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.

Busy Izzy and Talkative Tess

Busy Izzy and Talkative Tess by Roxanne Kiely, illustrated by Jeesoo Kim (Busy Ink Publishing) PB ISBN 9780994551016

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Children across the globe enjoy songs, music and games, as well as rhythm and rhyme, which is why the CEO of the World Literacy Foundation says he highly recommends the books in the Busy Izzy series for children. 

The illustrated book suitable for readers 5 to 8 years starts with the words, ‘Do you have a friend who talks a lot?/Natters and chatters and doesn’t stop?’ Busy Izzy, the book’s protagonist, has such a friend who not only talks fast, but also last, sounding like one of those people who we say can talk under water. Tess is present while Izzy and her friends are working in the garden, but she ruins the activity with a series of accidents and her constant chatter.

Happily, Izzy patiently explains to Tess about taking her turn when in company and Tessa accepts she’s hogged the limelight: she apologises, and Izzy and her friends are better able to enjoy their friend. The group write stories which they share and then sing a song about friendship.

The Izzy series is aimed at creating and developing friendships among children. On the back page of this book is a list of ingredients for friendship, which includes patience, kindness, understanding, fun, listening and more. Without doubt, Busy Izzy and Talkative Tess manages to cover all the bases of friendship. The story is told in rhyming verse which would suit reading aloud, and the story could easily be adapted to theatre with young readers acting out the parts of Izzy, Tess, and their group of friends.

Not only is there a book, but there’s also a CD with well-known Australian actor Bec Hewett featured as the voice of talkative Tess. All songs have been written by the author and Stephen Kiely.

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of Busy Izzy books is donated to the World Literacy Foundation. You can find more about the books and related materials on busyizzy.com and on Facebook, YouTube and the Busy Izzy app.

Magic Fish Dreaming

Magic Fish Dreaming written by June Perkins, illustrated by Helene Magisson (GumBootsPearlz Press) PB RRP $17.99   ISBN 978-0-980731-18-7

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

Magic Fish Dreaming is a beautiful book of poetry, inspired by the people, creatures and country of Far North Queensland. To travel to FNQ through this delightful book of poetry is, quite simply, a treat.

Perkins is a Papua New Guinean Australian writer with a PhD on the topic of Writing Empowerment. She and illustrator Magisson have captured and delivered a series of age-appropriate vignettes that traverse clever, captivating poetry alongside divine pictures.

From dancing in the storm to finding ‘giggle poems,’ from discovering a secret fishing spot to glimpsing the flicker of a gecko, the ideas in this book encourage children to take time, to create space, to cultivate patience, to watch, to wait… to dance…

                                                                                        

‘Storm Dancers’ –

She said, “I’ll dance with you,”

as the cloud’s violent sneezes caused

a flood in her garden.

He said, “I’ll dance with you

One of those anti-rain dances

But we can’t dance too long

‘cause we don’t want drought.”

The text and illustrations intermingle, to weave their magic not just through the core ideas of the poetry, but in and around the very pages themselves. With gorgeous and sometimes surprising messages delivered in a unique and unselfconscious manner, this is a book that emanates joy in every reading.

Instant gratification, armchair travel and lightning-fast images and sounds are a way of life in 2017. Rich, nourishing books like this one that bring conversation and evoke spirit of place, country and critter not just one time but over and over again, are on a different space-time continuum.

This book is recommended for children of all ages (even really old ones!).

Heart of a Home

Heart of a Home by Isabella Crean, illustrated by Christine Schiedel (Redgum Book Club) PB RRP $12.50

ISBN 9780995378308

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

What is the heart of a home? For ten year old Isabella Crean it’s the dining table. Crean, who suffers from epilepsy and has associated learning challenges, was the winner of an Australian-wide writing competition, and had her entry published – in this full-colour book. As one of the competition judges, I remember reading her story and scoring it highly. It’s quite an accomplishment for a child of her tender years.

Told in third person from the point of view of Table, the story begins with Table in the centre of a little white cottage where ‘every day the family began and ended its day.’ Table is the place of activities from sewing to homework to Christmas and other meals. ‘…The air would fill with the smells of roast pork and apple sauce and melting puddings. The bustle and hum of the family meal made table the centre of their world.’

