Lesley Gibbes' Achievement

Congratulations to Lesley Gibbes on her publication of a new picture book called Three Little Mermaids, illustrated by Lisa Stewart and published by Scholastic Australia.

          Under the rock shelf, through ribbons             of weed,

          Across the sandbar, where the                        stingrays feed,

          Over the coral, lit bright by the sun,

          Three Little Mermaids begin to have               fun.

 Follow the three little mermaids as they dart and twirl under the sea and find out what happens when they come across a SHARK!

Told in beautiful rhyme by award-winning children’s author Lesley Gibbes and illustrated by Lisa Stewart, this delightful picture book will introduce young children to the magical underwater world of mermaids.

Three Little Mermaids

PB  RRP $15.99

Age Range-0-6 years

Release date-Jan 2020

ISBN-9781742769103

Outback Lullaby

Outback Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-76027-648-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Outback Lullaby is a sweet, gentle, and rhythmic picture book depicting outback animals and their young sleeping in their natural settings. Many of the Australian animals in this book are used less often in stories - the Brolga, Thorny Devil and Numbat to name a few.

The language is lyrical and rolls beautifully off the tongue with calm, soft words making it perfect for reading aloud at bedtime.

The illustrations are also soft, with the colours of the Australian outback showing the landscapes these animals sleep (and live) in. They have a luminous quality to them, which evokes beautifully the twilight hours of bedtime for the young.

Outback Lullaby is the third picture book created by this talented author/illustrator team featuring iconic Australian animals in their landscapes. Rainforest Lullaby and Bushland Lullaby provide the same gentle, rhythmic bedtime reading with different animals to explore.

Clear rhyming text makes it perfect for preschoolers.

Little Bear’s First Sleep

Little Bear’s First Sleep by Lesley Gibbs, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press) HB RRP $24.99    ISBN 978-1-74362-401-2

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Little Bear is ready for his first ‘big, big sleep’. Mum and Dad are settled in their cave, curled up for their long winter hibernation but Little Bear cannot get to sleep. As he tosses and turns, he wonders what the big sleep will feel like. As he sits, wide-awake, in the snow he decides he will have to be brave and put himself to sleep. As he watches his parents sleep he tries snuggling, singing and softly stroking his own ear. Will he ever be able to get to sleep before the soft spring breeze comes knocking on the door?

Little Bear’s First Sleep is a gentle story which will resonate with all young readers who have trouble getting to sleep - along with their parents. Little Bear is brave and determined and solves his own problem while his parents sleep on, illuminating this adorable little bear’s strength and character which children will be happy to relate to.

The text is lovely to read, combining Little Bears thoughts and actions beautifully with the illustrations.

Maybe it would be soft like his mother’s fur.

He waited with his legs curled high.

Evocative words create a calm tone for the story which is mirrored in the illustrations. Soft brushstrokes and pencil bring movement and expression to the pages. Little Bear is adorable. The muted colours of winter at the beginning, contrasts with the fresh bright colours of spring at the end, and both are highlighted by the dark pages in between while the bears are in the cave. But even here, a circle of glowing light surrounds Little Bear, making the dark cosy.

The illustrations also bring strongly the emotion of isolation bear feels when he is awake, alone, then the connection with family when he snuggles in to sleep.

This is a lovely bedtime story for four year olds and older, particularly perfect for those who struggle to sleep.

Rainforest Lullaby

Rainforest Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-820-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

A hollow log is cool and snug

Echidna's full of ants and bugs

Dozing through the steamy hours

And heavy swish of tropic showers.

An Australian rainforest is full of interesting animals - wombats, cassowaries, tree frogs, devils - and they all have their unique lifestyles and habitats. But at some point of the day or evening they all have to rest. Rainforest Lullaby tells a gentle story about the inhabitants of the rainforest and how they like to sleep.

This gorgeous picture book is by the creators of Bushland Lullaby and is written in the same beautifully rhythmic verse, smooth and gentle, perfect for bedtime reading. Young children will delight in the differing ways the animals curl up to sleep, alone or in groups.

The delicate illustrations, created using watercolour, gouache, rice papers and pencil, are wonderfully textured with soft calming colours and the animals, especially the babies, are very cute.

An attractive hardcover with thick glossy pages, this will withstand multiple reads and little hands. It is a great picture book for the young, from babies to pre-schoolers.

Bushland Lullaby

Bushland Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-177-0
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

It is not only babies and young children who need their rest. All baby animals must go to sleep too, and this beautifully lyrical picture book shows how and where many of Australia’s bush creatures lay their heads.

Bushland Lullaby has a sparseness and simplicity which creates a safe and comfortable world for very young children to become immersed. The baby animals all sleep reassuringly entwined with their mothers, cosy and happy at nap time.

Each line is evocatively rhythmic: ‘The sun gives way to cool moonbeams’

They fill the imagination with images: ‘The sky flings stars on a winter’s night’

And touch the senses: ‘Where salty mud is warm as sand
                             In hushing waters by the river’s smile’

Stewart’s illustrations are soft and restful. There is nothing complex or busy to distract from the central focus. She has created them using watercolour, gouache, collage and rice paper, and the Japanese influence comes through in the style unique.

It is wonderful and rare to read such a perfectly rhymed picture book without stumbling over the rhythm, which lends itself ideally to a bedtime read. A delightful book for 2 – 5 year olds.

Can I Cuddle The Moon?

Can I Cuddle The Moon? by Kerry Brown, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Australia)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 9781741695540
Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

I have to say straight up that the most striking thing about this book was the absolutely gorgeous little main character, a fluffy, blue-grey chick. With it’s puffed up, fluffed up baby feathers and pot belly, it really did suck me in from the first page.

The text is written in rhyme and I think suits the story well. The premise seems to be to explore various tactile sensations in the world, such as a fiery dragon, a fragile butterfly, bath bubbles, a crocodile, a wet puddle etc. I find this rather different from most picture books I have read. It’s inventive and slightly quirky.

My favourite illustrations would have to be the final two – where we discover the baby bird is actually an owl. In its search for something to cuddle, the baby finally finds the warmth under its mother’s wing to be the best of all. The unusual way Stewart has depicted the mother owl’s feathers, in autumnal colours and embedded with flowers, I find enchanting.

Dawn Meredith writes from the Blue Mountains. You can follow her exploits here: http://www.dawnmeredithauthor.blogspot.com/