picture books

Picture Book Nook: Where is Fred? by Edward Hardy

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‘Hey, you! Yes, you reading this! I’m Gerald the crow and I’m looking for a lovely, fluffy white caterpillar called Fred. Have you seen him? I want him for my lunch! You haven’t? Are you sure? Then…Where is Fred?’

Fred is a lovely, fluffy, white caterpillar who loves games, especially Hide-and-Seek.  He’s really good at Hide-and-Seek because he can hide himself very well.  Apart from hiding, he spends most of his day munching on leaves.  Then one day he looks up to find a beady-eyed black crow, called Gerald, staring down at him hungrily.  Fred must do what he does best to escape Gerald’s hungry beak.

Where is Fred? is a fun picture book about a very smart caterpillar and a crow who’s ‘not the cleverest of birds.’  Children will get hooked right from the very first page when they meet the ‘lovely, fluffy white caterpillar called Fred’ and they get a chance to stroke him.  They’ll want to find Fred on each page and will get great satisfaction out of Fred outsmarting silly old Gerald.  Edward Hardy’s story is funny and action-packed, with just the right amount of repetition that children will be able to join in with the story.  Although you’re rooting for Fred, you also feel kind of sorry for Gerald because he keeps getting outsmarted.  Ali Pye’s illustrations were what made this picture book stand out for me.  She’s made Fred look very cute and fluffy and made Gerald look angry and a little bit crazy.  Each page is full of colour and there is lots for children to look at as you’re reading the story.  Ali very skilfully hides Fred on each page and it’s only his beady eyes that give him away.  I also really like the design of the book as different fonts and text sizes have been used, while still making it easy to read.  Where is Fred? will leave children laughing and is a great read-aloud for children who like a longer story.

5 out of 5 stars

Celebrate NZ Book Month throughout March

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March is the month that we celebrate New Zealand books, authors and illustrators.  It’s New Zealand Book Month  – and I’ll  have some special posts and competitions to celebrate our fantastic authors and illustrators.  Stay tuned for:

  • New Zealand children’s authors and illustrators answer my Fast Five questions.  Find out how books have changed the lives of our best authors and illustrators.
  • A special guest post from Fleur Beale to celebrate the re-issue of her NZ classic, I Am Not Esther.

To find out about other events that are happening around New Zealand to celebrate NZ Book Month check out their website – www.nzbookmonth.co.nz

Picture Book Nook: Edge of the World by Ian Trevaskis

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Shaun Tan, Margaret Wild, and Chris Van Alsberg are some of the masters of sophisticated picture books.  Their stories are told through both words and pictures and they make us think and question.  Edge of the World is a stunning new sophisticated picture book by Ian Trevaskis and illustrated by Wayne Harris, about grief and the power of art to heal wounds.

Edge of the World is about a small fishing village near the edge of the world where ‘the wind shrieked and howled through the empty streets and women and children huddled closer to their hearths,’ and where nobody smiled.  While other fishermen talk about their adventures, Toby McPhee keeps to himself and tries to forget what has happened.  Everyone in the village gets on with their lives; the women pray for the boats’ safe return and the children trudge to school.  Everything changes one day when Toby McPhee hauls in his fishing net and discovers more than just fish.  Each time he returns home with tiny pots of paint, which he uses to bring colour back into his life and the lives of the villagers.

Edge of the World is a magical story full of colour and hope.  Ian Trevaskis’ writing style is very descriptive and paints a picture for the reader, even without Wayne Harris’ illustrations.  You can sense the sadness of the village and it’s inhabitants from the opening lines, but the tone lightens as more colour gets introduced to the village.  Wayne Harris‘ illustrations are absolutely beautiful and it’s hard to believe that they were created digitally.  Wayne’s use of colour is very important to the story and he has shown this in the change in colour palette throughout the story.  In the beginning the colours are very muted and dull, but they get progressively brighter as the mood of Toby and the villagers change.  I’ve read this book at least 5 times so far and have got something new from each reading and viewing of the story.  It is a perfect picture book to study as a class (especially Year 7/8) as there as so many different aspects of the story, from the use of descriptive language to symbolism of different colour, that you could explore.   Walker Books have even created Teacher’s Notes to use with the book.

4 out of 5 stars

The perfect book for Valentine’s Day – Love Monster by Rachel Bright

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There are alot of picture books around that are about love.  Usually they feature rabbits, bears, or even kangaroos, but until now there hasn’t been one featuring a monster.  Love Monster by Rachel Bright is the perfect picture book to give to your valentine this Vanlentine’s Day.

Love Monster is about a little red, furry monster who is ‘a bit funny looking to say the least.’  He lives in a place called Cutesville, filled with all the cute, fluffy things you could imagine, like puppies, kittens and bunnies.  Nobody loves him so he sets out to find someone that will.  He looks high and low, inside and out, but he search proves fruitless.  Just when he gives up and starts to go home, love finds him.

Rachel Bright’s story about finding love in the most unexpected place is cute, funny and smart in just the right doses.  It’s not sickly sweet like some books about love.  The monster in this book isn’t scary, but one of those ones you want to pick up and cuddle (kind of like Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc.).   Rachel’s illustrations are big, bright and bold and remind me of those pictures I used to do when I was at primary school where you use crayon and ink.  The picture of the monster holding his teddy with his sad face on the front cover will definitely stand out on the shelf.  You’ll want to share Love Monster with the slightly hairy monster in your life, as well as the not-so-hairy ones that would love to live in Cutesville.

4 out of 5 stars

Win a copy of The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t

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The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t is about a sheep called Bo who has always dreamed of being an acrobat.  He’s not going to let the fact that he’s a sheep or that he’s afraid of heights get in the way of his dream.  However, Bo lives in a country where circuses are forbidden, so he works in secret on his sparkly blue uniform and his ‘sheepachute’.  His friends are right behind him and want to help him live his dream, but can he overcome his fears?

