Looking Up

Looking Up by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Aska (Fremantle Press) PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9781925164572

Reviewed by Teena Raffa-Mulligan

Award-winning WA author Sally Murphy’s latest junior fiction release about a boy who receives an unexpected birthday surprise is sure to become a read-again favourite with young readers.

Pete is desperately hoping for a telescope for his tenth birthday. There’s nothing he wants more. But when a card arrives in the mail from the granddad Pete didn’t know he had, it changes everything.

There are questions Pete wants answered. Mum won’t explain so he decides to find out for himself who this mysterious grandfather is and see if he can become part of their life.

Murphy writes with insight and warmth about family relationships. All her characters are vividly drawn and come to life on the page. From the opening lines I was seeing events unfold through Pete’s eyes, yet also feeling a strong empathy for Mum and her estranged father.

Readers aged six to eight years will have no difficulty connecting with Pete, who loves stargazing and solving mysteries.

Aska’s full-page mono illustrations accompany each chapter and complement the text beautifully. My favourite is Mum and Pete lying hand in hand on the trampoline, deep in discussion about recent events. 

Murphy’s verse novel Pearl Verses the World won an Indie Book of the Year award in 2009, was made a Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2010, and won a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award (Best Book for Language Development, Upper Primary) in 2010.

Her book Toppling won a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and a Western Australian Premier’s Book Award in 2010. It was also shortlisted for a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award in 2010 and was made a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book in 2011.

Looking Up deserves to garner the same level of critical acclaim and reader popularity.

Teaching notes are available from www.fremantlepress.com.au 

A Game of Keeps

A Game of Keeps by Dianne Bates (Celapene Press)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN – 978-0-9873677-8-5

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

Eight year old Ashley’s story gives a refreshing, non-judgmental view of one family’s struggles. Though she loves Froggie, her pet guinea pig, Ashley longs for a puppy. When she’s older, she wants to be a dancer. Right now, however, what she wants most is for Mum and Dad to get back together. She knows that Dad is away a lot with his band, and appreciates him visiting when he can, but she dislikes being left home alone when Mum goes out at night.

Fortunately for Ashley, Mum and Dad aren’t the only adults in her life. Nor are they the only ‘family’ she has. Though uncertain when first meeting Daisy and Will, a couple from an ‘Aunts and Uncles’ support program, she soon sees how kind, fun and understanding they are about what she needs. Their support helps her be confident as she manages emotionally unsettling situations.

In the past, kids like Ashley may have been lucky enough to have a supportive neighbour in their life. Nowadays, however, people seem less certain about stepping in and playing a role. Fortunately, ‘Aunts and Uncles’ programs allow people like Daisy and Will to support and nurture children like Ashley. Her story acknowledges some of the reasons that people like Ashley’s family struggle and shows how this need not always be to the detriment of the child.

Though Ashley’s tale doesn’t resolve itself the way she hoped for, Daisy and Will’s guidance and friendship establishes a starting point from which both she and her mum begin turning their lives around. This satisfying, believable ending will delight readers as they see how beautifully and simply people like Daisy and Will embrace making every and any child’s welfare our responsibility.

Pencil drawings illustrating moments within the story add extra charm to the book and the examples of how ‘family’ can be made up of a range of people who provide a sense of belonging are sure to spark conversation about how we can all care for others. The world we live in today needs more books like this one.

Roses are Blue

Roses are Blue by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Gabriel Evans (Walker Books)

PB RRP $ 16.95

ISBN 9781922244376

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This superlative verse novel is about people being different and varying perceptions of what that means through a child’s eyes. Highly emotive, this gentle story has additional sub-themes of fitting in, acceptance and trust.

Amber Rose thinks a lot about her family; about before and now. Before the accident her mum was a free spirit - happy, playful, and artistic. Now she sits in a wheelchair, with a lopsided mouth, unable to talk or care for herself. Amber’s before mum has disappeared and she misses all the things Mum was and isn’t anymore. It is only one of many changes in Amber’s life.

