The Moving House by Bingbo, illustrated by Huangying (Starfish Bay Children’s Books)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780994100252

Reviewed by Leigh Roswen

The Moving House, by Bingbo is a picture book about a squirrel who decides to move out from his tree hollow. He finds a few good spots to build his new house, but alas, these are occupied by other animals. Finally, Squirrel decides to settle on a lovely smooth rock. To his surprise the location of his house keeps changing from the sea to the mountains and finally the middle of a lake! What is this rock that squirrel has built on?

This is an innocent and gentle story which is suitable to read to 2-6 year olds. The repetition of certain phrases, will help this age group readily familiarise themselves with the text:

This is a nice place to build my new house! I think I’ll live here.

The blurb says, ‘The Moving House’ gives an interesting take on the stressful activity of moving house. But it is too fanciful to be of any therapeutic value in that regard. This is not a criticism – there should be books that a purely fun.

Bright and simple watercolor illustrations by Huangying compliment the story. Different illustration layouts add a beautiful variety to the book. There are entire double and single page spreads as well as smaller pictures of squirrel against the white page.

This is a fun and pleasant book with a delightful twist at the end which I imagine children will enjoy even on repeat readings.

Reviewer website: www.leighroswen.com

Snowy Night

Snowy Night by Tilde Michels, illustrated by Reinhard Michl (Starfish Bay Children’s Books)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780994100221

Reviewed by Leigh Roswen

Snowy Night written by Tilde Michels and illustrated by Reinhard Michl is a picture book told in verse.

Peter lives in a cottage near the forest. One stormy night a rabbit, then a fox and finally a bear come knocking on his door seeking shelter. Can all these natural enemies spend a peaceful night together? And who should they fear the most? This is a tale of kindness and cooperation with a thoughtful twist at the end.

This is not simply a rhyming picture book it is a verse story with over 20 stanzas of 2-10 lines each. It would be a joy to read aloud to 4 to 8 year olds. The text is not so suited to independent reading due to the long word count and the fluency required to keep the rhythm flowing. The story is clear and the concepts not difficult, so it is an ideal text to introduce a child to poetry.

Perhaps there are times the rhyme is a bit clunky but this can be forgiven because the verse never fails to move the clever plot along. In the hands of a good reader children will not notice this at all. There are also parts when the verse is beautiful and bouncy and would be a delight to read aloud:

Meanwhile the snowflakes keep on tumbling,

The wind keeps howling, roaring, rumbling,

The strongest trees are bending, breaking,

The little house is shivering, shaking.

The drawn illustrations in this book are a standout and complement the story on every page. The soft textures of fur and cloth and the facial expressions of each character are depicted beautifully. The middle spread of Peter and all the animals asleep in the house is just gorgeous.

This is a cosy bedtime book, like a lullaby, it is meant for settling and snuggling. It also has a message about cooperation in times of need, about honesty and human responsibility.

Reviewer website: www.leighroswen.com

The Ogglies Go to School

The Ogglies Go to School by Erhard Dietl (Starfish Bay Children’s Books)

HB RRP $25.99

ISBN 9780994100719

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780994100214

Reviewed by Leigh Roswen

The Ogglies Go to School is the second title in the Oggly series created by author/illustrator Erhard Dietl. The Ogglies are green creatures with big noses, horns and super-strength. The Oggly family live in a rubbish tip and love everything dirty and stinky. One day Oggly-Grandma takes the Oggly twins to school on their dragon, Firebottom (complete with rear-end exhaust pipe). When the human teacher is called away Oggly-Grandma is left to look after all the children. What ensues is a wonderful day of mud and mayhem. But how will the children clean up before Mrs Lucy returns? The Mud-Puddle Song forms part of the text and the music score is included on the last page.

The Ogglies Go to School is a quarto-sized book. On every large spread there are busy colourful cartoon-like illustrations. When children have looked at all the school-children and quirky Ogglies themselves there are still more creatures in the background to discover.

It is a little difficult to put an age-range to this story. The text itself is quite lengthy (over a thousand words) hence would suit an older independent readership of age 7-10. Also there is occasional bottom humour that this age range seems to love. However, younger children (aged 4-6) being read to by a willing and time-enabled adult will enjoy the funny pictures, and the setting which is more like a pre-school than a school.

The Ogglies are bound to become favourite characters. They are weird-looking but lovable, family-orientated but chaotic, fun-loving and happy. The Ogglies Go to School is a scrumptiously rebellious tale and an antidote to notions of cotton-woolling, over-scheduling and vanity.

Reviewer website: www.leighroswen.com