A day with dogs by Dorothee de Monfreid @geckopress : ever wonder what dogs do all day? Find out here in this quirky new picture book for children

A day with dogs

By Dorothee de Monfreid

ISBN 9781776570980

Gecko Press

                      Nine funny dogs live their everyday lives in these pages where you can learn all about seasons, colours, food, town and country, night and day, school and work, and much           more—including dog breeds, of course.

Have you ever wondered what dogs do all day when you are not at home. Dorothee de Monfreid’s lovely new picture book will answer all your questions. Take a walk through the pages of this hardback picture book for young readers.

A quirky look at the antics of various species of dogs will encourage children to learn the names of different household items, or things at school or just out and about town. This is also ideal for those children and students whose first language many not be English.

It is bright and bold but without being too busy. It is informative without unnecessary explanations. Children can paw (pun intended) over this book for hours enjoying the funny pictures and absorbing language and new words as they go.

Each double page has a bold title with images from a specific area. I love the bathroom scene with all the dogs in stages of cleaning themselves even down to the puddles on the floor.

Heaps of uses!

 

A child of books by Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston @OliverJeffers & @samwinston_ Beautiful stunning picture book to treasure always

A child of books

BY Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

ISBN 9781406358315

Walker Books

What a treasure! A child of books is absolutley stunning. I’ve had this for a few weeks now and just keep picking it up again and again. I don’t want to put it down. I’m in awe of this beautiful and wonderful thought-provoking book.

A little girl sails her raft ‘across a sea of words’ to arrive at the house of a small boy.  She takes him away on the most wonderful adventures and I am suddenly going along with them. Pictures and words all about stories and how we come from stories. Who we are today is because of stories.

The typography throughout use lines from classic stories such as Alice in Wonderlandand is brilliantly done with so much thought and consideration.

One of the special messages is that sometimes in life we get so caught up in the serious things that we forget to look around. We forget what we have and what, with a little imagination, we can do or can become.

Love, love, love it. Be sure to check under the cover too for a lovely surprise.

Every page, every word is perfect. The end pages too are gorgeous with lines of book titles.  This is the one book you really need to get your hands on.

 

 

“What lies beneath” author tour in Christchurch : panel talk with award winning authors & illustrators of children’s war books

If you are in or near Christchurch on 27th September do come and listen to these award winning authors and illustrators talk about their children’s war books. Wonderfully told and researched, beautifully illustrated this is a night not to miss.

The bee’s sneeze by Lucy Davey illus. by Katz Cowley – Sneezing can be dangerous

The bee’s sneeze

By Lucy Davey

Illustrated by Katz Cowley

ISBN 9781775432982

Scholastic NZ

 

That teasy sneeze came breezing …

like ants in the pants of a kangaroo,

it grew till it blew with a loud

 

AH-CHOO!

 

I would suggest anyone wanting to read this delightful picture book out loud, pre-read it first to get a taste of the lovely tongue twistery language.

One sneeze by little Buzzy McBee leads to another and then another and then in to danger. This is sure to delight young children and no doubt the many parents who will read this funny picture book out loud.

Warm  illustrations by Katz Cowley add to the humour. Lots of greens and browns help create a natural setting. I love the looks of surprise on bee and bear’s faces when they are blown all over the place. Sneezing takes on a whole new meaning in Lucy Davey’s latest picture book.

Barking mad by Tom E. Moffat @TomEMoffatt mind-swapping madness for middle primary school readers

Barking mad

By Tom E. Moffatt

ISBN 9781775433743

Schloastic NZ

 

At first, Fingers refuses to believe that his Granddad has gone BARKING MAD! But what straight-thinking grownup goes around LICKING the postman, growling like a dog and chasing hospital security guards up trees? And when Fingers and his sister Sally discover a BIZARRE machine in Granddads workshop, mix-ups turn into MIND-SWAPPING madness one look at Granddad’s dog DaVinci is proof of that!

Finn and his sister Sally arrive at their grandfather’s home only to find a hospital security guard, two ambulance men and a policeman all trying to get their granddad into an ambulance. Granddad has completely lost the plot and is doing the strangest things. Finn discovers the reason and then gets caught up in a mission to save his granddad.

Barking mad will suit readers from middle primary upwards. Short chapters, funny illustrations and a story that keeps going and going. Every time Fingers gets close to finding a solution he is confronted with a new dilema. Funny, quirky, and a good read aloud.  Lots of laugh out loud moments, especially when Finn ends up his sister’s body.

