National Gallery of Victoria - Set of 3 Gift Books

Dashing Dogs in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Frances Lindsay

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95

 

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

 

One of three editions of gift books published by the National Gallery of Victoria, Dashing Dogs is a collection of beautiful art featuring dogs in history and their role and relationship to humans. Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director of the NGV, has written a detailed, informed narrative on when dogs were domesticated, their many roles, and their impact on art.

These wonderful works are from the eighteenth century and beyond and include Australian Jenny Watson’s Alsation, painted in 1971, gouache and coloured pencils on paper and cardboard, three of William Wegman’s works of colour Polaroid photographs, William Dobell’s Boy with a dog, oil on composition board, Endormies, Rupert Bunny’s glorious sleeping ladies and dog, oil on canvas; David Moore’s Outback children, South Australia 1963, gelatine silver photograph, and other breathtaking works of art with dogs as the theme.

The works are depicted first in full page colour, then again in smaller size accompanied by the art and artist’s information. The cover image is of Aspen grove, oil on canvas by James Morrison.

These are superbly produced gift books with an identical jacket to the book cover.

They boast of elegance and good taste and would suit dog lovers, art lovers, booklovers, and people that admire things of beauty. This set of three gift books is an exclusive, limited print run. 

Curious Cats in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Laurie Benson

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Produced identically to Dashing Dogs, Curious Cats begins with the history of cats and their domestication whose original role was to hunt rats that destroyed the food stocks. Cats inspired great writers, such as Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Aesop amongst others, and many great visual artists.

The narrative by Laurie Benson, Curator of International Art at the NGV, goes into the feline personality and habits, and expands on how they have been seen throughout history as demons and gods, and includes their symbolic and decorative roles. Benson also speaks authoritatively about the depiction of cats in art.

Amongst the extraordinary works are: Australian artist David Beal with his Old woman and cat, Sydney 1963, gelatine silver photograph, David Potts’ Cat show, again gelatine silver photograph, Gerhard Marcks’ Two cats, woodcut; Eileen Mayo Girl with cat, and her Cats in trees, both colour linocut, and Stephen Gooden’s etching of Old Whisk, amongst others. The cover image is created by Chinese born artist Huang Yongyu in ink and gouache on paper.

The presentation is the same in this and the third book with twenty-four full page colour works, and their repetition in a smaller size accompanied by the art and artist’s information.

 

Flourishing Flowers in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Kirsty Grant

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis 

The cover image of the third book (depending on which one you start with) is by Rex Xun titled Flowers and eccentric rock, ink and pigments on paper. The introductory essay by Kirsty Grant, Senior Curator of Australian Art at the NGV is informative and highly poetic as are each of the introductions in these glorious gift books. It includes a reverse-French fold cover which becomes wrapping paper.

The language of flowers has been used through time to express inexpressible feelings. Flowers have been the most symbolic gifts of nature and the subject choice of female painters through time. These superlative art works are inspired by botanicals and flowers. The NGV has an extensive collection of these exquisite works.

 

The artists represented here include Australian artists: Margaret Preston with her woodcut of Native Pear, Ellis Rowan’s Flower Painting: Pandorea jasminoides and Clematis aristata, watercolour and gouache, John Brack with Solandra, oil on composition board, Nora Heysen, A bunch of flowers, oil on canvas, Margaret Stones (who worked in England) Banksia collina, watercolour over pencil, and many artists from around the world. These are gifts of beauty created from the magnificent collection of art at the National gallery of Victoria.

The Down-Under 12 Days of Christmas

 by Michael Salmon

 

Ford Street Publishing Picture Book. Hardcover.RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

We all know the 12 Days of Christmas carol – we have sung it in our homes, heard it in the supermarket in the lead up to Christmas and no doubt whispered in the ears of children around us as we watch glee spread through their eyes. So what happens when you take a well-loved and well-known carol like that and give it some Aussie cheer? You get a great children’s picture book that will make the perfect gift for those little ones this Christmas.