Moving house, starting a new school and making new friends is hard. So Amber hasn’t yet told anyone about Mum. Not even her new best friend, Saffron. She doesn’t know how people will react. We see the state of Amber’s heart and mind, and the internal battle she is dealing with. Her feelings and thoughts reach the reader through her measured and precise descriptions about her doubts and fears. Mother’s Day and high tea at school puts Amber in a panic. She has a lot to consider and difficult decisions to make. And if her mum comes, will being different make a difference to anyone?

Sally Murphy’s preference for verse novels is an inspired choice. Amber’s narrative voice is perfect. This book taught me so much about acceptance and seeing things from both sides of every situation. A thought-provoking and moving book.

Billy Slater: Banana Kick

Billy Slater: Banana Kick by Patrick Loughlin, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Random House Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780857982667

Also available as an ebook

ISBN 9780857982674

Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

What a great concept for a series for young boys who love their sport. You don’t have to be a footy player to engage with the Under 11s Ravens. Each book follows the story of one of the team members. In this 2^nd book of this new series, it’s Junior Taafuli’s turn. ‘At ten years of age, Junior was already five foot five. His hefty Samoan build had earned him the nickname Mount Taafuli.’

Despite his size, Junior is a quiet kid. Author, Patrick Loughlin, describes Junior’s running abilities in vivid phrasing – he came ‘steaming in through the middle of the forward pack like a Spanish bull let loose on a crowd of tourists.’

As the Ravens play more games, the opposition’s parents constantly sledge Junior because of his size. He is so dejected he thinks himself a freak. Even his teammates join in by making mean comments, ‘he’s on a seafood diet: see food and eat it.’

Billy Slater, the famous Australian fullback, is once again centre field when it comes to the kids’ training and wellbeing. In a preface to the book he reveals that when he started out in football, he ‘didn’t have the natural strength or size the other players had,’ so he had to find other skills. With boys reading this they will understand that like Junior, they each have their positive areas.

There is a lovely interlude throughout the book where the reader gains insight into Junior’s supportive and strong family. His father works at the fruit markets and his mother is a nurse and a wonderful, traditional cook. When Billy Slater organises for the boys to swap junk food for healthy food to give them energy, despite his size, it’s Junior who comes up trumps.

But there’s more to Junior than his physicality. During a confrontation with the team bully, Junior is at tipping point. Surrounded by the team who are chanting ‘Fight! Fight!’ he could have pummelled the bully into the ground, but he surprises everyone by rapping about being who he is.

With its punchy use of language that rushes the plot through each chapter, there’s always something of interest. The enticingly colourful cover and the black and white illustrations scattered throughout give just enough of everything. At the end of the book Billy Slater gives his tips on healthy eating and on how to perfect the game-saving Banana Kick.

As the whole team is profiled, who will be the next player in the spotlight in Book 3?

Billy Slater: Try Time

Billy Slater: Try Time by Patrick Loughlin, illustrated by Nahum Ziersch (Random House Australia)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 9780857982469

Also available as an ebook ISBN 9780857982476

Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

This is the first book in a new series for boys 7+ who not only love footy but who play any team sport. At the core of each book is the guidance of legendary Billy Slater, fullback for the Melbourne Storm, Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos.

Each short-chapter book tells the story of one of the players of the Under 11s team, the Ravens. This time it’s Josh’s story. His dad’s away, his mum is busy with the new baby and his greatest supporter, his grandad, is embarrassingly over-the-top when it comes to cheering from the sideline.

Josh is so nervous about his first footy game that he dreams he’s forgotten to wear his uniform. He’s running for the line with the ball in his Superman undies.

Every boy who has ever had to get ready for footy will be excited by the descriptions of the pre-game preparations: footy boots, shoulder pads, mouthguard – check! And they will recognise the ‘herd of elephant-sized butterflies’ stampeding in their stomachs.

