Calm Your Farm

Calm Your Farm written and illustrated by Dale Baker (Little Big Sky Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781923514256

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Has anyone ever told you to ‘calm your farm’? Settle down? Stress less? Just be quiet?

Despite the crow of a rooster in the morning, the moo of cows, the cluckety-cluck of chickens and the occasional grunt of a pig, farms are not exactly known to be noisy and chaotic places. Busy, yes. Needing to be told to ‘calm down!’, no.

Welcome to Dale Baker’s farm. A farm where the animals have, to put it simply, gone berserk.

Imagine the chaos caused by ducks with water guns, egg-throwing chickens and tractor-driving cows (who probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel). All the animals are running amok … except one little fella, and he just doesn’t know what to do … until it all gets too much!

The question is ‘why?’ What has caused this farm to lose its calm?

Dale Baker’s lively illustrations capture the pandemonium of farm life when things go just a little (or a lot) awry.

Children aged 4 – 8 years will delight in Calm Your Farm – the rollicking story of a farmer and one sensible duck who just want everyone to do their job.

The Counting Sheep

The Counting Sheep by Natashia Curtin (Wombat Books) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781761113154

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Four woolly friends form a band and travel to the city to perform. But every night, the audience falls asleep. After some baaad reviews, they seek help from their animal pals, who suggest trying a variety of different musical styles. However, nothing works, so they decide to give up. Then a tired bilby arrives and begs the band to play so he can sleep at night. Other nocturnal creatures join the imploring chorus. The Counting Sheep become ‘the most successful band in all the land’.

Natashia Curtin’s clever tale about chasing your dreams knits together a fleecy quartet, a flock of funny puns, and an ending as gentle as a lamb and just as charming. Children aged four to eight will adore the humorous and heartfelt story, and there are plenty of jokes for older kids, too – including inventive references to famous groups, songs and nursery rhymes.

Natashia’s illustrations are populated by a mob of magnificent animals, each with a distinctive personality. The canny connections between words and images add an extra blanket of hilarity to the book, such as when Wallace advises the band to play pop music, and we see that he’s a weasel. There is even a pay-off for eagle-eyed readers: The Counting Sheep are called ‘the fab four’, and the endpapers feature a re-creation of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover.

The Counting Sheep is bursting at the bale seams with great gags, scintillating storytelling and a motivating message for all ages. It is bound to become a firm favourite with the whole family.

Blue: Dragon of the Sea

Blue: Dragon of the Sea by Aleesah Darlison, illustrated by Tamlyn Teow (Wombat Books) HB RRP $26.99 ISBN: 9781761112706

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Blue is a small sea slug, a nudibranch. Nicknamed the blue dragon, Blue is well camouflaged while roaming the ocean. But there are hazards: tangled tentacles, ripping rubbish and pollution that ‘seeps through delicate skin’. However, when a venomous man-of-war appears, Blue is not afraid. Blue can steal the siphonophore’s toxin to use for future protection.

Aleesah Darlison brings to life a magnificent mini beast of the sea that most children aged four to eight would never have heard of, let alone seen. By infusing Blue with a charming personality, the story encourages empathy and compassion for the teeny creatures that steadily struggle to survive in the vast ocean. Engaging information about nudibranchs is entwined with evocative language, making learning lots of fun.

Tamlyn Teow’s vibrant illustrations flow across the spreads with a fluidity that matches the drift of the briny deep. Dynamic lines guide young eyes, while visible pencil strokes add splashy texture. The cute characterisation of Blue will appeal to kids, as will the comical crab that crops up in the most unexpected places.

Fact and fiction flitter through Blue: Dragon of the Sea, taking youngsters on an educational and entertaining voyage beneath the waves. With so much to dip into and discover on every page, this book is perfect for repeat readings.

The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay

The Sugarcane Kids and the Mystery at Angel Bay by Charlie Archbold (Text Publishing) PB RRP $6.99 ISBN 978-1-9230-583-85

Reviewed by Ann Harth (www.annharth.com )

Charlie Archbold invites middle-grade readers to join Andy and the Sugarcane Kids as they solve The Mystery at Angel Bay where the rainforest meets the reef in Far North Queensland.

With the skate park’s croc fence under repair, Andy, Eli, Harvey and the twins have more time after school to ride to Angel Bay. Their friend Jerry, the giant groper, hangs out there under the boat ramp waiting for fishermen to discard their unwanted catch. But Jerry is not himself these days. Instead of gobbling down every fishy morsel that comes his way, he seems uninterested. Andy and the others hope Jerry’s lack of appetite isn’t connected to the dead sea creatures and misplaced shark eggs suddenly washing up along the pristine stretch of beach.

The environmental status of Angel Bay has always protected it from anything but recreational use. Without this status, it may be vulnerable to development, and Mayor Royce already has plans for a beachside tourist resort. The beached sea creatures could change everything and jeopardise Angel Bay’s protected status.

Something fishy is going on, and the Sugarcane Kids join forces and make a new friend. They climb cliffs overhanging crocodiles, mountain bike through bush trails, and snorkel the reef to unravel the mystery.

Mystery at Angel Bay is an absorbing and at times humorous adventure with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing. The cast of characters make it even more enjoyable. Each of the Sugarcane kids is unique and likable with their own quirks and interests. The secondary characters add much to this book, and I found myself laughing aloud more than once.