So what makes this a down-under Christmas? Well it is brimming with a host of classic Australian animal characters, some hot sun and a range of equally classic Australian activities that’ll warm any heart with familiarity. Following the same rhythm, repetition and structure as the original carol, this book introduces readers to kookaburras in gum trees, snakes on skis, wet galahs, lyrebirds, kangaroos, sharks a-surfing, egg laying emus, dancing dingoes, snoozing crocs, washing wombats, leaping lizards and musical possums. Best of all are the vibrant and cartoon-like pictures that fill the pages and are jam-packed with enough beautiful detail to allow plenty of room for pre-emptive and early literacy discussions – and simply to keep readers engaged.

This book is perfect for children aged three and up. For the younger ones, the repetition and colourful images allows them to predict the text and introduces them to a classic carol and for the older ones, the language is simple and repeated enough to allow them to read through it on their own – making this a great early literacy resource. I tried this one out on my three and a half year old son and he absolutely loved it and by the end of the book he was ‘reading’ along, making this a certified winner for the Christmas related read-a-thon in the lead up to Christmas.

Francine Sculli is a regular reviewer of children's books for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for writers and illustrators for children.

Coming Home

by Sharon McGuinness

Wombat Books. Picture Book. Australian. Hardcover RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Why doesn’t Dad want to play with me anymore?” Gemma asks her mother.

Did I do something wrong?

Gemma’s father is sad. He sits in the garden he once loved and stares at the growing neglect. He doesn’t care about it anymore. He doesn’t seem to care about Gemma either. Sometimes he still  laughs with his friends but when they are gone, he sits and stares again.

Gemma’s mother explains dad is suffering from depression. It’s an illness you can’t really see like a broken leg, but it’s there just the same. She encourages Gemma to keep talking to him, dancing for him and playing the recorder. And one day he is there to pick her up from school, a smile on his face.

What I really like about this book is it doesn’t attempt to analyse depression, the reasons why or its treatment. It shows how Gemma deals with her father’s illness – her struggle to understand and her ongoing determination to be part of his life no matter what – the support she provides by never giving up.

One in five people suffer from depression and many of these are parents. Coming Home explores how this affects a young child. Gemma feels helpless but she keeps reaching out, hoping things will change.

From the front end paper where the garden is shrivelled and dried to the back paper filled with coloured blooms, this book is a journey of hope. It will help young children understand depression, particularly in a parent, and provide a discussion starter for older readers.

Topsy-turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled early Explorers

 by Kirsty Murray (National Library of Australia)

National Library of Australia, Children's Non-fiction Hardcover rrp $29.99

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

It always gives me great joy to open a book from the National Library of Australia. The outstanding, well-considered production of each book is geared to give maximum satisfaction in every area. The paper used is of the highest quality as is the book design, and each book is very moderately priced in comparison the work that’s been put into it.

Topsy-turvy World is about ‘how Australian animals puzzled the early explorers’, as the title affirms. There are fifteen birds and animals referred to throughout the book: the Kangaroo, Platypus, Echidna, Thylacine, Tasmanian Devil, Pig-footed Bandicoot, Koala, Wombat, Grey-headed Flying Fox, Emu, Black Swan, Laughing Kookaburra, Superb Lyrebird, Frilled Lizard, and the Sea Dragon.

The set-up of the pages begins with a full page illustration of the animal. On the opposite page there is a short historical narrative which refers to the first encounter with the subject, who saw or drew it, accompanied by boxes of information.  Various illustrations follow. There is note of the misunderstandings by the early explorers about the animals they saw for the first time. At times these are quite unusual but interesting observances.

 

The last page on the subject is the same throughout. There is a listing of ‘what the Europeans needed to learn’ about each animal. A strip down the right side of the page is kept for ‘Fast Facts’. These give the common name of the animal/bird, the scientific name, some historical names they are known as, how the gender is referred as, some Indigenous names, the  weight and size, the size relative to a 2-metre-tall man, habits and habitat, its diet, reproduction information, and its lifespan in the wild. There is also a map of Australia that is shaded to indicate the area in which they can be found. 

The information also includes how these animals carry their young, the many uses the explorers made of the animals apart from being eaten, and the repercussions that excessive hunting had on the species. 

