A Texas Year

A Texas Year by Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling (EK Books)

RRP $19.99

ISBN 978-1-925335-06-4

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

Another in the wonderful series by Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling, A Texas Year takes young readers on a month-by-month journey through the festivals, events, games, sports, flora & fauna, quirky traditions and famous sights of Texas. Did you know that the armor-plated armadillo comes from Texas - and that Americans spell armor differently to the Australian ‘armour’? You do now.

Inside, richly populated double spreads take us into the lives of five diverse young characters. Here’s one:

Hola! I’m Luis and I’m 10. I was born in Mexico and came to Texas when I was 3. I grew up with horses and one day I want to ride in rodeos and play baseball for the Texas Rangers.

With endearing and distinctive illustrations, along with a smattering of fun facts and interesting anecdotes, this book will definitely have you smiling. Those who don’t reach for their ancient World Book Encyclopaedia volumes will no doubt visit Dr Google after reading A Texas Year.

A natural fit for boys and girls, the beauty of this series lies in the capacity of these books to incite wonder and pique curiosity. Reluctant readers too, will definitely find something here to interest and entertain.

A New York Year

A New York Year by Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling (EK Books)

RRP $19.99

ISBN 978-1-925335-07-1

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

Tania McCartney is something of a goddess when it comes to picture books and this latest offering confirms that she is still worthy of the title. Her crown is firmly wedged on.

We are Madison, Alexander, Fabian, Sofia, and Jayla – and we’re ready to take you on a journey through twelve months in the life of New York’s kids.

So begins A New York Year. To open this book is to be greeted by dozens of tiny vignettes in Snerling’s distinctive, colourful illustration style. These endpapers alone will have children (and adults) meandering happily for several minutes.

Set out as a month by month prospect, the reader is introduced to the characters and invited to follow individual children through their New York lives and seasons. It is dynamic and varied – with no actual ‘narrative’ as such, but rather a clever and current design which allows the reader to wander in their own direction, through a whole new and exciting world.

A New York Year is a book for poring over by alone or for sharing with a cuddle. It’s a book for throwing down on the couch while you run to Dad’s old DVD collection to return triumphantly clasping ‘Groundhog Day’. Or it’s a book that will elicit dinner time discussion about snowmen in our summer, and inspire wider conversations around the delights of challah or the meaning of the Statue of Liberty.

Geography, history, festivals, cultural difference, acceptance, inclusion, facts and figures – all are covered in this very entertaining and educational offering.

Peas in a Pod

Peas in a Pod by Tania McCartney, illustrated by Tina Snerling (EK Books)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781921966712

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Being the same can be boring. Quintuplets Pippa, Pia, Poppy, Polly and Peg are happy to be the same. In fact, mum and dad prefer it that way for life has order; they have control and their girls were predictable. Then everything changes. Order walks out the door and chaos moves in.

The girls look the same on the outside, but what about who they are inside? They have different tastes, personalities, and ways of expressing themselves through actions, dress, and individual choices. In fact, there is an endless string of differences that makes each girl who she is. It is these differences that impel them to become who they are -- with fascinating outcomes.

This is an entertaining story about being able to express your individuality, and the fun and freedom that change brings with it. It is a celebration of being different.

Beautifully complemented by Tina Snerling’s humorous translation of the text, this gorgeous story is a thought-provoker and can certainly be used as a point of discussion about personal identity and how children define themselves. With its brilliant pink and green covers and equally attractive end pages, it’s ideal for the 3-7 age groups.

Blog Blast! Tottie and Dot

Tottie and Dot by Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling (EK Books)
HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 9781921966491
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Tottie and Dot are the best of friends who do everything side by side.

The gorgeous girls nibble apricot sandwiches, sip marshmallow tea, boil speckled eggs, water their blooms and fluff up their angel feather pillows. Their lives are in sync.

But one day competition sneaks in to forge a wedge between the two girls. The wedge grows wider and wider until something has to give. And in dramatic style! Fortunately, it is not their friendship which comes out on top and the girls once again are content in each other's company.

This book is delicious. Tania's McCartney's delectable text is a pleasure to read out loud. The fantastical lengths the girls go to in an effort to out-do each other are outrageously enjoyable yet simultaneously portray a sense of chaos and impending doom. Among other things, Tottie ups the ante with 'scattered strawberries', a roller coaster and a ski slope while Dot resorts to a lemon-drop tree, flamingos and has even 'cooked up a circus'.

Tina Snerling's illustrations do the words justice and more and in true picture book fashion expand on the text. Readers will pore over the pictures, making new discoveries on each reading. The retro colours hark back to the essence of the story that all we really need is  a good friend to share our time with and all else is superfluous.

Tottie and Dot is a book that will be enjoyed by children, parents and all of us who love beautiful creations.

Tottie and Dot Blog Blast!

An Aussie Year – Sneak Peek at July

Sneak Peek and Win! A year’s subscription to Buzz Words Industry Magazine.

We’re celebrating the release of An Aussie Year, with a fantastic prize—a year’s subscription (or extension) to Buzz Words, valued at $48! To win, just leave a comment on this post, 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why.

July is a delicious time of the year for Aussie Kids. Most states have school holidays and it’s a great time to head to the snow. Kids unable to get to the ski fields in New South Wales and Victoria, might enjoy heading to a local skate rink for some wintry fun.

