The Playground Meanies

The Playground Meanies by Alison Reynolds, illustrated by Mikki Butterley (Five Mile Press) HB RRP $14.99 ISBBN 9781760400644

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

The first two things I noticed about this picture book for young children is how inexpensive it is and how beautifully produced. On the cover it reads, ‘All about being kind with Pickle and Bree’ which is what this book and others in the series is all about – teaching children how to have happy and productive relationships with others.

Pickle is a loveable bear and Bree is a high-spirited girl; they are best friends. In this book they appear in a playground to witness two grey bears hogging the equipment. The bears, Howard and Gracie, make fun of Pickle’s feet, also those of his friend Jason. It’s only teasing but both bears feel unhappy. The verbal bullying continues. ‘It isn’t nice to feel there’s something wrong with you,’ Jason says. Pickle roars his displeasure.

At the picnic in the park, there’s more tormenting about the bears’ feet. The two think about using their feet to smash the food but Bree reminds them that basically two wrongs don’t make a right.  Happily, in an incident a few moments later, Jason’s big foot saves a situation. It’s then that the teasing bears apologise.

And of course the four have fun playing together after that.

Being mean is never the answer. Of course. This is a lesson that small children (and big) need to learn. That’s what this book and other books in the series is about: using simple, humorous narrative to gently demonstrate a lesson about the value of good manners.

The book is beautifully illustrated with bright, full page illustrations showing the personable characters interacting with one another. Small children aged 4 years and up are sure to be thoroughly engaged by story and illustrations.

Blue Sky, Yellow Kite

Blue Sky, Yellow Kite written by Janet A. Holmes, illustrated by Jonathan Bentley (Little Hare Books) HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 9781760124229

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

Daisy spots a yellow kite dancing in the sky. She ventures over a hill to discover it belongs to a boy called William. The two meet, and William teaches Daisy how to fly his kite. Daisy runs and runs with it, and ‘She does not look back once’.

This beautifully illustrated picture book contains an intriguing premise of taking something that’s not yours, and the emotional fallout. The reader is taken on a journey from the depths of Daisy’s despair to joy in the final scene. Friendship, forgiveness and owning up to your mistakes are all cleverly conveyed. Scenes portraying Daisy’s guilty feelings are suitably darker in colour, and then brighten as she attempts to convey her remorse to William.

The story has quite a unique feel – taking something that’s not yours (whether accidental or not) is a childhood experience I’ve not often seen touched upon in picture books.

As a bonus, Blue Sky, Yellow Kite contains a colour print of one of Bentley’s beautiful scenes of Daisy and the kite, wild in the wind.

The Ricker Racker Club

The Ricker Racker Club by Patrick Guest and Nathaniel Eckstrom (Little Hare Books) HB RRP $ ISBN 9781760122928

Reviewed by J Wishart

This enjoyable picture book tells the story of brothers, Max and Ollie, and their secret club. The club’s rules allow girls under certain restrictions, and decree members must do ‘something incredibly brave or kind at least once a week.’ Thus each week, the boys busily do their ‘daring things’, while Poppy, the sole female member, takes care of the ‘kind things’ like sharing her ice-cream and cleaning the boys’  rooms for them.

Using acrylic, pencil and digital media, Eckstrom has captured the energy of play, but also evokes the exaggerated viewpoint of the child. The text adds to this with place names that tell how the boys see the world, such as the ‘tunnel of doom’ and ‘banana-peel bridge.’ Along with the scary ‘wolf’ that lives in the neighbour’s backyard, there are plenty of challenges to test their bravery.

The story is well-paced and ideal for reading aloud, and has plenty of visual cues for early readers to follow. The cover image is eye-catching, depicting the children on a night-time quest with the ‘wolf’ watching from a distance; while the illustrated text features places and activities that children will recognise and easily relate to.

The narrative follows a familiar fairy-tale format, with a repetition and escalation of events that ultimately leads to a shift of power. When it happens, the change is welcome and carries a positive message about equality and judging others. 

The story of The Ricker Racker Club encourages the reader to think differently about what kind of behaviour truly takes the most strength of character; while also being fun and visually engaging.

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.

The Red Feather

The Red Feather by Ben Kitchin, illustrated by Owen Swan (New Frontier Publishing)

HC RRP $ 24.99

ISBN 9780957988439

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Owen Swan is a gifted illustrator and here is further proof of his talent. The child characters in this story are utterly delightful; so beautifully presented and perfect. Swan captures the expressions and attitudes so well it makes you believe you are watching real people in real life scenes.

The pivotal point of the story is a red feather found by Claude at the seaside. It magnetises him and its ownership gives him tremendous joy.

That is until Shelby sees the feather and feels the same as Claude about it. The feather is swapped for food when Claude becomes hungry.

Then William is mesmerised by the brilliant red feather. A reluctant swap for an umbrella when it rains sees him in possession.  The longing moves to Maya she sees the magical feather that is bewitching everyone.  It changes hands again, this time for a blanket. Maya leaves the group to enjoy this unique object alone.

But loneliness is no substitute for friends, even when a beautiful and coveted red feather is the prize. What will Maya decide to do?

The story with its simple text speaks of friendship, togetherness, and sharing. This delightful picture book with its stunning illustrations in pen, watercolour and coloured pencil is a stand out. It’s something special for the 3-6 age groups.

Sidney, Stella and the Moon

Sidney, Stella and the Moon by Emma Yarlett (Lothian/Hachette)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN: 9780734414090
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

Sharing is important but not to Sidney and his sister Stella, until one fateful night when a bouncing ball they are fighting over hurtles out of the bedroom window and bounces so high it shatters the moon. The two siblings are horrified! One moment the moon is shining and next it is gone, leaving the town in darkness.

What happens next is portrayed in a double page spread inviting the reader to open the children's front door and look outside. There are television news crews everywhere. A reporter with a microphone broadcasts the breaking news that the moon has disappeared, while moon balloons and moon ice creams are being sold on street corners. Every second person is reading a newspaper with the headlines, "Vanished" and "Who would steal a moon?"

Sidney and Stella quickly realise they have to find a replacement moon. Emma's quirky illustrations capture the children searching for something in their home which could become a second moon. Their frantic efforts leave them tired and hungry.

When Sidney takes a big round cheese out of the fridge and starts nibbling, he finds the answer to their problem. Stella comes up with the idea of using her skipping rope to catapult the cheese into the sky. But Sidney thinks he should do it and Stella disagrees. Will they never learn to share?

Fortunately they do, and once again the moon is in its rightful place.

I liked the simple but very effective drawings and the use of a wide palette of colours in this engaging picture book. The message of sharing came across in a direct but fun way, making it easy for children to accept and, hopefully, emulate. The stand-out cover design embellished by a sprinkling of silver stars is bound to attract readers.

Share

Share by Anthea Simmons and Georgie Birkett (Random House)

HB RRP $12.95

ISBN 978-1-7427-5099-6

Reviewed by Oliver Phommavanh

Share is a bright and bubbly picture book for infants. It stars a big sister and her baby brother going through a day of playing. Whatever the big sister wants to touch, the baby brother wants to have as well. Mummy wants her to share, which she does, but baby brother has a different way of using her things. So the sister changes tack and applies Mummy’s sharing mantra to get back at both baby brother and Mummy. But she learns that sharing certain things with her baby brother can be a good thing.

There are delightful pencil-sketched illustrations by Birkett and the friendly font means kids will be reading this over and over again. It’s also a neat way to discuss sharing among siblings. Share is a charming picture book that kids will want to share around. It’s recommended for ages 4 and up.