Rabbit’s Pancake Picnic

Rabbit’s Pancake Picnic by Tegen Evans, illustrated by Paula Bowles (Nosy Crow) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781839941108

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Rabbit is excited that the day of the pancake picnic has finally arrived. She is especially keen to make the pancakes ‘all by herself’! Rabbit arrives at the forest clearing with her basket full of ingredients, but unfortunately her recipe book has gone missing. She goes ahead with preparing the mixture anyway, trying to recall the recipe from memory. When it all starts to go wrong, stubbornly independent Rabbit refuses help from her forest friends and the pancake mixture ends up ruined. Rabbit runs away in tears and it seems that the pancake picnic may be over before it has started.

Rabbit’s Pancake Picnic is a gorgeous picture book recommended for an audience 3-5 years of age. The narrative’s themes include independence, teamwork and friendship, with some numeracy thrown in for good measure. The bright cartoon illustrations depict a cast of friendly forest animals, which would appeal to the young audience. A design highlight that the kids will surely love is the double-page spread that, when turned on its side (portrait view instead of landscape), reveals Rabbit’s pancake flipping fun. The book ends with an enticing pancake recipe that children can make with a grown-up at home.

I Love You

I Love You written by Clemency Pearce and illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw (Nosy Crow)  HB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780857638793

Reviewed by Daniela Andrews

‘When you feel so very small, when no one seems to care at all, what can make you ten feet tall? Three little words …’

This sweet story, told in verse, is based on feelings. Originally published as a hardcover book (Three Little Words), it is now presented in a board book format – perfect for the target age group of 2–4 years. It gives children examples of situations where they might feel ignored, upset, frustrated or shy. It reassures them that in any situation, their parents will be there to comfort them and offer those three little words to make them feel better: ‘I love you’. 

There is a lovely, gentle question/answer pattern to the story that makes it great to read aloud. Children will enjoy chiming in with the phrase ‘I love you’ upon each turn of the page. The author cleverly describes how the phrase can be used in different situations by changing one adjective each time. If the child is feeling small, the answer lies in three ‘little’ words. If the child has lost a race, there are three ‘winning’ words that can help. Feeling left out? Perhaps three ‘sharing’ words will do the trick. If they’re feeling shy, three ‘friendly’ words are what they need.

The ending of the book suddenly changes the pattern of the story by describing five situations where others might not be feeling happy. It helps show children how to empathise with others by suggesting four special words to help them through … ‘I love you too!’ 

The illustrations are colourful and expressive, warm and affectionate. Animals are shown in, first, a negative situation and then a positive one. Beardshaw has used a combination of coloured pencils, watercolours, and overlaid stencils to great effect.

Toddlers and preschoolers will no doubt be enticed by the simple language, repetition, lively pictures … and those seven cutout love hearts on the front cover that they can stick their fingers through!

Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret

Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret by Lyn Gardner (Nosy Crow/Allen & Unwin)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780857634863

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Rose is a girl full of life, love of adventure, and spontaneity. She is compassionate and loving.  Abandoned at the stage door of Campion’s Palace of Varieties as a baby, Thomas Campion has raised and loved her as his own child.

Rose adores Thomas, but secretly yearns to learn who her mother was and where she came from.

But Campion’s is a place ‘full of people with secrets’. All are aware that knowledge is a dangerous thing; that life can be snuffed out quickly when people know or reveal too much.

When the generous-hearted Rose allows Effie and Aurora, girls with deep and complex secrets of their own, into her life, there are incredible happenings, and astonishing links are revealed.

I loved this book! It is riveting reading; stimulating, exciting and imaginative. There is a strong storyline full of continuous mystery which holds the reader’s interest every second. The excellent characters and the secrets they hold, are wound together tightly with past events that are even more thrilling and macabre than the current events they are experiencing. Stories are linked to sub-stories in a continuous chain of involvement.

This brilliant novel shows how our circumstances don’t always reflect who we are, and in order to survive, how frequently life forces us to do things that are against our nature.

