Digging up Dad

Digging up Dad by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin Books) PB RRP $16.99 isbn9781760890940

Reviewed by Kathleen Grace

The sub-title of this book is ‘…and other hopeful (and funny) stories.’ One would expect a Gleitzman book to be humorous, and this is his aim in these eleven stories with titles like ‘Biggies Behaving Better,’ ‘Does My Mum Look Big in This’, and ‘A Sorry Spectacle.’

The first story in the collection, ‘Great, Great, Great’ is made up of a series of anecdotes. The first sentences read, ‘Every Thursday afternoon, while I’m sitting here with Mum, I think about my dead rellies. I call them my great great greats.’ First is Great Great Great Uncle Thyroid, a fearless sloth hunter. After Thyroid’s tracking adventures, the story segues into France where there’s a young woman at a spinning wheel. Then there’s someone called Lucienne. The final section sees the narrator visiting Dad in prison. Spiders feature in the story, but it’s difficult to quite make sense of the story. One wonders what children will make of it.

The second story, ‘Fake Nudes’ makes more sense. Twins in year six are involved in a school holiday project called Helping at Home. Jock and his sister Wil are trying to spy on their neighbours in the hope of getting a glimpse of them in the nude.  “You don’t have to see a whole naked person,” says Wil. “Just a bottom of a nipple will do.” By the end of the story the twins meet the neighbours in person and learn why they are identically dressed (sorry, kids, no nudity…)

Other stories are about a dad’s expensive watch and a dying friend, getting on with your sister like a house on fire, and being a great cat burglar. The theme of children trying to help adults, especially parents, is evident in each of the stories.. All are pitched at readers aged 9 to 12 years, and are written in Gleitzman's usual, casual, and easy-to-read style which is evident in other amusing books he’s written such as Give Peas a Chance, Pizza Cake, and Snot Chocolate.

Morris Gleitzman is said to be one of Australia's funniest and best-loved authors for young people. He was Australian Children’s Laureate 2018/2019. His books explore serious and sometimes confronting subjects in humorous and unexpected ways.

Achievements

In ‘Jackie's Spring Competition’ (PIO) for writers of rhyme, Janeen Brian's verse story, Rosalie Lee won second place and her poem, Stromwert on the Look Out, was an Honorable Mention.'

Janeen’s story, Round and Round, was also shortlisted in the Buzz Words short story competition.

19 Love Songs

19 Love Songs by David Levithan (Text Publishing) RRP PB $19.99
ISBN 9781922268921

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

19 Love Songs is a collection of engaging short stories, depicting love in all its various shapes and sizes: crushes, first dates, first kisses, unrequited love, parent-offspring love and romantic relationships. The diverse tales include fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose and even a comic strip style narrative. The central characters range from child to adolescent to adult.

‘By learning the ways other people have told stories, we learn to tell our own. By telling our own, we become free.’ Gay, straight, transgender - love is love and Levithan depicts it all beautifully: the elation, the pain, the romance, the confusion, the hope, the humour, the everlasting. The writing is enviable and many quotes will stay with you long after the last page is turned. Not only is 19 Love Songs about romantic love, it is also a subtle tribute to a love of literacy, libraries, storytelling, authors, books and words.

19 Love Songs is a novel length book and would appeal to readers aged 15+, especially those who need reminding that while everyone ultimately seeks love and understanding, they shouldn’t change for anybody, and should love who they are first.

The World’s Worst Teachers

The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross (HarperCollins) PB RRP $18.00 ISBN 978 0008363994

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

This is an impressive book, if only because it is super-heavy (over 330 pages), with every page illustrated in full colour and swamped with repetitive and exaggerated words and often with footnotes.

‘Warning! Ten Terrifying Tales within’ it reads on the cover of David Walliams’ latest book of short stories for readers aged 8 to 12 years. The cover also reads ‘from the Number One bestselling author’ but whether this is true, or a falsehood invented by the very inventive author, is difficult to discern. There have been comparisons with Roald Dahl, but the jury is out on that statement.