Josh is on the small side and he’s constantly worried that he will let the team down. In the first game of the season he ‘felt the hard yellow hide slide into his grasp as he dived for the line.’ He lost the ball. ‘Then came the sound that would haunt him for days: a single loud, long BOOOOOOO!’

Enter Billy Slater, friend of Coach Steve and footy hero to the boys. At their footy practices Billy homes in on what each boy needs. He takes Josh aside and says, ‘the yips are when you worry so much about not being able to do something that your body forgets how to do it.’ This is not a didactic series but blends the reality of playing football with the wisdom of those who have done it all before.

With its plethora of footy action, quick pace and short-burst sentences, the climax is exciting indeed. The black and white drawings create a visual connection for the reader. There is added value in the players’ profiles at the back of the book as well as handy footy tips on tackling and catching a pass.

Try Time is about having fun, working as a team and self-belief regardless of ability or background. It’s the whole footy package. 

My dog doesn’t like me

My dog doesn’t like me by Elizabeth Fensham (University of Queensland Press)

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 978 0 7022 5017 0

Reviewed by Jo Antareau

Poor Eric! All his life he’s wanted a dog of his own. And now that he has one – Ugly – it seems that the dog just doesn’t like him. Ugly won’t obey him, especially when they’re out on walks together. Ugly doesn’t follow him or play with him or even pay him much attention. Ugly likes everybody in the family more than Eric, which is particularly depressing considering his obnoxious older sister scores higher than Eric in Ugly’s esteem.

Eric just wants to know what’s wrong with his dog. And so do his family, who threaten to remove Ugly unless Eric learns to control him. But help is at hand. With his grandfather’s and friends’ assistance, Eric gradually discovers that much of the problem lies in an entirely unexpected place – with him.

As the narrative unfolds, Eric learns to take responsibility for his dog, which means doing unpleasant things when he doesn’t feel like it, and to persist with them. Eric slowly starts to reconnect with Ugly and realises that relationships take time and effort, but the rewards are great!

A charming story for children over 7. It clearly illustrates a boy’s learning journey; that the most valuable things in life are those you earn.

Freak Street : Meet the Piratesons

Freak Street : Meet the Piratesons by Knife & Packer (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $10.99

ISBN 978-1-74283-670-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Piratesons are just an average, everyday family. Average, that is, for families who live on Freak Street. Some of their neighbours include the Supersons, the Werewolfsons and the Zombiesons. The Piratesons, who live in the middle of a pond with their pet piranha Phlippers, are Mr and Mrs Pirateson, Polly, Pattie and Paxton.

When Patty removes a board of the bottom of their ship to make a skateboard, their home springs a leak. While fixing this problem, Mr Pirateson uncovers a long lost treasure map and so despite Patty’s entry in the City Skate Bowl Grand Opening, it is time for the Piratesons to embark on a treasure hunt.

Full of illustrations, this is a fun book for young readers. The amusing antics of the Piratesons land them in trouble and it takes the special skills of every family member to get them out of the situation and back home safely.

Supported by a popular website, www.freakstreet.com.au where kids can ‘join the freaks’ or learn more about the all the families on the street, Freak Street is a humour-based readable and accessible series for six to nine year olds. Heavy, glossy, colourful pages make this an attractive book to read and suitable for both genders. There are fifteen books to collect.

Sports Carnival: Ella and Olivia

Sports Carnival: Ella and Olivia by Yvette Poshoglian, illustrated by Danielle McDonald (Scholastic Australia)

PB RRP $7.99

ISBN 978-1-74362-052-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Ella and Olivia are sisters. Ella is seven and Olivia is five. They live with Mum and Dad, baby brother Max and puppy dog Bob. Ella and Olivia are very excited. Their school is going to have a sports carnival day and they are training very hard for it with Ella's friend Zoe. Even Mum and Dad are training hard as they are part of the purple team the sisters are in.