The whole book is comprised of 95 pages. This includes a list of the names of the early explorers who observed or discovered the wildlife, and a brief description of their role; a Glossary with definitions of words as they are used in the book, and a List of Illustrations/plates/engravings that detail the name of the illustrator, date and place, Latin name, reference for the plate, and page number. It has a durable jacket identical to the cover of the book depicting all the wildlife included in the book.

 A wholly educational and informative book for all ages, this publication is worthy of any collector’s or reader’s bookcase. Highly recommended.

 Anastasia Gonis regularly writes, interviews and reviews for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for writers and illustrators for children.

Imagine We Were

by Renee Bennett, illustrated by Claire Richards

Wombat Books. Australian, Children’s Picture Book. Hardback RRP19.95

Everyone has at least once wondered what if they were…
Imagine We Were is the wonderful story of a mother and child. It reminds me of the Old Lady Who Swallowed The Fly…

               “Imagine we were bees
               and you were my baby
               zzz zzz zzz

               We’d buzz round the cat while
               it lazed on the mat and
               I’d whisper,

               ‘You’re precious to me’.”

The bees change to cats, who change to dogs, and so the story continues until mother and child are together as humans.

A wonderful story of imagination for mothers and children to enjoy together. Claire Richards’ colourful but subtle water colour illustrations are simple but a pleasure to look at. The clouds floating in the sky gradually forming shapes for a young child to discover are magical.

http://reneebennett.com.au/
http://clairerichards.com.au/

Confessions of a Liar,

Thief and Failed Sex God

by Bill Condon

Woolshed Press. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $18.95

Neil Bridges is a 16-year-old Catholic school boy who doesn’t know what he wants to do or where he wants to go. It is 1967 and the all-boy’s school he attends is run by teachers and priests who believe that a leather strap is the best way to learn manners, mathematics and the right way to being a better person. His strict but loving parents are hard-working and try to bring up Neil and his older brother, Kevin, as good Catholics.

What Neil wants is to grow up. But there are too many distractions. The girls in the girl’s school next door, his brother leaving for service in Vietnam, and the loss of his best friend.

When Neil loses his best mate in a strange accident, he doesn’t know where to turn. He is confused and angry. When he starts to form an alliance with a boy that was expelled from his school, indirectly due to Neil not telling the truth, his life starts to take an upward turn.

Bill Condon has written a book that is universal in time – set 40 years ago, it is equally relevant today. I guarantee you cannot put this one down. I read it in one sitting. More than the confessions of a teenage boy, it is a record of the journey into adulthood. Sometimes that journey seems so fast, it’s in danger of spinning out of control.

Bill Condon’s Dogs (2001) and No Worries (2005) were Honour Books in the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards. No Worries was also short-listed for the Ethel Turner Prize in the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Daredevils made the long-list in the inaugural Inky Awards.

The Reading Stack reviewed Bill Condon’s Daredevils in Issue 1 and Give Me Truth in Issue 14.

Blue Noise

by Debra Oswald

Random House Australia. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $18.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

 

There’s an electric guitar rock playing boy. There’s a classical pianist girl. And then there’s a blues band. What happens when you throw these three things together? Blue Noise.

Ash isn’t very happy with his home life and spends his time drooling over his dream guitar in the local music shop. Erin is shy and insecure but a hugely talented classical musician. When Ash meets Charlie, a weird kid who loves blues, he is convinced to join Charlie’s band. Erin is headhunted by Charlie as well and she realises that it could be good for her shyness, and besides Ash is in the band.

Both Ash and Erin can see the band is doomed to fail. But Charlie’s love for the blues and his “anything is possible” attitude is contagious. Maybe the blues, and the band, will work after all.

When the band starts to work well, is when the communications start to break down.

For any kid out there wanting to form a band, be in a band, or just play music … I recommend Blue Noise.

http://www.debraoswald.com/

The Ottoman Motel

by Christopher Currie

The Text Publishing Company. Australian, Mystery. Paperback RRP $32.95

The Ottoman Motel and the town Reception, bring to mind words from the song Hotel California… you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave…

Simon and his parents arrive in the small northern NSW town of Reception on a late afternoon after travelling all day from their new home in Queensland. They are here to see Simon’s maternal grandmother, Iris, who they haven’t spoken to in several years… not since Simon’s accident. All Simon knows is that Iris is not well.

