Kids on the Run

Kids on the Run by Dianne Bates (Morris Publishing) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 978064575981

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Fourteen-year-old Josh has been placed in Foster Care, as his addict mother cannot look after him.  On the first night, the house catches fire, and Josh, together with Brodie and three-year-old Jaylee, escape the flames. The children are on the run, believing that if they are caught, they would be blamed for starting the blaze.

Josh has grown with no opportunities in life or schooling but is streetwise after being dragged from place to place by his mum. He is used to being alone and is resentful at having two other children in tow.

Regardless of his illiteracy, Josh is very resourceful. Lies slip easily from his tongue and his brain is always switched to survival mode.
Brodie’s father has just passed away and his grief is a palpable thing.  Jaylee has lost her mum and her only living relatives are her Aunt Ruth and her cousins who live in an unknown place.

Josh decides that they should find out where Ruth lives and take Jaylee to her.
But the best laid plans… often go awry. There are lots of obstacles to overcome, and many challenges to face. Who can they trust when there is no one to turn to? The three watch out for each other, forming an unexpected, strong bond with one another.

The talented Dianne Bates, author of over 130 books, and recipient of the Lady Cutler Award for distinguished services to children’s literature, has boldly created a gripping story. Full of tension and fast-paced action it gives a convincing view of homeless children on the run. Their fears, desperate decisions, and struggles to survive, gleaned through the dialogue and strong backstories and settings.
These are juxtaposed with the feelings of protection, loyalty, and trust that they form with each other. 

Highly recommended.

Hanna: My Holocaust

Hanna: My Holocaust by Goldie Alexander (Scholastic Australia) PB RRP $16.95 ISBN: 9781743629673

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis 

Goldie Alexander again proves herself an insightful writer; skilful and imaginative. The Holocaust and all its heartbreak, death and desolation, is always confronting and painful to read about. Goldie’s familiarity with this subject is visible. But she has presented that traumatic time in history in such a way, that the horrors are not what are showcased alone. This is a story of courage, faith, family, hope and survival.

Hannah’s narrative begins in 1941 in the Warsaw Ghetto where she, her brother Adam, baby sister Ryzia, and her parents are taken by the SS after their two years’ safe hiding place is revealed by a traitor. Instead of being put to death, Papa is told to report to the Jewish Council to work as translator processing new arrivals. This employment allows him a small income to purchase food and bare necessities.

Over time, the Ghetto becomes overcrowded. People are shipped away to an unknown place. Thousands are being starved to death or randomly shot on the streets in order to diminish the population of Jews through inhumane acts.

But this is mostly eleven year-old Hannah’s story. We read about her thoughts and longings; about her love of reading and her talent in gymnastics. She is a strong and reflective child, open to adventure and change while accepting of her current position.  The loss of the things and people she loves never diminishes her faith in life and the future.

We glimpse how some German soldiers felt about killing and war; how they were forced into conscription, and into unspeakable acts in contrast to their beliefs and humanity. The back stories are vivid and realistic. Each family member’s story is reflected, even if in a minor way.  A lot of historical information is incorporated and is a flowing river through the text.

Rich Historical Notes are added at the end along with a detailed glossary of words used. This book is part of the Courage to Care education program which ‘helps us to understand how lives are affected if we let discrimination occur….’ There will be more books of this ilk coming, so look out for them.

Friends

Friends by Teena Raffa-Mulligan, illustrated by Veronica Rooke (Serenity Press) PB RRP $12.99 ISBN 9780995410411

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Written in rhyming verse that could easily be sung if it had music, this clever, delightful little picture book for a 3+ years age group, reflects on just what friends are. It conveys ways friends care for one another and what they do to show it, regardless of their differences. Ideal for reading and listening to, it can be used as an introduction to poetry for the young.

An interesting collection of Australian wildlife comes together. Koalas and cockatoos, a snake and a kangaroo, a bear, bee, and possum are part of the large menagerie that carries the story. Strong, bold lines and vibrant colours make each page a stage production thanks to Veronica Rooke’s carefree interpretation. The text is free-flowing in large font set out in a thoughtful and child-friendly design. The characters are happy, playful and animated as friends are when they get together.