Barking mad is the winner of the Tom Fitzgibbon Award. I hope to see more from this newly published author Tom E. Moffatt

Three dark crowns by Kendare Blake @KendareBlake definitely looking forward to this new YA fantasy

The dark crowns

By Kendare Blake

ISBN 9781509804559

 

 

I absolutley loved Anna dressed in blood so I am certainly looking forward to this new book by Kendare Blake. Her writing grips you and drags you in to her worlds. Take a look at her website too with a very cool front page illustration. Suitably creepy and intriguing.

“Three dark queens
are born in a glen,
sweet little triplets
will never be friends

Three dark sisters
all fair to be seen,
two to devour
and one to be Queen

Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.”

Spark Trilogy by Rachael Craw @RachaelCraw Sci-fi for YA : Shield book 3 out Sept @WalkerbooksAus

Spark Trilogy

By Rachael Craw

Published by Walker Books Australia

Rachael Craw

I was thrilled to meet author Rachael Craw today who was in Christchurch particpating in the Word Festival.

Rachael popped in to The Original Children’s Bookshop and happily signed books and chatted. Rachael also kindly gave some bookmarks and posters for both the shop and the high school I work in at nights. I love the wee story samples of  Shield (book 3) which Rachael also gave us. Shield will be out on September First.

Stray (book 2) was the winner in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults  Children’s Choice category for YA this year. This is fantastic! If you want more information about Rachael or her books then do then check out her website by clicking on her name above.

Thank you so much Rachael for stopping by. I will treasure my own signed copy of Spark.

Rachael holding her book Spark.

Spark

Death by design.

Evie doesn’t have a choice. One day she’s an ordinary seventeen year old, grieving for her mother. The next, she’s a Shield, the result of a decades-old experiment gone wrong, bound by DNA to defend her best friend from an unknown killer. The threat could come at home, at school, anywhere. All Evie knows is that it will be a fight to the death. And then there’s Jamie. Irresistible. Off-limits.

Stray

It’s hard to remember hating anything as much as I hate Affinity; a bone-deep loathing for the faceless unknown and the concrete walls of my own DNA. Evie is a Shield: designed to kill in order to protect, and the Affinity Project have finally come for her. But Evie isn’t ready for the sinister organisation to take control of her life, her body, her mind. She isn’t ready to follow their rules about who may live and who must die – not when it condemns the innocent. She has one option: risk losing everything and everyone – including Jamie – and run.

Shield

Evie is out of options. She must comply with the Affinity Project – obey their rules, play their deadly games, give up Jamie. And her losses keep growing. When she decides to help a small group of Shields trying to affect change, Evie finds herself in the firing line. Counsellor Knox is intent on revealing her secrets and shackling her to the Affinity Project for life. To protect her family, Evie must betray those closest to her.

Barbarians : Book six in the Dragon Knight series by Kyle Mewburn @kylemewburn Half boy, Half dragon, heaps of fun

Barbarians

Book six Dragon Knight

By Kyle Mewburn

Illustrated by Donovan Bixley

ISBN 9781775433972

Scholastic NZ

It is not hard to see why this series is so popular with readers. It has playful language, tongue-in-cheek humour with lots of smelly bits that readers will giggle over.

Merek is half boy, half dragon. In fact he is a bit of a shape shifter and sometimes that is good for him but sometimes it puts him in danger especially if anyone finds out what he can do.

Merek is back for another adventure with his good friend Brin/Breena along for the ride. A great story to show how misunderstandings can have consequences but all done with humour.

 

When Merek and Brin try to save Lord Crumble’s treasure from a Barbarian attack, they find out more than they expected …about ‘evil’ Barbarians as well as about Lord Crumble himself. But not before getting themselves strung up by their feet and hung from a tree!

 

Donovan Bixley’s black and white illustrations are full of character.  It always amazes me how illustrators can capture the feelings and personalities of the characters authors write about. Together, author and illustrator here have created magic.

Readers gain so much from having a series of books like Dragon Knight. The language becomes familiar, they begin to love the characters and feel a connection with them. They feel safe reading, knowing they will get all the way through a book without too much effort. I often worry about people wanting to always push readers up to the next level. Pushing is good, but so is letting children read a series without the pressure of having to stop and try the next level. Mileage reading, is what we call it and it is the best way to encourage a love of reading.  Series such as this are ideal for encouraging that love for reading.

