The Thylacine and the Time Machine

 

The Thylacine and the Time Machine by Renee Treml (Allen & Unwin) PB RRP $17.99 ISBN: 9781761181184

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

If you follow the news and updates in the area of science, you may be aware of the ‘science of de-extinction’. Even if you’re not, you will soon be fascinated by the concept once you enter the Violet’s world as she rushes to complete her school project in Renee Treml’s graphic novel, The Thylacine and the Time Machine.

In what appears to be a typical procrastination habit, 12-year-old Violet has left her project to the very last minute and is now under the pump to research the Tasmanian Tiger and get her project submitted by Monday morning. The problem is, it’s currently Saturday morning and Violet is easily distracted by her family, her dog and the rabbit holes of internet research.

Of course, it doesn’t help matters when she is visited by the ghost of Tasmanian Tiger, who not only sets Violet straight on her misleading name – Tassie Tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus or thylacines if you want to be correct) are not actually tigers and were not originally exclusive to Tasmania – but then insists on taking Violet on a wild time machine ride to the past, when Thylacines roamed Australia.

Author Renee Treml has packed a huge number of intriguing facts about Thylacines, de-extinction science and a host of other extinct and endangered Australian animals into this 158-page comic strip narrative non-fiction for readers aged 8–12. The facts fly off every page in a fast and furious manner but are easy to digest and ensure you want to keep reading – not only to learn more but also to see if Violet is ever going to get this project finished.

With her background in environmental science and ecology, it’s no surprise that Treml, who also illustrated the book, is able to engage and excite readers about science – such is her own obvious enthusiasm and passion for this subject.

So, whether they’re after a humorous read (there are plenty of funny moments and banter between Violet and Thyla (the ghost Thylacine), have an interest in Tassie Tigers, or want to know more about the idea of de-extinction, The Thylacine and the Time Machine is a book middle and upper primary school students will enjoy dipping into again and again.

Goodnight, Joeys

Goodnight, Joeys by Renee Treml (Penguin) HB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781761349096

The young of wombats, bandicoots, pygmy possums, and quokkas are all called joeys. In this board book for younger children, Australia author/artist Treml has introduced each of these joeys and has used rhyming couplets which all begin with the words, “Whisper goodnight…”

There are joeys which “romp and roll around,” “snuffle, dig and push,” and “leap and glide and soar.”

Every page is washed with a single colour and shows the marsupials engaged in their typical behaviour, for example quokkas ‘twitter, growl and bark” at night with a purplish background. The story finishes with the words, “Whisper goodnight to the mum, where joeys dream beside her tum.”

The Bird in the Herd

The Bird in the Herd by Kathryn Apel, illustrated by Renee Tremi (UQP) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9780702262944

 Reviewed by Nikki M Heath

Have you ever been on a cattle drive? And even if you have, did you notice all the activity around you, from the bugs on the ground to the drover in the saddle? The Bird in the Herd invites both city dwellers and country folk along on the ride.

A familiar compounding narrative along the lines of Mem Fox’s Shoes from Grandpa, the joy in this book is in the details, from the spread of animals and their diverse actions, the book design highlighting the rhyming pairs, and the laugh-out-loud twist at the end.

The illustrations perfectly complement the simple storyline, offering colourful but gentle renderings with character, detail and a creative sense of composition and angle.

A treasure trove of language learning, with repetition, rhyme, and evocative vocabulary throughout, this book will appeal to city and country kids aged 3 years through junior primary school, along with their parents and teachers. An activity pack for the classroom is available.

Sleep Tight, Platypup

Sleep Tight, Platypup written & illustrated by Renee Treml (Puffin Books) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN 9780143789796

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Baby platypus wakes at night and cries for his mother. He’s scared of the darkness. Happily, Mummy appears and hugs him, telling him it’s just the night. She takes him outdoors and asks him what he sees. Of course, there is the moon and stars, trees and the family burrow, all familiar to both mother and son.

When the trees rattle and boom and the grass crinkles and crackles, Platypup is again scared. Once more his mother draws his attention to the noises that he can hear that are familiar – grasses shifting in the wind, leaves whispering… ‘just like the do during the day’, and of course that’s not scary.

This is a very simple picture book which could surely calm a child aged 3 to 5 years who has night fears. The illustrations of mother and son are executed in black and white like lino prints with muted backgrounds of purples and blues. There’s not a lot of visual interest and the platypus don’t always look faithfully rendered with the bills sometimes looking like duck bills. The depiction of platypus standing upright are invalid, too. It’s a shame that the illustrations aren’t as interesting as the written text.