Will the purple team get enough points to beat Zoe’s green team and the other two teams? Ella and Olivia would love to win the grand prize, a trip to the Slip and Slide Water Park.

The Ella and Olivia series is pitched to 5 plus beginner readers and Sports Carnival is a sweet story which this young readership will adore. The sisters have a lovely, but realistic, relationship and they are feisty and interesting without being naughty - the cheekiness is left up to Bob the puppy.

The illustrator creates fun characters that are friendly and lively. These pictures break up the text which is clear and easy to read with short sentences and short chapters.

A constantly growing series, there are plenty of titles for young girls to read and enjoy.

The Fairy Who Wouldn’t Fly

The Fairy Who Wouldn’t Fly retold by Bronwyn Davies, illustrated by Pixie O’Harris (National Library of Australia)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9780642278517

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Bronwyn Davies retells the original story by Pixie O’Harris of The Fairy Who Wouldn’t Fly, one of the classics from the National Library’s Marcie Muir Collection of Children’s Books. Themes covered include being different, conquering your fears, discovering your own individual gifts, adjusting to other’s expectation while staying true to yourself, and working together to bring about change.

It sounds a lot, but the story is so perfectly arranged that one theme rolls into another naturally.

The Fairy-who-wouldn’t-fly doesn’t want to be like other fairies. She enjoys lying in her spider web hammock and watching the world go by. So she is banished from Fairyland to the Woodn’t until she learns to comply with the rules.

In the Woodn’t everything is different. Lots of living things don’t do what is expected of them. Trees grow their own way. Kookaburra doesn’t laugh. Frog doesn’t like hopping. Bee won’t join the hive. Bat refuses to fly at night, Glow-worm won’t shine, Spider won’t spin, and Flower’s petals won’t close at sunset. How boring it all is.

The Fairy-who-wouldn’t-fly begins to imagine how it would feel to fly. At first, her attempts fail, but with perseverance, she discovers joy and achievement in flight.

When a very young boy is lost in the forest, the fairy enlists the help of the group to return the boy home. In a show of unity, they all reclaim their abandoned talents and learn many things about themselves they didn’t know.

The exquisite original illustrations are accompanied by additional pictures from NLA’s collection. Davies has breathed new life into an old favourite for another generation to enjoy and learn from.

The presentation, as usual, is of the highest quality. The book comes with a gorgeous jacket and the valuable information is found in the List of Illustrations. This is another gem for collectors and lovers of unique children’s books, regardless of age.

Rainbow Magic: Selena the Sleepover Fairy

Rainbow Magic: Selena the Sleepover Fairy by Daisy Meadows (Orchard Books/Hachette)
PB RRP $9.99
ISBN: 9781408330739
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

This Early Reader edition has been especially designed for younger fans of Rainbow Magic books, with an easy vocabulary and full colour, beautiful illustrations to encourage independent reading. The book has been divided into three story chapters.

Rachel and Kirsty, who are friends of the fairies, are going with their school to have a sleepover in the National Museum. On the way, their coach stops at a service station and the children stretch their legs. The two friends notice a cloud of purple fairy dust and sure enough, a fairy appears. It is Selena the Sleepover Fairy who is very unhappy because Jack Frost’s servants, the goblins, have stolen three of her objects vital to ensure a happy sleepover. She needs to recover The Magical Sleeping Bag, The Enchanted Games Bag and The Sleepover Snack Box as quickly as possible and return them to Fairyland. The girls offer to help Selena find them.

Daisy Meadows has created an enchanting storyline which maintains interest to the end. There is plenty of action and excitement as the girls set out to recover the lost items. Kirsty and Rachel are used to being transformed into fairy-size by a wave of a wand, and they are very good at solving problems and dealing with nasty goblins. Jack Frost gets his comeuppance, too! With such fun characters, it is no wonder that the Rainbow Magic series holds small girls in thrall. I was impressed by the full colour illustrations which add a lot more oomph than black and white drawings. The large font text is also a plus.

