The Tinysaurs

The Tinysaurs by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Adele K Thomas (Scholastic 2026) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781761528576

Reviewed by Sylvia Forbes

The Tinysaurs are the smallest dinosaurs in the land: living in tunnels, 

foraging for food and hiding out of the way of big stomping feet and swooshing tails. 

Until one day, they discover a hidden entrance to ... the enchanted forest!

From the creators of the best-selling Pearl the Magical Unicorn comes The Tinysaurs, a fantasy adventure for young children ready to graduate from picture books and to immerse themselves in longer texts.

The tinysaurs live in a dark cave because, being so small, they are in constant danger of being accidentally trodden or sat on by the huge dinosaurs. So, early each morning - before the big dinosaurs wake up - the tinysaurs go out along the tunnel with their baskets, to gather their favourite foods.

But on this particular day, they find that the door to the outside has been blocked by a big pile of rocks. They call upon Professaur, the inventor, for help. She reports that it's a cave-in - caused by a landslide - and could take a long time to clear. The tinysaurs are worried they won't be able to get outside to find food. So a plan is made. Professaur will make a rock-moving invention (the Rock-o-Matic), and the others will go back through the tunnels in hopes of finding a new entrance to the outside world.

They search for days - and after going round in circles, arriving at dead ends - and having the glow-worms in their lanterns inconveniently go on strike ...

'We've worked enough,' the glow-worms snapped ... Floomph! The glow-worms put out their lights.

 ... ‎they miraculously stumble upon another door to the outside and find the Enchanted Valley.

It's wonderful,' Ponysaur said again. 'Outside has never been as beautiful as this.'

Sally Odgers's narrative sparkles with imaginative cleverness. I love her idea of having the glow-worms go on strike - adding another level of difficulty to the moment - and another layer of comical cuteness to the story. Kids are bound to fall in love with the four main characters - Ponysaur, Spinysaur, Cheekysaur and Handysaur. (And although a lesser character, I must mention Jigsaur here because this name made me smile.)

They are a good-natured, friendly bunch, and even though there is one who loves causing mischief and playing tricks - a could-be nuisance at times (Cheekysaur) - they just roll with his antics, as they each do for one another, respectfully and in complete acceptance. Such a lovely group dynamic for children to witness and absorb as they read.

The Tinysaurs front cover is as enticing as a sweet-shop window! Its bright, cheerful colours, shiny, raised letters and mini dinosaurs give it instant appeal and will have kids reaching out to grab it. Equally, as they turn the pages, kids will appreciate the large-sized font, the rainbow-highlighted words sprinkled throughout the text, and all the 'resting places'  that Adele K Thomas's adorable illustrations provide.

I have a particular fondness for illustrations depicting the dark - and love the double-page spread where the tinysaurs are in the cave (the glow-worms are on strike), and you just see the whites of their eyes and their silhouettes - such a lovely contrast to all the other more vibrant illustrations. I also love how each new chapter is prefaced by a single-coloured page covered in tinysaur footprints.

Featuring an easy-to-follow story, clear, well-paced text, and an abundance of cute and colourful illustrations - The Tinysaurs delivers all the page-turning elements needed for a newly independent readership; lovable characters, challenges to be faced and overcome, gentle humour, moments of magic and mystery ... and ... an invisible cat! 

Recommended for readers around 5-8 years.

 

Reviews by Pauline Hosking

Pearl No. 6 The Helpful Unicorn by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Adele K Thomas, 2020.RRP $12.99 pb ISBN 9781760669287 

Ninja Kid No. 5 Ninja Clones! By Anh Do, illustrated by Anton Emdin, 2020. RRP$14.99 pb ISBN 9781743835128

Ella Diaries No. 18, Wildlife Rescue by Meredith Costain, illustrated by Danielle McDonald, 2020. RRP$14.99 pb ISBN 9781743832301

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

These are new books in a highly successful series published by Scholastic Australia. They are for mid-primary readers (7+ years).

