Tilly’s New Broom

Tilly’s New Broom by Mary Anastasiou (Five Mile Press), RRP $24.99 Picture Book ISBN 9-781923-091542

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

Little witch Tilly is running late for her Dark Art class and wouldn’t you know it – her broom won’t start!

Who doesn’t know that feeling?

Naturally, Tilly needs to find a new broom so she heads off to the Zoomer’s Expo to investigate the replacement options. A chair would be a comfortable mode of transport, but unlikely to have the power she needs. A vacuum cleaner would allow her to zoom, but such a noisy machine would spoil the element of surprise. Just when it looks like nothing will be appropriate, the perfect solution presents itself.

With publication timed for Halloween, my kids enjoyed the quirkiness of the broom replacement possibilities and the illustrations which convey the atmosphere of a parallel magical world. However, the rhyme faltered on a number of occasions with inconsistent meter and incorrect emphasis. Unfortunately, this detracted from an otherwise fun short story.

Suitable for a younger audience from 3 to 5 years.

A Not So Scary Visit

A Not So Scary Visit by Lee Williams & illustrated by Claudia Ranucci (Five Mile Press) PB RRP AU$24.99 ISBN 978 1 92309 178 8

Reviewed by Robyn Gillies

It’s that special time of year, Halloween, when you can expect scary visitors so it’s no surprise that two very terrifying monsters appear in the middle of the night to try and frighten a young boy. But he has been expecting them and he has a plucky plan to send them away.

This is a terrific picture book. It’s funny and entertaining, and the illustrations balance beautifully with the story adding to the narrative. It’s full of expressive characters and colour and is ideal to capture the attention of young readers. It is easy to read, and the storyline flows effortlessly, with some imaginative ideas and a great twist at the end that will no doubt make readers laugh out loud.

It’s a wonderful book for any time of the year but perfect for Halloween and a great one for educators of young children who are looking for books to create a Halloween theme. It’s ideal for toddlers and early readers as it explores early literacy skills in an amusing way.

Pig the Monster

Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic) RRP $17.99 ISBN 9781760979010

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Pig the Pug returns in a book about Halloween. Well, to be precise, a book about what Pig the ‘Monster’ does on Halloween. Barely recognisable in a range of costumes including Frankenstein, a spider, a werewolf, and a mummy, Pig rampages the neighbourhood for sweets. When he doesn’t get what he wants, he takes revenge, playing tricks on people. Basically, he behaves very badly. Staying true to his former reputation, he then binges his overload of goodies with quite disastrous (and messy!) consequences. 

Pig’s naughtiness is captured humorously in the illustrations, his gleeful expression always present except for at the end where he sits, looking very unimpressed next to a ‘modest buffet’. Trev the dachshund, is dressed as a unicorn in a pink leotard, which is wonderful. Trev then saves the day which produces the most alarming illustration – the ‘warm chocolate soup’ which emerges from Pig’s mouth, and heads towards a bunch of wide-eyed onlookers.

The rhyming verse includes great words like ‘unhinged’, ‘gluttonous’, and ‘unprecedented’ (rhymed with ‘tormented’). A lovely turning point in the text is when Trev warns, ‘Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate’. But of course, Pig doesn’t listen. The question is asked at the end: ‘He really is nicer. And much kinder too. An old dog learned new tricks?’ The illustration on the last page suggests maybe not … 

This is the seventh Pig the Pug book from Australian author and number #1 New York Times best-seller Aaron Blabley who has around 20 million books in print including his The Bad Guys series and Thelma the Unicorn. His latest, Pig the Monster is fun to read aloud and suitable for preschool to early primary children. It should also give the adults reading it a bit of a giggle and do especially well around Halloween.

My Dead Bunny

My Dead Bunny by Sigi Cohen, illustrated by James Foley (Walker Books)

HC RRP $19.95

ISBN 9781922179593

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

In time for Halloween comes the story of Brad the zombiefied bunny in rollicking rhyming verse. It all starts one night when the boy and his two friends are watching a Zombie movie. Bunny Brad obviously bored, decides to gnaw through the electrical cord with obvious results.

Naturally the boy is broken-hearted at the loss of his pet. He’s told by dad about Bunny heaven but needs to see for himself if bunny’s all right down there in the dirt. So he digs him up with traumatic results for the family.

This somewhat gruesome tale for the 8+ years age groups will appeal to boys with a skewered sense of humour or a bent towards zombies and such. Its clever use of words combined with outstanding digitally created illustrations that accentuate the text, will have them in stitches. Not your traditional children’s picture book, but a none-the-less superb production. The expressions on the character’s faces run in perfect sync to the text.  Presented mostly in black and white except for the scenes with Brad the bunny, it is an entertaining read which I can see being passed around under desks at school.