Phantasmagorical Phobias

Phantasmagorical Phobias by Michelle Path PB Available on Amazon published by Rowanvale Books RRP $10.57 

ISBN 9781910832189

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Australian author Path has creatively written an engaging book with a collection of short stories that delve into fears and how they affect our lives and how the characters manage to overcome them. Path’s clever use of fairy tale, pirate and cowboy and girl characters opens a menagerie of fears that impact greatly upon each character’s ability to function within their world. Imagine a witch who is afraid of toads or a dragon that can’t breath fire.  I like the fact that the book uses short stories so that they can easily be visited and revisited over and over again.  Teachers will find this book a useful resource in their classroom due to the stories having an educational slant.  This book would be suitable for 8-12 year olds.

Path’s style of writing engages young readers with a little old world charm, and a touch of the modern day too.   The stories move along easily with a mix of short and long sentences.  The vocabulary used has a sprinkling of new words that will expand the younger reader (including the title).

‘Chika’s words hurt Jiro. The dragons’s wings drooped and he hung his head. He began to cry. The macaque did not care. He was too intent on his own selfish desires. He ran off into the forest in search of the orchard, leaving Jiro alone with his grief.’

Path is an independent author who is clearly following her passion to write for children with sixteen books published to date and more to come.  She is clearly determined to spread her writing wings.

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Cody the Pony

Cody the Pony by Michelle Path, illustrated by Naya Ivashchuk (Little Steps Publishing) PB RRP $16.95

ISBN: 9781925117745

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

The tender softness of watercolour illustration combined with the super-big eyes reminiscent of manga comics brings a unique style to this gentle story of learning to ride a special horse.

However, the book’s primary value is that it’s a book to teach horse-mad girls about the protocols around horses. It’s definitely not the sort of book where the impression is given that you buy a horse one day and leap on its back the next. Although patience is not mentioned in the text, it’s implicit in the process highlighted in the story.

The tack needed is described and illustrated. The taking of the horse to a trainer shows how Cody slowly learns to obey different commands, to tolerate someone on his back, then get into the arena and accept his owner—Mimi.

Cody the pony, Mimi his rider, and Anna the trainer, all feature in this book that seems to be aimed at 3 to 6 year-old girls. The age group is a little lower than I would have expected but it would certainly help to temper the passion of any little girl wanting a horse NOW.

Xalien the Purple Alien

Xalien the Purple Alien by Michelle Path, illustrated by Charlotte Roberts (Rowanvale Books, UK) PB RRP $16.96 IBSN 9781909902503

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Looking like a picture book, this is actually an illustrated book for readers aged 5 to 8 years. Siblings Jessica, Adam and Sarah are watching stars from their bedroom window when they think they see a falling star. However, it’s not a star but a spaceship crashing to Earth. While the children are sleeping, a small, purple female alien (Xalien) emerges from the ship. She meets the children next morning: after Xalien eats pebbles in the garden, the children take her indoors for breakfast. Xalien finds human food as weird as the children find eating pebbles! Fitting into Earth ways is certainly quite an experience for the lost alien.

In this, the first of numerous proposed (and already published) books in a series, Xalien, disguised in the girls’ clothing, goes with the children to a fair, another exciting happening for her. Happily, at the end of the story, Xalien’s folk come to rescue her and she zooms back to the planet she came from.

This is a simple story, ideal for reading-aloud as a bed-time tale, but it can be read by a child his or herself. It could have done with some professional proof-reading as there are several punctuation errors. It would also have been good to have known the reactions of the children’s parents (when they drive purple-faced Xalien and the others) to the fair, and presumably they are there when it’s dinner time.

The coloured illustrations on every page show bright colours and stylized pictures of the humans and the alien. No doubt most young readers will enjoy the humour of a very odd stranger fitting into a new family. The author has succeeded in her intention of showing acceptance despite differences.

The book is available through www.rowanvalebooks.com,www.michellepath.com.au and www.amazon.com