The Helpful Unicorn. Pearl and her friends Olive the ogre and Tweet the firebird quickly respond to a call for help. A dragon named Trudy is stuck in the Bothering Bog. Pearl uses her amazing pink magic to free the dragon and foil three horrible gobble-uns. This easy-to-read story has a positive message about being a good friend and helping others. Newly independent readers will enjoy the gobble-uns and their nasty songs. Each page is edged with pink and there’s lots pinker in the delightful illustrations.

Ninja Clones. Nelson Kane has a secret identity. He is the Ninja Kid, tasked with stopping evil Dr Kane from gaining control of the town of Duck Creek. Nelson lives in Duck Creek’s junkyard with his Mum, grandma and cousin Kenny. Kenny has a secret identity too − as Ninja Kid’s sidekick H-Dude.  

Nelson’s grandma is a clever inventor. She creates robot clones of the boys to protect their identities. The clones will take the place of Nelson and Kenny when the pair are off having adventures and are only to be used in emergencies. Predictably, there are lots of emergencies and the clones cause massive havoc. 

Ninja Clones is an action-packed read with some laugh out loud moments. The black and white illustrations have a cartoon-like quality which adds to the humour.

The book is a turning point in the series. Nelson finally discovers why Dr Kane is so intent on controlling Duck Creek. He also learns what has happened to his father.

Wildlife Rescue. Ella is a likeable Grade 5 student with a great imagination and kind heart. When the baby possum she finds is taken to the Wildlife Rescue Centre, she worries that it will be lonely. Ella visits the Centre and becomes so involved in its work that she ignores the concerns and interests of her best friends Ammy and Zoe. By the end of the book the three are reconciled and Ella has learnt a great deal about caring for orphaned animals.

As well as a sweet story, this book has good information about what NOT to do when you find a traumatised animal. Readers also learn how to sew a simple pouch for baby animals to sleep in. Wildlife Rescue is written in a diary format and includes lots of Ella’s trade-mark spelling (gooder, betterer, importerant, giganterous). The deceptively simple, quirky, illustrations clearly show what each character is feeling.

The dedication thanks Michele Phillips, a Pride of Australia nominee who runs a real wildlife rescue centre in Melbourne.

One minor quibble on page 90 there is an illustration of a circus performer standing in the middle of a horse’s back. This would hurt the horse. She should be balancing on the horse’s rump. This is a tiny mistake in a book focused on caring for animals.

Outback Lullaby

Outback Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-76027-648-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Outback Lullaby is a sweet, gentle, and rhythmic picture book depicting outback animals and their young sleeping in their natural settings. Many of the Australian animals in this book are used less often in stories - the Brolga, Thorny Devil and Numbat to name a few.

The language is lyrical and rolls beautifully off the tongue with calm, soft words making it perfect for reading aloud at bedtime.

The illustrations are also soft, with the colours of the Australian outback showing the landscapes these animals sleep (and live) in. They have a luminous quality to them, which evokes beautifully the twilight hours of bedtime for the young.

Outback Lullaby is the third picture book created by this talented author/illustrator team featuring iconic Australian animals in their landscapes. Rainforest Lullaby and Bushland Lullaby provide the same gentle, rhythmic bedtime reading with different animals to explore.

Clear rhyming text makes it perfect for preschoolers.

Cybertricks

Cybertricks by Goldie Alexander (Five Senses Education) PB RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Sally Odgers

Pya, Zumie, Jafet and Trist are twelve years old. Like any other children on the cusp of their teens, they take an interest in their appearance and in their peers. They squabble among themselves and  chafe against the benevolent rule of their tutors. Yet Pya and the others are not typical children. They are Hatchlings, the cloned descendants of an Earth rendered uninhabitable by the Great Disaster compounded of war, famine and plague. And as far as Pya knows, they are the only Hatchlings alive today.

ComCen and the holo-tutors put the Hatchlings through their paces, allowing them to interact only as avatars, but sending them to many different places via Virtual Reality. ComCen says they must learn how to cooperate, but Pya longs for true bodily freedom from her tiny Cell.

Be careful what you wish for.

