Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures

Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures written & illustrated by Josh Langley (Big Sky Publishing) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781922265692

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Subtitled ‘Finding the good when things seem bad’, this square-shaped 100-page illustrated book begins with an author note. Langley tells how when he was young, he made ‘heaps of mistakes’ but he soon learnt that ‘by looking at mistakes, failures and problems in a different way, things didn’t seem so bad.’ In fact, as you turn the next page, you learn that ‘Mistakes can be magnificent!’

In simple sentences, Langley shows how in fact mistakes can be helpful. The accompanying illustration shows a (stick figure) person accidentally smashing a ball into a window. There’s a page that shows how to turn a mistake into a ‘magnificent one’. Failing, the text says, can be ‘fantastic’. And so, the book goes on, showing how mistakes, failings and problems can be transformed. Friendships are emphasised as is accepting others (and oneself) no matter what they look like. Also addressed is social media (attractive face) vs real life (accompanied by someone using the toilet), as well as feeling weird and awkward being normal, too. Langley challenges readers to ‘be the star and director of your own life.’ One’s ideas, friendship, kindness, and love can make the world a better place ‘for all of us.’

At a time when mental health is high on everyone’s agenda – even as it relates to children – this is a book which is sure to be on the bookshelves of psychologists as well as in classrooms and libraries. It is ideal to give to (and be read to) any child who is having problems adjusting to his or her world, perhaps feeling out of place and not knowing how to cope. It is also an ideal book to initiate discussion about relationships and how to negotiate the world.

Langley’s illustrations are not high art by any means with all the people depicted being stick characters. Nevertheless, each page is brightly coloured with the stick people doing things such as juggling hearts, dreaming in bed, releasing butterflies, joining hands with others. Some of the characters depicted are (non-stick) animals, such as a giraffe, bird (dropping a message from high), and cat. The illustrations are often humorous which is needed in a book which is attempting to teach positive messages.

It’s good to see such a positive and helpful book for readers aged 5 to 8 years. Recommended.

Weird, Wild, Amazing!

Weird, Wild, Amazing! by Tim Flannery, illustrated by Sam Caldwell (Hardie Grant Egmont) HB RRP ISBN 9781760501587

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

A mammologist, author Tim Flannery was curator of mammals at the Australian Museum in Sydney for 20 years. During this time, he visited most of the islands between eastern Indonesia and Fiji, discovering new species of marsupials, rats and bats. In an interesting introduction to this substantial and very interesting book, Flannery tells how his discovery, at the age of eight, of the fossilised remains of an extinct sea urchin, inspired his love of dinosaurs and the years that followed leading to his illustrious career.

This handsome non-fiction book begins with colourful spotlights on land, sea and air creatures and then a list of contents under headings, ‘Concepts’, ‘Water,’ ‘Sky’, ‘Forest’ and ‘Desert’ plus an index and a glossary. In the section titled ‘Water’, there’s a list of water animals including jellyfish, piranhas, frogs and toads, pufferfish and many more. Pages are devoted to animals: under ‘Whales’ for instance, there are fascinating sub-headings such as ‘Huge Heads V Big Brains’, ‘Singing Stars’ and ‘Seasoned Travellers’. In ‘Diving Champs’, the reader learns that sperm whales can dive more than a kilometre deep in the ocean to look for giant squid, holding their breath for up to an hour and a half at a time. It seems their heads are packed with ‘spermaceti’ which is thought to help these whales adjust their ability to float or sink in the water.

Throughout the book which has many break-out boxes on each page, there are amazing facts and figures. Consider some of the interesting sub-headings” ‘Poop and Pee’, ‘The Biggest Creature Ever’, ‘Terrible Table Manners’ and ‘Spitting’. Flannery certainly knows what will amuse and interest young readers and provides facts and figures from his many scientific studies. There’s a great few pages about naked mole rats which live in colonies of about 75, each with its own job to perform. Reading about them, you realise a similarity with bees insofar as there is a queen whose job is to eat all the best food and have lots of babies, their dads, security guards and workers which dig tunnels for everyone, gather food and look after the queen’s babies.

