel proud or excited as she thought it would. Instead, she feels sad. And when she realises the manatee has left behind a calf, she decides she has to do whatever she can to keep it safe.

KBR Short Story: Dragon Earwax

by Zoë Disher

It’s yellow and sloppy. It has to be custard, right? I let some drip from my spoon into the bowl. It goes ‘glop’.

‘Eat up your earwax, Liam,’ says Gran.

‘It’s not earwax, it’s too runny.’

‘It’s dragon earwax, dear. It’s runny because it’s hot. It’ll go hard if you leave it.’

‘Dragon earwax? No way. It’s custard.’

‘No, it’s earwax. Eat up now, it’ll give you lovely golden scales,’ says Gran.

‘Wow!’ says Moira. ‘Golden scales — just like a real dragon.’

We are staying with Gran for the weekend. So far she has served us spider bikkies, unicorn sausage rolls and green frog milkshakes. Now, it’s dragon earwax for dessert.

‘I had a terrible time getting it you know,’ says Gran. And with that she is off on some crazy story about a cave and a sleeping dragon and scraping out its ears with a very long spoon. The flickering candlelight makes her eyes glint. Her arms throw shadows around the room.

Moira listens with her mouth open. She loves Gran’s stories.

‘Dragons don’t have ears,’ I say, waving away a moth that is dancing around the candle.

‘No? Well how do they hear then, smarty-pants?’ Gran chuckles. I know she is joking.

Moira gulps a spoonful of custard.

‘It’s delicious, Gran,’ she says. ‘It’s like eating sunshine.’

I roll my eyes. Moira’s always saying things like that. She says ponies are saying 'I love you' when they whinny. She says rainbows fall from heaven if you’ve been thinking good thoughts. My sister would believe anything.

So far Moira has eaten everything Gran made. She even drank the green frog milkshakes — and they tasted like cough medicine. Gran said they’d give you a tongue like a frog but I know it was green food colouring, really.

‘And I had to run like the clappers down the hill with the dragon trying to roast my bottom.’ Gran finishes her tale.

I’m too old for fairy stories.

I lift my spoon again. The custard isn’t just yellow, it’s so bright it’s almost glowing. It smells funny — a bit like lemon and a bit like banana.

I take a sip. Then a slurp.

It is custard.

I knew it. It’s sweet and warm. I finish the bowl and sit back. That was really nice. A fuzzy glow spreads from my tummy to my arms and legs. I take my jumper off.

I am full. I slump down in my seat and watch the moths. There are more of them now.

It’s funny though, my skin does look kind of yellow and scaly. It must be the candlelight. I scratch my arm. It makes a rasping sound, like dry leaves. I don’t care. The custard has made me feel deliciously warm and relaxed.

Moira looks happy too. She is smiling with a golden shine on her face. A moth lands on her bowl, and she grins even wider.

‘Yum!’ she says, and she flicks out her tongue to catch it.

Zoë Disher writes and daydreams in Newcastle, where she does her best not to be late for anything important. Find out more about Zoë and her work at her website.


KBR Short Stories are a way to get your work ‘out there’ — and to delight our KBR readers. Stories are set to a monthly theme and entries are due in the 25th of each month. Find out more here.

Book List: Dystopian Worlds

Dystopian fiction tells the stories of alternate realities - places where life is somehow different. In this selection of thought-provoking stories, the protagonists encounter social, environmental, political and other major threats to their worlds.

Uglies (Uglies #1) by Scott Westerfeld, Simon Pulse, $17.99, 9781442419810.

Review: Arclight

Light is all that keeps the remaining humans safe in a terrifying, post-apocalyptic world. No one ventures into the Dark — home to the deadly Fade — and no one has ever come out of it … except for Marina.

So how did she survive? After all, everyone in the Arclight knows that in the war between Fade and Human, it's the Fade who win.

Tightly constructed with a plot that twists, turns, weaves and backflips, Arclight is narrated from Marina's perspective, enabling us to experience her confusion as everything she believes to be true is put to the test. In a world where nothing is as it seems, who can she trust? Why can't she remember her life before the Arclight? What is it about the Dark that calls to her? And are the Fade really what they seem?

Review: Doctor Who - The Official 50th Anniversary Annual

If you have a mad, young Doctor Who fan in the family, they will love this special anniversary edition of the official annual.

On 23 November 2013, it will be fifty years since the first episode of Doctor Who was screened on television, and this is the fiftieth anniversary annual, packed with pictures, stories, and plenty of entertainment.

Bookish Places: May Gibbs' Nutcote

Playing dress-ups at May Gibbs' Nutcote

The Kids' Book Review Bookish Places posts are a chance to celebrate museums, galleries and other places with a connection to children’s literature and reading. The posts are compiled by KBR's Consultant Librarian, Sarah Steed.

Nutcote is the historic house and garden of May Gibbs, who is recognised as Australia's first full-time, professionally-trained children's book illustrator.

May Gibbs was born in England in 1877, and migrated to Australia with her family at the age of four. She returned to England in 1901 to study art, and after several trips back and forth, remained in Australia from 1913. Along with her iconically Australian Gumnut Babies and other characters, May wrote and illustrated many stories and comic strips, and designed postcards for soldiers in World War One.