Stranded on Earth at the dawn of the Great Disaster on the 21^st Century, the Hatchlings meet Rio and Charlie, who are also twelve years old. That’s when they realise how different they are.  That’s when they realise how dangerous this longed-for freedom can be. Separated from Rio’s and Charlie’s family, the six take a long and hazardous trek. The situation is bizarre, but the characters ring true. The Hatchlings struggle towards humanity as the human children try to adjust to the loss of their once-secure future.  Has ComCen abandoned the Hatchlings?  Is this some cruel game? As the shared experience becomes more perilous, Goldie Alexander keeps a firm hand on the reins of her story, moving the action from setting to setting, each one clearly depicted. The characters grow and develop, while the situation is always accessible. The author’s eye is warm and compassionate, but she doesn’t flinch from the harsh reality of an adventure where nothing is quite as it seems to the protagonists.

Cybertricks

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This terrific futuristic fantasy novel is set in the Great Southern Continent, Terra, in 14,043. Pya, one of four Hatchlings that survived the Great Disaster, exists in a Cell as do the other three Hatchlings, mascs Jafet and Trist and Zumie, the only other fem. All are nourished via food tubes and educated by ComCen, a super computer, while communication is conducted via their avatars.

Their Tutor-Holo is trying to teach the Hatchlings to work together cooperatively and independently. With this crucial end in view, and forced to face Reality, they are sent back to 2043 to exercise all they have learnt and to focus on working as a team.

Returning to the past where families existed, they meet twins Charlie and Rio, and the six children set out on a journey that will change them forever. While experiencing Reality, they must overcome great challenges, learn sustainability within many lifestyles, and slowly come together to understand the words of their tutor ‘only through great effort and understanding can another Great Disaster be averted’.

All of Goldie Alexander’s novels have positive themes of self worth, personal improvement, environmental issues and sharing the world’s resources flowing through them in subtle waves in one form or another. In this highly imaginative and well-crafted novel, many similar life sustaining themes appear. The leading characters are strong and powerful, and the weaker ones always evolve and improve by the end of the story.

Rainforest Lullaby

Rainforest Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-820-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

A hollow log is cool and snug

Echidna's full of ants and bugs

Dozing through the steamy hours

And heavy swish of tropic showers.

An Australian rainforest is full of interesting animals - wombats, cassowaries, tree frogs, devils - and they all have their unique lifestyles and habitats. But at some point of the day or evening they all have to rest. Rainforest Lullaby tells a gentle story about the inhabitants of the rainforest and how they like to sleep.

This gorgeous picture book is by the creators of Bushland Lullaby and is written in the same beautifully rhythmic verse, smooth and gentle, perfect for bedtime reading. Young children will delight in the differing ways the animals curl up to sleep, alone or in groups.

The delicate illustrations, created using watercolour, gouache, rice papers and pencil, are wonderfully textured with soft calming colours and the animals, especially the babies, are very cute.

An attractive hardcover with thick glossy pages, this will withstand multiple reads and little hands. It is a great picture book for the young, from babies to pre-schoolers.

Bushland Lullaby

Bushland Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-177-0
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

It is not only babies and young children who need their rest. All baby animals must go to sleep too, and this beautifully lyrical picture book shows how and where many of Australia’s bush creatures lay their heads.

Bushland Lullaby has a sparseness and simplicity which creates a safe and comfortable world for very young children to become immersed. The baby animals all sleep reassuringly entwined with their mothers, cosy and happy at nap time.

Each line is evocatively rhythmic: ‘The sun gives way to cool moonbeams’

They fill the imagination with images: ‘The sky flings stars on a winter’s night’

And touch the senses: ‘Where salty mud is warm as sand
                             In hushing waters by the river’s smile’

Stewart’s illustrations are soft and restful. There is nothing complex or busy to distract from the central focus. She has created them using watercolour, gouache, collage and rice paper, and the Japanese influence comes through in the style unique.

It is wonderful and rare to read such a perfectly rhymed picture book without stumbling over the rhythm, which lends itself ideally to a bedtime read. A delightful book for 2 – 5 year olds.