Mystery at Angel Bay is written in first person through Andy’s viewpoint. His voice is convincing and natural and sprinkled with interesting facts about the rainforest and reefs of Far North Queensland.

I would highly recommend this book for a middle-grade audience. If this is a reader’s first leap into the Sugarcane Kids series, they will soon be back for more.

Tiny

Tiny, written and illustrated by Laura Stitzel (2026). Hardback. ISBN 978176065857

Tiny is a colourful, joyful celebration of looking at things differently and finding perspective.

Come on a magical adventure when a little girl longing to be big shrinks instead and discovers that the world for tiny creatures is perfect...and perfectly wonderful.

Available in stores or online: https://www.walkerbooks.com.au/book/9781760658571 

Speed-The Haunted Island

Speed-The Haunted Island by Judy Wollin & Eman Alblooshi.

First edition 2023 Ebhar Publishing House. Second edition 2024 Blue Heeler Publishing. MG Paperback RRP $18.15. eBook RRP $5.00. ISBN 9780645398120

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Ali, Dylan and Tarek are back. Twelve-year-old Ali invites Dylan, his Australian friend, to visit his ancestral home of Azraq, in the Northern Emirates. It’s an eye-opener for young Dylan, who is far removed from his Queensland lifestyle.

The boys are hot, hungry and bored and head down to the beach where Ali’s grandfather is fishing. He talks to them of his explorations of the surrounding islands when he was a boy. Ali is excited and wants to do the same, but he isn’t allowed to drive Grandfather’s fishing boat. Dylan would likewise like to have a turn at driving the boat. It’s so tempting: a dip in the water to escape the heat, and the chance to visit the surrounding islands by themselves, then return home before dark. Ali wants to visit Telegraph Island, which, as legend has it, is haunted. Ali’s father, Abbi, warns them that they need to be careful, very careful. Grandfather warns them not to do anything silly.

Finally, after Ali agrees to take his young cousin Tarek along with them, the boys are permitted to take the fishing boat out by themselves. They pack food and water and decide to have some fun, but underestimate the wild seas.

Danger upon danger follows after Dylan and Ali drive the boat recklessly. They are stranded when the boat runs out of fuel, and Dylan almost loses his life in the water. There is no more drinking water on board, and the food is a mess. There is also no mobile signal to use Dylan’s phone and call for help, and they spend the night shuddering and sheltering on the “haunted” island. Finally, they can find a point to send a message to Abbi, who comes to their rescue. But the boys have had to learn a hard lesson through all of this.

There is plenty of tension and adventure in this book, which is longer than Barq the Falcon (318 pages as against 206). Once again, the authors have included many factual pieces of information on boating, safety at sea, tides, and other general topics. The authors are planning to release the third book in the collection, Speed: Dune Bashing, later this year.

Speed-Barq the Falcon

 

Speed-Barq the Falcon by Judy Wollin & Eman Alblooshi. 2024 Turtle Publishing. MG Paperback RRP $21.89.  eBook RRP $4.99. ISBN 9781764222839

Reviewed by Debra Williams

 Ali and his Australian friend, Dylan, would love to be falconers. The question is, who will help them? Ali’s father sold his bird, and his brother, Rashid, doesn’t want to take the boys to fly falcons in the desert; also, Ali’s grandfather isn’t well enough to do so. However, the grandfather surprises the boys, bringing them closer to their goal.

The boys show what they have learned about handling falcons at home after visiting the Falcon Centre.  

Grandfather, Ali’s father, Abbi and Rashid take the boys on a trip to the desert, including Ali’s younger cousin Tarek, after proving they know what to do. Grandfather allows the boys to handle his own falcon, Barq. But the trip turns into a disaster-almost. Ali loses Grandfather’s bird after he forgets to put on Barq’s hood and fails to secure the falcon’s leg ties to his glove.

The boys take off into the desert dunes to search for Barq, only to get hopelessly lost. However, they will not give up.

Rashid has taken the car to search another area. The boys begin to think they are stranded, but eventually Rashid returns to find them and has located Barq as well. He feels guilty for not looking after Barq better himself, and, after initial anger and a disparaging attitude, apologises and tells the boys that they had proven their love for falcons and were now falconers.

Judy Wollin is a Brisbane-based author who writes action-adventure stories for Middle-Graders. She classifies her stories as Fun.Fast.Reads. Her co-author, Eman Alblooshi, is a prominent Emirati author and educator from Abu Dhabi. Judy & Eman worked closely together in the UAE between 2006 and 2010 and collaborated on this book and on Speed: The Haunted Island.

The story collaboration between Australia and the UAE is wonderful and an encouraging cross-cultural experience, and leads the reader into what life is like for those in the UAE. Both Arabic and English words are used throughout the text.

The shorter chapters are ideal for reluctant readers. Each chapter alternates between the POVs of Ali and his 12-year-old friend, Dylan, from Australia, whose father has gone to work in the UAE. The two boys couldn’t be more different, yet strike up a close friendship that is rigorously tested at times. Within each chapter, the authors have also included several facts relating to life in the desert and falconry.

This book will be enjoyed by those in the target readership, especially by slightly older readers.