Christchurch kids have seen lots of diggers, dump trucks, and cranes lately with all the demolitions after our earthquakes so what better time for a book about a grumpy digger than now. Bruiser is a grumpy digger on a mission. He has to hurry up and plough the hillsides, crush rocks and tear up forests so that he can get the motorway built. But one day he gets stuck in the mud and no matter what he does he can’t get out. While he’s trying to get out, he knocks a magpie nest out of a tree and it’s up to Bruiser to get them to safety.
Bruiser has everything that a great picture book should. The story is full of mischief and fun, and it’s perfect for reading aloud. Gavin Bishop’s bright, bold illustrations bring his story to life and children (especially boys) will love this grumpy digger with a heart of gold. Gavin has effectively used the days of the week and numbers in his story, in a similar way to Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, “On Monday he ploughed through five hills. On Tuesday he crushed ten rocks,” and so on. Children are always the best critics of picture books, and having read Bruiser aloud to a group of preschoolers, Bruiser gets the tick of approval. Bruiser is certain to become a New Zealand classic.
The Elves and the Cloakmaker is the latest title in the Kiwi Corkers series from Scholastic. Written by Chris Gurney and illustrated by John Bennett, I think this is one of the first, if not the first, Christmas book with a Maori theme. Chris and John have taken the idea of the original Elves and the Shoemaker story and given it a New Zealand twist.
Christmas is nearly upon us again and one of the first new Christmas books for the year is an illustrated version of song, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, originally by Don Gardner. This catchy little song has been brought to life by the quirky illustrations of Katz Cowley, who also illustrated the best-selling Wonky Donkey and Willbee the Bumblebee. I’ve loved Katz’ illustrations ever since I first saw how she’d perfectly portrayed the Wonky Donkey from Craig Smith’s song. The song is about a child who has lost their two front teeth and wants nothing more for Christmas than to have them back again so that they don’t have to keep talking funny. Katz has taken a different take on the song and instead she uses a monkey to tell the story. The monkey’s two front teeth have gone missing and he doesn’t know who to blame. The teeth police are on the case and they try to find where his teeth are gone. The monkey can see that everyone else has all their teeth apart from him and thinks up all the ways he could get new teeth, including asking Father Christmas, and replacing them with buttons or leaves.
Spencer Fogle is an ordinary kid who lives in the extraordinary town of Filmington. His hometown used to be called Flemington, until film and TV crews discovered its range of landscapes, from fiery volcanoes to snowy mountains and lush rainforests, and took over the town. The town’s richest resident, Jimmy Jangle, controls most of the business within Filmington and holds alot of people’s futures in his hands. When Spencer is walking home from school one day, he hears blood-curdling screams coming from one of the science labs and goes to investigate. Spencer uncovers a dark plot involving carnivorous plants, genetically modified flies and a mysterious, hidden file. However, Jimmy Jangle and his thugs are willing to do anything to keep the truth covered up.
We were first introduced to Juno and the people of Taris in Juno of Taris, what would become the first in a trilogy. I picked up Juno of Taris on a recommendation of another children’s librarian that I worked with and was blown away by the community that Fleur Beale had created. For those of you who haven’t read the first book, it’s best to start at the beginning, but one of the great things about the subsequent books in the trilogy is that you get a summary of the story so far before you start. I don’t know if this was an idea of the publisher, Random House New Zealand, or Fleur herself, but I think it’s something that all trilogies/series should have, especially when the books come out a year apart.
Cecilia Undergarment lives with her extraordinary family in her extraordinary house, which is shaped like a huge bunch of balloons (to find out why you’ll have to read the book). Wouldn’t it be great to live in a house made of balloons! One day while looking out her window she sees a sad and neglected dog trying to escape from the house next door. She rescues the dog, but the dog’s mean owner destroys her home and sends her balloon room floating away, until it lands in the dark forest of Northwood. The forest is home to the ferocious black lions and anyone who has entered Northwood has never returned. Cecilia and the dog, Rocky find refuge in Northwood at Castle Storm, which is ruled by the horrible King Harry. Cecilia is determined to find a way out of Northwood, but King Harry will do anything to stop the people leaving.
When Finn comes across a car accident, little does he realize that his life is about to change forever. The huge, injured animal he discovers is no dog – but a wolf, escaped from the circus that he went to with his Dad. Finn knows that he must save the wolf, Lupa, and prevent her from returning to the circus and the sinister circus clown, Cackles, who torments her.
My Best Friends Are Books 