It’s a picture book for the very young to learn and recognize our Australian creatures while listening to verse. Friends, conveys a strong message about the role friendships play in people’s lives.

Bold Journey

Bold Journey by Clancy Tucker (Clancy Tucker Publishing) PB RRP $15.00 plus $3.00 for postage Australia

ISBN 9780994601025

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The story begins in 1954, when the Agnelli family set out for Australia on an Assisted Migrant Scheme. The positives and negatives of their decision are cleverly woven into a delicate and moving story of migration, with themes of friendship, family, bullying, assimilation, and the huge impact the kindness and generosity of strangers can have on people’s lives.

Cat Ginelli and ‘Fozzie’ Agnelli have been friends since childhood after meeting on the ship. Their years of friendship, togetherness, learning, discovery, and shared grief, is slowly transformed into something powerful, but unspoken. While life leads them along different and distant paths as they grow, the emotional ties between them remain unbroken.

Will they finally come together at the official function put on by Amnesty International, or will the story of their life together end due to those words unspoken?

The struggles and challenges the Agnelli family face are the struggles of every migrant family of the post-war years. The courage and determination of they have to adapt and succeed reflect the characteristics of migrants of that era, and many of those of today.

Through his work, Tucker again seizes the opportunity to bring into focus, issues that he is passionate about. He addresses the humanitarian need of countries ravaged by war and poverty, with the intention that it will ‘stir the conscience’ of his readers, and the world in general. He makes reference to the Vietnam and Korean wars and their futility in a significant way.

This is an interesting and well-constructed novel which is historically valuable, in that it reflects on the how and why, Europeans left their homelands for a better life, what they found, and what they did with what they had.

Clancy Tucker has created lovable characters and moving scenes. He has presented a wide view of migrant life. All this is folded into a story of love, hope and sacrifice. Suited for ages 8-80 years, it also shows the multi-faceted lives of post-war Australians through dialogue, varying voices and points of view.

Small Things

Small Things written and illustrated by Mel Tregonning (Allen & Unwin)

HC RRP $29.99

ISBN: 9781742379791

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This wordless graphic novel for all ages is one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read. Because the story depends on examining the illustrations/artwork carefully, the messages it carries are accentuated many times over.

The themes that make up the book are connected to loneliness: depression, loss, helplessness, anxiety, aloneness and fear. These collective feelings begin as small things that gradually evolve into a voracious appetite that consumes the sufferer.

The boy is sad. He feels like an outsider, and no-one includes him in their circle because he is quiet and withdrawn. An insidious darkness has crept over him. It is absorbed by his skin therefore he carries it with him everywhere. Others can’t see it. That makes it worse.

This darkness assumes many identities: exclusion, inferiority, sadness, fear, and heartache. These are bricks in a wall that builds around him. He feels parts of him are breaking away as he becomes more isolated and increasingly hopeless.

He has stopped thinking clearly. All he can hear is his emptiness so he prefers silence. An effort made to reach the boy can’t get past the darkness which is now a relentless force.

The boy feels like a failure. He has retreated from the world. His body is there but it’s just a shell. He feels cracked all over, feels he is falling apart, and tries to keep himself together.

He is approached by a family member who persists. She knows how the boy is feeling. She exposes her damaged self to the child – the cracks, the pieces missing. That is when he realizes he is not alone in the way he feels. Other family members assure him that it’s common for people to feel anxious, have imperfections and fears. He begins to recognize something of what he feels in almost everyone around him and feels comfort in the sameness. He finds the courage to reach out to others.

In 2008, Mel Tregonning began illustrating this graphic novel. In 2014, she took her own life. ‘Illustrator Shaun Tan completed the final three illustrations in Mel’s book in 2016’. My wish is that this review pays homage to Mel’s work.

The Dog, Ray

The Dog, Ray by Linda Coggin (Allen & Unwin)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN: 9781471403200

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Here is a unique concept, wrapped in a well-constructed storyline that drags the reader in from the first sentence and holds their interest till the last word.  I read it in one sitting without a break. Its themes include grief and loss, friendship and family.

The story is heard initially through the voice of Misty, a new born dog, who inherits the recycled soul of Daisy, a girl who has just died in an accident. Misty is later renamed Ray by Pip, the boy who finds and keeps her.

