Tag Archives: children’s book

Apr8

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

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IMG_8867Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby, paperback novel, 321 pages, first published by Scholastic Press in 2011, this edition published by Scholastic Inc. in 2013.

Solveig is a princess growing up in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Asa, and that of her younger brother, the heir, Harald. To the King, she has always been the plain, unpromising and unimportant middle child, but when the three siblings are trapped behind an icy fjord for the winter, Solveig comes into her own. As their father fights a war, the princesses and prince are being protected in the King’s Hall with some loyal servants and a band of violent berserkers, that normally serve the King in battle. They cannot leave their ice safe-hold until the spring thaw arrives, but that is a long time away through a bitter winter. It soon becomes apparent that there is a traitor in their midst, but it’s hard for Solveig to imagine that one of these trusted few could betray them and their father. What appeared to be a protected haven, has now become a place of uncertainty, distrust and danger. They must wait for the thaw that will allow them to escape the trap that they have found themselves in, but maybe it won’t come soon enough.

I suppose Icefall could be described as a ‘coming of age’ story, as Solveig begins to define herself outside of her father’s narrow view of her during a period of stress. She matures and finds a strength she never knew she possessed, and in turn she finds herself. Also, Icefall is a mystery which was exciting and interesting.  The characters were well developed, and the storyline was compelling. The story is told from Solveig’s point of view, and the reader is able to grasp how she feels and thinks about the situation she finds herself in, and those she shares it with. I could also visualise the berserkers and the location in which the story is set. I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a page turner for me. I think it would probably be best for upper primary and high school children, but mature younger children might also enjoy this adventure.

Apr3

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Mozzie by P. Crumble and Louis Shea

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IMG_8896There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Mozzie by P. Crumble and Louis Shea, paperback picture book, published by Scholastic Australia in 2010.

This is an hilarious Australian twist on the classic There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. Only here, the Old Lady swallows a Mozzie (mosquito), followed by a range of Aussie animals, which get bigger and bigger.

The illustrations in There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Mozzie are fantastic. The Old Lady is comically dressed in purple slippers with matching purple hair, and a purple bow on her wide-brim hat. My favourite picture is of the Old Lady eating an echidna sandwich with tomato sauce, but every page contains a wonderfully humorous drawing. And the story is just as entertaining, as she eats her way through the Australian bush in an attempt to catch the mozzie she has swallowed.

I shared this book with my children, and they loved it. It’s best for lower primary school children and below, though all ages can have a laugh while reading this book. It is perfect for reading aloud and for sharing. Once we’d read the story we really enjoyed talking about the pictures, and how silly the Old Lady is for swallowing all those animals, especially since she took her teeth out at the start! A fun book we will read over and over.

Apr1

The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky

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IMG_8646The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by Andrew Joyner, paperback picture book, first published by Penguin Group (Australia) in 2009, this edition published by Penguin Group (Australia) in 2012.

The rabbits are having a relaxing snack by the lake when they hear a loud noise. It frightens them and they run away from the lake as quickly as they can telling all the animals they meet on the way about the “Terrible Plop”. They come to a bear who doesn’t believe anything could be scarier than him, and he forces the smallest of all the rabbits to show him where this “Terrible Plop” is.

Just as some children are wary of trying new things, the littlest rabbit discovers that some things seem scary at first, but once they are explained, they are not really scary at all. This is something most people can relate to. The Terrible Plop is an entertaining story with rhyming text and lovely illustrations. It is an excellent read-aloud book, and I love sharing this one with my kids. Great for preschoolers and lower primary school children, this story is sure to become a favourite.

Mar31

The Bear’s Lunch by Pamela Allen

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IMG_8642The Bear’s Lunch by Pamela Allen, paperback picture book, published by Puffin Books in 1998.

When Oliver and Wendy go for a picnic lunch by the lake, they are unaware that a very hungry bear is roaming near by looking for a meal. The bear becomes increasingly hungry, so when it spies Wendy and Oliver, they look like a nice, easy lunch. However, Oliver and Wendy have other ideas.

Pamela Allen books are very popular in our house, and The Bear’s Lunch has been read many, many times. My kids love to do all the growls and roars throughout the book. The story is easy to follow along, and it is great to share with young children up to lower primary school age. This is a fun story with a happy ending that most children will enjoy.

Mar27

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

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IMG_8648The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, paperback picture book, published by Macmillan Children’s Books in 1999.

A little mouse strolls through the woods, several predators offer for him to join them for a meal. He frightens each of these animals away with his description of the fictitious monster, the Gruffalo, but then he actually meets one. The Gruffalo thinks he would like to eat the mouse as well, but the mouse has a clever idea to escape becoming lunch.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book that is extremely well loved in our home. The kids can recite this story because we have read it so many times. I love it too, and I am always happy when one of the kids choose it for story time. The story is written in rhyming text, and the mouse’s description of the Gruffalo is delightful. It is amusing and original, and not at all scary. It is a wonderful book to share with children of all ages. The Gruffalo is a must have for every child’s book collection.

 

Mar27

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

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IMG_8643Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, children’s paperback, first published by Harper and Row in 1963, this edition published by Red Fox in 2000.

Max is wearing his wolf suit and being a bit naughty, so he is sent to bed without any dinner. While he sits in his room, a forest grows, and an ocean appears, with a boat just for Max. He travels over the water to the land where the wild things live, and rules them, but he is lonely in the land of the wild things and he wants to go home.

