The Birthday Party Cake

The Birthday Party Cake by Alison Reynolds, illustrated by Mikki Butterley (Five Mile Press) HB $14.95 ISBN 9781760067236

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Pickle is a big brown bear, Bree is a tiny girl and both are best friends who live in a double-storeyed house (Pickle in a ‘cave’ under the stairs). Like all friends, they sometimes have misunderstandings and disagreements which is the basis of this book for readers 5 to 8 years which is one in a series.

In this book, Bree is happy and ready for fun, but Pickle is grouchy. When Bree finds the big bear making a honey cake for his friend Jason’s birthday, she realises that there’s no invitation for her to the party but Pickle reassures her she’s welcome. Bree makes a three-layer chocolate cake while Pickle’s honey cake is lopsided. At the party, Pickles and the birthday boy play Bear Bump and are not really interested in Eyespy, but they give in. When Bree’s chocolate cake is not what Jason wants, Bree (who has been practicing) triple-somersaults into the cake and then pours honey all over it. Later, Bree is scorer for Bear Bump, and she teaches Pickle how to somersault.

The relationships in this book are basically about people making compromises. Sub-titled Pickle and Bree’s Guide to Good Deeds, the story reminds young readers that although people (and bears) are different, it is possible, by working hard, to find solutions when there is some kind of incompatibility. At the back of The Birthday Party Cake the author has included a list of ways in which children can settle differences with others – such as accepting others’ points of view and listening to what they have to say.

This is a lovely book with a bright and breezy text that gets its message across without seeming in the slightest didactic. The full-page illustrations with colourful backgrounds and delightful pictures set indoors -- sometimes featuring small break-out pictures (such as Bree somersaulting and the bears tummy-bumping) -- are joyful and full of fun. All in all, this is a delightful book for parents to share with their young children.

Muddle and Mo

Muddle and Mo by Nikki Slade Robinson (Starfish Bay Children’s Books)

HB RRP $25.99

ISBN 9780994100757

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780994100740

Reviewed by Leigh Owen

Sometimes simple is beautiful. This is the case with the picture book Muddle and Mo.

In fewer than one hundred words author/illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson tells a tale of Muddle, the duck trying to understand what he is and why his friend Mo is so odd.  Your beak is too hairy…. You should eat worms.

In fact, Mo is a goat and Muddle is a duck, which of course, children will know right from the start but following Muddle as he puzzles over their identities is the fun of the story.

The illustrations mainly consist of just the two stylised animals in various comical poses on a textured brown background. The simplicity is charming and somehow comforting

I imagine children will soon be memorising this book and reading aloud to themselves. This is enabled, not only by the sparse story and illustrations but also the large clear text and the use of different fonts for the speech of Muddle and the speech of Mo. As a reader I enjoyed coming up with voices for the two characters; the energetic duck and the more lay-back goat.

Muddle and Mo is a delightful book begging to be read aloud to 2-6 year olds.

Peas in a Pod

Peas in a Pod by Tania McCartney, illustrated by Tina Snerling (EK Books)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781921966712

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Being the same can be boring. Quintuplets Pippa, Pia, Poppy, Polly and Peg are happy to be the same. In fact, mum and dad prefer it that way for life has order; they have control and their girls were predictable. Then everything changes. Order walks out the door and chaos moves in.

The girls look the same on the outside, but what about who they are inside? They have different tastes, personalities, and ways of expressing themselves through actions, dress, and individual choices. In fact, there is an endless string of differences that makes each girl who she is. It is these differences that impel them to become who they are -- with fascinating outcomes.

This is an entertaining story about being able to express your individuality, and the fun and freedom that change brings with it. It is a celebration of being different.

Beautifully complemented by Tina Snerling’s humorous translation of the text, this gorgeous story is a thought-provoker and can certainly be used as a point of discussion about personal identity and how children define themselves. With its brilliant pink and green covers and equally attractive end pages, it’s ideal for the 3-7 age groups.