Information is broken down into small columns which invite the reader to either read from cover to cover or to dip in wherever and whenever. And there are plenty of colourful critters on each page with boxes of all colours to draw the eye in.

A terrific read for children aged 10 years and up. Highly recommended.

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing!

Explore Your World: Weird, Wild, Amazing! by Tim Flannery, illus by Sam Caldwell (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This first book for children from renowned author and environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, explore the world’s weirdest and most fascinating animals in all their bizarre glory. It asks questions such as Are zombie jellyfish real? What’s it like to wrestle a python? Which animals eat poop? (And more importantly, WHY?!).

Bursting with extraordinary facts, packed with vibrant illustrations and guided by one of the world’s greatest living scientists, this deep dive into the natural world will enthral and enlighten readers.

The 250-page book is also a fantastic introduction to the concepts of conservation and evolution for children.

Achievement

Buzz Words reader, Libby Hathorn, has a new book published by Lothian.

Inspired by events in Miles Franklin's life, Miss Franklin is told by multi-award-winning author Libby Hathorn and acclaimed illustrator Phil Lesnie and includes a facts page about Stella Miles Franklin. It was launched at the State Library last month.

This is a story about iconic Australian writer Stella Miles Franklin, namesake of two major literary prizes, during her brief but formative time as a governess in rural New South Wales. Teenager Stella Miles Franklin must work to help support her family. Stella longs for the freedom and excitement of city life. While working, she meets a young orphan girl, Imp, who is almost as feisty as Stella herself, and who spurs the older girl to follow her dreams.

For more information, free writing tips and teaching resources, go to www.libbyhathorn.com 

See Libby’s inspiration and process for this book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxxt4UpqbvY&t=66s

For further information please contact Amy Dobson (Hachette) on 02 8248 0821 email: amy.dobson@hachette.com.au

A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader

A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick (Enchanted Lion Books) HB RRP $34.95 ISBN 9781529702282

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is a big solid book of over 260 pages with a letter (121 of them) on each page addressed to a child and with an illustration on the opposite page. It was an impressive task compiling all the letters from many famous writers, scientists, philosophers, artists and inspiring people. But one wonders what appeal the book will have to young readers given its title, size and content. 

Having said that, the book offers some wonderful insights and advice from people such as Jane Goodall, Ursula K Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, Jacqueline Woodson, Lena Dunham, a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor and Italy’s first woman in space. Artists include Marina Abramovic, Oliver Jeffers, Tomi Ungerer, Jon Klassen, and Australians Shaun Tan and Elise Hurst.

The writers share their experience of reading books, often their first books as children. Diane Acknerman, for instance, tells about a bookmobile which offered her ‘other worlds between covers’; Claudia Guadalupe Martinez says, ‘all readers have power’; David L Ulin says, ‘reading taught me everything I know about the world’, and physicist Lisa Randall claims ‘books make the one life we live that much richer.’ Dozens of others tell, too, of their reading experiences. ‘Words can provide you with the greatest adventure of all time, if you let your imagination run free,’ writes entrepreneur Richard Branson.

The book’s illustrations, all in matte finish, range from three colour and black and white prints to cartoon strips, brilliantly painted pictures, abstracts and more. Books, of course, are a vital way of showing artwork, often for the first time, to young people.

In her introduction to the book, compiler Maria Popova quotes David Bowe whose idea of happiness was summed up in one word: ‘Reading.’ She says that all the proceeds from the project will be donated to her New York public library system, ‘because libraries are bastions of democracy and oxygen for the life of the mind’.

The book opens with beautiful pink, yellow, blue and white marbling, and, after Popova’s introduction, presents the Contents pages showing writers and artists as they appear in sequence. It is easy to see from their names that the creators are from all over the world. At the foot of every letter there is a blurb about the writer, and at the end of the book a blurb about every contributing artist.

This is an impressive, comprehensive work which will afford many hours of reading and looking.