Great for readers in the 7- through 10 age group.

Pandamonia by Chris Owen @FremantlePress : Whatever you do – don’t wake the panda – or there will be pandamonia

 

Pandamonia

By Chris Owen

Illustrated by Chris Nixon

ISBN 9781925163339

Fremantle Press

A day at the zoo can be so much fun as long as you follow one simple rule. Don’t wake the panda, no matter what. If you do the consequences could be bad. And I mean bad. Jumpy hippos, tickly termites and a grumpy panda make for a funny story with gorgeous full-page illustrations.

There is much to look at with the illustrations and the different animals. I do love the hyenas and their cheeky grins.  Great rhythm and rhyme make this a delightful picture book to share with young ones

The zebra, giraffe and hyenas all laugh.

The geckos and gibbons all giggle.

Which causes the emus to shimmy and sway,

and the tapirs’ bottoms to jiggle.

 

It is also perfect to add to a teacher’s classroom collection. Great support if you are looking at zoos and animal habitats. Teaching notes available here.

The only child by Guojing @PenguinRandomNZ @guojingart : a truly beautiful wordless picture book to treasure

The only child

By Guojing

ISBN 9780553497045

 

This is an absolutely beautiful book. I have had it for awhile and just keep dipping in to it again and again to marvel at the illustrations. It has been said it is a mixture of Shaun Tan’s Arrival and Raymond Briggs The Snowman, and I completely agree. What they all have in common is the wordless story with wonderful illustrations that put them in a league of their own as far as picture books are concerned. This is a wonderful example of imagination and adventure and lovely emotional connection to the “only child”. An only child is left alone while her mother goes to work. After playing on her own for awhile she decides to take a trip to visit her grandmother. However, soon after leaving the safety of her home, she ends up lost and alone. We can feel her growing sense of loneliness. Her sense of wonder and awe when a stag takes her flying through the sky, is palpable. The dark tones, the mood and atmosphere of this picture book ring true even in a world of imagination. Love, love, love this book to bits.

This truly is a beautiful book to treasure. I can’t wait to see more from this very talented artist.

Witch’s cat wanted: Apply within by Joy H. Davidson illus. by Nikki Slade Robinson @scholasticnz : What is a witch to do without a cat?

Witch’s cat wanted: Apply within

By Joy H. Davidson

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

ISBN 9781775433729

Scholastic NZ

This is a delightful picture book about a young witch whose spells don’t work very well. In fact they are quite useless. The reason for her disastrous spells is that she doesn’t have a cat.  As everyone knows, a witch needs a good cat to help cast spells.  So she advertises for a cat but the ones applying for the job are simply not right. The witch asks them lots of questions but she is not having much luck at all with any of the cats who come knocking at her door.

“Could you ride on my broom across the moon,

and stir my cauldron with a wooden spoon?”

Good rhyming text adds to the fun of this story as the witch seeks to solve her problem and finds a friend along the way.

The illustrations are both sweet and funny and personalities shine through. Do watch out for the witch’s cute and comical frog on each page. His smile is contagious.

 Joy H Davidson is the winner of the Joy Cowley Award.

Save

Save

Everland by Wendy Spinale @WendySpinale : steampunk meets Peter Pan – an adventure where survival is everything

Everland

By Wendy Spinale

ISBN 9780545836944

Scholastic Press

“The only way to grow up is to survive”.

 

I love the idea of this book.

A deadly virus, steampunk, danger, and heaps of adventure.  Peter Pan and Captain Hook in a way you would never imagine. I love how some of our old traditional stories are being retold with robust Young Adult re-imaginings. 

The trailer is very brief but moody and enticing. I just want to dive right in and explore the landscape. The wonderful sepia tones of this trailer add such a strong sense of setting. 

Gwen Darling and her siblings have survived the bombs, a deadly virus outbreak, and an army of Marauders bent on abducting the war’s youngest victims. But when Captain Hook snatches her sister, Gwen will stop at nothing to get her back, even if means sacrificing her own life. In Everland, the only way to grow up is to survive.

 This is one to look out for. It is on my list! 

That’s not a hippopotamus! by Juliette MacIver illus. by @THESarahDavis @geckopress a missing hippo, a frantic teacher and lots of laughs

That’s not a hippopotamus!