Several main stories and sub-stories exist. The main one is Daisy’s voice that comes through Ray. It is full of humour, but also carries an element of sadness for the irretrievable loss of her parents. We share all her thoughts as she tries to communicate them to Pip, but of course can’t.

Pip’s mother has died and he sets out to find his father with just a name and a photo, and Ray. His journey is poignant and moving.

Jack, a minor character, draws attention to the plight of the homeless and their vulnerability. Other small but significant entrances and exits are made by other minor characters as well which extend the backstory.

Linda Coggin has created a highly inventive novel of quality. With characters that are interesting, dialogue sizzles, and important themes, this is a book not to be missed.

The Mouse and His Child

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (Allen & Unwin) PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780571307555

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This classic was first printed in 1967.  Russell Hoban has left a magnificent legacy to the world of children’s books. Anyone who has not undertaken a journey into his work, I suggest you explore his incredible talent.

As always, Hoban’s work is composed of strong philosophical messages and powerful themes that weave in and out of clever prose and a well-crafted story. The illustrations are by Russell’s wife, Lillian Hoban.

The backstory begins with two tin wind-up toy mice. They are father and son that live in a grand doll’s house until they are purchased from the toy shop to be placed under a Christmas tree. For years they are taken out and wound only during the days of Christmas, before they are crushed by a falling vase and thrown into the rubbish bin. A homeless man that had admired them through the shop window before their sale, retrieves them, patches them up, and sets them on their way to whatever is waiting for them.

 

They go on a courageous, lengthy journey which becomes a lesson in self-discovery. Great change occurs in both father and child mouse. They restore themselves from the broken shells they had become due to bad experiences and betrayals, overcome starvation and immobility, and endure everything to remain free. Their past prepares them for what’s to come.

Roles are reversed. The last are now first; the enemy now an ally and friend.

This story is about a ‘scattering regathered’, hope and optimism, and the power and liberation of forgiveness. It’s about family and a place of one’s own; the realization of dreams, and justice, as everything comes full circle. Absolutely brilliant!

Jet the Rescue Dog

Jet the Rescue Dog by David Long, illustrated by Peter Bailey (Allen &Unwin) PB RRP $ 14.99

ISBN 9780571304936

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

True and astonishing stories about non-human heroes, and the bond between animal and man, are featured in this amazing, 33 part collection.

During war time, strong, fit and intelligent dogs were lent or donated to the War Dog Training School to be trained and used in roles when human effort was impossible or needed supplementing. Some were returned after the war, others were killed. There are many that received the UK Dickin Medal, the animal medal equivalent to Victoria Cross.

Through terrifying campaigns, they brought laughter, joy, companionship, comfort and company to the soldiers. They raised morale, and inspired courage in soldiers and sailors.

Included in these unbelievable accounts is the story of Voytek the bear that carried bombs at the battle of Monte Cassino. Other animals engaged in the war include horses, pigs, honey bees, and giant pouched rats from Africa. These were used to find Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) 

In the 1940s, thousands of pigeons were employed to assist agents in various countries by carrying top secret messages. Countless died in active duty. Many lives were saved due to their ability to fly long distances without stopping and successfully reaching their destination.

These heroic stories encompass many wars beginning from WW1, through to the Korean War and Afghanistan. Included are major campaigns in North Africa, Northern France, Dutch Resistance in the Netherlands, the Burma Campaign in South-East Asia, and The Cold War in Czechoslovakia. And they are not all. The list is very long and each story is interesting, heart-warming and moving.

 An Epilogue of The Animals in War Memorial refers to these brave participants.

Whether they sniffed out survivors from ruins, carried messages through battlefields, from behind enemy lines, or helped in minefield clearance, all these animals are heroes that deserve recognition.  This book pays homage to every one of these.

Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret

Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret by Lyn Gardner (Nosy Crow/Allen & Unwin)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780857634863

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Rose is a girl full of life, love of adventure, and spontaneity. She is compassionate and loving.  Abandoned at the stage door of Campion’s Palace of Varieties as a baby, Thomas Campion has raised and loved her as his own child.

