Robbit the Job-hopping Frog

Robbit the Job-hopping Frog Michael Gerard Bauer & Katrin Dreiling (Scholastic) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN 97817025503

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Michael Gerard Bauer is an award-winning author. His debut young adult novel, The Running Man, won the 2005 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year for Older Readers. His picture book Rodney Loses It! won the 2018 CBCA Book of the Year Award. His writing often explores overcoming challenges.

Katrin Dreiling is a German-born illustrator based in Brisbane. She moved to Australia in 2004 and has now made it home. Self-taught, she creates quirky illustrations. Her debut picture book, The World’s Worst Pirate, written by Michelle Worthington, won a CBCA award in 2018. She also won the Harper Collins Illustrators Showcase Award in 2019 at the SCBWI conference in Sydney.

Meet Robbit, a job-hopping frog on a quest to find the perfect job. With determination and a never-give-up attitude, he chases his dream.

Michael Gerard Bauer’s writing often explores overcoming challenges, and that’s exactly what Robbit the frog does. The opening sentence introduces Robbit and his problem with a touch of humour: "Robbit the frog (Who no one called Bob), decided one day that he wanted a job." From here, the reader is immediately swept into a job seeking journey. Bauer’s clever word choices, including the name of the frog, showcase his playful style.

The story’s voice is strong and full of personality, bearing Bauer's unique stamp. The dialogue shines with lines like, "You never know what you can do till you try." I can almost hear a child or parent repeating this. As Robbit searches for a job, a series of funny misunderstandings unfold. One example is when Robbit discovers, to his dismay, that not every bank is the same. I love how Robbit seeks out jobs he believes are great for him.

Bauer gives him a never-give-up attitude that really shines. Late in the story, a writer is introduced who creates a story about Robbit’s job hunt, leading Robbit to discover the best job ever for him. This text is imaginative and unique.

Katrin Dreiling’s illustration style in Robbit the Job-Hopping Frog is playful, vibrant, and full of character, perfectly complementing the humour and charm of Michael Gerard Bauer’s story. Her illustrations are fun and detailed, bringing Robbit's quirky adventures to life with a mix of soft, pastel hues and lively, expressive characters. Dreiling’s quirky style is immediately recognisable and matches this text well.

The cover is catchy, showing Robbit jumping for joy under the colourful large title. The endpapers with bugs and worms on a green background are perfect for a frog story. Dreiling makes great use of white space, which allows her simple and eye-catching illustrations to stand out. Their simplicity and expression are appealing.

Robbit the Job-Hopping Frog reminds us that there’s something for everyone in this world – you just need to find it. The message of never giving up and being resilient shines through in the text and illustrations. This book is perfect for children aged 4 to 8 and will appeal to kids, parents, teachers, and librarians alike.

Jest the Funny Bits

Warning: Open this book at your peril! You are about to enter the untamed wilds of Bill Condon’s imagination. Jokes, gags, twisted rhymes, outrageous puns, riotous characters and all the things you least expect lie in wait around every corner. Be prepared to smile, giggle, laugh, groan and guffaw. You might just need a new funny bone when you’re done.  Michael Gerard Bauer

Jest the Funny Bits (IP Kidz) is a collection of Bill’s comic poems, plays, and short stories. He had a lot of fun writing them and he really hopes you have fun reading them. However, spoiler alert: they’re not for everyone. 

If you’re a humourless sour grumpy-pants, whose face would split in two if you attempted to smile or laugh, then, whatever you do, don’t read this book! Also, since it is sure to induce giggles, it is best not to read it out loud. After all, humour is contagious, so if you start laughing, you could cause a charge of chuckles, even a gush of guffaws. We’re sure you wouldn’t want that on your conscience. By the end of the book, you may think the author must be a very silly person. You’d be right, too, but at least he’s not a humourless sour grumpy-pants. 

Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale

Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale: The Case of the Animals Behaving Really, Really Badly by Michael Gerard Bauer, illustrated by Joe Bauer (Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN 978-1-74299-065-1
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

 Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale is the superhero drawn by Eric Vale when he is bored in class at school. And here finally is a full length adventure for all his fans. The Case of the Animals Behaving Really, Really Badly sees Agent Dale of Secret Agents ‘r’ NOT us up against Dr Evil McEvilness.

From the opening of the story, with Agent Dale facing certain death at the hands of Countess Krystal, to the end when he bursts through Archibald Boss’s office door after defeating McEvilness, Danger Dale is placed in seemingly impossible predicaments. But being the hero that everyone knows him to be (especially his creator, Eric Vale!) he manages to bumble his way out of every dangerous situation.

The Case of the Animals Behaving Really, Really Badly is a quick and easy read. Fun and light, it combines handwritten text and wordless comic strips on every page. It has the silliness young boys will love, great sarcasm, dry humour and a wonderful mix of ridiculous names.