Other than the size, the other first impression of this book is that the publisher has spent a small fortune on producing it -- from the gold embossing on the cover and onto the book design. Every page has words and phrases in different sized font, with some pages to be read vertically instead of horizontally.

In keeping with the humorous tone of the stories, the world’s worst teachers have names like Mr Pent, Miss Spick, Miss Seethe and Miss Conceit. Except for Mrs Lovey-Dovey, all women are Miss, which is interesting. It would seem the author has a prejudice against spinster teachers. (It would be interesting to know of his student days and his teachers…)

Walliams employs wildly, super-exaggerated humour in relating the stories, each one of which is about a thoroughly dislikeable teacher who in the end gets his or her comeuppance. In Mr and Mrs Lovey-Dovey, for instance, the couple at the start of the story are singletons teaching at the same school, and of course they fall in love. As he often does, Walliams invents words, in this case ‘puketastic’ and ‘wondermental’ (love) to describe the romance from the students’ point of view. In the course of the story, Mr and Mrs are swept far out to sea, but after the children rejoice, there’s a twist at the end of the tale.

‘In the world of horrible teachers, one in particular (stands) out for her wickedness’; this is the elderly school librarian Miss Spick who instils fear into the hearts of all the pupils at Spottingdon School. She uses her mobility scooter to ride up and down the aisles of the school library, sending pupils flying. And too, she is by far the worst librarian ever, imposing fines left, right and centre.

In keeping with the totally over-the-top prose, the illustrations are eye-catching with cartoonish teachers appearing to be wicked, frantic, fearsome, punitive and ugly. Here, on just one page, from the story ‘Miss Seethe’s Detention Rampage’, are words which are variously enclosed in speech balloons or labels: “OH, YES I CAN!” thundered the deputy head. “OH, NO YOU CAN’T!” chimed in the whole school. “OH, YES I CAN!” “OH, NO YOU CAN’T!” “OH, YES I CAN!” ‘EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, YOU ARE ALL IN DETENTION.” ‘DETENTION RAMPAGE!’

In between all the highlighted and often repetitive words there are stories: they are full of action but are probably too long for the reluctant reader. Having said that, as most children are subversive, they are probably going to enjoy the subversive tone of the book. But whether teachers will be happy to put the book on library shelves remains to be seen.

Twelve Angels Weeping

Twelve Angels Weeping by Dave Rudden, illustrated by Alexis Snell (Penguin Random House) HB RRP $29.99 ISBN: 9781405938273

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

‘Every light casts a shadow. And every story needs a villain.’ During the Doctor’s travels to the limits of time and space in the TARDIS – a time machine that is ‘bright and blue and shining in the grim darkness’ – the renegade Time Lord has encountered a slew of adversaries. From the reptilian Silurians and Ice Warriors to the rhino-like Judoon, each race proudly displays its unique brand of brutality like a badge of honour.

Teen fans of the long-running television show Doctor Who will enjoy sinking their teeth into this collection of twelve thrilling tales. In a refreshing twist, each story focuses on a classic villain (rather than the Doctor) and expertly augments the expanded universe of the franchise. While it is helpful to be aware of the characters and the various guises of the Doctor when reading the stories, it is not essential – sci-fi buffs with no prior knowledge of the show will quickly become engrossed in the futuristic action.

Dave Rudden immerses himself brilliantly into the vast world of Doctor Who, intriguing readers with a Cyberman who sees a ghost girl; the origin of Strax the Sontaran, who later works alongside the Doctor; and a Zygon plan to turn a glorious glass city into shards that will grind ‘into the meat of the universe’. Humour and horror drip from the pages in equal measure, surprisingly tempered with a lot of heart. With a dozen battles between light and dark to savour, this is one book that teenagers won’t want to ‘Exterminate!’

Total Quack Up!