Once Simon and his parents have checked into the Ottoman Motel, his parents decide to go for a drive, leaving Simon to have a rest. When Simon wakes up, it is late and his parents have gone.

And so begins a mystery of a teenage boy being left in a town where everyone is a stranger, everyone has a secret and no-one can be trusted.

Christopher Currie has created a storyline that, although strangely bizarre, is all too possible. Parents going missing, children isolated, people hiding from the world in tiny towns. Add to this, illegal activities, inadequate police and children dealing with loss and you have a disturbing but captivating story.

This is one book that once you pick it up… you will struggle to put down again.

http://furioushorses.com/

The Koala Bounces Back

by Jimmy Thomson, illustrated by Eric Löbbecke

Random House Australia. Australian, Children’s Picture Book. Hardback RRP $19.95

Karri the bouncing koala is a hero who helped save children from a fire. Now he lives in an area protected from men with dogs or saws, cars or trucks. It’s peaceful in Karri’s Corner.

That is until some cats move in. The small animals and birds are now frightened and ask Karri to move them on.

Karri asks the cats to move on but the cats refuse. They have nowhere else to live. When Karri threatens to turn to the humans for help, the cats get scared. Jinksy, the cat leader, realises there is need for compromise. So he initiates a game of footy… if the cats win they stay, if they lose they will move on.

And so the game begins.

This is a wonderful Australian story. It will teach young children about the Australian bush and what happens when native and domestic animals are forced to co-exist.

The illustrations are cute and cuddly like Karri, or scratchy and scary like Jinksy. Children will love reading the story and identifying native Australian animals. I loved the big, tall emu.

http://www.jimmythomson.com/

http://www.tinpotstudio.com.au/

Tweenie Genie

Genie in Charge

by Meredith Badger

hardie grant EGMONT. Australian, Junior, Fantasy. Hardback rrp $16.95

Genie in Charge is the long awaited book three in the Tweenie Genie series. And, like the other two books, I was not disappointed.

Poppy, our young Tweenie Genie, is now in her stage three of training and to graduate she, and the other stage three tweenies, must mentor a stage two tweenie. When tweenies graduate they are granted a special wish to work in the job they want. Poppy, of course, wants to work in the royal stables looking after all the magic carpets.

On Mentor Day the Velodrome Bottle has been transformed with balloons and banners. Poppy is excited. She hopes she will get a wonderful match since she is a “golden” genie (a genie with a good heart). She doesn’t mind who it is just so long as they love flying. Poppy loves taking care of the Royal magic carpets and can’t wait to go flying with her new student.

But things don’t seem to go as planned. Everyone is matched perfectly except Poppy. Her student, Aggi, hasn’t turned up for the matching process. Why would she miss this important day? When Poppy finally meets Aggi she is confronted with a rude genie who doesn’t like riding magic carpets at all.

What happens if Poppy doesn’t graduate? How will Poppy ever get her wish if she can’t mentor Aggi? And why doesn’t Aggi want to dress like all the other tweenies?

Tweenie Genie fans won’t be disappointed in this next exciting instalment of the adventures of Poppy and her friends. And if you’ve ever wondered what happens when a genie’s bottle is broken … you will have to read Genie in Charge.

The Reading Stack reviewed Meredith Badger’s Tweenie Genie. Genie in Training in May 2009 and Tweenie Genie. Genie High School in February 2010.

About Face

Words by Robert Moore, Pictures by Monkeystack

IP Kidz. Australian, Children, Picture. Hardcover RRP $26.00

About Face is a funny, quirky and definitely colourful story of a boy who has a dream that his facial features leave his face and roam the house.

                “My eyes jumped out of their sockets.
                My nose fell on the floor.
                My ears unscrewed themselves.
                Then my lips slid off my mouth.
                And opened the door.”

The adventures of six appendages (two eyes, two ears, a nose and lips) making pies, listening to music and sneaking about the house will delight children. The wonderful 3D graphics will mesmerise the reader and I was just waiting for the eyes to blink.