This picture book is an award winner, and considered a children’s classic. It is a simple story with plenty of illustrations. Where the Wild Things Are is not my favourite picture book, but it’s okay. As toddlers my kids thought this book was terrifying, mostly due to the drawings of the wild things. Now that they are a bit older, they like this story fairly well, just not before bedtime.

Mar27

Humf is a Furry Thing by Andrew Brenner

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IMG_8650Humf is a Furry Thing created by Andrew Brenner, children’s boardbook, published by Igloo Books Ltd in 2011.

Humf is a little purple monster, and he is also a furry thing, just like his mum and dad. He thinks he might like to be a feathery thing like his friend Loon, or a scaly thing like a lizard, or maybe a slippery thing. But maybe he likes being a furry thing best after all.

Humf is one of our favourite friendly monsters, along with his friends Loon and Wallace. There have been times when the kids have wanted to watch him on TV over and over, until they know the episodes backwards and forwards 🙂 So finding some Humf books was exciting. Humf is a Furry Thing is a sturdy boardbook with colourful illustrations, and a simple story great for sharing with a toddler or pre-schooler (older children can still enjoy Humf too!)

 

Mar26

Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey

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IMG_8590Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey, paperback children’s novel, 281 pages, published by Random House Australia in 2010.

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is a precocious seven year old who is starting at her new boarding school, Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. There is something not quite right about the school though. The headmistress, Miss Grimm, never emerges from her office,  the school cook has never had a holiday, and the Gardner is not allowed to plant flowers. Alice-Miranda decides to set things right, but she must also deal with Alethea, the school bully, and a series of difficult and near impossible tasks set by Miss Grimm as an entrance test.

The Alice-Miranda series is written by the same author as the Clementine Rose series, but these books are longer and more challenging. While this book is probably best for middle primary school children, I decided to read this with my second grader, each of us taking turns to read. She was quite capable of reading it, but we did come across some words that were new to her. We took this as a learning opportunity and discussed these words, and then we looked some of them up in the dictionary. This didn’t diminish her enjoyment of the story though, and she has already begun reading the second book in the series by herself.

As Alice-Miranda is the only child of very wealthy parents who have spared no expense in raising their daughter, she had the potential to be a bit spoilt, and she is quite outspoken, so I expected her to be somewhat annoying, and ergo unlikable, but that actually wasn’t the case. She is very forthright and opinionated, but she was also intelligent, charming, interesting and confident, adventurous, charitable and kind. I found myself hoping that everything would work out for her as we read. The story is well written and interesting, with plenty of description of both characters and surroundings allowing for an immersion in the tale. I really liked sharing this story with my daughter.

Alice-Miranda’s future adventures are definitely on our to-read list!

 

 

Mar25

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

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IMG_858811 Birthdays by Wendy Mass, paperback novel, 267 pages, published by Scholastic Inc. in 2009.

Amanda and Leo were born on the same day in the same hospital and were to become best friends, and celebrate their birthdays together every year. That is until their tenth birthday when they have a falling out, and then don’t speak to each other for an entire year. Amanda is miserable on the day of her eleventh birthday, and she is glad when the day finally ends and she goes to sleep. But when she wakes up in the morning she discovers that her birthday is happening again, and she seems to be the only one that realises it. Why is her birthday repeating and how does she make it end?

I enjoyed this story, it reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day, which I have always loved. The possibility of getting a “do-over” could be enticing, with no consequences, you could do anything you’ve always wanted to, but never been game to. Though, it could also be depressing when nothing you do actually matters, as each day resets and no one else remembers your actions. I think that the emotions that Amanda displays in the book when she discovers her birthday is repeating, mirror how I think I would react in the same situation. The characters were well written and felt real. The storyline was interesting and engaging, and I hope my kids will like it too. This book is probably best for middle to upper primary school students, though I didn’t think it had themes that would preclude a younger child from enjoying the story.

Mar25

Ava Anne Appleton Accidental Adventurer by Wendy Harmer

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IMG_8596Ava Anne Appleton Accidental Adventurer by Wendy Harmer, illustrated by Andrea Edmonds, paperback chapter book, 90 pages, published by Scholastic Australia in 2013.

There are a lot of ‘A’s in Ava Anne Appleton’s life. Her parents are Alan and Anne Appleton, and her dog is called Angus. She even lives at 3A Australia Avenue. She is very comfortable in her ordinary and predictable life, but all that changes when her father brings home a large mobile home named the Adventurer, and announces that their whole family will be traveling around Australia for the next year. Ava isn’t sure this sounds like a great idea, but as her parents are obviously thrilled about their trip, she just has to go along with it. When they set down for the night near a lake, Angus runs off into the bush, and Ava follows after him, quickly becoming lost in the unfamiliar surroundings. She has to find Angus and get back to her parents. Luckily she meets a new friend that can help show her how to enjoy her first adventure.

This is a chapter book with easy to read (and largish) text, and a simple storyline with simple language. This book would be great for lower primary school kids that are moving into independent reading of chapter books. There are some black and white illustrations through the book, and the chapters are reasonably short. At first I thought Ava didn’t seem much like an ordinary eight year old, with her need for order and neatness, but perhaps I just have too much experience with kids that whip through the room like a tornado! Perhaps Ava has been attributed with some more adult-like qualities because she is an only child in the story. Despite her reluctance to adventure, run about and get dirty, she is still a likeable character, and my own children liked her. I read this to my preschooler, and she loved it. We have now started reading Ava’s second adventure. Though this was a very easy read for my second grader, she still enjoyed the story too.