Lola and Grandpa

Yvonne Low’s debut picture book, Lola and Grandpa, written by Ashling Kwok and published by Little Pink Dog Books is being released on 5 May 2020.  

Lola and Grandpa is the story of a young girl and the tender, loving relationship she shares with her grandpa. When Lola’s grandpa passes away, she struggles to cope. However, as time passes Lola starts to remember all the special times they shared. She can see her grandpa reflected in all the things around her and realises that even though he is no longer physically with her, they will always remain connected.

Fly

Fly written and illustrated by Jess McGeachin (Puffin) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN978 1760892522

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Lucy and her dad are good at fixing things, so when Lucy finds a sparrow with a broken wing, she’s sure she can mend it, too. Dad isn’t sure the wing can be fixed, but undaunted, Lucy gets to work and comes up with what she believes is a perfect plan. 

She somehow builds a life-sized airplane which she pilots so that Flap, the bird with the broken wing, can ‘feel the wind in his feathers again’ as it takes to the skies. Not surprisingly, the plane starts falling apart but not before a flock of birds from all corners of the earth – cockatoos, toucans, puffins and more – ‘lower(ed) the plane to a field below where it fell apart into a hundred pieces.’

From then on, the sparrow stays with Lucy and her dad until one day it’s gone.

It certainly stretches one’s credibility that a small child can build a plane that flies (even though it eventually disintegrates). And there’s no resolution re the bird – how does it leave the box Lucy’s made for it to rest in? Does its broken wing ever mend? 

However, small children – aged 3 to 6 years, for whom this book is intended are likely not to quibble about the facts mentioned above.

The illustrations are full-paged, using a lot of browns, greys and blues. The double-page spread of Lucy and Flap in the plane surrounded by brightly coloured birds, is particularly eye-catching.

The author/illustrator has drawn on a love of natural history (and a day job at Melbourne Museum) to create Fly.

Achievement

Stef Gemmill has signed another picture book contract with New Frontier Publishing.  In My Dreams is confirmed for release in April 2020 and will be illustrated by the talented German artist Tanja Stephani.

Stef has also announced the August release of A Home for Luna, a picture book about finding family in an unexpected place and illustrated by  Mel Armstrong.

https://www.stefgemmill.com/ 

Paint with Magic

Paint with Magic by Sandi Wooton, illustrated by Pat Kan (Big Sky Publishing) HB RRP ISBN 9781922265180

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is a clever picture book which would be ideal for the classroom as it teaches the readers which creatures live in and near the ocean. 

Told in rhyming verse ideal for reading aloud, it starts with a child indoors on a cold, rainy day who decides to paint an octopus. 

The octopus then dictates other creatures to be painted in the sea such as fish, whale, dolphin, squid. The magic begins with the addition of starfish, crabs, urchin and shells. But suddenly there’s a shark! What will happen next?

This is a fast-paced, exciting book which is sure to be a hit with readers aged three to six years. The illustrations in watercolour are bright and attractive with the artist declaring towards the end of the book, ‘It’s my best work, my best painting ever!’ 

Next there’s a clean sheet of paper so the young artist gets to work on a new painting. To find out what it begins with, you need to grab Paint with Magic and read it all the way through!

My Silly Mum

My Silly Mum by Monique Mulligan, illustrated by Veronica Rooke (Serenity Press) HB RRP $22.95 ISBN 9780994526557

Reviewed by Teena Raffa-Mulligan

This delightfully warm and funny picture book is guaranteed to add smiles to story time - and quite likely giggles. There's a generous sprinkling of humour throughout this child- and parent-friendly debut title from Monique Mulligan.

Veronica Rooke's fresh, lively cartoon-style illustrations add an extra dimension of fun to Mum's embarrassing antics and introduce a couple of extra characters to amuse young readers.The layout of the hand-drawn text on the pages is an integral part of the book’s design, along with the inclusion of some speech balloons.