A wonderful and different story that is soon be turned into an animation film. Now that will be one to keep your eyes and ears posted out for…

http://www.moorethemerriest.com/
http://www.monkeystack.com.au/

Millie’s Special Something

by Tania Cox and David Miller

Working Title Press. Australian, Picture Book. Hardback RRP $24.95

Millie is a small dinosaur with a beautiful, feathery tail. She has lots of friends and they like to play. But when big bad Reggie comes and frightens Millie, her friends gather round to save the day. They all have unique talents that scare Reggie away but all Millie can do is shake with fright.

Millie goes home, alone and upset, wishing she had a special talent too. Along comes Reggie again and this time her friends aren’t there to save her. Maybe Millie will end up being Reggie’s dinner. But as Millie turns away to hide, something miraculous happens and Reggie ends up begging Millie to stop. Millie finally finds her special something.

This is a wonderful story that answers some of the age old problems of childhood fears and bullying. David Miller’s unique paper sculptures on painted backgrounds give the story a striking 3D effect. My favourite, but scary, page is of Reggie and his big spotted tongue and bulging eyeball. Children will delight in turning the pages and reading how Millie overcomes her fears and they will enjoy “patting” her feathers and poking Reggie in the belly. A fun story with a very real underlying theme. Excellent.

The Reading Stack reviewed David Miller’s Rufus the Numbat in August 2010 and Big and Me in Issue 12, November 2008.

http://www.taniacox.com/

Do Not Forget Australia

by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Sonia Kretschmar

Walker Books Australia. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover RRP $29.95

Reviewer – Vicki Stanton

Do Not Forget Australia is a fictional story based on the link forged between Melbourne and the French village of Villers-Bretonneux during World War One. It explores the links between Australia and France forged on the Western Front through the eyes of two boys: Henri from the French village of Villers-Bretonneux and Billy in Melbourne.

Murphy immediately catapults the reader into Henri’s world. Initially, he does not know or care about Australia. He is more concerned with the war coming ever closer to his village and one afternoon he and his mother are forced to flee.

The story then switches to Billy who fears for the safety of his father fighting over in France.

Henri returns to his village, damaged by battle and meets the Australian soldiers camped nearby. Henri appreciates their efforts in freeing his village and also empathises with their sadness over fatalities. Henri befriends a soldier, Billy’s father, who talks of his son in faraway Melbourne.

When Billy receives a letter from his father mentioning Henri a link is forged between the two boys and between Melbourne and Villers-Bretonneux. Ultimately, this leads to the rebuilding of the Villers-Bretonneux school with funds raised by Victorian school children. The full page author’s note explains the campaign to raise £20 000 to rebuild Villers-Bretonneux including the Do Not Forget Australia sign displayed at the school.

That the book is a quality production is evident right from the start with the symbolic endpapers with poppies and Australian icons. Sonia Kretschmar’s skill in portraying the two boys’ worlds with her use of colour and detail is commendable. Readers are drawn into the two boys’ worlds and feel the angst and worry, and the devastation wreaked by war without being exposed to the full horror.

Do Not Forget Australia is an important book for all Australians. It is one that should be on all school, home and public library shelves.

The Reading Stack has reviewed Sally Murphy's Pearl Versus the World, Snowy's Christmas, and Toppling in August 2009, December 2009 and March 2010 respectively.

http://www.sallymurphy.net/
http://soniak.com/

Vicki Stanton is the editor and publisher of Buzz Words, an e-newsletter for writers and illustrators of children’s books.

The Little Vegie Patch Co.

by Fabian Capomolla and Mat Pember

Pan MacMillan. Australian, Nonfiction. Softcover RRP $45.00

Reviewer - Sandy Fussell

The Little Vegi Patch Co. is a gardening guide that focuses on growing vegetables in small spaces.

I wasn’t expecting to learn anything. I already know a great deal about vegetables and container gardening. I have other vegetable reference books but none of them are set out so beautifully or so easy to read and locate information. The photographs are delicious, and the power of a mouth-watering image to inspire a morning working in the garden should never be underestimated.