Total Quack Up! Edited by Sally Rippin & Adrian Beck, illustrated by James Foley (Puffin Books) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9780143794905

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

‘Funny stories to make you feel good about some of your favourite authors!’ is printed on the cover of this book published in Australia. The authors are Matt Stanton, Deborah Abela, Tristan Bancks, Paul Jennings, Alex Miles, RA Spratt, Jacqueline Harvey and Oliver Phommavanh, as well as the two editors.

Superheroes, footy-obsessed pigs, birthday parties that go terribly wrong, criminal cats and hippos which prefer the beach rather than rivers are the subjects of some of these short stories.

In ‘Ratbagg’, Rory Albert Thomas Bragg has a mild superpower, which enables him to control rats with his mind. Of course, he owns pet rats, but when he discovers his school principal Mr Blart has a rat phobia, anything can happen! In Tristan Banck’s story, ‘The Pigs’, soccer team, the Kings Bay Pigs is down three to nil a few minutes from half-time: if they lose, they’ll hold the record for the Most Consecutive Losses by a Football Team in the World. In ‘How to Be A Super-hero’, Ann Small renames herself Arabella von Champion, and then attempts to reach up to the status. The title of Matt Stanton’s story, ‘What Hippopotamuses and Sharks have in Common’ signals what the story is likely to be about.

All ten stories are printed in large, easy-to-read font and black and white illustrations are scattered throughout. Not all of the stories are hilarious but there is enough humour in the book to keep a reader aged 8 to 12 years engaged for many hours.

Jemma, Short Stories

Jemma, Short Stories by Stefan Nicholson (SAN publishers), PB RRP $19 ISBN 9780980460445

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

In his publicity blurb the author writes that this book is primarily aimed at YA readers and anyone above the age of twelve. Young readers are interested in stories about people their own age or a few years older. Even though this book is titled Jemma, who is the youngest daughter in the Palette family, the main character in all the stories is Dad, a middle-aged writer of fiction.

Early in the second story we learn that Mum is in hospital with some undiagnosed problem. The story then focuses on Jemma meeting an old sea captain who sets her a riddle. The riddle’s answer will explain how humans should spend their lives. The story is thus high-jacked by adults, with the riddle being solved by Mum. (Her illness had been caused by the family dog’s new herbicidal shampoo).  

The third story is a variation on Six Characters in Search of an Author, with the imaginary Palette family talking to the author.

The fourth story, which has the most potential for 8-12 year olds, concerns the theft of a golden eagle. Jemma plays more of a role here, but at the climax of the story, instead of being actively involved in saving the eagle, she and her friends retreat to eat pizza and wait patiently for news.

This book would probably work best for an adult audience.  

An elephant living in the house (and other pet stories)

An elephant living in the house (and other pet stories) written by Sharyn Bajerai

Available as an e-book                                                      Kindle - https://books.pronoun.com/serve/8a237296-aa6d-4d9a-a1c5-9ceb0769dc65/final~mobi/
ePub - https://books.pronoun.com/serve/8a237296-aa6d-4d9a-a1c5-9ceb0769dc65/final~epub/

Reviewed by Elizabeth Vercoe

An elephant living in the house is one of three short stories about pets, available in this online anthology by West Australian writer Sharyn Bajerai. The other stories are titled Matt’s pet tarantula and Lee.

Each of the stories contains easy-to-read dialogue and interesting facts about the featured animals…

In the first story, Olivia wants an elephant for a pet but pesky old Mum and Dad say no. So what’s a girl to do but steal one from the zoo and keep it in her bedroom? Soon however, Olivia discovers that elephants aren’t all that easy to hide - or to look after - because they eat so much! An entertaining twist at the conclusion, after Olivia has returned the elephant to the zoo, is quite delightful.

The second story is also about a child keeping a pet in his bedroom – this time a pet tarantula. Although he doesn’t ask his parents about keeping the spider, Matt’s a ‘responsible’ pet owner who finds the correct foods for Wolfgang to eat, and also creates a proper habitat so that the spider has places to hide and moult. When the spider foils a home invader, the jig is up and happily, Matt’s allowed to keep Wolfgang.