From Dinosaurs to Diprotodons: Australia’s Amazing Fossils

From Dinosaurs to Diprotodons: Australia’s Amazing Fossils by Danielle Clode (Museums Victoria) PB RRP $24.95 ISBN: 9781921833472

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Thingadonota, diprotodon and fangaroo sound like made-up words. But, they are the names, along with titanosaur and megaraptor – and many others – of gigantic beasts which once roamed Australia. In this strikingly and colourfully designed book for children, Clode, a zoologist and science writer, takes the reader to fossil sites all around the country where incredible creatures once roamed.

The creatures aren’t just land-dwelling, but include ancient whales and deadly dolphins, giant sharks and toothy birds, armoured fish and many others, all with the names of the places they inhabited. So if a reader lives in or has visited Wellington Caves, Lightning Ridge or Canowindra in NSW, or the Torquay Coast and Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Riversleigh, Hughenden, Richmond, Eromanga and Winton in Queensland, they might very well be walking in the steps of ancient animals. Not to mention Alcoota in Northern Territory or Western Australia’s Margaret River.

Using maps and a timeline from PreCambrian to Cainosoic eras, the author shows the evolution of creatures from primitive fish through to reptiles, then dinosaurs (205 million years ago) right through to the emergence of the first hominids and the human genus nearly two million years ago. It is so fascinating!

Photographs and sketches show fossils in situ before exploring the age of Megafauna, large extinct animals from the last ice age. Every double-page spread displays beautifully drawn land and sea creatures, and too there are break-out information boxes with fascinating facts. There is even a direction of how to find the caves at Wellington near Dubbo NSW where Diprotodon once lives. We are told, too, that many of the fossils at Lightning Ridge, NSW, are made of opal

This is the sort of book that dinosaur-mad young scientists would adore and most certainly they would pour over it and retell facts to any adults – or to their peers. Highly recommended.

Smart About Sharks

Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey (Walker Books) HB RRP $27.99

ISBN 9781909263918

Reviewed by Ashling Kwok

Get ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the fascinating world of sharks in this beautifully illustrated compendium.

Smart About Sharks is overflowing with detailed information and fascinating facts that will answer every question you ever had about the most feared and misunderstood creatures of the sea.

Did you know that sharks can detect electrical currents from other creatures? Or that the average shark has 40 to 45 teeth? These are just some of the amazing facts featured in this wonderful book.

Smart About Sharks covers topics such as what sharks eat and how they hunt. It also takes a look at the more unusual species of shark including the carpet shark, frill shark and pyjama shark, and features a scaled diagram that compares the sizes of different sharks.

This book is the brainchild of talented, award winning illustrator Owen Davey, who has managed to create an incredibly informative reference book that is also a pleasure to read. It is his second book devoted to a single animal. Last year he released the popular Mad About Monkeys, an illustrated guide to the world’s 250 species of monkey.

Smart About Sharks is perfect for readers of all ages. It is a beautifully designed book and will be a fabulous addition to any library.

Big Hug Books

Big Hug Books by Shona Innes, illustrated by Irisz Agócs (The Five Mile Press)

HB RRP $14.95

ISBN 978-1-76006-055-8 - Life

ISBN 978-1-76006-056-5 - Friendship

ISBN 978-1-76006-416-7 - Internet

ISBN 978-1-76006-415-0 - Playground

Reviewed by Jacque Duffy

While waiting at a local department store I peeked into a package I had collected at the post office. What I saw made me gasp. I reached in and withdrew four beautiful books, I had only glimpsed the covers, but I was in love. I held them to my chest in a hug, and when I pulled them back for a better look I laughed. Each title is part of a collection called The Big Hug Book – how appropriate.

This series of books was created by Shona Innes, a qualified clinical and forensic psychologist with many years of assisting children. Don’t be put off by her qualifications; each book is presented in a way that is perfect for the young child to grasp the meaning within. Important issues of the playground, friendship, dangers of the internet,

and death, are each approached and handled in a friendly, fun, yet delicate way that truly imparts a strong message.

The Hungarian illustrator, Irisz Agócs studied cultural anthropology and ethnography at University; thankfully she gave that away and moved on to her passion, so becoming an illustrator.