With each of the original stories available as Early Readers, junior fans of the series will be delighted at the feast of reading in store for them.

Chook Chook: Saving The Farm

Chook Chook: Saving The Farm by Wai Chim (University of Queensland Press)

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 9780 7022 5316 4

Reviewed by Jo Antareau

Mei and her delightful pets Little and Lo return for the third chapter of their adventurous life together. Although the story features characters from the two previous stories, this book can stand on its own.

As the family prepare for their Chinese New year celebrations, their joy is shattered by the news that village is threatened by plans to demolish it to build a freeway through it. This is the only life that Mei and her neighbours have known, the place their forebears have lived and worked for generations. They love and cherish their town even though the bureaucrats sneer at its backwardness.

Readers will cheer as Mei stands up to the truly nasty deputy director and tells him to leave them alone. But her courage seems to be for nothing. All around them, villagers are giving up, selling their properties and leaving.

Mei and her brothers hatch a plan to save their village by getting it registered with the National Preservation List of Traditional Villages – a process which involves demonstrating its cultural uniqueness. Will the chooks help – or hinder their attempts? 

Chim’s story weaves details of the daily life in China, such as the joy of Chinese New Year and the associated customs, and demonstrates that it is the little details, the things we take for granted, that define us and make our lives unique.

A fun read for younger children. I wonder if Chim plans a fourth instalment.

You Choose: Mayhem at Magic School

You Choose: Mayhem at Magic School by George Ivanoff, illustrated by James Hart (Random House Australia)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9780857983848

Also available as an ebook

ISBN 9780857985460

Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

Whereas Book 1 in this You Choose … series fired readers’ imaginations by plunging them into the world of pirates and buried treasure, Book 2, Mayhem at Magic School, takes readers on a rollercoaster of all things magic.

Prolific, inventive author George Ivanoff, continues to use his fast-paced, humorous and interactive style to entice readers seven years and older to dive into the magical adventure and decide their fate. Ivanoff knows what kids want and writes as if he’s one step ahead of them, teasing them this way and that.

From the opening sentence where a ball freezes in mid-air as you stare at it, you are the protagonist. You are in control of the situation and you have discovered that you have magical powers.

It’s an exciting scenario for any young reader. Suddenly, in class, a bunch of white rabbits appear. Did you make that happen? The other kids think so and call you a ‘freak!’

Along this 16-storyline path to magical adventure Ivanoff uses short, action-packed scenarios smattered with graphic novel style illustrations featuring you.

There are lots of questions at each story intersection. ‘Where will you go?’ ‘Where will you sleep?’ ‘How will you get food?’ And the biggie … ‘Who will you meet in the magical mansion?’ None other than Chang Lee, the great Master of Illusion who offers you the chance to be his apprentice and learn everything he knows …

OR

Choose the other path where you find out you belong to a long line of enchanters, which means, you’re off to Magic School.

With an enchanted scroll ‘equivalent to an iPad’ and a red ancestral jewel that creates magic even if you don’t want it to, there are heaps of hazards in store. It’s time for you to get lost … in the magic of the adventure.

Riddle Gully Runaway

Riddle Gully Runaway by Jen Banyard (Fremantle Press)

PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9-781-922-089-885

Reviewed by Neridah McMullin

  

Pollo di Nozi is a reporter-in-training and the local super sleuth of Riddle Gully. She definitely has a nose for news but occasionally she does get things a little bit muddled up. So it’s just as well her heart is in the right place.

Pollo can smell a mystery from a mile away and when things start to go missing in Riddle Gully, Pollo can’t resist the challenge to solve it. With Shorn Connery, her sheepish sidekick pet and her best friend Will by her side, Pollo is determined to track down the thief.

Unfortunately, Pollo is quick to point the finger and accidently implicates the Mayors nephew, Benson.