All things of course have an ending: Table thus finds itself in an old garden shed where paraphernalia is dumped on it until years later it is taken in a truck to a new destination. Happily, this is in a shop from which it is eventually removed to a home, that of a refugee family. Full circle – and still Table is the ‘heart of a home.’

It’s a simple story, well told with language which is imbued with emotion, and which is clearly written. It’s a credit to Redgum Book Club that they published this winning entry and had it illustrated with line and coloured watercolour wash. Hopefully it will inspire children aged 8 to 12 years to read it, and perhaps to also write about what they think is central to their homes.

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma written and illustrated by Leigh Hobbs (Allen and Unwin)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781925266771

Reviewed by Daniela Andrews

The iconic Leigh Hobbs character is back and, this time, he’s on a Vespa!

Having dreamt of ancient Rome since he was a baby, Mr Chicken sets off to explore the country, hiring a guide named Federica to show him around. The story wastes no time paying homage to all the Roman sites you’d expect – the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Mouth of Truth … and Rome’s chaotic traffic. Mr Chicken, er … Signor Pollo, even goes to the Vatican but doesn’t find the Pope anywhere near as interesting as gelato. (Children – and adults – will delight in discovering via the pictures just how gelato-obsessed this chicken becomes!)

The story is full of all the humorous antics we’ve come to expect from Mr Chicken, who turns into a pasta twirling extraordinaire and takes a dip in the Trevi Fountain. He also falls asleep in front of a popular biting tourist attraction and thereby becomes the tourist attraction. There is even a salute to Roman history, and to Signor Pollo’s childhood dreams, with a very funny dream about a familiar-looking Julius Caesar and some Roman gladiators.

Australian Children’s Laureate, Leigh Hobbs, has once again created a very funny story about the chicken with a penchant for travel. The writing works wonderfully – there is humour in the way it contrasts the illustrations, but also in the text alone. For example, we read that ‘Federica’s family was having him for dinner’ … gulp! (Fortunately not as a meal, for those of us who are hopeful for another title in this series!)

Readers are treated to the colourful, entertaining endpapers we love about this series. There’s a list of useful Italian words, a Frequent Flyer card and an amusing compilation of selfies from his trip. Amidst the whimsical illustrations of Mr Chicken on his travels are the most exquisite drawings of Rome I’ve ever seen. The detail in these sketches is divine.

Is there anything this man cannot draw?!

Desert Lake: the Story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre

Desert Lake: the Story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre by Pamela Freeman, illustrated by Liz Anelli (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9781921529436

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This beautifully illustrated book begins with its eye-catching cover - front and back. It’s another book from the award winning Nature Storybook series. 

Colours immediately draw us to the red earth of the dry desert of central Australia. The end pages depict the fossils and waiting plants and insects hidden deep beneath the lake’s surface. The title pages are the colour of the desert sky; a singular blue owned by the area. Without boundaries, it floats above the salt white cover of Lake Eyre. Countless birds are imprinted on the background, all travelling in the same direction.

The layout is presented in double spreads. Full page illustrations, carry the narrative story in large text at the top, and the facts in smaller text at the bottom; two stories in one. Mixed media is used to create the illustrations.

Lake Eyre is the largest salt lake in Australia, situated in northern South Australia. Life sleeps beneath its salt crust. It waits for the rain.

The torrent comes from the north, flooding the riverbeds.

Everything awakens and Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre fills with pulsing life.  Birds of all kinds set out, and prepare to nest at the Lake. Animals come to drink. Flowers blaze as colour floods the area.

When the rain is gone, the river starts to dry up again. Frogs and shrimps bury their eggs deep in the soft lake floor. The birds leave. The sun returns the lake to its dry state until the next rain falls.

Stunning in every way, this book is breathtaking in its beauty and highlights Lake Eyre before and after the rains. Text and illustrations are perfectly blended.  A visual feast, this book is a collector’s delight. It will also be snatched up by tourists. Libraries and schools will want it as part of their collections for use as a valuable reference and teaching tool.