The vegetable information pages (A-Z of Edible Plants) detail growing guidelines, space considerations, soil preparation and potential problems. Other useful information includes sections on composting, worms, fertilising, water, saving seeds (which I found particularly interesting), recycling and even building a scarecrow.

There are detailed descriptions on how to use small spaces and recycled products – raised beds, no-dig gardening, propagating in toilet rolls and a golf club trellis. The discovery of the ‘spud tower’, a wire cylinder lined with straw and a centre of compost, allowed me to finally grow potatoes in my suburban backyard.

The authors, Fabian and Mat, belong to families who take great pride in their freshly grown produce. The book is filled with personal anecdotes. They admit a passion for home-grown tomatoes, one I enthusiastically share. When Mat’s Italian grandparents migrated to Australia, the most treasured possession was packed in the middle of the suitcase, in a jar, in a jar, in a jar – Nonno’s finest tomato seeds.

This book is a visual feast and a wealth of information. It is an invaluable reference for all things vegetable – small spaces and otherwise. I can’t imagine any vegie gardener who would not love to receive this book as a gift.

Visit the Little Vegie Patch Co. website http://littleveggiepatchco.com.au/ 

The Smallest Bilby

and the Easter Tale

by Nette Hilton, illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Working Title Press. Australian, Picture, Children. Hard Cover RRP $24.95

Reading The Smallest Bilby and the Easter Tale reminded me of the magical Christmas stories I read as a young child. Only this time it was about Easter.

Billy and his little band of bilbies are on their way to deliver Easter Eggs to all the wildlife in their habitats. They must be silent, quick, not get caught; and hide the eggs where the animals will find them. Then an accident happens and one of the bilbies is stuck. What will they do? How will they get all the eggs delivered before Easter morning?

A wonderful tale which brings a bit of Australian tradition to a world-wide holiday. Bruce Whatley’s beautiful and colourful illustrations are so cute, I just want to reach out and cuddle one of the bilby’s.

Just in time for Easter – here is a book that should be read on the night before Easter…

The Reading Stack reviewed Nette Hilton's Pyro Watson and the Hidden Treasure in February 2010 and Bruce Whatley's Zoobots and Martha Doesn't Share in June and October 2010 respectively.

http://www.nettehilton.com.au/

Tatiara

Written and Illustrated by Jo Oliver

New Frontier Publishing. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover RRP $24.95

This book tells the story of a friendship between a young girl and an injured seal she names Tatiara.

The girl wears a back brace and is unable to swim in the ocean. She watches Tatiara, who has come to the quiet waters of the bay to heal. The healing ocean reaches out to include the girl, through her relationship with Tatiara. When her brace is removed, the girl can finally swim in the bay with the seal.

Extensive use of blue and brown brings to life the quiet water of the bay, the waves the whales ride and the sepia tinge of history.

Tatiana is set around the Tathra Wharf, an area I know well. The words and illustrations evoke a wonderfully accurate sense of place. This is a safe haven:

 The wharf shelters from the Great Southern Ocean in the crook of the bay’s arm.

The text also contains a gentle conservation message about whaling, once common in the area:

It’s been forty years since they were hunted here. There were only one hundred left before they were protected.

A truly beautiful book.

Sounds Spooky

by Christopher Cheng, Illustrated by Sarah Davis

Random House Australia. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

In a creaky old house, a ghost child hears strange, scary noises.

Whistling wind through the treesSqueaking bats flying pastKnocking noises at my window…

When the door creaks the word winds itself around the gargoyles.
I am not scared, the ghost girl whispers as the noises grow closer

              thumping, clicking, whirring, whispering

At the same time, a group of children are nervously making their way through the house.

Plinketty Plunketty Plonk Plink Plunk Twang!

When the children and the ghost girl finally meet, everyone is frightened and everyone insists they are not scared. The ironic humour is immediately evident in the facial expressions.

The text is a celebration of sound and perfect for reading aloud and encouraging young readers and listeners to play with onomatopoeias.

One look at the cover and a flip to the credits page sets the illustration tone. This is a visually stunning book. Go to the Random House Australia web site and look for yourself http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/christopher-cheng/sounds-spooky-9781864718799.aspx. The ghost girl glows with a soft fey luminescence. The use of midnight blues and purples creates a darkness that is deeper than black and twice as magical.

