Little Pago

Little Pago by Lauren Briggs (Boolarong Press) RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781922643001

Reviewed by Wendy Haynes

Little Pago is a story about teeny tiny turtle who loves to be busy exploring his home in the shallow reefs. His days are spent with his many friends, riding waves, playing hide-and-seek, and reading in the coral library. All this activity makes Little Pago hungry and he soon goes in search for food.

But danger lurks in the water with Little Pago finding objects that just don’t belong in the ocean.

This educational story for 2 – 6 year olds highlights the amount of plastic still found in the ocean and how it affects the ocean life – but it also shows with kindness how we can help keep our sea creatures from harm.

The illustrations continue the story with a soft welcoming palette of blues, creams, and coral colours. The reader learns about the typical diet of a turtle and how easily it can be to mistake it for plastic floating in the ocean.

It reminds use to do our bit for our environment.

The Adventures of Triz the Babysitter

The Adventures of Triz the Babysitter by Haydn Crespan, illustrated by Damien Crespan  (Boolarong Press) RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781925877878     

Reviewed by Wendy Haynes

Triz a small gliding lizard becomes an excepted babysitter of a very large egg for Marjorie. So Triz climbs, and climbs, up to the nest which sits on a branch of the tallest tree in the forest. But soon after Marjorie flies away the egg hatches causing Triz worry and mayhem as he tries to keep the chick safe.

Set in pre-historic times this story explores resilience, stepping up to the challenge, and no hint of giving up. Join Triz on his adventure as he protects this chick time after time from some hairy moments. This story is for 2 – 6-year-olds. The illustrator has balanced the storytelling with mainly vignette-style illustrations in earthy tones with some funny images sure have the kids laughing.

Outback School

Outback School by Norah Kersh, Coreena Lucas and Nicky Cooper, illustrated by Norah Kersh (Boolarong Press) PB RRP $19.99
ISBN 9781921555374

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Outback School provides a sneak peek into the daily routines of Dusty and Amy, who live on a remote cattle station in outback Australia. The story follows these two young children as they go about their day doing farm chores, home tutoring, meeting the mail plane (that delivers school papers and library books) and attending the ‘School of the Air’. The reader is also introduced to some of their remote classmates to gain an insight into the different lives they lead on their isolated properties.

Full page watercolour illustrations grace the recto pages, while the text appears on each of the verso pages. At the completion of the story, the reader is given a brief history of the School of the Air with accompanying photographs.

Outback School is a picture book that many young city students would find fascinating. Inquisitive minds would have a myriad of follow up questions and it could perhaps lead to a classroom investigation project. Outback School is suitable for children aged 5 years and older. 

Cobber

Cobber by Pam Slattery (Boolarong Press) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9781925877588

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Cobber is an engaging narrative that delves into the northern Australian rainforest to take a look at a variety of animals that occupy the lush habitat, and their purpose for being there.

‘Cobber’, the Southern Cassowary, was told by his father that he had a special purpose for being in the rainforest…only he wasn’t told what it was. Cobber reflects on the fact that all he does is eat and poo all day, so he seeks to find out his true purpose. On his quest to find the answer, he roams the rainforest and comes across a range of creatures, including the White-tailed Rat, Longicorn Beetle and the Orange-footed Scrubfowl. He asks each of them if they can enlighten him as to his purpose. None of them are able to help him, instead, they share their own reason for being there. Fortunately, he meets a Boobook Owl who is a wealth of knowledge and can shed light on the Cassowary’s very important purpose.

Cobber’s story is depicted using watercolour artwork, adding a beautiful visual to complement the text. At the conclusion of the story, there is descriptive detail about each of the animals as well as information about the author/illustrator, Pam Slattery.

Cobber is an entertaining and informative picture book recommended for children aged 5 years and older. It would be a great addition to any early years’ classroom library.