By Juliette MacIver

Illustrated by Sarah Davis

ISBN 9781927271971

Gecko Press

Published September 2016

 

This is not the first time author Juliette MacIver and illustrator Sarah Davis have worked together and I am sure it won’t be the last. They work so well together that as a team they are a first rate pair. Juliette’s rhyme and way with words is wonderful to read aloud. Sarah’s ability to turn any story into works of illustrative art is equally wonderful.

That’s not a hippopotamus! is the funny story of a class visiting the zoo only to discover that the hippopotamus is missing. Or is he? The children hunt high and low but keep coming up empty handed. Hippo doesn’t seem to anywhere. Only Liam, the quiet boy, seems to know anything but he is dragged around by his frantic teacher who clearly is so busy running around she ignores Liams suggestions. I do feel sorry for Liam. There is a Liam in every class but will she end up listening to him?

The children are delightful, full of colour and character. Readers will love finding hippo in amongst the pages. He has the ability to slip in and out of the pages with ease, even hiding among elephants and if you look close enough – even up a tree. Lots of different animals and birds to identify too. If you check out the title page you can see that right from the start Liam knows just what to look for when looking for a hiding hippopotamus. Lessons in there perhaps but a great read aloud for young readers.

 

Sunken Forest by Des Hunt @scholasticNZ strong characters, great story “danger adventure eco-science”

Sunken Forest

By Des Hunt

ISBN 9781775434030

Scholastic NZ

Des Hunt has a very deserving reputation for producing top quality stories and Sunken Forest is no different.

           New town, new school, one random act of kindness.

           Wrong choices, bad mates,

           A raft of false accusations.

           Matt Smith is forced to attend a military-style wilderness camp with a bunch of kids he barely knows.

          It’s a nightmare, until he meets Elsa in the sunken forest…

           Who knew he could feel such empathy for a giant eel?

          And how far could that stretch when disaster threatens the lives of all? Matt is about to find out.

 

It seems no matter which way Matt turns, someone is there ready to dig the knife in especially when people realize his father is in prison. People suddenly don’t want to trust or believe him. He finds trouble everywhere, as one problem leads to another escalating out of control. He is however, determined and resourceful but struggles with the notions of justice and revenge. This is a great read, well paced and well researched. The descriptions of  New Zealand’s native bush and its wildlife and fauna highlight the beauty of our country. The author also points out the danger in our bush and how the weather and in particular, heavy rain, can create incredibly dangerous situations. It is a very real way of life in the New Zealand bush. The environment is always incredibly strong in Des Hunt’s novels so that setting is part of the story as much as any of the characters.

The characters are strong but all have flaws just as we all do. It is the flaws that lead to poor decisions which impact on Matt’s lives. His good deed to help an old lady ends up with him being accused of theft for which he is sent to a camp for problem kids. It is at the camp that he meets Elsa.

I love the relationship Matt has with Elsa, the giant eel. They seem to connect on a number of levels. It certainly proves the quality of Des Hunt’s writing in that it works, as we are right next to Matt and Elsa as they cross that bridge of communication between human and animal.

This is a great read for those who love the outdoors, conflict, bullying, and adventure. Goodness, it really does have heaps going on and I will be recommending it to all my year six students at school. I also think it would be perfect for a set text for teachers or librarians wanting to work with a group of keen readers.

Save

Save

Impyrium by Henry H. Neff @HarperCollins : new middle grade fantasy series & a wonderful book trailer

Impyrium

By Henry H. Neff

ISBN 9780062392053

HarperCollins Childrens Books

 

This is such a brilliant trailer. I love it! So much time and energy has gone in to this top quality trailer.  This book is definitely on my “must get hold of a copy now” list.

“In the first book of Henry H. Neff’s new high-stakes middle grade fantasy series, two unlikely allies confront a conspiracy that will shake the world of Impyrium to its core.

For over three thousand years, the Faeregine dynasty has ruled Impyrium. But the family’s magic has been fading, and with it their power over the empire. Whether it’s treachery from a rival house, the demon Lirlanders, or rebel forces, many believe the Faeregines are ripe to fall.

Hazel, the youngest member of the royal family, is happy to leave ruling to her sisters so that she can study her magic. But the empress has other plans for her granddaughter, dark and dangerous plans to exploit Hazel’s talents and rekindle the Faeregine mystique. Hob, a commoner from the remote provinces, has been sent to the city to serve the Faeregines—and to spy on them.

One wants to protect the dynasty. The other wants to destroy it. But when Hazel and Hob form an improbable friendship, their bond may save the realm as they know it…or end it for good.”

Look out for this one. I know I will be!