With determined zeal, Pollo strives to redeem herself for getting it ‘wrong’ and whilst restoring Benson’s reputation, setting the record straight. What follows is a series of hilarious mishaps, typical of Pollo Di Nozi’s adventures. But that’s why we love her!

Riddle Gully Runaway is a story that skips along. It’s fast-paced and funny, packed with action, false leads, adventure and mystery, in the fight to clear Benson’s name and find out who the real thief is.

It was quite sad in places as Benson’s had a bit of a rough family life but he’s a forgiving and brave character and Pollo, as her charming self, with Shorn Connery and Will, definitely comes through with the goods and a thoroughly satisfying ending.

Jen Banyard has extensive Teaching Resources that support this novel engaging learning about English Language, Literature and Literacy. The notes also suggest that the book can be used as a springboard for discussion about family relationships, teenagers, journalism, local government, and the understanding that people are not always as they might at first appear.

This is Jen Banyard’s third book and it’s a well-written, humorous and suspenseful read for readers of middle fiction (10 – 12 years). I thoroughly recommend this book!

  

Neridah McMullin is the author of five books for children. Her latest book is an Indigenous folklore story called 'Kick it to Me'. It’s an ‘aussie rules’ story that’s being endorsed by the Australian Football League. Neridah loves family, footy and doing yoga with her cat Carlos (who also just happens to love footy).

Miss Emily

Miss Emily by Burleigh Muten, illustrated by Matt Phelan (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 19.95

ISBN 9780763657345

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Almost everyone knows the poet Emily Dickinson. In this verse novel, we get an insight into her private life and her incredible enjoyment of life which she shared with her nieces, nephews, and their friends with whom Emily spent a great deal of time in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Theirs was a world of make-believe and imagination. Filled with adventure and daring, the story portrays a freedom and way of life unknown to children of today. Play and invention, and the art of storytelling fill the pages. The properness of the era, the regard one person had for the other, and the gentility of life one hundred years ago is strongly represented.

The story is told from the point of view of the youngest member of the group Mac Jenkins, son of Pastor Jenkins, a close friend of Emily’s. Mac later became a writer and wrote several books on Emily Dickinson.

This is an adventure filled with delight and memories. Emily takes her band of young friends on a secret midnight excursion to see the circus arrive by train. Dressed as Amherst gypsies, the outing becomes a play, as do most of their get-togethers. The real gypsies discover the group and draw them into their circle for an added experience. They slip back into the night as quietly as they came, trying to keep their outing a secret.

But a fall causes Mac to sprain his ankle and their escapade is uncovered. Instead of punishment, the Pastor takes the children to the circus. It becomes a night to remember.

It is beautifully told in perfect prose by the gifted Burleigh Muten, a member of the Emily Dickinson International Society, and stunningly interpreted by the highly acclaimed author-illustrator, Matt Phelan. Their collaboration has created a collector’s delight.

The characters in the book were real people. A short biography in the historical notes at the end allows us to learn something about their lives. Included is a rich bibliography. 

The Hunt for the Golden Book

The Hunt for the Golden Book by Geronimo Stilton (Scholastic Inc)

HB RRP $15.99

ISBN 978-0 545-64649-9

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Geronimo Stilton is the editor of The Rodent's Gazette in New Mouse City. He loves his job, but what he loves even more is writing adventure stories. Unfortunately, when it comes to the crunch, he is a bit of a scaredy-mouse but luckily he always has plenty of friends and family to help out.

In The Hunt for the Golden Book, Geronimo's passions collide when Grandfather William decides there needs to be a huge party to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Geronimo's first published book. And furthermore, Grandfather William wants Geronimo to write a new book especially for the occasion.

As with Geronimo's previous adventures, this does not turn out to be as simple as it may seem and soon Geronimo and his friends are racing across the country to recover a laptop and discover a saboteur.

In this special hardcover edition is a bonus story. A mini mystery called The Lake Monster. In this story Geronimo, with the help of Thea, Benjamin, Bugsy and the delightful Petunia Pretty Paws, is on the hunt for a photo of the Lake Monster for his newspaper. He must out scoop his number one enemy Sally Ratmousen, editor of the Daily Rat.

