Rocky the Cocky

Rocky the Cocky by Carolyn Eldridge-Alfonzetti, illustrated by Marion Duke (Wild Eye Press) PB RRP $15.90

ISBN 9780648161172

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Rocky the Cocky is a rhyming picture book about a headstrong and fearless cockatoo who likes to perform wild and reckless stunts. Rocky, the daredevil cockatoo, sports a punk style multi-coloured crest and wears a denim vest and sneakers. He likes to ride a skateboard and carry out dangerous aeronautic tricks, despite the warnings of well-meaning friends and family.

The unique pictures are bright and bold and compiled using a myriad of mediums. The characters, created using oil paints, are depicted alongside collage, line drawings and monochrome photographs. The page designs are also diverse, combining colourful dancing text of various sizes with full colour backgrounds or comic strip style layouts, many reminiscent of Pop Art. The book’s cover and endpapers include Rocky’s stylised tag in graffiti art.

Rocky the Cocky is an engaging and action-packed tale suitable for children aged 5+ years old.

My Mum is a Magician

My Mum is a Magician by Damon Young, illustrated by Peter Carnavas (UQP)

HB RRP $24.95  ISBN 9780702259944

Reviewed by Brook Tayla

This book is filled with fun and frivolity from beginning to end and is sure to delight pre-school children. It is full of amazing Mums in diverse and unusual roles who get up to all sorts of antics both in the workplace and at home. The main Mum is a magician and will keep children wondering how mothers just seem to know what’s going on – even when you think they’re not looking!

The rhyming text is well written, making the flow an easy out-loud read. The illustrations are funny and will have children laughing.  There are a lot of animal characters to discover on each page and they are placed in very comedic situations.

This is a light-hearted, fun book that is the latest release in the family series: My Sister is a Superhero, My Pop is a Pirate, My Brother is a Beast and My Nanna is a Ninja. I predict that Dad will be next and wonder what he will get up to !

This would be a great book to share with young children. I can imagine teachers using this for Mothers Day prompts or discussions about mothers.

Brook Tayla writes a picture book review blog at telltalestome@wordpress.com and would love you to drop by, read some reviews, leave a comment and subscribe.  Brook also offers editing services for beginning and emerging writers.

There’s a Magpie in my Soup!

There’s a Magpie in my Soup! written by Sean Farrar and illustrated by Pat Kan (Big Sky Publishing) Kindle Price $4.73 

ISBN 9781925275681

Reviewed by Gill Griffin

A magpie in your soup!  A cockatoo in the loo! A big black snake in your cake!  This is just the beginning of a rhyming journey with familiar Aussie animals popping up in the most unexpected places.

There is a possum in a pie, and a tadpole in a cup of tea.  The idea of the cockatoo emerging from the loo with knife and fork and asking for food is sure to catch the imagination of younger readers. For each animal there is a warm and witty rhyming description which includes the author’s reaction at the sight of these unexpected creatures in familiar places. 

This is the first book by Sean Farrar, and Pat Kan’s illustrations complement the rhyming pages beautifully.  Her drawings are full of expression and very funny.  The use of the black ink make the drawings look spiky and alive with each animal having their own personality.  The wash of soft colour is very effective, enjoyable to look at and brings light and definition to the characters.

This is a simple picture book designed for reading out loud with large pictures which match the verse perfectly.  It is an easy read-out-loud book and small children will soon learn the names of Australian animals and the strange places they decide to visit which are  totally different from their natural habitat. 

There’s a Magpie in my Soup book celebrates Australian animals in an endearing, light hearted and entertaining manner. 

Sean Farrar already has another book in the pipeline which gives an unusual twist to our unique Aussie creatures. There’s a Koala in my Kitchen which is due to be released 2017.

Hug This Book!

Hug This Book! by Barney Saltzberg, illustrated by Fred Benaglia

(Phaidon) HB RRP $24.95 ISBN 9780714872841

Reviewed by Stephanie Ward

In this delightful picture book, children are invited to imagine all the things you could do with their very favourite book. From reading it upside down to giving it a hug or sharing it with friends, young readers involve their book in an array of situations. There’s almost nothing you can’t do with a book and nowhere a book can’t go!

Sometimes silly, other times thoughtful, the story is both humorous and sincere as it explores the love of a book. With easy-to-read rhymes and appealing retro illustrations, Hug This Book! is a story to read over and over again.