Recommended for reading out loud, playing with words and of course, Halloween.

http://www.chrischeng.com/
http://www.sarahdavisillustration.com/

6

by Karen Tayleur

black dog books. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback, RRP $18.99

An accident. Six people, five seatbelts, one car. The conclusion seems forgone. But the big question is who of the six individuals whose only common link is the school they attend. Four are in relationships. Two are football jocks. Two are best friends. One is the party boy. One is the school brain. In their final year at school, they are looking forward to the Year 12 Formal.

First, Tayleur takes us back several months when these six individuals have no interaction with each other. What seems to be a totally random event, entwines all six together in secrets and lies.

Each character tells their own story of how they end up in that car on that night. Everyone has their reasons. Some are innocent yet others are conspired and selfish. It doesn’t matter, the outcome is going to be the same.

This plot is clever, gripping and sucks you right in. Or should I say plots. I felt compelled to read through to the end as quickly as I could, … chasing from one ‘light bulb’ moment to the next, until finally I knew the answers. I never knew what was coming… the shocks are plentiful. Do not assume anything.

Karen Tayleur’s novels. Chasing Boys was reviewed in Issue 2 of The Reading Stack, Hostage reviewed in October 2009 and Halloween in Christmas Hills (The Legend of Stingy Jack) reviewed in October 2009.

http://karentayleur.com/

Pig Boy

by J C Burke

Woolshed Press. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $18.95

Pig Boy is a very confronting book. While I was reading it, a bullied school boy in the United States walked into his classroom and opened fire. It was eerily resonant. Could Damon Styles’ end up like this boy in the US?

Damon Styles is in his last year at school in the small country town of Strathven, where everybody knows everybody’s business. Damon has been bullied his whole high school life and taunted with the nickname of Damoink. He is intelligent but fat. He wins literary awards but the Principal never acknowledges him. He loves playing violent on-line video games but has trouble shooting a real weapon. He has anger issues with nearly the whole town.

Could he kill for revenge?

Damon’s eighteenth birthday starts badly and by lunchtime he has been expelled from school. What happens next will change Damon’s life. What did Damon stumble upon? And is there someone who knows what Damon saw?  

With paranoia setting in, Damon comes up with a plan. He knows what he has to do. First, he needs to make a list.

                TO-DO LIST

·         Google for info

·         Check newspapers etc

·         Get a padlock

·         Look into renewing firearms licence – book safety course, call rifle club re rejoining and course availability

·         Visit Pigman about a job

With no-one to turn to and no-one to trust, Damon is forced to take matters into his own hands.  

But when his careful planning begins to unravel, there is someone unexpected there to help him after all.

Pig Boy is a riveting read. The first half of the book builds Damon’s character looking back at what he has endured all his life. The second half of the book goes at a flying pace that before you realise, you are at the end and your heart has been beating double time and you desperately need to come up for air. A twisted story with a fantastic climax.

http://www.jcburke.com.au/

Australian Story

An Illustrated Timeline


by Tania McCartney

NLA Publishing (National Library of Australia). Australian, Picture Book. Paperback RRP $24.95

Guest Reviewer – Jackie French

It’s all here, from the discovery of gold to Cathy Freeman’s Olympic glory, from dinosaurs to the Black Saturday bushfires. It’s a picture book that you can leaf through in five minutes, or find a lifetime of inspiration to follow. Australian Story isn’t the actual stories of Australia: it’s a tantalizing time line that will lure kids to find the history behind the images in the book.

Tania McCartney has done a brilliant job, choosing not just what events matter, but the ones that matter to kids- beginning, of course, with the dinosaur. The national library material she’s worked with is stunning: images, photos, paintings and sketches from their archives that tell our history in a way that is simple to understand but also beautiful.

This is a book that every six year old needs to read, to see as early as possible the threads of our history. It’s also a book that every high school should have, so the stories a history lover knows, can be put in chronological context.

http://www.taniamccartney.com/books.html

The Reading Stack reviewed Tania McCartney’s Riley and the Grumpy Wombat in August 2011.