These are marvelous books for an independent reader to enjoy in a quiet moment. They are perfect for parents of a younger child to assist in explaining why things aren’t going smoothly with friends and family, or the dangers of the internet, without being preachy. They would also work successfully if read by a teacher to her class group. Young children should ask many questions as the illustrations depict body language and facial expressions in such a way the characters come to life.

The illustrations, simple and soft, show a diverse group of animals each with a definite personality. They will assist children to identify themselves and their feelings. They are inviting, and as the title of the series suggests, they are like a big hug. Children with personal issues should not find them confronting at all.

These books would appeal to teacher librarians as much as to parents. They cover important issues that children deal with every day and are presented in a very reader-friendly format.

Jacque Duffy is the author and illustrator of the series ‘That’s not a …” learn to read books used in all Queensland State Primary Schools, two picture books and one local history book. www.jacquesartandbooks.com

Big Book of Aussie Dinosaurs

Big Book of Aussie Dinosaurs by Kel Richards, illustrated by Glen Singleton (Scholastic Australia)

HB RRP $16.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-056-8

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Dinosaurs are endlessly fascinating, especially to young children. And this Big Book of Aussie Dinosaurs is perfect for small dinosaur fans. With exciting page headings such as Attack! and Dinnertime! Children will be flipping through the pages to discover all the facts and legends attributed to these prehistoric creatures.

Focussing on the dinosaurs who roamed Australia, this fabulous book talks about the fastest, slowest, oldest, youngest, biggest and smallest Aussie dinosaurs. The author compares them to animals such as chickens and whales so his young audience will understand comparisons immediately.

The text is humorous and informative and there is a gallery at the back of the book to help with pronunciation of dinosaur names and what they mean. There is also a small section explaining how we know what we know about them.

A large hardcover, this book is a great size for little hands. The short nature of picture books means the bites of information about each dinosaur is just right for the focus of the very young.

The humour in the text is emphasised in the illustrations. Bright and attractive, they hook the reader in straight away. They also give added meaning to the facts in fun and silly ways. A Skartopus is scaring a postman, a Muttaburrasaurus with its round snout perfect for smelling with holding a very stinky sock, and Australia's youngest dinosaur, Wintonopus, holding balloons and a birthday cake with one candle. 

Big Book of Aussie Dinosaurs is entertaining, informative and easy to read and understand. A must for young dinosaur fans from 4 years and up.

The Story of World War One

The Story of World War One by Richard Brassey (Orion/Hachette)
PB RRP $12.99
EBook $12.99
ISBN 9781444010855
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

Richard Brassey's explanation of World War I is an entertaining and informative picture book children will find captivating. The heartbreak of slaughter has been omitted in his colourful and precise illustrations but there is plenty of action and insight to glean. He uses topics throughout the book, e.g., The Home Front and the Role of Women, and Weapons and War Machines, and the text is supported by maps and cartoon-style strips together with fact boxes. I found the Trench Warfare double spread showing a section of trench layout and why it was constructed that way absolutely fascinating. Information about trench foot, shellshock and even the trench coat which later became a popular item of clothing were among the other interesting snippets included in this section.

There is a naivety in Brassey's drawings which reflects the innocence of the times. Never again in war would opposite sides down tools to play footie together in no-man's land on Christmas Day as they did in 1914. The text gives a concise, easy to understand explanation of the events leading up to, during, and the ending of the Great War, and reflects the courage, resilience and decisions, often unwise, of those involved. His side facts which include why the poppy is worn on Remembrance Day give a wonderful balance to the more sobering events. The prediction that only one in ten English girls would marry because of so many young men being killed thankfully did not become a reality.

The Story of World War One is a timely release to co-incide with the centenary of the opening year of the event. My impression is that children will have a much better grasp on this period in history, and appreciate the significance and sacrifice of those who fought for freedom because of the skill and creative talent of the author. 

Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes

Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 27.95

ISBN 9781406341041

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This is the first microbiology book directed at the 5+ age group. A challenging subject for kids, some might say, but none-the-less, it is for those that like to be challenged.

