The Selwood Boys Hit the Road

The Selwood Boys Hit the Road by Tony Wilson, (Harper Collins)  SB RRP $14.99   ISBN 9780733335471

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The famous Selwood Boys are back in book three of The Selwood Boys series. The Selwood family is going on a holiday to Queensland.  The road trip adventure begins with the Falcon six-seater leaving Bendigo for sunny shores.

‘They were away.

Three suitcases, four boogie boards, two footies, a frisbee, six beach towels, a beach umbrella, two Game Boys and six Selwoods.

At the one-minute-and-twenty-second mark, the boys had their first fight.’

The text is an easy engaging read, with splashes of humour. The antics of the four footy mad boys on the road create many memorable moments.  Troy and Adam are the mischief-making twins who are determined to discover Joel’s kryptonite.  Joel cannot possibly be an all-rounder at everything.  There must be something he’s not good at.  Scooter (Little Scott) joins in the mission in helping his older brothers.

Joel with his cheeky, sneaky antics knows his brothers are doing their best to catch him out.  He manages to keep one step ahead of them until… You see you can’t be good at everything and eventually there is something Joel desperately tries to hide.  You’ll just have to read the book to find out what it is.

This fun-filled story can be enjoyed from seven years old onwards.  It would also make a fantastic read for a teacher to share with a class.  The book is based upon the real Selwood brothers and all the funny things that happened to them.  The Selwood brothers are sports stars that were kids once and it’s interesting to see where their footy journey began in their childhood shenanigans.

Tony Wilson has used a mix of sentences from short to long and this really makes the reader feel like the text is speaking directly to them. Often it’s difficult to find books for sporty readers and this book fills the gap.

Book 1 is Battle Royale, Book 2 The Miracle Goal and Book 3 Hit the Road will be followed by Maintain the Mischief.  The books make a great set to collect. 

The Selwood Boys - Battle Royale

The Selwood Boys - Battle Royale by Tony Wilson (ABC Books) HB  RRP $14.99   ISBN 978-0-733335-45-7

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

In this recent book in the series, Tony Wilson introduces AFL Royalty, the Selwood Boys and shares stories about the four future AFL stars growing up in the Selwood house.  There's madness, mayhem and sibling rough and tumble everyday - and lots of footy, of course! 

Meet the Selwood boys: there are the twins, Troy and Adam, strong and sporty and full of energy, then Joel, who is talented and itching to be a fair dinkum footy player, and finally little Scott, who just does his best to keep up and not be left behind. Joel dearly wants to be off the sidelines, and on the footy field to play with his big brothers. But Mum and Dad are making Joel wait, so he has to make do with being the boundary umpire for his brothers.

It'll be a battle royale that's bound to involve the whole family! The book targets ages 7 to12 years.  Battle Royale is a fantastic tale for all young readers, especially boys aged seven and up with a love for AFL footy. 

The book not only covers the code, but the themes of family, sportsmanship, friendship and bullying.  Battle Royal is perfect for teachers who are looking for a fun book to cover bullying.   This is the first book in a series of four so I can also recommend Book 2 - The Miracle Goal, with books 3 and 4 coming out very soon.

The Miracle Goal

The Miracle Goal by Tony Wilson (ABC Books) HB RRP $14.99   ISBN 978-0-733335-46-4

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The Miracle Goal is one of those books written from the heart.  It is based on the antics of the real life footy mad Selwood Boys, which makes it not only easy to read, but genuine and warm.  If you are an AFL fan and love footy, this is the book for you.  The book targets the 7 years plus age group and would also suit classroom teachers due to its broad range of topics so skillfully  covered.

Tony Wilson is a well-loved Australian author who inspires children to read and love books.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book to ignite a love of reading in a child and who needs to find a book that suits a child’s interests.  Boys in particular will gravitate to this story, but girls will also soak it up.

The Miracle Goal is part of a series of books based upon the Selwood boys’ childhood growing up in Bendigo, Victoria and is based upon the funny things that happened to the boys.  The topics covered include footy, family, sibling rivalry, competitveness, pranks, school, friendship, fairness, twins and having a disability, so you get a lot of bang in one story.  There is madness, mayhem, mischief and mateship.

The sign of a good writer is the ease in which you can read and enjoy the story and this book does that.  The first few chapters introduce each boy and their individuality and little quirks.  Then the scene is set around footy and school by portraying all the characters to paint a vivid picture. I won’t give too much away as I think you need to read the book.

For some light hearted fun with learning along the way give ‘The Miracle Goal’ a whirl and remember to be the best that you can be. 

The Cow Tripped over the Moon

The Cow Tripped over the Moon by Tony Wilson, illustrated by Laura Wood (Scholastic Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74392-353-4

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Almost every child (and adult) must know the story of the cow jumping over the moon. But I bet no-one knows how many attempts it took to get it right. The Cow Tripped Over the Moon is a very funny version of this famous rhyme, featuring all the original characters –Cow, Dog, Cat & Fiddle and of course, Dish & Spoon.

         But what they don’t say

         In the songs from that day,

         Is the cow didn’t jump it first time.

         It seems a moon clearance

         Takes great perseverance,

         So back to the scene of the rhyme...

When rhyme works well in a picture book it is a joy to read and this one is close to perfect. There are no dodgy words, or strange sentences, nothing is sacrificed for the rhyme. It has a rollicking rhythm which adds to the joy of reading this story aloud and fabulous humour in both words and pictures.

         Moon attempt 3: 10.12pm

         Hey diddle diddle

         The cat and the fiddle

         The cow jumped under the moon.

         Her run-up was slow,

         She was never a show,

         And the fiddle was way out of tune.

The wonderful illustrations glow under the moon’s light. They expand on so much of the story. The gang sit on the barn roof, gazing at the moon and concocting the whole escapade. The characters all help Cow train and the story builds to the penultimate page which echoes the text beautifully and conveys the emotion of the moment with a glorious picture of Cow, just before her last jump attempt. We see the determination on her face, her eyes filling with water, cape (towel) flowing from her shoulders, and the gang behind shouting encouragement – all with the glow of sunrise at their backs

This is an entertaining read, fun for toddlers, children and adults alike. And underlying the laughs is a strong message of perseverance, teamwork and supportive friends.