There aren’t as many events or festivals happening in July, but an important one does take centre stage—it’s NAIDOC week—a time celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures.

Netball season begins in July which is the perfect time, because those netball-vital orange segments are at their juiciest this time of year.

Sometimes, people celebrate Christmas in July with traditional meals, crackers and gifts. Australians come from all over the world—many from countries where Christmas is celebrated during winter with hot meals and lots of snow. Christmas in July is a way to honour traditions and festivities from the ‘home country’.

July is also a great time to snuggle indoors or … escape to warmer places like the Great Barrier Reef!

Read what Buzz Words thinks about An Aussie Year in our review and follow the An Aussie Year Virtual Tour and join Ned, Zoe, Lily, Kirra and Matilda on this journey around the webosphere, from 21 October to 21 November. There will be reviews, sneak peeks, guest posts and lots of fabulous giveaways including some publishing opps!

Visit the An Aussie Year website (www.anaussieyear.com.au) to meet all the characters from the book, see updates and behind-the-scenes work. There’s also some Fun Activities for kids.

About the Creators:

Tania McCartney is a book-obsessed author, editor, reviewer, photographer, traveller, mum of two and wife of one. She simply adores words and paper—and would ingest them if she could (though she’ll settle for a good coffee). She frequently flits around cyberspace but can also be seen visiting schools and libraries, running workshops, reading to kids or pushing tomes onto unsuspecting shoppers in bookshops. Tania lives in Canberra, but would like to live inside a book. www.taniamccartney.com




Tina Snerling is a designer, illustrator, artist, web designer, seamstress and mum. She adores Paris, fabric, design and paper. She lives a very illustrated life—one day she’s creating children's books, the next she’s creating websites (in between the washing and school lunches!). She’s the type who has a notebook by her bed because most good ideas happen when you’re supposed to be sleeping. She lives in Brisbane with her two gorgeous poppets and one gorgeous husband.


WIN! A year’s subscription (or extension) to Buzz Words valued at $48! To win, just leave a comment on this post, 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why. Competition closes 5pm 21 November 2013.

An Aussie Year Book Launch ACT

Book and Party. Two of the best words in the English language. Put them together and you have a book launch! Canberrans can head out to Paperchain Bookstore in Manuka on 26 October for the hugely talented Tania McCartney's launch of An Aussie Year. RSVP essential.

An Aussie Year Book Launch Brisbane

If you're in Brisbane on 19 October don't miss this chance to celebrate the launch of Tania McCartney and Tins Snerling's gorgeous new release, An Aussie Year. RSVP essential.

An Aussie Year

An Aussie Year by Tania McCartney, illustrated by Tina Snerling (Exisle Publishing)
HB RRP $19.99
ISBN 978-1-921966-24-8
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

An Aussie Year is a delightfully entertaining and informative journey across the months, seasons and places of Australia through the eyes of five children.

All Australian, the children who take us on this tour come from culturally diverse backgrounds. Ned’s family have lived in Australia for five generations. Zoe’s parents emigrated from Greece. Lily has a Chinese/Vietnamese background. Kirra is an Indigenous Australian. And Matilda’s family came from Ireland when she was a baby.

Each page opening illustrates a month in the year. And each month shows the activities, festivals and celebrations of the children. It reflects both the differences and similarities of the various cultural traditions.

The pictures are bold and bright and clear with cleverly set out, attractive pages. Six or seven scenes illustrate each month and the text snakes around them, through them, and in some cases, become part of them.

In January they swim, play frisby, have picnics, celebrate Tet (Vietnamese New Year), surf, watch the Australian Open, wear thongs, fish, slip-slop-slap, have school holidays, New Year’s Day and watch fireworks on New Year’s Day. All without crowding the page. And in January too, I learned that Australia Day is sometimes called Survival Day.

There is so much in this book that is representative of all Australian Children and families – it’s a wonderful melting pot of cultures that reflects Australia of today. All children will find plenty to relate too.

There’s a lot to learn as well. Some of the information is straightforward: “It’s Earth Hour. We turn off our lights for sixty minutes. (It’s because we want to save the planet).”

And some of the information is tucked away in clever sentences: “We paddle quickly away from box jelly fish.”

The humour is subtle, in both illustration and text. In March, on Clean-Up Australia Day, Zoe is vacuuming grass in the shape of Australia. Then, in September: “It’s Father’s Day. Dad reads the paper, watches the footy and goes to the hardware store.”

The last page has a map of Australia with more snippets of information and humour and the endpapers – front and back – area a wonderful montage of scenes from throughout the book.

I really loved this deceptively simple picture book. There is so much to see, read, discover and discuss. It will be thoroughly enjoyed by readers of all ages and is a celebration of all that happens in our diverse Australian lives.

An Aussie Year – Sneak Peek at July and Win a copy of Buzz Words

Buzz Words is thrilled to be celebrating the upcoming release of An Aussie Year, with a fantastic prize—a year’s subscription to Buzz Words, valued at $48. To win, just leave a comment on the Buzz Words' post on 13 November. Posts must be 40 words or less, telling us your favourite month as a child, and why. Competition closes 21 November.