Discombobulation

Discombobulation by Trevor Todd and David P Reiter, illustrated by Richard Hoit (IP Kidz/Interactive Publications) HB RRP $25.99 ISBN 9781922830517

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Woody (the canary) loves to sing, trill and whistle, and he believes that his bird friends love to listen to him. However, one dawn, Sir Humphrey (the parrot) explains to Woody that the other birds do not like his singing at all, in fact they find it ‘discombobulating’.  Woody, of course, is disheartened. Not only can he not pronounce that word properly, but he doesn’t want to believe that his singing is not appreciated. Woody then sets off to seek opinions from Magpie, Lyrebird and Kookaburra, but finds that they all love his singing. Finally, he approaches the Wise Old Owl who helps to set the record straight.

Discombobulation is a story about jealousy and dishonesty. It includes full colour cartoon illustrations and characters that would appeal to an early childhood audience. Discombobulation is the second picture book in the Woody and Sir Humphrey series. The first book in the series, Disinformation, was published in 2023.

This picture book can be used as a resource for social-emotional learning in a primary classroom or as an introduction to prefixes and suffixes. This story includes ten different words with the ‘dis’ prefix and many examples of different suffixes. It also includes plenty of tier two vocabulary for students to discuss and explore further.

DISinformation

DISinformation by Trevor Todd and David P. Reiter, illustrated by Steve Page and Yasmin Page (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) HB RRP $26.00  ISBN 9781922830227

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Woody (the canary) is upset because he heard from Magpie that all his feathers are going to fall out. In a panic, Woody seeks out Sir Humphrey (the parrot) for comfort. Together they approach Magpie to find out why she would say such a frightening thing. Magpie informs them that she heard the news from Lyrebird. When they demand an apology from Lyrebird, he advises that he heard the information from someone else. As the story about Woody’s feathers has now spread, Lyrebird suggests that they go to the wise Owl to help make sense of it all.

DISinformation is a picture book with full colour cartoon illustrations that would appeal to an early primary school audience. It is the first book in the upcoming Woody and Sir Humphrey series.

‘Disinformation’ can be distinguished from ‘misinformation’ when the false information is deliberately spread and intended to hurt or mislead. The focus of this narrative would have been clearer if the culprit’s intent or reason to deceive was made explicit.

Feeling Blue

Feeling Blue by Trevor Todd (words) and Mark Eatwell (images) (IP Kidz) ISBN 978 1 922 33272 1 RRP $26.00 HB $13.00 ebook

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Feeling Blue is a picture book with stunning photographs of birds, in the style of a small coffee table book. 

The story gets straight to the point. Mr Wren is blue and not just in the way he looks, but the way he feels. He’s been looking at the other birds and feeling insecure. Mrs Wren tries to cheer him up (even though she’s the one who should be feeling bad, because she doesn’t get to be the beautiful blue colour her husband is). And once Mr Wren realises all the good things about himself, he feels much better.

The photography in this book is very appealing and includes close-ups of the Wren family and their beautiful rainforest surroundings. The babies’ feathers look so soft! Along with the wrens, are other birds: a kookaburra, magpie, owl, cockatoo, robin, and eagle. The words match the pictures in a lovely way, for example, when Mrs Wren cuddles up close to her husband and says she can help him.

The play on words, with the extremely blue coloured wren and the sadness he feels, is simple but effective. The message, encouraging kids to look at what they have, not what they don’t have, is also important. The naturalness of this book particularly stands out, highlighting the beauty of Australia’s wildlife and the environment they live in.

The author, Trevor Todd has a significant background in film, TV drama and has written fourteen books. Mark Eatwell’s photos and videos of wildlife have appeared in many places including the ABC and Australian Geographic. Feeling Blue is a successful collaboration of their work. It is suitable for 3-8-year-olds.