Rose adores Thomas, but secretly yearns to learn who her mother was and where she came from.

But Campion’s is a place ‘full of people with secrets’. All are aware that knowledge is a dangerous thing; that life can be snuffed out quickly when people know or reveal too much.

When the generous-hearted Rose allows Effie and Aurora, girls with deep and complex secrets of their own, into her life, there are incredible happenings, and astonishing links are revealed.

I loved this book! It is riveting reading; stimulating, exciting and imaginative. There is a strong storyline full of continuous mystery which holds the reader’s interest every second. The excellent characters and the secrets they hold, are wound together tightly with past events that are even more thrilling and macabre than the current events they are experiencing. Stories are linked to sub-stories in a continuous chain of involvement.

This brilliant novel shows how our circumstances don’t always reflect who we are, and in order to survive, how frequently life forces us to do things that are against our nature.

The Tale of Rescue

The Tale of Rescue by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Stan Fellows (Walker Books) HC RRP $ 19.95

ISBN 9780763671679

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Michael J. Rosen is a spectacular storyteller. Without even looking at the illustrations, every movement, every feeling, was set before me with his words.

This is a deeply moving story told in third person, of a cattle dog and how it saved a whole family from dying in the snow. It wasn’t a rescue mission as such. It was a response to a whistle, a return of a herd. The dog did what he was trained to do: he sought out and brought home the lost.

It is also about a boy, who returned years later, to find the dog that saved his family’s life.

In this divine and inspiring tale of loyalty, Angus the dog has a strong sense of self. He knows his role in life and what he was born for, and follows that given. The characteristics he owns -- dedication, adherence to rules, and a certainty that allows no doubt -- can be seen as human behaviour as well.

This is a story of hope and perseverance, which also brings into strong focus, the unique way animals communicate with humans.

The stunning illustrations by Stan Fellows add to the beauty of the whole presentation. Produced in hardcover with an exceptional jacket, apart from its textual worth, it is an ideal gift for lovers of working dogs and dog stories, or others with interest in meaningful stories that go straight to the heart.

The Moonlight Dreamers

The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham (Walker Books)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781406365825

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Insightful and gloriously entertaining, this wonderful book is about and the struggle for identity and freedom, celebrating being different, and finding your place in the world.

We meet four teenage girls – Amber, Rose, Sky, and Maali, each wrestling with the feeling that they don’t fit in anywhere. Highly individual, thinkers and dreamers, they are creative and artistic. They long to become who they want to be and find acceptance in that role.

Rose’s mum Savannah, a rich and beautiful model, expects her daughter to follow in her footsteps: Rose dreams of being a patissier.

Maali is shy and self conscious. She loves photography and sees beauty in everything – dead or alive. She just wants to be confident around boys, so she can find her soul mate.

Sky is still grieving for her mum who died five years ago. Life on a houseboat with her dad Liam has been perfect, until he falls for Savannah. Sky dreams of taking part in a poetry slam, but is struggling to overcome her fear of standing up alone on stage.

Amber creates the Moonlight Dreamers society. Her innovative method of finding the right people serves her well. She has two dads, loves vintage clothes, and everything old. She dresses in men’s suits - timepiece included, and is the target of bullying by all the fashionable girls at school. Oscar Wilde’s quotes inspire her and his words later become succour to the group.

Each of the characters in the book faces internal dilemmas. They evolve by discovering strength and abilities they didn’t know they had, and by overcoming prejudices and misunderstandings about one another.

The intertwining personal relationships and family frictions that spice up the background stories are realistically presented and resolved.

Well-crafted, and emotive, the novel addresses teenage angst, and the choices young people are forced to make through their longing to be loved and understood. Perfect for the 15+ age group.

The Journey

The Journey by Francesca Sanna (Walker Books)

HC RRP $27.99

ISBN 9781909263994

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This is a story about migration, told with compassion, deep thought and consideration. Author/illustrator Francesca Sanna, spoke to many migrants that escaped from war zones about their experiences, before deciding to create this book. These are all the stories in one, for they seem to be the same. Her voice speaks for all the voices that remain unheard.

It’s a story of loss: of the parts of their life before the war, sometimes of family members, belongings they leave behind and what they shed along the way, and of their homeland.