The third story is about a mistreated greyhound who is found and helped by a young boy who takes her to the nearby animal shelter. Through watching the greyhound’s interactions with other abandoned animals, the boy is able to convince the shelter to keep the dog as a ‘helper’ so he can visit her.

These stories variously contain appealing and entertaining ideas that explore the notion of longing for something impractical, of looking after other creatures, of taking responsibility for actions.

One little aside is that I was surprised that the idea of ‘screaming like a girl’ was included - but that’s just me taking umbrage!

With illustrations to break up the text, each story in the compilation consists of four chapters and has a satisfying, sometimes surprising, conclusion.

This is an entertaining series of stories that will appeal to both boys and girls.

Phantasmagorical Phobias

Phantasmagorical Phobias by Michelle Path PB Available on Amazon published by Rowanvale Books RRP $10.57 

ISBN 9781910832189

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Australian author Path has creatively written an engaging book with a collection of short stories that delve into fears and how they affect our lives and how the characters manage to overcome them. Path’s clever use of fairy tale, pirate and cowboy and girl characters opens a menagerie of fears that impact greatly upon each character’s ability to function within their world. Imagine a witch who is afraid of toads or a dragon that can’t breath fire.  I like the fact that the book uses short stories so that they can easily be visited and revisited over and over again.  Teachers will find this book a useful resource in their classroom due to the stories having an educational slant.  This book would be suitable for 8-12 year olds.

Path’s style of writing engages young readers with a little old world charm, and a touch of the modern day too.   The stories move along easily with a mix of short and long sentences.  The vocabulary used has a sprinkling of new words that will expand the younger reader (including the title).

‘Chika’s words hurt Jiro. The dragons’s wings drooped and he hung his head. He began to cry. The macaque did not care. He was too intent on his own selfish desires. He ran off into the forest in search of the orchard, leaving Jiro alone with his grief.’

Path is an independent author who is clearly following her passion to write for children with sixteen books published to date and more to come.  She is clearly determined to spread her writing wings.

FB: www.facebook.com/Karen-Hendriks-Childrens-Author

Henrietta and the Perfect Night

Henrietta and the Perfect Night by Martine Murray (Allen and Unwin)

HB RRP $16.99   ISBN 9781760290245

Reviewed by Daniela Andrews

Fans of Henrietta the Great Go-Getter will be pleased to discover this hardcover book by Martine Murray, featuring five new Henrietta stories.

Henrietta is just as spirited and adventurous as ever: ‘I’m an explorer of life, and that includes trees, bugs, animals and all mysteries.’ In this collection, she practices how to be patient and be a good big sister (‘The Waiting Game’), how to rescue somebody and make a friend at school (‘The First Day’), how to survive a sleepover with the pesky older brother of her best friend (‘The Sleepover’), how to save the school play when the lead gets stage fright (‘The School Play’) and how to adjust to life with a new baby brother (‘The Arrival’). The stories need to be read in sequence to be properly enjoyed, with the title alluding to the final story’s conclusion.

The book is illustrated in full colour by Martine Murray, award-winning author of How to Make a Bird and Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars. Each double page features an illustration to break up the text, making this a great novel for readers aged 5 years and older who are starting to read chapter books. The design is likely to appeal to the age group too, with key phrases appearing in an alternate font of different size or colour.

Henrietta is ‘a Big Thinker’ and her thoughts and observations are highly amusing! The stories are told in first-person perspective, allowing the author to offer fantastic examples of friendship, courage and kindness without seeming to preach these values to her readers. (‘You only need one friend in a room full of strangers to feel perfectly happy.’) Henrietta is, at times, bold and sassy, at other times quiet and afraid, but the range of emotions she feels gives scope to her situations and makes her very real and lovable.