Geronimo discovers there is something decidedly fishy going on in the lake and clues left in many chapters mean readers can be involved in solving this mystery.

As always Geronimo Stilton books are an amusing read. Colourful pictures and text, short chapters, hidden clues, and lots of crazy word play and slapstick comedy make this series a great one for reluctant readers and younger readers who want a bit of light relief. It’s a book they can read quickly and have fun with. There are so many to choose from as well, in many different variations: Thea Stilton books, Cavemice, the fantasy series and the newly released Spacemice.

Suitable for six year olds and older there is a book for every taste.

The Classics: Tales from Grimm

The Classics: Tales from Grimm by Antonia Barber, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain (Frances Lincoln)

HC RRP $ 27.95

ISBN 9781847805096

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Popular author of The Mousehole Cat and many other children’s books, Antonia Barber has retold 9 classic fairytales by the brothers Grimm. Companion to the gift edition of Tales from Hans Christian Anderson by Naomi Lewis, and published at the same time through Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, it is presented in an almost identical format with an outstanding jacket.

The stunning end pages are the first thing you see when you open the cover. It’s a welcome into the world of the imagination made immortal by these storytellers. The equally stunning illustrations transform the text into a visual feast to drag you back to your childhood when mystery, surprise and awe awaited on every page.

This collection contains favourites made new, but with a taste of the old flavouring the tale through Antonia Barber’s retelling. They include The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Briar-Rose, Rapunzel, Little Red-Cap, The Golden Goose, Snow White, Sweet Porridge and the Elves and the Shoemaker, one of my favourites.

This gorgeous publication to own or gift, has many full page illustrations. Some smaller ones are placed at random within the text, others at the top or bottom. A creation of great beauty, this book of fairytales suits all ages. It can be read alone, read to younger children, or enjoyed for its beauty and content by older lovers of fairytales. 

Mates: The Ugg Boot War

Mates: The Ugg Boot War by Kylie Fornasier, illustrated by Tom Jellet (Omnibus Books)

PB RRP $12.99

ISBN 978-1-86291-999-0

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Jake is dreadfully embarrassed by his Dad’s Ugg Boots. In fact Jake must have the most embarrassing Dad in Australia. It is especially humiliating when Dad wears them with boxer shorts and nothing else and chases the garbage truck down the street. Ugg boots are ruining Jake’s life and he knows he has to do something to stop his father from going out in public with those horrible things on his feet. Maybe if the boots disappeared Dad would find something else to wear.

This is a very funny story about Jake and the inventive ways he goes about solving the problem of his father’s embarrassing habit. Of course it backfires in a spectacular way.

I really enjoy all the books in the Mates - Great Australian Yarns series. The Ugg Boot War is another wonderful title. From the expressive text which brings the characters vividly to life; ‘My Ugg boots have gone missing. You two are part of my search party. No one eats or sleeps until the boots are found.’ to the fabulously amusing illustrations, this is a story young children will enjoy.

The humour is gentle and universal and the Australian element (comfortable rather than clichéd) is unmistakable. The dog who retrieves shoes, the old cubby house in the backyard which hasn’t been used for years (sitting like a mini haunted house), the Ugg boots themselves, even Dad chasing the garbage truck down the street, are all such a part of the Australian landscape.

With six chapters, relatively simple words and colourful pages, it will extend beginner readers giving them a great chapter book they can easily engage with.

The Classics: Tales from Hans Christian Andersen

The Classics: Tales from Hans Christian Andersen by Naomi Lewis, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark (Frances Lincoln)

HC RRP $27.95

ISBN 9781847805102

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Nine of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales are translated by Naomi Lewis for a general ageless audience. Classic tales of incredible imagination and beauty transport the reader into a child’s world, and simultaneously an adult’s world where messages lay hidden and lessons await to be learnt. They come presented in a beautiful gift edition.  Stunning illustrations are by popular English children’s author and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark who studied graphic design before she studied book illustration under Quentin Blake.