Colour for Curlews

Colour for Curlews written and illustrated by Renée Treml (Random House Australia Children’s)
HB RRP $19.95
ISBN 9781742759210
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

Having reviewed Renée Treml’s first picture book One Very Tired Wombat (shortlisted for the CBCA’s 2013 Crichton Award), I was looking forward to seeing her interpretation of the rather plainly feathered, Aussie curlew.

Two cheeky curlews wander into an artist’s studio, and like two little kids, find delight in squeezing paint tubes and dabbing themselves ‘with golden eyes that glimmer in the sun.’

Other birds come to play as well. Bowerbird naturally seizes the tube of blue, Brolga selects red for ‘some colour near her face’, three quails slide across the yellow and red blobs and create orange. Lorikeet stirs blue into yellow and wallows around in a green puddle.

Treml uses a plethora of Australian birds to mix and match the artist’s primary coloured palette until there is a rainbow as, ‘splashes fly and birds all laugh as colours go here and there!’

Not only will pre-schoolers and young readers love the colour fun, they’ll delight in seeing One Very Tired Wombat waddle across the page, lie down in the pool of paint, roll around, stretch and scratch until all the colours mix into brown as ‘wombat closes both his eyes to sleep the day away.’

This multi-coloured picture book combines Treml’s love of mixing colours with her passion for native birds, so it’s a double-whammy for readers. Her artwork is crisp, yet subtly detailed and her splashes of colour bring joy to every page.

Starting with her alliterative title, Treml combines rhyme, vivid verbs and changing font to engage her audience. Her endpapers provide extra information about the quirkiness of our native birds for potential bird watchers, big and small.

One Very Tired Wombat

One Very Tired Wombat written and illustrated by Renée Treml (Random House Australia)
HB RRP $19.95
ISBN 9781742749013
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

There are many counting picture books on the market but Renée Treml’s idea is unique. Take one ‘very tired wombat’ and add to the mix, a plethora of iconic Aussie birds that take turns in groups of 2 to 10, to use the poor, sleepy wombat as their source of play.

We’ve all been so tired that no matter who annoys us, we do our best to ignore them. It’s early morning and Wombat has been up all night; he is determined to get some sleep. He curls into a ball, tucks his head onto his front paws and closes his eyes. The birds have other ideas.

He’s peered at, sat on, nested on and slid down. There’s ‘warbling’ and ‘cooing’, ‘cackling’ and ‘chattering’ all around him. Poor Wombat twists and turns and covers his eyes. He is super patient with all the kerfuffle until a ‘flittering fairy wren’ loses a feather. It flutters onto Wombat’s nose causing him to sneeze with such magnificence that all the birds scatter. The counting flashes backwards as each group flies off until Wombat is finally alone. That’s when the twist comes on the final page. Wombat opens one sleepy eye and looks at the reader. There are 11 owls perched across his back. Perhaps they think he is an arching tree branch!

Treml’s use of language is inventive for both reader and listener. There’s lots of alliteration for the littlies to repeat, such as ‘curious curlews’, ‘playful penguins’ and ‘cackling kookaburras.’ The simple words in the text are sprinkled with more challenging ones like ‘inquisitive’, figurine’ and ‘hysterical’, but these are easily understood by the illustrations. Onomatopoeic words, such as ‘coo-cooing’ and ‘giggling’ are fun to repeat, as are the rhymes that describe each group of birds’ playful interaction with the wombat. And let’s not forget the counting of birds on each page.

One Very Tired Wombat is a story of patience and the celebration of the simple things in life. Treml’s illustrations are crisp and clear as she has created them using a scratchboard covered in white clay. Each animal is blocked out in black ink and then scratched into life with faces, fur and feathers. The detail is amazing.

The use of colour is kept to feature the wombat, starting off with blue for a peaceful, nocturnal feel. As the day with the playful birds progresses, the colours move through the colour wheel of teal, green, yellow, orange and then dusky pink into purple as the wombat finally gets to rest.

Just when you think you’ve finished this playful romp, there’s more. The back pages tempt you with information about wombats, curlews, frogmouths and penguins.

After moving from the USA to Australia in recent years, Renée Treml was inspired by our wildlife and birds. She has certainly captured their quirks and personalities.