G is for Gnome

G is for Gnome by Katie Littlefield and Will Mosley, quilted by Eleanor Labiosa (Boolarong Press) ISBN 978 1 925877 55 7 RRP $29.99 HB

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

G is for Gnome is an alphabet book with a difference. Instead of the usual ‘a is for apple and b is for banana’, the alphabet is represented by words that start with the letter but don’t sound like they do. For instance, P is for Pterodactyl, K is for Knight and J is for Jalapeño. Each double page includes the meaning of the word along with a phonetic pronunciation, which is often quite different to how it looks. The other delightful difference is that all the illustrations are photos of quilted pictures, with their interesting textures and patterns.

The original concept occurred to the author Will Mosley in 2009 when he was working in a mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia. He started to use quirky alternatives to the phonetic radio code for half a dozen of the letters (Alpha, Bravo etc) when he talked to his work mates in their mining trucks. A few years later in 2014 he and his wife Katie Littlefield came up with the rest of the alphabet, and, with Eleanor Labiosa, developed the book.

Words from all around the world are included.  R is for Rgya-Glin (pronounced Gay-Ling) which is a woodwind instrument used by Tibetan monks.  N is for Ng’oma (pronounced In-Goh, Ma) which are drums used by the Bantu populations of Africa. The most unusual one is certainly El Silbo which is a whistled language of the Canary Islands used to communicate across deep ravines and narrow valleys. A glossary at the back of the book lists all the words and meanings. Embedded in each quilted picture is the letter it illustrates so kids can search for those as they go through the pages.

This is a great book for word nerds and is a picture book many adults will enjoy. Older kids who are clear on their letters and enjoy words should find G is for Gnome quite engaging.

Oliver’s First Big Spy Adventure

 

Oliver’s First Big Spy Adventure by Vicki Bennett with Oliver Orth, illustrated by Vicki Bennett (Boolarong Press) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781925877038

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Oliver doesn’t realise it, but his grandmother – nicknamed Noodle Pop – has been training him to be a spy. One day they overhear a suspicious conversation. Noodle Pop takes off, trailing the bad guys, and Oliver follows. He sees the baddies grab his grandmother and throw her into a van. Suddenly, his spy training kicks in, and he’s determined to save Noodle Pop. Can he be brave and find her in time?

Vicki Bennett wrote this book with the help of her own young grandson, and it shows – it’s a lively spy story that will hook kids aged six to ten years from the very first chapter. The use of present tense keeps readers in the moment, and they feel like they are on the adventure with Oliver as he is kidnapped, escapes, rides a horse, commandeers a boat and is saved from drowning by a pod of dolphins.

Vicki also supplied the black-and-white illustrations that are scattered throughout the pages. The images have an endearing naïve quality – as if a child has drawn them – that will appeal to the youngsters reading the book. Many of the illustrations also have a humorous element, which helps to balance the thrills and spills occurring in the text.

Featuring simple language that lets the action speak for itself, Oliver’s First Big Spy Adventure is a dynamic page-turner with a great sense of fun. Wannabe spies will love Oliver’s resourcefulness and adore the special bond he has with his bold grandmother.

Two Pennies

Two Pennies by Vicki Bennett, illustrated by John Flitcroft (Boolarong Press) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781925046816

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

On his return from the French battlefields of World War I, George’s father is sad because many French villages were bombed, and there are no schools for the children. George’s headmaster announces that they will raise money to help construct a school in one of the villages, Villers-Bretonneux. Each child is asked to donate two pennies. George works hard in the family bakery to earn money and is proud to bring his pair of pennies to school. When he grows up, George visits the school in France that his pennies helped to build.

Taking inspiration from real-life events involving her father, Vicki Bennett has brought to life an important part of Australian history for primary-aged readers. Her story shines a light on the power of perseverance, revealing that anything is possible when you strive for what you believe in. Another significant theme that will resonate with young readers is the idea that even the smallest person can make a difference.

Two Pennies is John Flitcroft’s debut as an illustrator, and his images have comic-book appeal. Bright colour beams from each full-page illustration, ensuring that kids come away from the book thinking of history as anything but dull. In particular, green and red are used to visually link the images throughout the book, from the green carpet and red scooter wheels in George’s childhood bedroom, through to the green grass and red poppies at Villers-Bretonneux.

A poignant blend of memoir and message, Two Pennies is a must-read for all Australian children. Love and hope grow with every page turn, transforming the devastation of the past into dreams for the future.