Rain before rainbows, is a stunning picture book about friendships, courage and hope. Written by Smriti Halls and illustrated by David Litchfield it is beautiful. @WalkerBooksAus

Rain before rainbows

By Smriti Halls

Illustrated by David Litchfield

ISBN 9781406382358

Walker Books

Rain before rainbows. Clouds before sun. Night before daybreak. A new day’s begun.

Simply put, this picture book is beautiful. A girl and a fox are friends and do everything together. They face the beauty of each day but also face worries together too. They discover that there is always a silver lining to every dark cloud. In order for flowers to grow, we need sunshine and rain. When meeting dragons, we need courage and good friends. When facing anything new in life, there is always hope. There is always balance and opportunities to find happiness.

The illustrations are stunning in their glorious, rich and shiny hues. In fact, if hope was a colour, it would be the beautiful colours on the pages of this gorgeous picture book.

Love it. Absolutely, love it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. Prequel to The Hunger Games. Very excited about this new book.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

By Suzanne Collins

ISBN 9788427220287

Scholastic

 

Not a review, but sharing the trailer for a book I am very keen to read.

I loved the Hunger Games trilogy and now there is a prequel and it is very much anticipated by fans all over the world. So much so, that on all searches I did to find out more about this book, I never got further than writing the word Ballad and the novel popped up. Could be any ballad at all but Collin’s one came up first every time which just goes to show how much interest and demand there is for this book.

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.”

This time we focus on President Snow as a young man. Looking forward to reading this one soon.

 

Nevertell by Katharine Orton. Fantasy, survival, fairytales, magic and danger in this debut middle grade novel. @KatharineOrton @WalkerBooksUK @WalkerBooksAus

Nevertell

By Katharine Orton

ISBN 9781406385182

Walker Books

 

A world of magic is only a whisper away…

 

I was hooked from the first page where there is immediate tension. It is followed by more action and suspense. The pace is just right for keeping readers wanting to know what happens next.

Lina has only ever known the prison world she was born in and the harsh, snowy winters of Russia. Lina is only eleven but she is pushed by her mother, who is also a prisoner, to escape and try and find her grandmother in Moscow. Her best friend Bogdan also escapes and the two of them find themselves facing many dangers. Food and warmth are in short supply and what are the noises and creatures that keep following them.

This is a good read. It has heaps of action, and is paced well with lots of new characters along the way. Some good, some not so good. Each chapter heading has mystical illustrations adding to the story.

Trust, forgiveness, friendships, family, freedom, and hope, are all themes throughout the novel for middle grade readers. Throw in survival and courage with a good dose of magic and a whispered voice repeating the phrase “nevertell” and you have a mystery as well as a fantasy story. Fairytales are an important feature here where they offer hope but also fear as they bring warnings of danger. A good read. This is a debut novel but I will certainly be looking out for further reads from author Katharine Orton.

 

 

The Magic Place by Chris Wormell. Adventure, humour, loneliness and the true meaning of home, the “most magical place of all”. @DFB_storyhouse

The Magic Place

By Chris Wormell

ISBN 9781788450157

David Fickling Books

 

 

‘And even though she only saw it in her dreams, she felt sure it was real...’

The cover of this chapter book is a real standout. Our eyes are equally drawn to the light and beauty in the distance as they are to the small window where Clementine and the cat Gilbert, stare out from the darkness, to the far-off mountains.

The illustrated end pages take us from the grime and dirt of city life to the contrasting beauty of nature at the close of this book and Clementine’s story.

Clementine is basically imprisoned by her awful and nasty aunt and uncle. They force her to live in a tiny room with nothing but a bed. No chairs, nothing to play with and all the time she must work hard doing everything they command. Clementine never goes outside or sees the outside world. Her life is difficult and lonely but she is determined that there must be something better. Then comes Gilbert, a most wise and clever cat.

Together they face the wicked couple and change their fate. There is adventure, humour and a lovely twist that provides a happy ending, but it is also dark, with nasty characters. It has a Victorian feel to the setting which adds to the suspense and darkness but it is ultimately a story of hope and courage and a belief in dreams. It is also the story of the magic of home, the most wonderful place of all.

Clementine is a strong, capable, believable and likeable character. Delightfully illustrated throughout. Love this story.

Scaredy Book by Devon Sillett : It’s not always easy to be brave. An ideal picture book for children who are anxious @EK_Books

Scaredy Book

By Devon Sillett

Illustrated by Cara King

ISBN 9781925335682

EKBooks

 

                                                                               It’s not always easy to be brave!

 Book lives in the library where it is warm, peaceful and most importantly, safe. However, he begins to think about the outside world but is too scared to leave the library.  Book sees danger everywhere and it stops him from trying. He sees his book friends go out and come back ripped, sticky and sometimes, some never come back.

One day Book sees a little girl named Emma and plucks up the courage to attract her attention. Emma picks him up and hugs him, just the way we all hug our favourite books. Emma takes him out in to the sunshine and Book finally sees a whole new world where lots of good things happen. Stepping out of his comfort zone took courage but Book is now able to reap the rewards and enjoy so many new things in his life.

Aimed at younger readers, this picture book is ideal for children who may be a little anxious about the world around them. It encourages children to find the strength within themselves to try new things, to take risks and make new friends along the way.

The illustrations are warm and colourful. The end pages in particular, are very cute and have sweet images of Book as he tries new things, like tennis, listening to music or bouncing on a trampoline. His cute smiles show us that he is having fun and thoroughly enjoying his new experiences. 

Teacher notes are a great way to explore this book even more.

 

 

The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The one and only Ivan
By Katherine Applegate
Wow! This book just blew me away. Like others I have known who have read this, it will leave you in tears. Sad tears and happy tears. This is such a beautiful and well written story that you cannot help but be moved. Ivan is a Silverback gorilla, caged for almost as long as he can remember. When a baby elephant arrives at his animal mall, it soon needs protecting. Ivan has to step up and he does. Powerful and simply one of the best books. A must read if ever there was one. Review to follow in the review pages. Thanks to Zac for sending me this copy. I need another box of tissues now!