The Great Barbie Disaster

The Great Barbie Disaster by Tania Ingram, illustrated by Christina Miesen (Omnibus Books) PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-74299-124-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Dad wants to make a barbeque. He comes from a long line of barbie builders and thinks shop bought barbies are for wimps. The trouble is Dad’s not very good at building things. The Great Barbie Disaster is a very funny story about all of his attempts to construct the perfect backyard barbie and what goes wrong – very wrong – each time.

There’s nothing more Aussie than a backyard barbie in the summer and this story captures the essence of summer and family. I related strongly as my father was a backyard builder and I suspect there are lots of kids out there who have watched or helped as Dad constructed a chicken coop, barbeque, cubby or outdoor furniture with varying degrees of success who will relate to this tale as well.

Part of the Mates series, this title is filled with the humour, Australian culture and entertaining storylines these Great Aussie Yarns are known for. Written for the eight year old age range, short chapters, large varied font and illustrations - which break up the text, filling the pages with colour and appeal - make this a perfect tale for beginner and young readers. The text is clear and uncomplicated and explains concepts such as the waste station within the story.

The voice of the girl who narrates the story is engaging. She is laid-back with just a tinge of sarcasm, but clearly loves and admires her Dad.

Using soft colours, the illustrator has created pictures which echo the humour of the words, enhancing the story and adding the enjoyment of the reading experience. These pictures, large and small, fill the pages and bring the characters to life.

Losing Reuben

Losing Reuben by Leonie Norrington, illustrated by Beth Norling (Omnibus Books)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN 978-1-74299-022-4
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Reuben is part of a large family. In fact, his family is so large that his mum has to count them all when they go out so no-one gets lost or left behind. Reuben loves his mum’s counting, it makes him feel safe. And this is good as there are many things that Reuben worries about – waves, mud, crabs.
One day, on the family’s regular Saturday trip to One Mile Beach, Reuben has to face his biggest fear of all. Is he big enough and brave enough to face it?

I really like Omnibus’s Mates series. They are perfect junior novels for beginner readers with fully coloured illustrations which break up the short chapters and enhance the story. Some words are highlighted by bigger or bolder font to emphasise meaning and all the text is easy to read.

All the books in the Mates series are ‘Great Australian Yarns’ and many, like Losing Reuben, feature indigenous families or cultures.

Losing Reuben touches on very common themes for children, such as the ocean and being left behind, but also explores the concept of teetering between being a little kid and being a big kid. I think children beginning to read will relate to this book on many levels.

This is really a joyful book about growing up, being part of a happy family, and a fun day out at the beach.

Review: Larrikin Lane

Mates: Larrikin Lane by Kate Darling, illustrated by Ben Wood (Omnibus Books)
PB RRP $11.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-989-1
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Can you keep a sheep, a goat and plenty of chooks in a suburban back yard? Arkie and her family think so but their neighbour Mr Meyer does not agree, even though it was a farm long before houses were built on the surrounding grazing land. He wants the council to come and do something about the problem. But young Arkie comes up with a plan which may save their animals.

From the title of the book and its fabulous front cover I knew this was going to be a fun read. Larrikin Lane is entertaining with a realistic, engrossing storyline. Delilah the crazy-eyed goat and Lola the sheep – ‘every family needs a black sheep’ Dad says – are great characters. The family, too, are well drawn.

The writing is great and feels very fresh. The old man next door ‘combs his last few hairs across and sticks them down flat on his cranky old head’. Children will love these sorts of descriptions. The font changes occasionally to wobbly, bold, italic, big or small to help emphasise the story. The illustrations also embody this fresh feel, the fun of the story and the rounded characters. They are full colour, amusing and there is much to be seen within them. The borders are great too and it took a few reads before I noticed the gradual change in them from beginning to end.

Larrikin Lane feels very Australian without any of the clichéd elements that can often accompany Aussie stories. It is ultimately about making friends and finding new ways around a problem. This is a great addition to Scholastics’ Mates books and, with five fun-filled chapters, it will have newly independent readers gaining confidence in their reading and searching out more from this fantastic series.

Hanging Out

Hanging Out by Catherine Bateson, illustrated by Adam Carruthers (Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $11.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-829-0
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Hanging Out is another title in the excellent Mates series for younger readers. Written by one of my favourite authors, the wonderful Catherine Bateson, Hanging Out explores the rivalry between cousins Ben and Weston, and between Melbourne and Sydney.

Bateson states in her author profile that she was born in Sydney and now lives in Melbourne. I have the reverse experience of being born in Melbourne and living near Sydney and can fully testify to the ferocity of the competition between the two cities.

Melbourne boy, Ben, had been in awe of Sydney when he visited cousin Weston but true to the inter-city rivalry Ben had boasted of bigger and better things at home. Ben is aghast when Weston is to visit him and thinks he will be shown up as a fraud after boasting about such things as snorkelling in Port Phillip Bay with sharks and taking a steam train everywhere.

While Weston doesn't swim with sharks, he does see the Penguin Parade as the fairy penguins come ashore in the evening; and goes for a ride on Puffing Billy among other adventures. Weston thinks that everything in Melbourne is awesome.


Hanging Out is really just about that though - hanging out. While there maybe wonderful things to do and see everywhere you go, it is so much more enjoyable when there is someone to do and see all these things with. This is what the two boys come to realise in the end.

As with the other titles in the Mates series, the book is brilliantly presented and attractive to younger and reluctant readers. Adam Carruthers' coloured cartoon-like illustrations are full of life and fun. They are dotted throughout the book, breaking up the text. However, there is still plenty of white space so as not to overwhelm the reader. Variable fonts add to the quirkiness. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.

Barnesy

Barnesy by Allayne Webster, illustrated by Tom Jellett (Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $11.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-821-4
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Barnesy is a wonderfully quirky Australian story about Hannaford and his eccentric family who name everything, rescue injured animals and are inspired backyard inventors. All the characters are brilliantly realised and Webster manages to build a real picture of this family with few words. References such as Sir Robert Helpmann (the wombat) and Barnesy (the lamb named after Jimmy Barnes) add extra layers to the story.

Part of the Mates series of Great Australian Yarns, Barnesy is perfect for younger readers to enjoy reading themselves or to read with an adult. I read Barnesy with my nine-year-old son and we both giggled and laughed throughout. That is what shared reading should be all about!

Innovative presentation adds to the reading experience. The text is large with varied fonts and accompanied by Tom Jellett’s hilarious collage style illustrations. Unlike other chapter books, even for this younger age group, the illustrations are in full colour yet there is still plenty of white space so as not to overwhelm the reader.

My son and I will certainly be searching out other titles in this series.