Tabitha and the Raincloud

Tabitha and the Raincloud by Devon Sillett, illustrated by Melissa Johns (EK  Books) RRP HB $24.99 ISBN 9781925820133

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Tabitha and the Raincloud is about a little girl with big emotions. When Tabitha wakes up, she discovers that she has a raincloud hovering over her head. Throughout her morning things go from bad to worse and her mood plummets along with it. Luckily for Tabitha, by the afternoon she is able to change her thought pattern and make the most of a bad situation.

The unique collage illustrations are created by the talented Melissa Johns. The award-winning artist has handcrafted exquisite single page and double page spreads from recycled teabags, fabrics, gift wrap and other mixed media – in a process she calls ‘Misscycled Art’. The gorgeous endpapers, featuring raindrops, are an added bonus and complement the story well. If you adore her artwork as much as I do, you may want to check out her Facebook page: Miss Johns – Misscycled Art or her Instagram page @missjohns_art

Tabitha and the Raincloud is an enjoyable story about emotions, self-regulation and resilience and is suitable for children aged 4+ years. This picture book would be an asset to the primary classroom, offering teaching opportunities for social and emotional learning as well as language and literacy (idioms, metaphors and inferencing).

Saying Goodbye to Barkley

Saying Goodbye to Barkley by Devon Sillett, Illustrated by Nicky Johnston (EK Books) PB

RRP: $24.99 ISBN: 9781925335965

by Anne Helen Donnelly

Olivia is not just a little girl: she is a super hero – Super Olivia! She does good deeds, sniffs out clues and catches bad guys. But she cannot do it alone. Her ever-present, faithful dog, Barkley, is her amazing sidekick. They are inseparable, and together they make the perfect pair.

But one day, Barkley was no longer by her side. Olivia tried to continue fighting crime, but it wasn’t the same. With Barkley gone, Olivia didn’t feel so Super. She was too sad to eat, didn’t want to ‘get on with things’ and didn’t want to wake up from her dreams where Barkley was still there. Olivia thought of Barkley often and realised that he wouldn’t want her to stop doing good deeds and fighting crime. She had an idea.

After a visit to the animal shelter, Oliva chose a dog. A big white fluffy one and named him Spud. Olivia tried to teach Spud how to follow clues and catch the bad guys, but her new dog was rotten at fighting crime. Spud was no Barkley, and Olivia still missed Barkley. But she grew to love Spud for what he was, a loveable lump.

This is a tale that anyone who’s lost a family pet can relate to, with themes of dealing with grief and loss, and moving on. It has lovely illustrations by Nicky Johnston who has previously illustrated for EK. Recommended for boys and girls ages 4 – 8 years old.

The Leaky Story

The Leaky Story written by Devon Sillett, illustrated by Anil Tortop (EK Books) HB RRP $24.99    ISBN 978-1-925335-39-2

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

This is a charming story about a book sitting… and sitting…  just waiting to be read. It then takes matters into its own hands by springing a leak which grows bigger by the second, eventually turning into a raging sea.

Young JJ is playing happily with his toys, and is the first to notice that the book is leaking when water rains down from the shelf. Initially JJ’s parents refuse to believe that anything out of the ordinary is happening, as they sit comfortably in front of the television.

“… But a couple of stubborn imaginations would not stop the leak. The drip drips grew into plop plops. Puddles filled the living room.”

In a similar vein to the much-loved picture book ‘A fish out of water’, this small leak that begins with a ‘drip, drip’ eventually turns into a full sprung ocean complete with sea creatures, boats and pirates – all in the living room of the Blossburn family.

There is a great deal of life and fun contained in both the text and illustrations of this book. Many of the images depict words leaking out of the pages, and so provide an extra layer of challenge for children who wish to piece together the letters within the images. I personally, particularly enjoyed Mum on a small island in the lounge room, holding at bay a menacing pirate (who’s in the water) by keeping one foot on his head. She’s also terrorising another dangerous creature with a rolling pin. Ten out of ten!

The use of language is wonderful too. The author doesn’t talk down to the readership and uses appropriate words such as ‘curious’ and ‘sated’ within the natural flow of the narrative.

Author Devon Sillett is currently completing a PhD on children’s picture books, and illustrator Anil Tortop works as illustrator and animator. Together they have created a book which will delight and captivate readers who take the plunge and wade through this story (see what I did there!).

This is a book to capture the imagination and be revisited -- definitely one for exploration. It is recommended for children 4-8 years.