This excellent collection contains some well known tales such as The Nightingale, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, The Shepherdess and the Chimneysweep, The Happy Family, and The Money Box Pig.  Two rare ones included are Elf Hill and Little Ida’s Flowers, although I confess I have read the last one before.

Entering Andersen’s stories is like entering a magical cave filled with valuable objects. You don’t know what you will discover. Nor can you choose a favourite thing for everything is priceless. This will be enjoyed by the junior reader or for a younger audience to be read to and shared. Look out for its companion collection of Tales from Grimm, retold by Antonia Barber.

Maxx Rumble Book 3: Grand Final

Maxx Rumble Book 3: Grand Final by Michael Wagner, drawn by Terry Denton (Walker Books)

PB RRP $9.95

ISBN 9781922244826

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The Soccer Knockout Grand Final is here at last. The other teams that played the Stone Valley Saints were pretty rotten with their tacky tactics, but the Plankluvin Pirates are the ‘rottenest’ of the bunch. They look and are big and tough with their crayon moustaches and pirate chant that’s sung to the tune of the ‘drunken sailor’ song.

Arriving at the park, Maxx and his team are amazed at the amount of spectators. But they are there only for the Plankluvin Pirates. Everything reflects their pirate preference from their outfits to their nasty placards. But the Saints won’ be intimidated. 

Playing in the Grand Final is a special moment in time for Maxx and his team. But the cry of all-out attack from Blackbeard has the Pirates stampeding across the field. Mr Nuffin the referee is unable to blow his whistle because he’s being water cannoned by the crowd. It’s a free-for-all and the Saints have to come up with something bigger than the Pirates.

Mr Nuffin refuses to be intimated also. He finds a spare whistle and doesn’t spare the blows. The ever-optimistic leader Maxx digs deep to find that little bit more and calls all-out-attack as the pirates make a wall.

Can the Saints find enough energy to stay in step with the Pirates? Can a ball to the face again for Rexx be the Saints’ saving grace? If so, how? And can Maxx Rumble bring his team to victory and take the trophy?

Outrageously entertaining, with its clever word play and with the round-up of the series the best of all, this series is a winner. Michael Wagner’s smart prose teamed up with Terry Denton’s amazing translation of the text guarantees that.

These chapter books are not to be missed by parents searching for reading matter for their reluctant reader. Highly creative with strong optimistic messages in every book, kids who loved the Crazy Relief Teachers series by Matt Porter will love these as well. 

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 2: Shocker!

Maxx Rumble Soccer Book 2: Shocker! by Michael Wagner, drawn by Terry Denton (black dog books)

PB RRP $ 9.95

ISBN 9781922244819

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The second round of the Soccer Knockout Competition begins after the Stone Valley Saints manage to defeat the Kreepy Crawlies. Now they are up against the Outhouse Rodents and need to win this match to get into the Grand Final. The Rodents’ captain, Boofa, is a subversive captain of cheats. But his twin sister Jennifer takes the cake.

Rexx’s tummy is telling him that things are going to happen. He has no idea that they are going to happen to him, as his heart betrays him when he catches sight of Jennifer. Her flattering ways debilitate Rexx and her rocket kick has the Rodents ahead and the game almost won.

Can Maxx shake Rexx out of his love spell before they’re destroyed? How can the Stone Valley Saints catch up, with Boofa and Jennifer wearing them down emotionally? What tactics are left to them with the minutes ticking away?

More laughs, action, and deviousness as the teams battle to get into the Grand Final. The names of the characters in this series are entertainment in themselves. The point-to-point descriptions of play are fantastic, and the language clever. Again Terry Denton has surpassed himself with the characters and their expressions that add humour and mischief to the story. Look out for Book 3 – Grand Final.