Exploding Endings

Exploding Endings - Books 1(Painted Dogs and Doom Cakes), 2 (Cursed Pants & Cranky Cops) and 3(Dingbats &Lollypop Arms) by Tim Harris, illustrated by Ryan Perno (Harbour Publishing House)

PB RRP $14.99

Book 1 ISBN 978-1-922134-57-8

Book 2 ISBN 978-1-922134-69-1

Book 3 ISBN 978-1-922134-70-7

Reviewed by Joanne Pummer

Short Stories With Big Twists - that's how author Tim Harris describes his trilogy of short stories called 'Exploding Endings'. Each story is told by a child narrator in the first person about contemporary family life in suburban Australia. All are extremely whacky and sure to illicit laughs and groans in equal measure from Primary School children.

Book 1 begins with a list of the top 79 excuses for being late. Book 2 begins with a list of the top 79 excuses for talking in class and the third book begins with the top 79 excuses for not doing your homework - just the kind of subversive humour that children relish. Jokes, riddles and 'knock knocks' appear between stories, recipes and 'Page Wars' - the ongoing war between the right hand page and the left hand page, named (appropriately), 'lefty' and 'righty'.

A recipe for Murphy's Chocolate Cake has 43 steps and a Prep time of 204 days 2 hours and 17 minutes. Step 42 is 'Forget about it and go to the beach instead'. Step 43 is 'Get eaten by a shark'. Ryan Perno's black and white illustrations, which are little more than zany emojis in Book 1, become more sophisticated in the books that follow.

The final story in Book One (‘Psycho, Sweet Tooth Seagull’) ends after two chapters with 'to be continued'. This is a hook, bound to induce readers to buy the next book. Cleverly, Tim Harris repeats the first two chapters of 'Psycho Sweet Tooth Seagull' in the second book so each book works as a stand-alone story book as well as part of a series.

The large type face, easy reading and accessible stories make these books suitable for all children from newly independent readers (7 years and up ) tackling their first chapter books to eleven year olds, reluctant readers included.

Rain Stones

Rain Stones by Jackie French, (Harper Collins) PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 9781460753170

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

The 25^th anniversary edition of Rain Stones was recently released. It is Jackie French’s debut book, a collection of five short stories that have a unique Australian flavour. The stories, with a strong environmental theme, show a great love for our country. The imaginative and thought-provoking writing draws primary school aged readers into a world of adventure and freedom.

 

'Rain Stones tells of the hardship of drought and the desperate need for water: our hard dry land can be a tough place to live in. ‘Afternoon with Grandma’ touches on Alzheimer’s, dreams and determination.  ‘Jacob Saw’ warmly shows there are ways to see other than with one’s eyes.  ‘Dancing with Dinosaurs’ cleverly imagines the rolling hills of Canberra as dinosaurs come to life in their nightly dance. In ‘Dusty the Dragon’ a magical dragon is hidden in a sleepy bush valley.

There is a touchingly warm afterword from French about how her writing journey started and about the inspiration for each story.  The first story,  ‘Rain Stones’, French says, written out of a desperate need for income as well as to express her passion for writing.  Needless to say French’s talent shone through and her writing career took off.

Today’s children will enjoy the stories as they still manage to connect and touch readers.

The book is handy for teachers looking for stories that are distinctly Australian to share in their classrooms. These stories will surely lead to much discussion about what it means to be an Australian.

Snot Chocolate

Snot Chocolate by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin Books) PB RRP $16.99 ISBN 9780143309222

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

‘Funny stories from one of Australia’s favourite authors,’ reads the title page of this collection of nine stories that follow earlier titles Give Peas a Chance and Pizza Cake. Yes, there is certainly humour in the stories, but sometimes, too, the author sneaks in political statements: ‘Trump our dog sits on the floor next to me liking his bottom, which is his hobby.’

The first story, ‘King Ned’, set in the thirteenth century, features a boy who, with his Uncle Vern, always gets up at dawn in a hovel ‘in case the pigs needed a lie down.’ Overnight events have changed in England so that suddenly, to his immense surprise, Ned is proclaimed King. His Lord Chamberlain is a ruthless man: ‘before Ned could say anything else, the Lord Chamberlain’s sword flashed and the heads of two courtiers plopped onto the ground, followed by the thud of their bodies.’ Despite the goriness of numerous beheadings, there is a lot of humour in the story.