My Silly Mum is a wonderfully warm-hearted celebration of the love between a mother and child and is sure to remain a popular choice on the family bedtime reading list. However, its appeal is not limited to a pre-school audience and children in the early years of primary school will also find it entertaining and readily relate to the eye-rolling and face palming a parent’s behaviour can cause.

Colouring sheets, a write-your-own-story activity and finger puppet characters from the book are available from the publisher.

They All Saw a Cat

They All Saw a Cat written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Chronicle Books) HB RRP $29.99

ISBN 9781452150130

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

This is author/illustrator Brendan Wenzel’s debut picture book, and it’s made a major splash - think a bidding war, a New York Times bestseller list spot (in the picture books top 10), and rave reviews from all over.

A cat ‘walked through the world’, and is viewed very differently by the animals (and child) it encounters. A fascinating exploration of perception, it reveals through vibrant illustrations the way in which creatures like a bird, a bee, a mouse and a flea view the cat. We see a terrifying demon-like cat through the eyes of the mouse, and an endless forest of cat hair via the flea. The wildly different takes on the cat opens up ideas around how we see others, how they might view us, and how everyone’s unique experiences shape the way they see the world.

Rhythm and repetition are used to great effect, and the illustrations are nothing short of stunning. The cover, with its effective use of white space and simple yet striking cat image (with a glossy contrast) is pure picture book eye candy. The text is deceptively simple at times, with layers of meaning able to be extracted and contemplated, the greater the age of the reader. A captivating book destined to become a classic.

Winston Knows

Winston Knows by Jan Gaebler Smith illustrated by Marie Jonsson-Harrison (My Literary Adventure) PB RRP $14.95 ISBN 780994228901

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is a debut children’s picture book collaboration between former journalist, librarian and bookseller Jan Gaebler Smith and international photographic model and artist, Marie Jonsson-Harrison. 

Written for children aged three to eight years, the story is a simple one about an indoor cat, Winston, who never gets to go on walks. He stays at home: (‘Winston lay (sic) sleeping in Nick’s favourite chair.’) Nick and Nora are Winston’s owners and owner, too, of a dog Betsy which they take walking every day. The book shows the couple and Betsy in a variety of places such as the beach, the pet shop, fish shop and post office while Winston continues to sleep. But when the trio arrives home, we see Winston living vicariously.

The book illustrations feature the vibrant colours of Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s unique and quirky naïve art style of painting and ceramic mosaics which are very cleverly and seamlessly blended together. Each of the illustrations, particularly those featuring the walk, is full of details which most children will love poring over. Of special note is that the pages of the book are all high quality durable gloss paper which will never tear or get dirty, ideal for small fingers.

This is the first book published by My Literary Adventure, a new bespoke publishing and literary association based in Australia. Its website says, ‘We seek to facilitate a collaborative creative culture between authors, illustrators and readers.’ Winston Knows is available through http://myliteraryadventure.com.au

Don’t Push the Button

Don’t Push the Button written and illustrated by Bill Cotter (NewSouth Books)

BB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-49261-964-2

Reviewed by Peta Biggin

Meet Larry. This is his book.  There’s only one rule in this book:  don’t push the button. The big, red, all-too-inviting button.  When the temptation gets too much and the button is pushed, things get a little crazy.  Getting everything back to normal is not easy but would it be such a bad thing to press the button again?

Don’t Push the Button is the debut picture book from American author/illustrator Bill Cotter.  Aimed at and ideal for pre-school aged kids, this is a playful and fun book. 

The storyline itself is pretty simple and the illustrations, although bright and colourful are also not excessive.  The novelty comes with the way the reader is invited into the story and to interact with the book; not with tabs or textures but with the actual book – shaking it, pressing the illustrated button.  It is a great way to engage young children, making them and the book itself an active part of telling the story.  The board format will also ensure that it is robust enough for energetic young hands.

Bill Cox is a children’s author/illustrator from the United States.  After completing studies in art and illustration in Baltimore, he taught both art and music in New York.  Eventually he put two and two together and started creating books.  He returned to his hometown where he spends his time drawing, playing music and daydreaming.  He can be found online at: http://www.cotterillustration.squarespace.com/