Monday 27 April 2015

The ANZAC Puppy

Brought to us by our New Zealand counterparts, The ANZAC Puppy is a touching story inspired by the true story of Freda, a Harlequin Great Dane, and the NZ Rifle Brigade's mascot during World War 1.



The story unfolds tales of war, love, bravery and loyalty. When a young soldier leaves for war, he can't leave behind a little puppy being given away by a young girl. Promising to return after the war, the soldier and the puppy go on their life-changing journey together. The harsh realities of war descend upon them, all the while remembering his promise to return.

End pages detail the facts behind the story giving the tale further depth and power.

Trish Bowles beautifully illustrates this amazing story, one that will remain with you long after reading.


Highly recommended for 4+ years

Author: Peter Millett
Illustrator: Trish Bowles
Scholastic NZ
$19.50
Paperback

Saturday 25 April 2015

Ride, Ricardo, Ride

With the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli this year comes a breadth of children's picture books exploring the themes of war and peace.

'Ride, Ricardo, Ride' is a haunting tale depicting how families and villages were torn apart by air raids throughout Europe. Shane Devries (illustrator) and Phil Cummings (author) beautifully construct subtle war analogies but in a child friendly manner.

Ricardo loved to ride his shiny bike every day... until the shadows came.

Poignant and beautifully crafted - highly recommended for children aged 5 and over.



Omnibus Books
$24.99
Hardcover

Friday 24 April 2015

Me and Moo

Sometimes friends can be found in the most unlikely of places. Meet Me and Moo, a delightful, if not unlikely pair of friends. Moo lives under Me's bed. While he was still small that was ok - but now Moo is so big he no longer fits most things. Keeping him under wraps was proving difficult.


This delightful story by P. Crumble and Nathaniel Eckstrom has wonderful humour weaving through a tale of friendship and love.

Perfect to read aloud for ages 4 and older.

Scholastic Australia
$24.99
Hardcover

Thursday 23 April 2015

Curly Girly

Coming from someone who spends more time and money attempting to straighten her own hair, this book did strike a nerve with me!



Seven year old Sophie has curly hair. What she would give to have long straight hair like her friend Claire. Join Sophie as she tries all manner of ways to tame her curls. Touching on themes such as body image, resilience, friendship and confidence - this book will be a starter for many conversations around being happy just being yourself.

Author: Amanda Tarlau
Illustrator: Laura Hughes
Recommended for 4-8 years
Koala Books
$14.99
Paperback

Friday 10 April 2015

Magpie learns a lesson

Reminiscent of 'The Boy who cried wolf', 'Magpie learns a lesson' by Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina explores the theme of jealousy. 

Magpie and Brown Falcon live together in the Australian Bush. Magpie can sing beautiful songs, but is unhappy that she can't fly like Brown Falcon. Deciding to play mean tricks on Brown Falcon makes Magpie feel better for a little while, but what will happen when he really needs a friend? 



Authors: Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Illustrator Tania Erzinger
Omnibus
$24.99 Hardcover

Thursday 9 April 2015

Thelma the unicorn

Thelma dreams of being more than just a pony. Thelma dreams of being a ... unicorn!

Seeing a carrot lying on the ground, Thelma gets an idea. Thelma takes the carrot and ties it to her nose and with that she says she is a unicorn!

But her dream was soon to take a turn. A startled truck driver seeing her, swerves on by, dumping a whole lot of pink paint and glitter all over Thelma! Now she most definitely looks like a unicorn.

Aaron Blabey, author of Pig the Pug, returns with another winner. Follow Thelma's rise in fame as she is adored worldwide. But is fame really all it is cracked up to be?



Author/illustrator: Aaron Blabey
Scholastic
$16.99 hardcover 

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Budinge and the Min Min Lights and Duelgum: the story of the mother eel

These beautifully illustrated retellings of Indigenous dreaming stories are a must for collectors of quality Australian children's literature.


Uncle Joe Kirk returns in his retelling of the Indigenous dreaming story, 'Budinge and the Min Min Lights'.

Budinge lives with his grandmother deep in the Australian Outback. His grandmother often spoke to him about the Min Min Lights and their mystical powers. Would they lead him away if he ever came across them? He was about to find out!




'Duelgum: the story of the mother eel' is a tale about returning to home. Set with the beautiful background of the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay, follow the journey of Mother eel and her hatchlings as they venture home. Beautifully retold by Uncle Joe Kirk with Greer Casey and Sandy Harrold.



Author: Uncle Joe Kirk
Illustrator: Sandi Harrold
Scholastic
$15.99 paperback each





Tuesday 7 April 2015

Rita's Rhino

The infamous British author, Tony Ross is back with a heartwarming story about pet ownership.

Rita wants a pet. Her mum doesn't. Begging her and promising that she will look after any pet she takes under her wing, Rita's mum finally relents. After a few unpopular and somewhat small suggestions, Rita decides to get her own pet. Turning up at the zoo, she starts looking for her ideal companion...only thing is he's a but hard to hide!

Great fun - kids will love this story where the little person outwits the adult!




Author/illustrator: Tony Ross
Koala Books
$14.99 paperback
Recommended for 3-7years