Microbes are creatures so tiny they have to be magnified to become visible. They are microscopic organisms that ‘are the oldest form of life on earth.’ Some microbes cause illness and others keep humans in good health. Millions of them are contained in a drop of water and billions in a teaspoon of soil. These amounts are represented by pictures of people in the illustrations so children can get a visual image of how many they are.

Emily Sutton’s first book for Walker is superbly produced in attractive, full page pictures with bold colours, and end pages that depict the various microbe forms. The images go to great length to satisfy curious minds and encourage questions and answers between adult and child.

I found this interesting book well presented with language and layouts ideal for its target audience. On display are the various types of microbes, their shapes and sizes, and how the things that microbes eat, become something else, i.e. waste food becomes compost. There is an explanation on how and why microbes split, and the outcome of splitting.

Nicola Davies has dared to take on a complex subject and make it accessible to the young in clear and easy-to- understand prose. This valuable book should be included in all public and school libraries, and children’s home collections.  

As I Grew Older

As I Grew Older written and illustrated by Ian Abdulla (Working Title Press)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9781921504693

Reviewed by Vicki Thornton

  

Subtitled ‘The life and times of a Nunga growing up along the Murray River.’

With Ian Abdulla’s bright and naïve pictures, this is a history of a Nunga (Aboriginal) family living by the Murray River in the 1950’s and 1960’s. During this time there were very little opportunities for employment for Aborigines, and to survive, most families turned to the ways of their ancestors.

Abdulla describes with honesty everyday moments living on the land by the Murray River entailed such as buying sheep heads to eat, picking grapes to make some extra money, as well as hunting swan eggs to eat and catching rats to sell for their skins. It is a lost time, an important part of not only Australia’s social history but that of the Aboriginal people. 

Abdulla is sometimes described as one of the Australia’s greatest naïve artists, and his artwork helps to bring alive these childhood memories that to the majority of us are totally foreign. Ideal for middle and older primary children, wanting to know about the Aboriginal experience as well as that of Australia’s social history.

Goodbye Grandma: helping young children cope with bereavement

Goodbye Grandma: helping young children cope with bereavement by Melanie Walsh (Walker Books)

HC RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Death is the most difficult thing for children to cope with or even understand. ‘What does dead mean?’ ‘Where do people go when they die?’

Many adults have been asked that question. This thoughtfully produced book about the inevitable for every living thing is a great tool for when words and thoughts fail.

The book is designed with cut outs that form frames, and pages cut in different shapes. The paper is thick with bold lines, brilliant colours and illustrations that focus on the point being made, or the question being asked and answered. The text is subtle and satisfying.

Created entirely with the child’s reception in mind, it gives an adequate explanation in simple language, to the harder questions that children throw at us.

It also addresses the adult reaction to death. Loss, like grief, is an ageless issue. At a Wake, adults share their memories and the things they knew about the person that’s passed. Children can see that older people too, feel the same way as they do.  The book also stresses the importance of remembering.

I found this a fantastic resource and one that should be included in Libraries and schools, for there are few books that handle the issue of bereavement so well. Another outstanding book on this subject is Shona Innes’ Life is Like the Wind.

Friendship is Like a Seesaw

Friendship is Like a Seesaw by Shona Innes, illustrated by Irisz Agocs (Five Mile Press)

HC RRP $ 14.95

ISBN 9781760060565

Reviewed By Anastasia Gonis

The stunning watercolour paintings by Hungarian illustrator, Irisz Agocs have brought Shona Innes’ exciting series of Big Hug books to life and imbued her words with a subtle, meaningful glow. This first one is released simultaneously with the second, Life is Like the Wind, with two more titles due mid-year.

Sensitive and sincere, soothing and gentle, it addresses the theme of friendship and its challenges, changes, and ups and downs.  The analogy of friendship being like a seesaw is perfect. It talks about rules in friendship, taking turns and sharing, balancing everything out, and doing nice things for each other.

The most impressive thing about this book is that it’s not directly aimed only at children. Adults and older people will also welcome this series of intelligently crafted books which ‘grew out of letters sent to children and their families after their psychology sessions’.