Here, a mother loses her husband to war. She is determined to find a safe place to rebuild a future for her children. To preserve their hope, she tells them it is an adventure. She hides her fear, but in the night when her children sleep, her emotions are released through silent tears.

There are walls to scale; visible and invisible ones. The endless roads they travel are danger traps. Then they must survive the stormy seas.

The illustrations are powerful and expressive. Dark and haunting, they depict the emotions the family experiences on their quest to reach a safe country to call home. These fears and emotions are portrayed by huge mouths, monsters, overpowering shapes and shades.

The strangeness of the future - the cities, forests and animal illustrations are magnified in size to represent the family’s imaginings. The tiny size of the people against the enormity of everything else, shows how diminished they are by their loss.

This is a stunning book. Its theme is uniquely represented by its illustrations which enhance and magnify the text. Sanna has achieved what she set out to do, and that’s to call attention to the plight of immigrants forced to take desperate measures to reach safety because of war.

This book is an ageless picture book for a more mature readership. Some younger children might find some of the illustrations scary. Adults must use their discretion.

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler (Walker Books)

RRP $ 14.99

ISBN 9780763687533

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Cody is a curious and questioning child who loves activity, the universe, and the habits of ants. It’s the first day of summer holidays. Camp is a week away, and boredom has already set in.

Cody meets Spencer, a timid and shy boy staying at his Grandma’s around the corner while his parents are on holiday. He is beside himself with anxiety as he has lost Grandma’s cat, MewMew. Cody is more than willing to help him look for it. 

Things begin happening everywhere around them. They find the cat and start a friendship. Cody’s mum gets a promotion at the shoe shop where she works. Dad, a truckie, has left on a long haul. Wyatt, her super-smart elder brother, is nearly run over by his secret love Payton on her bike. Then Cody is told that Summer Camp is cancelled due to a discovery of toxic chemicals on the property.

To settle Spencer’s fears that the cat will run away again, Cody offers to hypnotize it so it will stay close. This leads to the thought that if a cat can be hypnotized, can Payton be hypnotized to care for Wyatt? When Payton kid sits Cody, she is shown another side to Wyatt by his shrewd sister.

Cody and Spencer’s friendship is by now cemented. She is his protector and he is her impulse stabiliser.

This illustrated chapter book for the 8+ year age group is humorous and clever. Its sequence of events entertains while the dialogue, full of wisdom and warmth, wraps the reader in contentment.

Themes of family unity, the importance of friendship, and thinking before you speak or act, are subtly threaded through the story. There are lots of different situations that weave into one another with the main attention being on Cody’s zest for life and being occupied, and her interest in all living things.

Black and white illustrations visually enhance the story and highlight the entertaining characters. This story is ideal for reluctant readers of both genders. Its issues are evenly divided to incorporate all of the characters in the book and their dilemmas.

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness

Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler (Walker Books)

RRP $ 14.99

ISBN 9780763687533

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Cody is a curious and questioning child who loves activity, the universe, and the habits of ants. It’s the first day of summer holidays. Camp is a week away, and boredom has already set in.

Cody meets Spencer, a timid and shy boy staying at his Grandma’s around the corner while his parents are on holiday. He is beside himself with anxiety as he has lost Grandma’s cat, MewMew. Cody is more than willing to help him look for it. 

Things begin happening everywhere around them. They find the cat and start a friendship. Cody’s mum gets a promotion at the shoe shop where she works. Dad, a truckie, has left on a long haul. Wyatt, her super-smart elder brother, is nearly run over by his secret love Payton on her bike. Then Cody is told that Summer Camp is cancelled due to a discovery of toxic chemicals on the property.

To settle Spencer’s fears that the cat will run away again, Cody offers to hypnotize it so it will stay close. This leads to the thought that if a cat can be hypnotized, can Payton be hypnotized to care for Wyatt? When Payton kid sits Cody, she is shown another side to Wyatt by his shrewd sister.

Cody and Spencer’s friendship is by now cemented. She is his protector and he is her impulse stabiliser.

This illustrated chapter book for the 8+ year age group is humorous and clever. Its sequence of events entertains while the dialogue, full of wisdom and warmth, wraps the reader in contentment.

