Cheeky Animals

Cheeky Animals written and illustrated by Shane Morgan (Magabala Press)

HB RRP $9.99 ISBN 9781925360431

Reviewed by Brook Tayla

This board book for very young readers is narrated in a simple and happy way. The protagonist is a traditional, indigenous Australian who finds himself in funny and playful scenarios with a variety of Australian animals.

The text uses rhyme and repetition to engage readers, with couplets that begin with ‘Look at the....’ which introduces the reader to each animal and ‘See the....’ which shows the protagonist engaged in a funny way with that animal. 

The illustrations bleed from edge to edge and on each double spread there is a scene which is boarded. I would have preferred it to be more consistent with the left side that introduces each animal, but this does not take away from the story. Shane Morgan uses a simple, desert colour palate with simple but expressive drawings.  The animal smiles when they trick the protagonist are cheeky while at the same time endearing.  The illustrations have a cartoonish feel about them and could be seen as a child’s very first and basic introduction to comic books and graphic novels.

I love the size of Magabala board books because they are perfect for little hands and laps and they are also light weight and durable enough for multiple re-reads.

This board book will bring smiles to those who read it and I’m sure will lead to discussions about what other animals would do. This is a great book for extended adaptations.

Brook Tayla writes a blog called telltalestome@wordpress.com and would love you to drop by, read some reviews, leave a comment and subscribe.

My Sister is a Superhero

My Sister is a Superhero by Damon Young, illustrated by Peter Carnavas (UQP) HB RRP $24.95 ISBN 978 070225398

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This picture book for young readers is the third book in what has proved to be a much-loved series celebrating the diversity of family. The bright cover and fly pages are filled with illustrations of a supergirl (wearing undies over tights) flying in all directions alongside a flying bunny. The unnamed narrator – a brother or sister – imaginatively tells how his quirky sister is totally different to other (ordinary) sisters insofar as his sister ‘races rockets around stars’, ‘punches robots in the nose’ and ‘bench presses burly trolls’. However, the little brother narrator says, the best thing about sister is ‘she reads me stories in the skies.’

Australian Damon Young, whose other books are for adults (about philosophy, exercise and martial arts) writes this fun-to-read book in rhyming verse with lots of alliteration (sisters dancing in denim booging with a band, for example) which is excellent for reading aloud to children from 3 years and up. 

The watercolour illustrations, also by an Australian, Peter Carnavas, who won the 2009 CBCA prestigious Crichton Award for emerging illustrators, are light and bright and full of joyous fun. The final illustration in the book shows a sleeping boy being held in the sky by sister who is urging the reader, with a finger to her mouth, to be quiet – a great way for a parent reading this book to a child in bed to go to sleep.

The two previous books by this talented author-illustrator team are My Nanna is a Ninja and My Pop is a Pirate.

I Am Bear

I Am Bear by Ben Bailey Smith, illustrated by Sav Akyuz (Walker Books)

HC RRP $27.99

ISBN 9781406359251

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Is this a rapping picture book? You may well ask. This is the first of its kind that I have come across. It has a free music video to it that you can listen to and hear the rhythm with which the book must be read. I understood it better after hearing it sung.

Bear is cheeky and naughty. He steals honey from the hive and squirrels from the trees. His magical ability extends to catching piles of fish, and disappearing. Policemen with donuts aren’t exempt from this trickster’s net. He loves to play, and paint. And when it’s time to pay for the trouble he’s caused, he’s gone!

It’s a debut book for Ben Bailey Smith, aka Doc Brown the rapper, actor and much more. It is in rhyme and has an astonishingly good sound to it both when read and sung. His clever use of words is similar to a juggler tossing balls. They come and go fast, leaping from one page to the next.

The illustrator has done a fantastic job portraying the cheeky bear. He’s translated the text perfectly with thick bold lines, vibrant colour, soulful expressions, and full page artwork.

I found this book highly entertaining, funny, clever and highly attractive in presentation. Kids will love it.

Two Birds on a Wire

Two Birds on a Wire by Coral Vass, Illustrated by Heidi Cooper Smith (Koala Books)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-161-9

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Little Blue Bird is happily sitting on a wire one morning enjoying the view when Little Black Bird joins him.

          Two birds on a wire

          Together they sat

          Little Bird Blue

          And Little Bird Black

But neither bird wants the other to be there. They both want the wire, and the view, to themselves and what follows is a very funny tale of the tussle they have to decide who gets to stay.

Told in humorous verse, with rhyme and rhythm which both work beautifully, this story is reminiscent of sibling or schoolyard arguments over toys, swings or even friends – and is one which every child and adult will recognise and relate to. There is a wonderful build up. They begin politely, move on to ‘I’m bigger,’ but ‘I’m louder,’ then a little pushing and shoving, until a full on competition puts it all on the line.

          They snapped and they snorted

          They pushed and they shoved

          They hassled and heckled

          But neither would budge

The text is lovely to read aloud. The energy of the words is matched by the vibrancy of the illustrations. The background is full of colour, with a few farm animals who watch the action unfold. But its softness allows this to stay in the background while the two bright and glossy birds take centre stage always. With fabulous expressions in both their faces and bodies, these quarrelsome creatures seem just like preschoolers.

This is a great story for young children about sharing. It shows up the silliness of fighting over something with subtlety and humour, I think it will be a big hit with both young children and their readers, be they parents, older siblings, grandparents or teachers.

10 Clumsy Emus

10 Clumsy Emus by Ed Allen, illustrated by Wendy Binks (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $9.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-639-3

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Ed Allen continues his 10 Green Bottles spin-offs with this title featuring a very wacky bunch of emus. These emus roller-skate, play musical chairs, visit the zoo and even try to tidy their rooms. One by one, they drop out of the picture, until only one emu remains. Then they all reappear for a last sing-a-long. This title has a particularly satisfying ending.

The emus in this story may be clumsy but the rhythm and rhyme are not. It is such fun to read this book aloud and it will be enjoyed, not only by preschoolers, but by their older readers as well. The words flow and the situations the emus end up in will be recognisable to all.

Four clumsy emus tidying their room

Four clumsy emus tidying their room

And if one clumsy emu should sneak away too soon,

There’ll be three clumsy emus tidying their room.

This is the first time I’ve seen Wendy Binks’ illustrations and her emus are endearing. With their wild hairstyles and popping eyes they each have a sense of style and personality. It is easy to follow the fate of a specific emu through the pages. The bold colours and humour will attract young readers and the front cover gives a fabulous taste of the emus inside.

Other titles in this series include 10 Funny Sheep, 10 Silly Wombats, 10 Green Geckos and many more. These fun books are an entertaining way for young children to learn their counting – forwards and backwards.