A Home for Luna

A Home for Luna by Stef Gemmill, illustrated by Mel Armstrong (New Frontier) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781925594843

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Luna is a black and white cat who washes up on a strange shore, having arrived in a wooden box one moonlit night. She dreams of the seaside home she had long ago but is alone until she meets a flock of penguins which are gobbling sardines. She is hungry but has no food until a tiny bird kindly feeds her a shellfish. From then on Luna catches fish with her new friends. When a boat arrives and Luna is grabbed by a fisherman, the penguins protect her while she hisses and manages to break free. Finally, the lonely cat has found a happy new home.

This is a sweet and simple story about friendship with birds adopting a lost cat. It is appropriately illustrated in sea green and blue colours in contrast to the white and orange of the penguins. The illustrator uses an interesting technique of white on black and black on white for the sea rushing onto the shore on the fly pages. Something children will have fun with is finding a tiny crab in a shell that appears on most pages. This book will be enjoyed by children aged 4 to 7 years.

Baby Band

Baby Band by Diane Jackson Hill, illustrated by Giuseppe Poli (New Frontier Publishing) HB RRP $24.99  ISBN 9781925059779

Reviewed by Rebecca Newman

When a new baby arrives in apartment 8A his crying annoys everyone on level 8. Then he discovers the joy of crashing together pots and pans. In their separate apartments each neighbour contributes their own sound to the baby’s pots-and-pans performance. The formerly reclusive neighbours finally fling open their doors and shimmy to the apartment block’s rooftop to play together in a makeshift band.

Poli’s delightful illustrations include musical quirks for the observant reader. (I particularly liked the treble clef in the street light’s frame, and the manuscript paper on the outside walls of the building.)

The endpapers give us the story in miniature — at the front we see the neighbours at a park, enjoying the day but not interacting with each other. At the end of the book the endpapers show the same park with the neighbours jamming together (including the noisy baby, pan in hand) and dancing.

Baby Band is great to read aloud.

About the reviewer: Rebecca Newman is a children’s writer and poet. When she’s not writing or reviewing, she is kept busy as the managing editor at Alphabet Soup’s website. rebeccanewman.net.au

My Perfect Pup

My Perfect Pup by Sue Walker, illustrated by Anil Tortop (New Frontier)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-92505-960-1

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Milly and Max are looking for a puppy. One Milly can primp and preen. One Max can teach tricks to. When they see a tiny puppy at the pet shop they think have found their perfect pup. But has this little puppy found his perfect family?

This delightful story turns the idea of picking a perfect pet on its head. Here, it is the dog which picks the family he wants. And it is very clear why this family is more suited to him than his previous family.

The language the author uses is clear and simple, appropriate for the three to six year old age group. ‘...and Max’s tricks were always just a little too tricky’. It is also lively, ‘Collie pups bounced, and Pointer pups pranced, but the tiniest pup waited politely’ lyrical and fun to read.

The illustrations are bright and bold and full of humour. They enhance the text, telling parts of the story the text does not. This brings even more character to the dogs and children, adding to the appeal and helping to make this an engaging and entertaining picture book for preschoolers.

Marvin and Marigold: The Big Sneeze

Marvin and Marigold: The Big Sneeze by Mark Carthew, illustrated by Simon Prescott (New Frontier) HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-92505-965-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Marvin the Mouse has a cold. This causes quite a problem for all those around him, especially for Marigold, his next-door neighbour. Marvin’s sneezes cause everything in Marigold’s house to clatter and crumble. So Marigold needs to come up with a solution. And quickly, before Marvin leaves.

The Big Sneeze is a delightful story told in lyrical rhyme. Although there are perhaps, more words than many picture books for this age, it is so rhythmic and fun to read aloud it’s hardly noticeable. The light-heartedness and meter of the words had me almost singing each page.

She built her house strong.

She built her house long –

With a bed made of feathers and sticks.

The illustrations match this bright, breezy, funny story. With the cracks and crumbles in everything around the two mice, the mice’s attire and the occasional subtle detail – like a cat’s tail glimpsed though a window – the pictures add to the enjoyment and comprehension of the story being told. And the twist at the end is told wholly by the illustration.

This is a picture book full of appeal and well suited to four to eight year olds. Older readers will also gain enjoyment from reading it aloud to their younger audience. 

Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape

Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape by Sally Murphy (New Frontier) PB RRP $9.99

ISBN 978-1-92505-961-8

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Sage Cookson has a life many young people would envy. Her parents are famous television cooks and food experts who travel the world to many exotic locations, taking Sage with them. Although she misses her best friend Lucy when she travels, Sage enjoys this lifestyle. And to make sure she doesn’t miss school either she has tutors to keep her schoolwork up to date.

On this first adventure, the Cooksons travel to Western Australia to be guest judges at the Newhaven Cooking Contest. Sage senses something strange is going on when they are offered a tour of a chocolate factory. Things turn grim and she and her parents need to be brave and resourceful to get themselves out of a sticky situation.

Celebrity cooking and foodies are very popular themes currently and combining these with adventure and suspense makes for a clever and appealing series for 7 to 10 year olds. Sage is a realistic and likable character, the villains aren’t too villainous, just a bit naughty and there is a smattering of facts about food and cocoa beans throughout the story. 

Short chapters, which mostly end with a hook, make this a hard-to-put-down adventure story. It is well written, easy to read and the recipe at the end of the book – Cheat’s Chocolate Fondant – is pitched perfectly at the readership age.

Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape will appeal to a wide range of interests with themes explored being cooking, travel, adventures, family, celebrity status and friendships. I liked Sage’s voice and enjoyed spending time with her on her adventure. This is the first book in a new series and I look forward to travelling with the Cookson family again.

Penelope the Mountain Pygmy Possum

Penelope the Mountain Pygmy Possum by Gordon Winch, illustrated by Stephen Pym (New Frontier)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-92505-959-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Penelope is a Mountain Pygmy Possum which lives in the Snowy Mountains in Australia. She hibernates throughout the winter in her home under the boulders while her mate Percy and the other males spend the cold months further down the mountain where snow and ice do not reach. When spring arrives, Penelope hungrily snacks on Bogong Moths, but then her thoughts turn to Percy and she wonders why he has not made his way back to her yet.

This is a lovely story which finds the balance between make-believe and fact. It is a story about with these tiny endangered marsupials the impact humans have on their environment. But it also a hopeful story which shows that, with a little thought, humans and animals can exist together well and demonstrates how these little animals help to keep the environmental balance in check.

Even though this story contains a clear message, this is not a wordy picture book. The simple writing style makes it a good read aloud. It an easy story for young children to follow and they will empathise with plight of Penelope, Percy and all their friends. And the expressive eyes of the Pygmy Possums will make children fall in love with these adorable little creatures.

Beautiful soft muted illustrations give the story gentleness. The colour palette enhances the Australian setting and emphasizes the quiet humour in Percy’s brightly striped socks or the unexpected shock of the yellow bulldozer.

Penelope and the Mountain Pygmy Possum will make a nice bedtime story for 4 to 8 year olds. The happy ending sees a reunited Penelope and Percy at the end of ‘The Tunnel of Love’, snacking on their Bogong Moths ‘with a crackle and a crunch, a chomp and a munch.’

Clementine’s Bath

Clementine’s Bath written and illustrated by Annie White (New Frontier)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-92505-942-7

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Clementine, the loveable dog from Clementine’s Walk, is back. This time, the family want to give her a bath but Clementine doesn’t like baths, and anyway, she wants to keep the wonderful smell she just found and rolled around in. What follows is a funny romp through the house and garden as Clementine tries unsuccessfully to hide, a journey which is captured and recorded in a wonderful map at the end of the story.

Clementine’s Bath has an even rhyme which rolls off the tongue well and is easy – and a pleasure - to read aloud.

‘What a pong!’ sniffed Nana.

‘What a stink!’ gagged Dad.

‘Oh Clementine!’ James grumbled.

‘That smells really bad!’

The beautifully painted illustrations show Clementine and her family in a soft, warm, gentle light. I love mum in her gumboots as she prepares the dog bath, the cloud of smell which follows Clementine wherever she goes, and the inquisitive chooks who just want to be part of the action.

Dogs are well loved and Clementine’s Bath is a lovely story which young children will engage with and delight in. The humour, in both words and pictures, will be enjoyed by both children and adults alike and will fast become a favourite.