Say Cheese!

Say Cheese! by Frances Watts, Marjorie Crosby-Fairall (Scholastic Australia)

RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781760664046

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The author playfully builds the antics of cheeky animals at school photos with the use of questioning by Maxwell Mouse the photographer. This gives the illustrations lots of scope with the answers. School photos – student and family portraits and then a picture of the whole class with all the shenanigans ensure the reader is entertained. The dialogue between the photographer and animals works harmoniously. A big strength of this book is the interplay between the words and illustrations. Marjorie has lots of freedom to ham up Maxwell Mouse’s frustration with some students who just won’t stay still.

Many illustrations use sky blue and cheese yellow with double spreads full of playful characters and movement. The animal characters sing with personality that fill each page. The repeated refrain ‘Say Cheese!’ gives the reader the opportunity to join in with the story. This book can be enjoyed by children aged three to eight years. I can also see many teachers using this book around the annual school photo. Also, at home a child could easily do school photos of their toys as a fun response to this story.

The Peony Lantern written by Frances Watts (Harper Collins) PBK RRP $16.99                                                                                                                                ISBN 9780733332920

Reviewed by Sharon McGuinness

It is 1857 Japan and European ships have arrived just four years earlier – a time of change – not just for the strict norms of Japanese society but also for Kasumi, a fifteen year old girl intent on becoming her own person.

Kasumi has keen powers of observation which, in her small village and family are an advantage – something which may have previously earned rebuke from her father, but has been noticed by the visiting samurai, Lord Shimizu. Realising the benefits Kasumi may bring to his household, in addition as a companion for his new, young wife, Lord Shimizu offers her a position.

Shimizu takes her on the journey back to Edo (Tokyo); they are accompanied by his adopted son, nephew Isamu. On leaving her village Tsumago, Kasumi wonders to herself ‘perhaps in Edo I would find a life that suited me’.

Kasumi becomes part of the household and enjoys the friendship offered by Shimizu’s wife Misaki. She begins to feel that all is not what it seems and that Misaki is hiding something about her background. Instantly attracted to Shimizu’s nephew Isamu, Kasumi’s insecurity leads her to believe that he is in fact in love with Misaki, fuelled when she overhears Misaki and Isamu talking.

Mystery and intrigue surround several of the characters and set against a backdrop of the tension between the ruling Shogun and the Europeans as they vie for power, the intrigue is heightened when Kasumi’s futon is slashed. Who would want to hurt her?

Through Misaki, Kasumi is given opportunities usually only reserved for the privileged. Trips to the theatre and weekly lessons in ikebana and painting prove to her that she will not be content with an ordinary life.

Her keen observation and intellect enable her to uncover the mystery behind Misaki’s background and the truth behind Isamu’s secrecy. When Taro, Shimizu’s closest friend is killed, Kasumi solves the intertwined puzzles of the political threats and the secrets of the household.

We are left at the end of the story feeling that Kasumi will not let her lowly class prohibit her from not only being with the man she loves, but that she will follow her own aspirations to live a life of her own choosing.

Watts plunges her readers into her historical narrative about a society which is a polar opposite to 2015 Australia. Is it really, though? Political intrigue, family secrets and a desire to push the boundaries of both class and societal norms are themes which are timeless.

The beauty of Watts’ writing leads us through an exciting narrative, the mystery’s solution only revealed at the end. The reader revels in themes of identity, the position of women, honour in Japanese samurai culture and Japanese history while noting the symbolism of the natural world versus the controlled. It is a novel full of references to Japanese literature, art and theatre which readers will willingly absorb in their quest to solve the mysteries within.

Destined to be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 12 and bound to be a favourite to be shared within a class, an added advantage is  its ‘usefulness’ as a text aptly aligned to the new English curriculum.

Captivating.

Kisses for Daddy

Kisses for Daddy by Frances Watts, illustrated by David Legge (Little Hare Books)

HB RRP $14.99

ISBN 978-1-921541-63-6

Reviewed by Simone Zmood

Kisses for Daddy is a delightful book from an award-winning duo.  It was first published in 2005 and has been repackaged in hard cover as the fourth title in Little Hare’s “My Little Library” collection of books on kisses and love.

Baby Bear was feeling out of sorts and didn’t want to cooperate with his parents in going to bed.  He reluctantly gave his mother a kiss goodnight but steadfastly refused to give his dad one.  So his father transforms the bedtime routine into a game, trying to get a kiss at each step along the way by imagining the type of kiss that other baby animals would give their dads.

When Daddy Bear picks Baby Bear up, he requests a long, tall giraffe kiss.  While carrying him up the stairs Daddy asks for a cuddly, clingy koala kiss.  As they bathe together Daddy suggests a snappy, watery crocodile kiss.  Baby bear is clearly having fun but still refuses to give his dad an upside down bat kiss while they dry off.  No stripy, growly tiger kiss is forthcoming while they brush their teeth.  As he dresses Baby Bear in his pyjamas, Daddy suggest a jumpy, wriggly monkey kiss.  He then asks for a tiny, whiskery mouse kiss as he tucks Baby Bear into bed, but all to no avail.  By now Baby Bear has got over his original grumbles and he has the last laugh.  It is only as Daddy Bear is about to leave the room that Baby Bear offers a big bear kiss and a big bear hug to say goodnight.

Kisses for Daddy is filled with warm edge-to-edge illustrations and the bears look so soft, anyone would want to have a cuddle.  The black text is set at the top of each page and sits nicely on the backgrounds of the whole-page illustrations.  This is a lovely book which can be read to toddlers and pre-readers at any time of day. It could be particularly helpful for those who are parenting reluctant bed-goers and provides a wonderful role play opportunity to use when standard bedtime routines aren’t working.  Thank goodness for imaginative parents!  

The Song of the Winns

The Song of the Winns—The Gerander Trilogy book 1 by Frances Watts, illustrations by David Francis (ABC Books)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978 0 7333 2786 5
Reviewed by Jenny Mounfield

Mice Alex, Alice and Alistair have been living with their aunt and uncle since their parents failed to return home from a trip four years ago. Little do they realise this was no ordinary business trip; their parents were, in fact, on a mission to liberate their homeland Gerander, a situation the triplets haven’t a clue about.

When Alistair is snatched from his room one night and finds himself deposited in another country, he is desperate to return home. He meets Tibby Rose, a little ginger mouse just like him. Ginger hair, they will soon learn, is a trait that marks them as Gerandans. It is also a trait that makes them a target of extreme prejudice. And so with lonely Tibby Rose in tow, the two mice embark on a journey that will test each as never before.

Meanwhile back in Smiggins, Alistair’s siblings are about to embark on a journey of their own. Throw into this mix pirates, spies and political skulduggery and what you get is, Stuart Little meets The Wind in the Willows with a splash of George Orwell’s Animal Farm thrown in for good measure.

Given Watts’s editing background, it comes as no surprise that her characterisation and narrative skill are excellent and her plot well-thought out. Francis’s detailed pencil sketches at the beginning of each chapter are the perfect accompaniment, adding just the merest hint of what is to come.

At almost 300 pages, and with language and concepts that lean towards complex, I would recommend this for ambitious readers at the mid to upper end of the 9-14 age range.

Watts is the author of a number of successful titles. Of particular note are her picture books: Kisses for Daddy (illustrations by David Legge), which won a 2006 CBCA Honour Book award and winner of the Eve Powell Award 2008, Parsley Rabbit’s Book About Books (also illustrated by David Legge)

Jenny Mounfield is the author of three novels for kids, her most recent title being: The Ice-cream Man (Ford St). She has been reviewing for Buzz Words since ’06.