Shona Innes is a Clinical and Forensic and Psychologist who has patients of all ages and whose books ‘aim to give children and the people who care for them, a way to talk about problems’. And that sums it all up. 

Gallipoli

Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood, illustrated by Annie White (Scholastic Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74362-129-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Anzac Day honours the Anzacs who, among other campaigns, fought for a small area of land on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. Written by Kerry Greenwood, Gallipoli tells the story of Bluey and Dusty, close mates who are among the lucky ones to make it home at the end of the campaign. 

This is a well-written and wordy story which explores the issues of bravery, hardship, fear, humour and mateship. With much more text than is usual in a picture book, this is suitable for primary aged children. It includes interesting detail such as Simpson and his donkey Duffy, the Roses of No Man's Land (nurses), and the battles at Gaba Tepe and Lone Pine. 

The writing creates a little distance between the events and the reader. The story is more about what happens than a more personal account:

In between the fighting, an unexpected bond began amongst the exhausted enemies. They worked together to bury the dead and swapped gifts instead of gunfire.   The diggers offered bully beef, and the Turks gave fruit and sweets in return.

The emotion is in the pictures. Annie White's illustrations are watercolour, unusually soft and gentle for depictions of war. And it is the people who dominate these illustrations. Here, human emotions are beautifully expressed and shine strongly through. As well as full paged illustrations, White has painted sepia photographs, complete with photo corners, which run throughout the story, creating a feeling of a personal photograph album. These begin inside the front cover and continue all the way to the end pages where more recent photos of family round out a life story.

Between the text and the illustrations, a story of Aussie mateship, humour and stoicism is portrayed, making this a tale of Australians at Gallipoli with memories which can be shared with younger children as well as older.    

Creforce: The Anzacs and the Battle of Crete

Creforce: The Anzacs and the Battle of Crete by Stella Tzobanakis (Walker Books)

PB RRP $ 18.99

ISBN 9781742030821

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Creforce was the name of the Commonwealth and Allied Forces of Crete. This reissue from The Drum series concentrates on the Australian and New Zealand Forces that took part in the historic ten-day Battle of Crete. It also covers the invasion of the Greek mainland, and includes an expansive history of WW2 during those catastrophic times.

  

The Battle of Crete was fought in May 1941, when German paratroopers fell from the sky, with the ANZAC, British and Greek units defending the island. The Germans encountered mass resistance from the island’s population. The Cretan’s knowledge of the mountains and their ability to survive there indefinitely proved to be their greatest weapon against the German invaders.

Lack of food forced soldiers to depend on the charity of strangers. What little they had was shared with the soldiers. Whole villages paid if a person was discovered harbouring an enemy of the Germans. The accounts of the Allied soldiers’ heroic attempts to fight with a shortage of guns and ammunition, in tattered clothing and shared boots, is deeply moving.

The statistics here are amazing. The layout is terrific. Its informative fact boxes include biographies of famous people associated with the Greek Resistance. Archival photos appear throughout the book. Customs, traditions, language, music, and past history of the island form the background of this comprehensive narrative on the invasion of Greece and Crete during WW2.

Simpson and his Donkey

Simpson and his Donkey by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frane Lessac (Walker Books)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 9781921529542

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The heroic life and death of Jack Simpson and his donkey is presented again by husband and wife team Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac. It starts with Jack’s life before he sailed for Australia, then aboard as a stoker. His working history shows us the man he was, and how easy it was for Jack to serve ‘king and country’ when the war broke out. 

But fear replaced the sense of adventure that many soldiers set out with, when the fighting started on the ‘razorback ridges’. Jack was working tirelessly carrying wounded to the boats to be evacuated, when he came upon a stray donkey which he named Duffy. Thus they became Simpson and his donkey.

This immortal story has been brought to life again through Greenwood’s ability to tell a great tale, and make it sound fresh and new. Lessac’s insightful illustrations fit like a glove around Greenwood’s words. Detailed and expressive, each full page illustration gives up all of Simpson’s bravery, determination and courage, as he carries water to thirsty troops, and makes the return journey with a wounded soldier on Duffy’s back. One of them being his childhood friend Billy.