The Two Acrobats

The Two Acrobats by Jeanne Ryckmans, illustrations Pierre Ryckmans (Piccolo Nero) HB RRP

ISBN 9781863957892

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is a small (13 x 17 cm) illustrated book about best friends Basil and Frederick (one a short man, the other tall) who work together at the Winter Circus in Paris. Both are world famous trapeze artists who work seven nights a week, 365 days a year. However, after eating two dozen snails at a birthday party, Basil is hospitalised. This causes problems for Frederick and the circus (‘the show must go on!) The result is a comedy act which involves the circus strongman and the French President.

This is a slight but quite enchanting story; however, the publishers have used text in hand writing, which might be difficult for young readers who are used to typed font. The illustrations are comic, the illustrator using black pen outlines and coloured pencil.

If they can read it, the book is suitable for children aged 7+ years.

Xalien the Purple Alien

Xalien the Purple Alien by Michelle Path, illustrated by Charlotte Roberts (Rowanvale Books, UK) PB RRP $16.96 IBSN 9781909902503

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Looking like a picture book, this is actually an illustrated book for readers aged 5 to 8 years. Siblings Jessica, Adam and Sarah are watching stars from their bedroom window when they think they see a falling star. However, it’s not a star but a spaceship crashing to Earth. While the children are sleeping, a small, purple female alien (Xalien) emerges from the ship. She meets the children next morning: after Xalien eats pebbles in the garden, the children take her indoors for breakfast. Xalien finds human food as weird as the children find eating pebbles! Fitting into Earth ways is certainly quite an experience for the lost alien.

In this, the first of numerous proposed (and already published) books in a series, Xalien, disguised in the girls’ clothing, goes with the children to a fair, another exciting happening for her. Happily, at the end of the story, Xalien’s folk come to rescue her and she zooms back to the planet she came from.

This is a simple story, ideal for reading-aloud as a bed-time tale, but it can be read by a child his or herself. It could have done with some professional proof-reading as there are several punctuation errors. It would also have been good to have known the reactions of the children’s parents (when they drive purple-faced Xalien and the others) to the fair, and presumably they are there when it’s dinner time.

The coloured illustrations on every page show bright colours and stylized pictures of the humans and the alien. No doubt most young readers will enjoy the humour of a very odd stranger fitting into a new family. The author has succeeded in her intention of showing acceptance despite differences.

The book is available through www.rowanvalebooks.com,www.michellepath.com.au and www.amazon.com

.Herbert Peabody and the Incredible Beehive

Herbert Peabody and the Incredible Beehive by Bianca C Ross, illustrated by Tabitha Emma Bray (Farinet Pty Ltd) HB RRP $18.95 ISBN 9780987595515

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

The first obvious thing about this self-published book is that it is beautifully presented, not just as a hardback but with a jacket cover; the quality of the paper and the book design are impeccable. On the fly pages, too, is something I loved as a child – a map of Huffleton and Mulberry Tree Farm which feature in the story.

This is the second story in the Herbert Peabody series, the first being Herbert Peabody and His Extraordinary Vegetable Patch. The author, a small-time farmer with an extensive marketing background in food companies, decided to create the series when she observed that children do not always understand where their food comes from. 

The book’s main character, Herbert, is a fruit and veggie farmer from Mulberry Tree Farm.  In his veggie patch Herbie discovers Bee who is in search of a place to build her hive. He grants her permission to check out his farm and then drives off to meet up with his nieces and nephew Henrietta, Clementine and Digby at the footie.

While chasing an errant ball, Herbie comes across the haunted Huffelton House where The Voice That Belongs to Nobody – a mean creature – lives. There is a mystery associated with the house and Herbie is determined to resolve it. When he discovers that his new neighbour, Bee, is having trouble finding enough pollen to supply her family’s hive, he also decides to lend a hand to find her more flowers.

Author Ross writes clearly and succinctly and children aged 7 to 9 years will doubtless enjoy her simple story-telling -- provided they are able to accept talking insects such as Worm, Ladybird and Bee. The book has a number of illustrations, some in black and white line, some in muted colour; they are all, like the narrative, simple and charming.

In the book’s Afterword, Ross tells of her concern about the crisis with bees; their populations are decreasing, and of course, without bees, food production as we know it will cease. The author deserves full credit for drawing the readers’ attention to this situation.