This book is a spin off from the Eric Vale series for slightly younger readers, 8 plus, but any fan of Eric Vale will enjoy reading this.

 

Eric Vale off the Rails

Eric Vale off the Rails by Michael Gerard Bauer, illustrated by Joe Bauer (Omnibus Books)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-994-5
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Eric Vale is back in a new adventure, back in trouble. This time the trouble is all Chewy’s fault but how is Eric going to explain his own extremely unusual behaviour to Principal Porter.

Eric Vale Off the Rails is once again packed full of Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale comic strips, amusing illustrations and a sense of humour aimed perfectly at early primary aged boys. Vampires, werewolves and especially aliens run wild through Eric’s ‘side of the story’ as he desperately tries to explain to the principal, and his parents, why he turned the fire hose onto the substitute teacher in the middle of a museum excursion.

Eric Vale is a popular series. Easy to read, laugh-aloud moments and the nerdy antics of Eric and his friend Chewy all mix to make and entertaining story for young boys. Suspend disbelief and go on the ride that is Eric Vale’s life. It’s great fun!

Eric Vale Super Male

Eric Vale Super Male by Michael Gerard Bauer, illustrated by Joe Bauer (Omnibus Books)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-993-8
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Things are looking up for Eric Vale. His school is about to hold the annual fete and the week leading up to it has been designated superhero week. And there is no subject Eric knows more about, or enjoys as much, as superheroes.

In fact, there just may be a few chances for Eric to save the day (and Sophie Peters) and become a superhero himself. That would stop the bullies teasing and the sneers of Meredith Murdoch. But in Eric’s world, nothing runs quite to plan. For once in his life he’d like to be known as Eric Vale Super Male, rather than Eric Vale Super Fail!

Eric Vale Super Male is a fun follow-up to Eric Vale Epic Fail. Eric still fails to keep his focus in class, turning his attention instead to the creation of his comic strip hero Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale. With his loyal sidekick Chewy Rodriguez, Eric continues to bumble his way good-heartedly through school life.

This is an entertaining story for primary aged children and there is much for them to relate to. The ‘Danger’ Dale comic strip woven throughout is fabulous too and adds to the many laugh-aloud moments throughout. It is an easy read with fun illustrations on every page making it accessible to beginning readers.

Eric Vale – Epic Fail

Eric Vale – Epic Fail by Michael Gerard Bauer, illustrations by Joe Bauer (Omnibus Books)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-992-1
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Most kids dislike their nicknames, but Eric Vale has just been landed with a shocker. Due to a run of bad luck and inattention at school, all the kids begin calling him Epic Fail.

With help from his best friend Chewy, who doesn’t seem to mind his nickname (but then he has the annoying ability to look on the bright side of everything), Eric is determined to get rid of his new name. But to do this, he needs a win of epic proportions.

Secret Agent Derek ‘Danger’ Dale would be able to do this in a heartbeat. His ability to perform heroic deeds and escape the sticky situations is just what Eric needs. But unfortunately Agent Dale is a figment of Eric’s imagination, a comic created by Eric while escaping the realities of the classroom and his teachers.

The entertaining black and white illustrations bring the comic, Eric’s world and his imagination to life. They go hand in hand with the text creating many laugh-out-loud moments. His schemes for an ‘Epic Win’ are down to earth – he attempts to win the school project award, and to beat his nemesis at the swimming carnival. The believable nature of these activities makes his ‘Epic Fails’ easy to relate to and all the funnier.

Filled with pictures, large print, comics and light humour this book would mostly suit 8 – 10 year old boys.

Just a Dog

Just a Dog by Michael Gerard Bauer (Omnibus for Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9781862918870

Reviewed by Dawn Meredith

Mr Mosely isn’t a pedigreed dog. he’s a bitzer, taken in by Corey’s family who soon becomes a very important part of their lives, even for Dad, who struggles to communicate sometimes. Mr Mosely is part Dalmatian and part family therapist.

As Corey writes about Mr Mosely’s exploits in his diary we get the to know the joys and challenges of family life, the ebb and flow of family relationships, discord, unity, sadness and loss, joy and fun. In a series of ‘stories’ about Mr Mosely, Corey relates how the dog has affected the family dynamics for the better, how he somehow manages to keep them all together. But, as with all pets, we outlive them, and when Mr Mosely’s time comes you somehow hope that things will be different.

Bauer writes with warmth, humour and an authentic child’s voice that made this story a pleasure to read. I did shed a few tears too! Its obvious Bauer is an animal lover and keen observer of how our furry family members operate – they just want to be loved and for everyone in their pack to be happy. And when they are lying in the backyard, buried under a tree, their stories live on.

Dawn Meredith writes from the Blue Mountains and is a May Gibbs Fellow 2011. You can follow her exploits at www.dawnmeredithauthor.blogspot.com