Together…

Together… by Emma Dodd (Nosy Crow 2016) HB RRP $15.99
ISBN: 9780857635792

Reviewed by Jade Harmer

Together… is a small, beautifully designed padded picture book, perfect for little hands. Emma Dodd partners simple, rhyming text with touching images of a sea otter mother and baby in their ocean home in a story that explores the special relationship between mother and child.

We meet the otters at the end of the day – a special, dreamy, joyful, perfect day – as they reflect on all of the things they did together such as watching the sun rise or the clouds float across the sky.

Dodd’s stylised sea otter illustrations couldn’t be any more endearing. They radiate warmth and love against the silvery green blue ocean and the star-filled night sky.

Together… reminds us to treasure the moments shared with a child and speaks to the simplicity of just being together without the distractions that everyday life can bring.

This is a perfect choice as a bedtime book to share with young children, or a thoughtful gift for a new mum.

Olivia's First Term: Stage School

Olivia's First Term: Stage School by Lyn Gardner (Nosy Crow)

PB RRP $16.95

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

There are other books in this series about Olivia, daughter of Jack and sister to Eel, whose family has a circus background. Olivia is skilled in tightrope walking, which is her passion. Thus she is sorely disappointed when Jack takes her and Eel to enrol in a stage school. The school is run by the girls' maternal grandmother, Alicia Swan, who has previously cut all ties from her daughter and son-in-law. Now Olivia's mother is dead and Jack is desperate for his girls to have a home. Alicia accepts the girls into the school and Jack departs. The story then proceeds, telling of life for Olivia and Alice in Swan's Stage School.

This is an odd book insofar as the narrative viewpoint shifts constantly throughout the story. It's almost as much poor, talented Georgia's story, spoilt, rich, bitchy Katie's story and enthusiastic, gifted dancer Eel's story. Their stories, and the stories of other students such as the school captain Aeysha and Olivia's friend Tom are played out throughout the book.

As I read Olivia's First Term, I had a sense of reading a book by Enid Blyton. The story's characters are all 'types' with jealousies, infighting and occasional kindnesses depicted from the numerous students of the school. Olivia struggles to fit in as she has no stage talents: instead she rigs up a tightrope and finds joy from walking on it in secret. Meanwhile, Eel flourishes and is chosen to dance in front of the Queen, and Jack attempts to renew a relationship with the girls' grandmother.

An average read, the book is easy to read and would most likely maintain the interest of a reader aged from eight to twelve years.

Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle

Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle written and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (Nosy Crow)
PB RRP $12.99
ISBN 978-0-85763-078-0
Reviewed by Ann Harth (www.annharth.com )

It’s a rainy day and Pip and Posy have to play inside. But that’s okay, because best friends have fun wherever they are. They take their babies for a walk, build a town and pretend to be lions.

Pip is so busy playing, he forgets to use the toilet and a little puddle appears. Posy lets him borrow some clothes and they play a bit more. Pip doesn’t forget the next time. He uses the toilet all by himself!

The Little Puddle is part of a series of Pip and Posy picture books for the very young. Life can be a challenge when you’re 2 or 3. In this series, Axel Scheffler portrays the joy of friendship and the troubles of toddlers with a gentle touch and satisfying resolutions.

Children between the ages of 1 and 4 will identify with these lovable characters who go through the same struggles any toddler does. Scheffler’s vibrant illustrations and simple language will appeal to young children as they are invited to share Pip and Posy’s often familiar experiences. An additional feature of the Pip and Posy books is the free audio reading. It can be accessed by scanning the QR code inside the front cover with a smart phone.

Axel Scheffler was born in Germany but now lives in London. He is probably best known for his beloved classic, The Gruffalo which has sold over 2 million copies all over the world. Although he has received many awards for his work, the first award he ever received for his artwork was a cuddly purple cow. For more information on Axel Scheffler and Pip and Posy, please visit http://worldofpipandposy.com/axel-scheffler.

Ann Harth is a published children's author and writing tutor at Australian College of Journalism. She loves to read and is committed to creating children's literature that inspires, entertains and triggers a tiny twist in the mind. Her latest middle-grade novel, The Art of Magic, was released in 2012.