Nutcote, described as Mediterranean in style, with “early English/Baronial character” inside, is now a museum celebrating May’s life and work, and decorated as it would have been in the 1920s and 1930s. Scenes recognisable in May’s illustrations can be found in the garden, which has views of Sydney Harbour.

Read on to learn more - thanks to Stephanie for answering our questions. Hopefully you will feel inspired to visit and discover this piece of Australian history for yourself. Nutcote can be found at 5 Wallaringa Avenue, Neutral Bay, in Sydney.

Review: How Many Sleeps Till My Birthday?

Along with “When will it be Christmas?” and “Are we there yet?”, one question parents of young children will be familiar with is “How many sleeps till my birthday?” That’s the premise of this story written by Mark Sperring and illustrated by Sebastien Braun, both of whom have created a bunch of other picture books.

Little Pip is extremely excited and anxious to know how long he has to wait until his birthday. In fact, he is anticipating it so much that he wakes up one morning and tells Daddy Grizzle that the very special day has already arrived.

Review: Burning the Bails: The Story of the Ashes

When the Australian cricket team defeated England by just seven runs at the Oval in London on 29 August 1882, a reporter for The Sporting Times published an obituary notice for English cricket. How did this tongue-in-cheek response to England’s loss lead to what we now know as The Ashes, the ongoing cricketing showdown between Australia and England?

Burning the Bails: The Story of the Ashes is a fictionalised account of the events of 1882 linked to the creation of The Ashes legend. The story, told from the perspective of six-year-old Russell Clarke, explains how the English cricket captain came to be presented with an urn of ashes that remains a symbol of the cricketing rivalry between Australia and England to this day.

Review: Ruby Red Shoes Goes to Paris

We first met Ruby, the little white hare who loves red shoes, in the gorgeous Ruby Red Shoes (see KBR review here). Now she and her grandmother, Babushka Galina Galushka, are leaving their cosy caravan for a holiday — and the first stop is Paris!

Unfortunately, not everyone is excited. Ruby's chickens are devastated at being left behind, as they've been working hard at their French lessons and now all have impeccable accents. But Ruby soon leaves thoughts of her chooks behind as she boards her Flying Hare flight and finds herself transported to a top-floor Paris apartment, reached by a rattling lift and a narrow, twirling staircase.

Book List: Death and Dying

Whether expected or unexpected, death is difficult for both children and adults to understand. These stories introduce the concept to young children, with the death of grandparents, pets, and siblings amongst those discussed.

Old Pig by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Ron Brooks, Allen & Unwin, $27.99, 9780140562118

Review: Clara Button and the Wedding Day Surprise

Clara loves to draw and design clothing. Her older brother Ollie loves to invent things. They are both busy doing their favourite things when an invitation arrives inviting them to a very special wedding. Clara spends a lot of time daydreaming about beautiful wedding dresses and wondering what the bride will wear.

Clara chooses her very best dress to wear to the wedding, but it just doesn’t seem fancy enough. She tries goes through all of her shoes and jewellery and accessories, but nothing seems to be fancy enough to wear to a special wedding. The night before the wedding, Clara has a brilliant idea for a way to make her outfit more colourful, but things don’t quite go to plan. Will she be able to turn something messy into something beautiful in time?

Review: The Grace Stories (Our Australian Girl)

Our Australian Girl is a series I adore. A great deal of history can be gleaned from the contents of these books for readers of all ages. This compilation of four books in one is fantastic for there’s the continuity of one story after another. The pleasure is accentuated by Sofie Laguna’s magical way with words.

This is set in a historical era. The descriptions of poverty and brutality against and between children are at times disturbing. But industrialisation was underway, forcing the loss of jobs that caused many families to become destitute and desperate.

12 Curly Questions with author Dianne Bates

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.

I have a deformed bellybutton, the result of a circus pony biting me when I was nine years old.

2. What is your nickname? 

Daisy, Di and Di Di 3. What is your greatest fear? Losing my darling husband, Bill Condon (also a children’s author)

4. Describe your writing style in ten words. 

Fast paced, memorable, ruthlessly edited.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.

Professional, prolific, persistent, creative, proactive.

6. What book character would you be, and why? 

God (why goes without saying)

Event: Grug At Pinerolo

Tania's Picks: Alphabetical Sydney

Having quite the obsession with alphabet books, and quite the obsession with Sydney ... Oh, and quite the obsession with picture books and with unusual picture books and with stunning illustration and photography ... well. It was absolutely no surprise I tripped and fell headlong into this beautiful book.

Hilary Bell and Antonia Presenti have taken Sydney and assembled into a divinely visual alphabet treat with this gorgeous picture book.

Yes, there are kookaburras and the Harbour Bridge and the ferries, but for the most part, this talented duo have bypassed the stereotypes and instead embraced the true essence of this world class city I once called home. I truly love that about this book. I love that we have Mr Whippy for W and terrace houses for T and nature strip for N.