Billy’s Boatshed : The Project

Billy’s Boatshed : The Project by Aimee Atkins, pictures by Franfou Studio (Random House)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN 978-1-74275-313-3

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

Billy and Lilly live in Washaway Bay with their friends Pauly the Pelican, Sparky the speedboat, Bazza Barge and a sailboat with pink sails named MJ. The project tells how Billy plans to spend the day finishing building his boat. When Lilly walkie-talkies him to say she is having trouble counting all the fish in the reef, where she is standing knee deep in the water. For some reason, Billy thinks building a ‘glass bottom boat’ will make Lilly’s task easier.

Of course, drawing up plans for this distracts him from his original project. As does the ‘Honk Honk, Honk Honk!’ Billy hears from Bazza the Barge, who is struggling to raise his anchor. Billy dives under the water to untangle it, and gets the bright idea that he should make a submarine with big arms and a glass bottom as that would help Bazza untangle his anchor and help Lilly count fish.

When Billy begins building this, Sparky the speedboat yells for him to come and save his beach ball that landed on the sand while Sparky was playing with it. Sparky cannot travel across sand to save it and when Pauly flies over to return it Billy thinks of a great solution. He will put wheels on the submarine he is going to build, as that would mean it could go up to retrieve the ball in future.

But that must wait, as it is now tea time. While nothing has been built, the story ends with Billy looking into the sky before bed time and wondering if he should build a spaceship instead. Franfou Studio have used simple, bold colours to show what is happening just as it is told in the text. This story may appeal to children aged 3-4 years.

To Die For

To Die For by Mark Svendsen (Random House)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 978-1-8647-1931-4

Reviewed by Oliver Phommavanh

To Die For is a novel for teenage readers that takes you deep into the world of Christos, a fishing nut. His fourteenth birthday present is a chance to take his dad’s dory out for a trip. It turns out to be Christos’s longest night of his life when his dory gets caught in a reef and he faces a shark that constantly stalks him. Christos is trapped as he works out a strategy to ward off the shark and escape.

This is an interesting narrative, mainly because there is only Christos for most of the story. Svendsen has cleverly inserted other characters through voices and flashbacks in his head. Even the dory becomes a mini character. Christos also talks to himself and this internal dialogue carries the story along. There are heaps of italics to represent his thought processes. Once you get used to this style, it’ll read at a rapid pace.

Svendsen captures the voice of an independent teenager well. He wants to make his parents proud, get the girl of his dreams and revels in his little freedom. When his life is in danger, you get a real sense of what is really important to him. Svendsen tackles the fishing terms with ease, so readers will learn a thing or two.  

To Die For is a great story of self-discovery and survival. Recommended for ages 13 and up.  

Smuggler's Cave

Smuggler's Cave by Sonya Spreen Bates, illustrated by Kasia Charko (Orca Book Publishers)
PB RRP $6.95
ISBN 9781554693085
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Smuggler's Cove is an illustrated early chapter book about Jake, his little brother Tommy and cousin Lexie. Jake and Lexie are fierce competitors with Tommy tagging along. Lexie challenges Jake to a boat race out to Smuggler's Cave. The three become trapped by the rising tide. Can they escape?

Sonya Spreen Bates has the wonderful knack of immediately establishing character relationships. Although Smuggler's Cave is a sequel I had not read the first book and I never felt I was any missing information. Told through Jake's perspective we are able to hear his motivations and thoughts and while the rivalry between Jake and Lexie is what lands the trio in difficulties, they are able to work together to find a way out. The plot moves quickly with plenty of twists and turns. The style of language used is perfect for early readers but the book never plods and nor are young readers written down to. Every word builds adds to the setting, characterisation or plot and moves the story along. The dialogue is realistic and snappy contributing to the fast pace of the story.

There are 15 of Kasia Charko's black-and-white page-sized illustrations throughout the book, highlighting the drama of the story and breaking up the text. The publisher Orca Books is offering a sneak peek at chapters of Smuggler's Cave and Sonya Spreen Bates is currently their featured author.

To order the book in Australia, please contact: INT Books

Row, Row, Row Your Boat. What Can You See?

Row, Row, Row Your Boat. What Can You See? by Angie Lionetto-Civa, illustrated by Serena Geddes (New Frontier Publishing)

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 9781921042539

Reviewed by Vicki Stanton and guest reviewer Daniel (7)

This delightful picture is written in rhyming text based on the familiar song Row, Row Your Boat. The text is perfect to be read or even sung out loud to children as they travel along 'gently down the stream' with two young boys in a boat. Along the way they encounter animals which then join them on their journey until they come upon one, a crocodile, that they must flee. The book ends on a joyous note when they all disembark to 'dance and play'. Lift-the-flap books are always a winner with children and any book that can lure my two-year-old nephew away from tractors and wheelbarrows to sit quietly and in anticipation to reveal the next animal has my vote. (In fact, to review this book I had to chase him around the backyard to, briefly, get it back off him.)

Serena Geddes' watercolour illustrations cover the double spread and show the anticipation and delight of the whole band of travellers as they encounter each new animal. My favourite picture is that of the giraffe with her calf.

Daniel (7) I like this book because there is a lion and a monkey and the words rhyme. My favourite picture is the otter swimming on his back.