Themes of family unity, the importance of friendship, and thinking before you speak or act, are subtly threaded through the story. There are lots of different situations that weave into one another with the main attention being on Cody’s zest for life and being occupied, and her interest in all living things.

Black and white illustrations visually enhance the story and highlight the entertaining characters. This story is ideal for reluctant readers of both genders. Its issues are evenly divided to incorporate all of the characters in the book and their dilemmas.

Hell and High Water

Hell and High Water by Tanya Landman (Walker Books)

PB RRP $17.99

ISBN 9781406366914

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The brilliant Buffalo Soldier won Tanya Landman the Carnegie Medal. Here is an equally brilliant and exciting adventure in three parts, about courage, resilience and race, and secrets and truths.

Fifteen year old Caleb is the dark-skinned son of a fair-skinned man. Pa protects Caleb from the racist attacks he frequently faces. All that Caleb knows about his mother is that she died at childbirth. In fact Pa has shared very little about his own life. They are a loving pair that wants nothing more than what they have.

The two make their living by travelling through the country with a wagonload of hand-made Punch and Judy puppets, entertaining crowds.

Pa is set up and arrested for theft. He is taken to jail and condemned to seven years in America. Caleb must reach his aunt Anne, a person he has never heard mentioned before.

In Tawpuddle, Anne lives a frugal life as a dressmaker with her young daughter and stepdaughter Letty, while her husband is at sea. Another mouth to feed is the last thing they need.

‘It’s astonishing what a person can get used to if their circumstances change’, Anne tells Caleb. His sewing skills come in handy when he can’t find work in the poverty-stricken town due to his colour.

When Caleb finds Pa’s body washed up on the beach, slowly secrets and truths are unwrapped.  Caleb and Letty are determined to discover the real story behind the treachery and lies they have been forced to accept as truth. But he is surrounded by corruption and deceit and can find no justice. Who can be trusted when no one is who they appear to be?

Yet his strong sense of right and wrong learnt from his Pa never wavers. His belief in truth as its own reward is what keeps him from giving up.

Tanya Landman has the ability to create characters that readers immediately fall in love with. Their situations are carefully crafted individual storylines that weave into a larger story that continues to expand. Once you’ve read her work, you will never forget it.

Gary

Gary by Leila Rudge (Walker Books)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781925081695

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Racing pigeons are travellers. Gary is one of them, but he never travels because he can’t fly. He has to be content with collecting mementos, maps, tickets, and flight path and waypoint information to fill his scrapbook. He listens to the other pigeons discussing their journeys. He records this information perched in the loft, to experience a travelling life in absentia and dream he is part of it all.

Things change one day when Gary falls from his perch with his travel mementos into the travel basket. He ends up in the city, far away from home. Can clever Gary utilise his collection of maps, mementos and information to navigate his way back?

This is a terrific story about dreams and the longing for adventure. It shows how while we are longing to experience what others do, others are longing for an experience like ours.

The illustrations are outstanding. Intricate details add information to the story that isn’t covered by the text. Mixed media is used to create the drawings. Delightful and soothing soft colour shades carry us from cover to cover. The end papers and title pages share the reveals. I loved the whole package; adored gorgeous, clever Gary, and admired his innovative ideas. 

Desert Lake: the Story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Desert Lake: the Story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre by Pamela Freeman, illustrated by Liz Anelli (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9781921529436

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This beautifully illustrated book begins with its eye-catching cover - front and back. It’s another book from the award winning Nature Storybook series. 

Colours immediately draw us to the red earth of the dry desert of central Australia. The end pages depict the fossils and waiting plants and insects hidden deep beneath the lake’s surface. The title pages are the colour of the desert sky; a singular blue owned by the area. Without boundaries, it floats above the salt white cover of Lake Eyre. Countless birds are imprinted on the background, all travelling in the same direction.

The layout is presented in double spreads. Full page illustrations, carry the narrative story in large text at the top, and the facts in smaller text at the bottom; two stories in one. Mixed media is used to create the illustrations.

Lake Eyre is the largest salt lake in Australia, situated in northern South Australia. Life sleeps beneath its salt crust. It waits for the rain.