Other stories in the book are set in modern times and include the secret diary of a dog, the story of how one slice of bread can make you the most popular person in school, and how to defeat a bully using a demolition ball. One story focuses on pig-nostril gruel, another on a child who lives in a house 'that gets wiped clean more often than a bottom'; the FDC title of one story refers to a Fairy Demolition Contractor who grants a boy wishes to demolish whatever three structures he chooses. The final, title story is told from the point of view of a boy whose chocolate-addicted mother is in court defending her clients accused of hijacking over five thousand Easter bunnies. There she is, ‘a top lawyer picking her nose and eating it.’

As in many of his books, Gleitzman’s stories display a wild and clever imagination. Also, too, he appeals to kids’ basic instincts with numerous references to peeing and pooing: ‘Sometimes life does a poo on your head and you just have to wear it.’ And too, he tells his tales in simple, easy-to-read sentences. There's no doubt young readers with a penchant for gross – and more subtle -- humour will enjoy this book.   

Annie’s Snails

Annie’s Snails by Dianne Wolfer, illustrated by Gabriel Evans (Walker Books)

PB RRP $11.95

ISBN 9781921720635

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Annie loves the glistening snail trails that lead to her beloved pets. She collects snails, takes them to her cubby house to play with, and names them. But can snails live in a plastic ice cream container?

Annie discovers many things about snails, their needs and their environment. A lesson is learnt when she has to make a major decision about freeing them so they can live.

This story is a terrific example for young children on rules about keeping living things in confined spaces. It is presented in three short stories ideal for early readers. Its outdoor theme encourages play in the natural world and will certainly create discussion about how things in nature live and survive.

The delightful black and white illustrations reflect Annie’s dilemma beautifully alongside the sorrow and acceptance of her final decision.

Tales from the Waterhole

Tales from the Waterhole by Bob Graham (Candlewick)
PB RRP $11.95
ISBN 9780763668761
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Tales from the Waterhole comes from fantastic Candlewick Sparks series for those just beginning to read. There are 27 books in the series written and illustrated by popular authors, using loved and known characters.

This four chapter book offers short stories with Morris and his animal friends that live around the waterhole of the African savannah.

Bob Graham’s easily identifiable watercolours bring to life the animals’ antics, their fun-loving characters, and the theme of friendship within a perfect blend of illustration and simple prose.

This series is produced in a new edition which is smaller than the normal sized picture book, and will fit neatly on any child’s book case.

Stories for Girls

Stories for Girls a selection of stories by Australian authors, illustrated by J. Yi (Random House Australia Children’s)
PB RRP $14.95
ISBN 9780857980861
Ebook ISBN: 9780857980878
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

Who’s up for a story, or 12? This anthology of short stories is perfect for so many people. Young readers aged six to eight will laugh out loud, parents will rejoice at bedtime with the witty selection they can share with their children and teachers will be pestered by their students to read another story.

Jacqueline Harvey, Dianne Bates, Janeen Brian, Tania Cox, Claire Saxby – it’s a galaxy of writers presenting a stellar smorgasbord of stories about ghosts, glamour and games.

In Jess Black’s A Pony for Alice, there’s a wonderful unicorn connection. Maisie Dubosarsky’s short story tells of young Grace who wished so hard for long hair that it grew out the window. Just as well Mrs Finn, the violin teacher, had a great solution.

George Ivanoff is up to his usual funny stuff in his story of Ug the troll who wants to make a fairy pie as he ‘really, really liked eating … even people, when he could catch them.’

For dance enthusiasts, there’s Grace Atwood’s story of Arabella the ballet-dancing giraffe. Her perfect manners forbade her to show her long, blue tongue in company … ‘If she couldn’t reach the leaf with her lips, it was not the leaf for her.’

Challenges abound in David Harding’s Monkey Man. It’s the day of the Dad and Daughter school picnic and the permission note sternly states ‘No animals!’

In Deborah Kelly’s story about a pet rat, secrets abound– with a delightful twist on the theme of sibling rivalry.