It also gives us a clear picture of Gallipoli and the conditions the men experienced there. It’s a salute to this part of Australian history that is in our hearts and memories.

Simpson was admired and respected as ‘the bravest of the brave’ due to his humanity. He died the way he lived - always doing what was right, and serving others. He was buried at Hell Spit. We must also reflect as we turn each page of this beautifully illustrated edition with its poetic prose, on all that we are because of Gallipoli.

Lest We Forget.

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour

Gallipoli: Reckless Valour by Nicholas Brasch (black dog books)

PB RRP $17.95

ISBN 9781742030258

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

With an entirely unique approach to presenting the Gallipoli campaign, Nicholas Brasch has broken down the information into easy to understand divisions. He asks a question, and then answers it in comprehensive detail.

This is a wonderful reference book for young readers, and others of any age who are looking to understand the main structure of why WW1 was declared, and what happened next. It explains in easy to follow fact boxes, the main points of how and why Australian soldiers were sent to Gallipoli, why so many died, and what the outcome of the campaign was. It also tells us why Anzac Day is commemorated on April 25.

The contents are visual as well as informative. With photos and images from the Australian War Memorial, there are maps, posters and a glossary of terms for clarification. Other words highlighted within the text are also included in the glossary.

Aaron Pegram from the Australian War Memorial has done a fact check of this book, which is beautifully designed with an excellent layout of information and visuals.

Bilby Secrets

Bilby Secrets by Edel Wignell, illustrated by Mark Jackson (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 29.95

ISBN 9781921529320

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

A CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) Short-Listed book, Bilby Secrets reveals extraordinary information about this charming marsupial. Before white settlement, two types of Bilbies lived on the Australian mainland. One of them – the Lesser Bilby - is now said to be extinct. But at Easter lots of chocolate bilbies can be found.

The story is presented in two parallel parts on each page. There is the narrative with the Bilby as protagonist at the top, and the factual information displayed in sentences shaped like waves. The two parts are connected by a common thread creating continuity and flow.

Did you know that a Bilby mother can have a litter of three babies and that they can have four litters in one year? Or that a baby spends 75 days in its mother’s pouch?

How does a Bilby keep predators from following them into their tunnel? How old are they when they start to mate?

This and lots more information about the Bilby’s secret life is beautifully presented in this well-researched book. Fantastic illustrations in earthy colours created with mixed media, accompany each entry. This educational and entertaining book will make the perfect gift for readers of all ages at Easter. Perhaps to accompany a chocolate Bilby (just a small one)?

CRUNCH The Small White Shark

CRUNCH The Small White Shark by Charlie Olsson, illustrated by Ryan Jones (Little Steps Publishing)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN – 9781921928635

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

Though life for a small shark in a huge ocean may seem simple to us, it isn’t all too safe. This book uses facts to introduce Crunch, a very young great white shark, and show what a day in his life can be like. Varied vividly illustrated scenes show the environment, dangers and habits relevant to this species and a simple world map in one spread highlights where the species is found.

Each double page spread includes white text across the top to tell readers specifically about Crunch, as well as a ’Shark Bite’ – a yellow rectangle with a shark bite in the corner. The bites, packed with interesting information about the species, are sure to enthrall young readers. While these bites suit the targeted readership of 8-12 years perfectly the text in white will be easily understood by younger readers, giving the book wide appeal and great longevity.

The white text tells how Crunch lives his day, keeping out of reach of threatening creatures while himself snatching life from others so he can eat. Using humour to tell readers that sharks don’t learn by going to school, it then places perspective on the fact by showing how the ocean is the classroom. A bloody feeding frenzy where a hammerhead is chomped brings home this reality most powerfully.

There’s lots in both the information and illustrations that is sure to get kids thinking about many aspects of sea life and will, no doubt, encourage conversations, sharing of knowledge and perhaps even questions that may lead to further investigation. All in all this book works on many levels and is sure to be a hit, especially with young nature lovers.