The torrent comes from the north, flooding the riverbeds.

Everything awakens and Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills with pulsing life.  Birds of all kinds set out, and prepare to nest at the Lake. Animals come to drink. Flowers blaze as colour floods the area.

When the rain is gone, the river starts to dry up again. Frogs and shrimps bury their eggs deep in the soft lake floor. The birds leave. The sun returns the lake to its dry state until the next rain falls.

Stunning in every way, this book is breathtaking in its beauty and highlights Lake Eyre before and after the rains. Text and illustrations are perfectly blended.  A visual feast, this book is a collector’s delight. It will also be snatched up by tourists. Libraries and schools will want it as part of their collections for use as a valuable reference and teaching tool.

The White Cat and the Monk

The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Walker Books)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781406372977

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Reading the origins of the poem retold in this picture book for all ages, is just as delightful as reading the story. The poem was discovered in the margins of a manuscript in a monastery in Austria. It is said to have been written around the nineteenth century by an Irish monk. There is also an Irish version of the poem to be discovered.

The monk has dedicated his life to learning. His days are filled with study and discovery. He has a roommate, a white cat called Pangur who is as dedicated to his pursuits as the monk to his. Mouse-catching is Pangur’s occupation.

One does not bother or interfere with the other. They each search for something. One finds his prey, while the other finds the ‘light in the darkness’.

Exquisitely illustrated images are by the talented and expressive Sydney Smith of Sidewalk Flowers. The hand-lettered text is ideally suited to the classical presentation. Its themes reflect the natural world occupied by animals, and the internal world that occupies the monk.

Our Stories: Protest in Australia

Our Stories: Protest in Australia by Sue Lawson (Walker Books)

PB RRP $ 17.99

ISBN 9781922244543

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Change and how it influenced the history of Australia is another title from the excellent Our Stories series. The various forms this change took, mainly through protest in one form or another against injustice of every kind, and in the name of democracy, are documented here. There are seventeen entries not including the Introduction, Conclusion, Glossary and Index.

The entries begin with the 1804 convict uprising known as the Castle Hill Rebellion, or The Battle of Vinegar Hill. The Rum Rebellion is followed by the miners’ revolt at the Eureka Stockade and end at the Saving Whales entry.

The rallies, strikes, and petitions against unjust laws cover the Shearer’s Strike, the Wave Hill Walk Off, Freedom Ride, Stolen Generation, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Mabo and Land Rights, Women’s Suffrage, Aboriginal Vote, conscientious objectors and the Vietnam War, and Sorry Day.

This is a compact history of change linked to major events. Its valuable resource material can be used at home and in class for the 8+ year age groups. The easy to follow presentation makes learning or refreshing any aspect of Australia’s significant history accessible, particularly that part which relates to social and political causes for change.

The pictures, posters and photographs that draw us back in time, are resourced from archival material from the major State libraries around Australia. This series can be collected, and referred to time and again.

The Most Wonderful Thing in the World

The Most Wonderful Thing in the World by Vivian French, illustrated by Angela Barrett (Walker Books)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781406365726

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The Most Wonderful Thing is a gorgeous fairytale, made so much more by Angela Barrett’s exquisite illustrations. They transcend the text. She expands her view to what surrounds the characters and where things are happening, then looks even further.

Here is the story of a king and queen who realize they must find a husband for their only child, a girl who will one day rule the kingdom. Sheltered within the castle for years, Lucia knows nothing of the world outside.

They depend on the wisdom of Old Angelo to guide them in choosing the right man. His suggests they find a young man who can show them the most wonderful thing in the world.

Lucia mustn’t realize what they are planning. They want to distract her, but she gets in before them. She decides that as she will be queen one day, she must go out into her kingdom.

Each day Lucia goes out with Salvatore, Old Angelo’s grandson, to explore the city without him knowing who she is. Each day the suitors present their idea of the most wonderful thing to impress the king and queen, to no avail.

Can Salvatore show the royals what the most wonderful thing is?

This book is perfection. The artwork is sublime and it’s obvious that Angela Barrett takes time with her work. Breathtaking and detailed, Barrett’s characters, their clothing, the background buildings and the animals, all come alive on the page. Suitable for ages 6-106.