There’s even a twist on fairy tales, as Martin Chatterton weaves his magic in The Tale of Handle and Kettle.

There’s so much to recommend this collection of short stories for girls. The stories are a great segue into chapter books with plenty of white space, large type and scatterings of illustrations by the quirky J. Yi (illustrator of the Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose and Ghost Club series). There’s even a bio on each author at the end of the book with plenty of author goss.

Sir Mouse to the Rescue

Sir Mouse to the Rescue by Dirk Nielandt, illustrated by Marjolein Pottie, translated by Laura Watkinson (Book Island)
HB RRP NZ $24.99
ISBN 9780987669629
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Everything about Sir Mouse to the Rescue is delightful and you will not find a better collection of short stories anywhere for young children.

Mouse and Dragon are best friends. With wit and humour, Belgian author Dirk Nielandt treats us to a very human relationship between Mouse and Dragon in all its wonderful complexity. No didactic 'you must act in this way' preaching to children in this book. Instead, children can explore what it means to be a friend through the adventures of these two, and in their interactions with each other and other characters.

Mouse and Dragon are as different as chalk and cheese with Mouse being proud and extrovert and Dragon thoughtful and introvert. Yet this is the strength of their friendship.  Rather than being friends because they are alike, they are friends because they like one another. Each brings their strengths to the friendship and helps the other grow.

Mouse is hilarious. When the two friends, discover a Prince in a tower calling 'help', Mouse calls back 'How do you want me to help you?' She wonders if he needs help with his homework or is on the loo and has run out of paper!

Throughout the five stories, Dragon is generally the one who comes up with solutions to the friends' dilemmas and to smooth things over, even if Mouse is inclined to take the credit. However, the heroic actions of Mouse in the final story in the book 'About War and Friendship' sum up friendship.

Marjolein Pottie's illustrations complement and extend the text perfectly with a combination of collage and paper-cutting techniques, True to her character, Dragon appears particularly loveable with her patchwork appearance and Mouse's determination is evident in every depiction. I particularly loved the pages with the paper cutting art which tell the stories in an unique fashion.

As with Book Island's other two inaugural titles (read my reviews of  Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich and Bernie and Flora), Sir Mouse to the Rescue is beautifully presented: gorgeous endpapers, quality paper and would make a wonderful gift to an emerging reader. I look forward to many more translations into English of Flemish children's literature from Book Island.

City

City by James Roy (UQP)
PB RRP $19.95
ISBN 978-0-7022-4926-6
Reviewed by Jo Antareau

In this companion piece to his previous short story collection, Town, award-winning Australian author James Roy brings us a cross-section of city life told in twenty-two short pieces. Although aimed at a Young Adult audience, I (an adult) found it enjoyable. There are some drug references in the novel, but substance use is not portrayed.

Set in an unnamed modern Western city, Roy offers us tantalizing glimpses into the lives of some young adults. Roy is a skilled tease. With economical use of words, he gives us a lot – and leaves the reader wanting to know more.

The characters span the social spectrum – the unemployed, junkies, poets, artists, private school boys, students, speed-daters, workers, visitors from the country – mostly strangers, are linked by invisible threads. The connections that bind a city's inhabitants similarly unite the protagonists... the music, the streets, nightlife, the buses, the poem scrawled on a wall, the sporting teams. Roy elegantly demonstrates that we are all only separated by a few degrees.

Each piece in this anthology skilfully portrays the hopes and disappointments, wisdom and stupidity, prejudices and tolerances, pain and resilience of these people. They are all unique, yet easily recognisable. My favourite was Lauren the nurse, and her budding romance with an African musician, but admit to a soft spot for the slow-witted Chunks, who takes umbrage at a thug and ends up naked and hog-tied, dragging his equally impulsive mates into a head-on confrontation with a group of armed men.

City can be read as a series of discrete short stories. But this would be denying the fun of referring back to a previous story, to confirm where you might have read about this particular person earlier as they make a cameo in another's story.