Saltzberg creates a heartfelt ode to books with his clever, whimsical rhymes. While Benaglia’s illustrations are bold and colourful putting the book and its readers at centre stage.

Engaging, simple and satisfying, this charming book will appeal to book-lovers of every age.

Phaidon also provides a wonderful activity pack for early learners aged 3 – 5: http://www.phaidon.com/resource/hugthisbookpack-uk2.pdf.

Outback Lullaby

Outback Lullaby by Sally Odgers, illustrated by Lisa Stewart (Scholastic Press)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-76027-648-5

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Outback Lullaby is a sweet, gentle, and rhythmic picture book depicting outback animals and their young sleeping in their natural settings. Many of the Australian animals in this book are used less often in stories - the Brolga, Thorny Devil and Numbat to name a few.

The language is lyrical and rolls beautifully off the tongue with calm, soft words making it perfect for reading aloud at bedtime.

The illustrations are also soft, with the colours of the Australian outback showing the landscapes these animals sleep (and live) in. They have a luminous quality to them, which evokes beautifully the twilight hours of bedtime for the young.

Outback Lullaby is the third picture book created by this talented author/illustrator team featuring iconic Australian animals in their landscapes. Rainforest Lullaby and Bushland Lullaby provide the same gentle, rhythmic bedtime reading with different animals to explore.

Clear rhyming text makes it perfect for preschoolers.

The Detective Dog

The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Pan Macmillan)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9781509801596

Reviewed by Ramona Davey

What can I say? Julia Donaldson does it again. The Detective Dog is a fun read aloud rhyming picture book about a dog that always has his nose on the job, even if it is wondering, “Who did the poo on the new gravel path?” or “How did the spider get into the bath?”

Detective dog Nell also likes to listen to children read stories to him at his owner 6-year-old Pete’s school. Until all the books go missing one day. Detective dog could smell something was up.

All is solved in the end when they discover the book thief just loved reading books and only meant to borrow them and it seems he had no idea about libraries. This part of the story felt a bit odd for me as an adult but kids may think this is strange.

Children will love following the dog that is following his nose throughout the book in the colourful watercolour and pencil crayon illustrations by Sara Ogilvie. The classroom scene and the double page library scene are my favourites as is the chase through the town. There is so much to see on each page.

As a mentor text for rhyming writers this reads with ease and is worth studying.

Detective Dog is perfect for the 3-6 year old detectives.

Granny, Wait for Me!

Granny, Wait for Me! by Sarah Owens, illustrated by Anil Tortop (Little Steps Publishing)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN: 9781925117400

Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

The exuberant, lively illustrations spring off the page in vibrant, crisp colour.

This story of an energetic granny is so spirited and enthusiastic that I feel exhausted just looking at the small boy valiantly trying to keep up as his granny displays her cycling prowess!

It’s a rhyming story but, unlike many offerings for this age group, the rhyme stays workably simple. This gives the story a deceptively effortless and easy pace.

A boy is visited by his grandmother who takes him out for the day. This is not a granny who stays home and sips tea: she does wheelies, tricks and spins on her bike, loops-the-loop on the playground swing and sizzles down the slide.

This fun book for preschoolers is fabulously enhanced by the gorgeous and dynamic illustrations. 

What the Ladybird Heard Next

What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks (Pan Macmillan)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9781447275954

Reviewed by Ramona Davey

The bright colours of the front cover will catch your eyes and on closer inspection the glitter, spread throughout the book, will make it hard not to touch, especially by little ones as they follow the ladybird’s journey throughout the book.

This is a fun rhyming sequel to ‘What the ladybird heard,’ where Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have been let out of jail and are up to no good again.

‘Each morning all the eggs had gone.

And the animals asked, “What’s going on?”

“I’ll find out,” said the ladybird.

So she flew and she flew, and she saw and she heard.

Children will love trying to spot the little ladybird on each page as she helps all the farm animals outwit Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len.

Jammed packed with rhyming words, adjectives and onomatopoeia, this is a great text that teachers will want to use in class.

As a mentor text for writers this is word-heavy and in rhyme but Julia Donaldson is a master at this craft. It reads with ease and is worth studying.

The story, with its lyrical text, speaks of teamwork and creative thinking. Lydia Monk’s skill in creating an eye-catching picture book with its fun illustrations in a mixture of collage and paint means there is so much to see and discuss on each page. It’s perfect for the 3-6 year age groups.