Beautifully written with an economy of words, City had the effect of making me want to go back and read Roy's previous work Town. I can offer no higher praise to a writer than that.

A set of teaching notes is also available from the publisher, RRP $19.95.

Bink and Gollie

 Bink and Gollie, Two for One by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 24.95

ISBN 9781406337396

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The creators of Bink & Gollie have a list of successes behind them. From this band of highly talented people comes the second book about two best friends that are totally opposite in every way. One is tall, the other small. And that’s only where it begins.

They have fun all the time. They have their strengths and weaknesses, individual characters and tastes. Of the three comical stories in this book, the first, Whack a Duck, had me in stitches. The girls decide to go the spring fair. Bink wants to whack a duck of which the prize is the world’s largest doughnut. Three balls are on offer. The man tells her she’s got winner written all over her. Bink looks for the sign on her blouse. (Children take things literally which makes it even funnier)

She gets ready, lines the ball up and sends it flying – right between the man’s eyes breaking his glasses!  He’s a bit confused but hands over ball number two. Bink lines it up again and it flies faster than the first, right against his nose. With glasses bound and nose bandaged the man hands over the third ball. By now his words are jumbled and he’s cross-eyed. With a bandaged head, broken nose and glasses, Gollie hands Bink some money and off she goes to the doughnut stand. Bink returns with a bag full of doughnuts and they sit and share them together with the comforting thought from Gollie, ‘but we’re all still alive’.

Two more stories follow of equal enjoyment and laughter guaranteed: You’re Special aren’t You? and Without Question. The conversation/dialogue throughout the book is incredibly clever and entertaining. The illustrations, full of movement and expression, give a more potent translation to the text. The two together are priceless!

This book can make an adult laugh out loud. It has interesting and valuable themes running through them such as being different can be fun, and opposites attract. There is a lot for the adult reader to discuss with the young listener. It is produced with a hard, durable and attractive cover with vibrant colours which continue onto the end pages. It will most surely be available in paperback later as was the first book.

Bruno Fiddlestein’s Dilemma, Mrs Papadopoulos’s Purple Hippopotamuses and Widow Hegarty’s Goat

Bruno Fiddlestein’s Dilemma, Mrs Papadopoulos’s Purple Hippopotamuses and Widow Hegarty’s Goat: collections of short stories by Vashti Farrer, illustrated by Naomi Kelly (Five Senses Education P/L)
PB RRP $12.95 each
Reviewed by Felicity Pulman

Vashti Farrer’s humorous and quirky short stories and poems have long been enjoyed by readers of NSW School Magazine, and her work will now reach a far wider audience with the publication of both old and new stories in these collections with subtitles: ‘stories to snortle at,’ ‘tall tales,’ and ‘unlikely escapades’. Readers will chortle over the antics of such things as a friendly emu called Ethel, a pair of naughty purple hippopotamus slippers, a pigeon with street smarts, the match-making goat of Widow Hegarty, and the garden gnomes who make themselves useful. They’ll also discover how Miss Muffet overcame her fear of spiders, and what happens when you play the violin to vegetables.

Of particular interest to my grandchildren were the fun stories about their favourite animals: cats and dogs that often got into trouble or had to save their owners. Some old favourites are also included in the collections: the stories of Lulubelle and Bones, Mr Pavlov’s Possum, and Green Piece’s Princess Euphorbia (ribbit!)

Alert readers will enjoy the puns. Imagine having classmates with names like Will Argue, Aidan Abbett, Wanda Round, Iona Broome and Luke Heare, and being taught by Miss Happ!

Naomi Kelly’s delightful drawings illustrate most of the stories and poems, adding an extra dimension of fun. Enjoy these wonderful collections, and remember:

‘Don’t maffle, cronk or chimble

When a bumblepuppy’s nigh,

It might clawscrunt up your mazzard

Nurk your goblocks on the sly.

It might knoup your knevel slister,

Sloom your snortle on the run,

Till you’re faffled, motched and gloppened

And it’s had its bit of fun.’

(c) Felicity Pulman, 2011