Thanks to Scholastic New Zealand I have two copies to give away.  To enter to win a copy of The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t just enter your details below.  Competition ends Monday 13 February, 2012.  Open to New Zealand only.

This competition has now closed.  Thanks to all those who entered.  The winners were Helen and Angela

Picture Book Nook: The House That Jack Built by Gavin Bishop

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If I had to pick one picture book that is quintessentially New Zealand, I would choose Gavin Bishop’s The House That Jack Built.  Gavin’s multi-layered story, based on the traditional rhyme, contains our history within it’s pages, told from both a Maori and a Pakeha perspective.  It is a picture book in which you discover something new or get a slightly different meaning from each time you read it.  Now, thanks to the wonderful Gecko Press who have reprinted the book in a stunning new format, a new generation of New Zealanders can enjoy this important book.

On the surface, it’s the story of Jack Bull, who travels to New Zealand from London as a new settler in 1798.   This is one of those brilliant picture books where the words tell a completely different story from the illustrations.  The end papers show us the reality of Jack’s life in London in 1798 and we see him with his cart of possessions and the red door that comes to symbolise Pakeha society.  In the next few pages we follow Jack’s ocean voyage on a map and see the list of goods that he has brought to trade with the natives.  Throughout the rest of the story Gavin portrays the effect that Pakeha colonisation had on the local Maori, from trading land and food for clothes and weapons, to the loss of culture and the deaths in the New Zealand Wars.

The House That Jack Built is a book that should be in every home, school, and library around New Zealand.  It’s an important book to help us remember who we are and where we’ve come from.  For those readers not in New Zealand the story will also be relevant as it applies to any colonial history.  Gavin Bishop is our master of the picture book and this is the best example of how he gets his message across visually.  He weaves the Maori and Pakeha strands of the story together and shows us through the illustrations, how Maori were assimilated into the Pakeha world.  The publisher, Gecko Press, deserves a huge amount of praise for, not only bringing this book back into print, but also for producing a gorgeous edition in a larger format than the original and printed on high quality paper.  Buying a copy of The House That Jack Built and sharing it with your family is the perfect way to celebrate Waitangi Day on 6 February.

5 out of 5 stars

The House That Jack Built is being published to coincide with Waitangi Day (6 February) and will be launched at the Porirua Festival of the Elements on Waitangi Day 2012 with author/illustrator Gavin Bishop.

Coming up from HarperCollins New Zealand – February 2012

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Here are some of the great books I’m looking forward to coming in February from HarperCollins New Zealand.

Steel Pelicans by Des Hunt (NZ)

Sometimes friendship and loyalty can be dangerous things – especially when fireworks are involved.
Inseparable Aussie friends dare-devil Dean and tag-along Pelly often get up to no good. That’s what makes them the Steel Pelicans. But as Dean’s homemade fireworks get increasingly dangerous, things start going wrong, and Pelly’s parents hasten a move back to New Zealand.  After living most of his life in Australia, Pelly feels like he’s been dumped in a foreign land with no friends and a school that doesn’t care, until he joins up with Afi Moore and is invited to stay the weekend at the Moores’ seaside bach. Then the pair stumble on a smuggling operation and find themselves deep in trouble, which only gets worse when Dean comes over for the holidays. In no time at all, Dean’s obsession with explosives threatens not only the investigation but also their lives.

Des Hunt is one of my favourite New Zealand authors.  He writes adventure/mystery stories set in New Zealand and they usually have an ecological message.  If you live in NZ and haven’t read any of Des Hunt’s books you should remedy this immediately. They’re especially good for boys around age 9+.

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Ivan is an easy-going gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.
Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen, and his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with colour and a well-placed line.  Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home-and his own art-through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
Katherine Applegate blends humour and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

I’ve heard so many good things about this book and I just know that it’s going to be one of those stories that gets right under my skin. 

The Lorax (Eco edition) by Dr. Seuss

An eco-friendly edition of one of my favourite Dr. Seuss stories, printed on 100% recycled paper.  The Lorax movie, starring Danny Devito (as The Lorax) is coming soon so this is a lovely edition to bring the story to a new generation.

 

 

 

Picture Book Nook: Zoe and Beans by Chloe and Mick Inkpen

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Mick Ingpen’s Kipper and Wibbly Pig have been popular picture book characters for many years.  Mick’s bold illustrations and simple story are winners with children and parents alike.  However, it’s his latest creation, with daughter Chloe, that I fell in love with as soon as I set eyes on it.  Zoe and Beans are the loveable duo that Chloe and Mick Inkpen have recently introduced us to.

We’re introduced to the very cute Zoe and her loveable dog Beans in their first outing, Where is Binky Boo?  Zoe loves her dolly, Molly, but so does Beans, ever since he lost his toy, called Binky Boo.  Molly is the only toy he wants to play with, and when Zoe isn’t looking he takes it to show his doggy friends.  But when Zoe washes Molly, Beans refuses to play with it.  Beans is very unhappy, until they discover something ‘a little woolly something with a particular smell’ sticking out of the sandpit.

In The Magic Hoop, Zoe tries to get Beans to jump through her hoop, but Beans won’t have a bar of it.  Zoe tempts Beans to go through the hoop using all his favourite treats, but when she throws Binky Boo through the hoop, the toy disappears.  Beans jumps through to find his toy and magically turns into a rabbit.  Zoe decides she doesn’t want a rabbit so makes Beans jump through again.  Beans turns into a mouse, a crocodile and then an elephant!  But elephants are big and the hoop is small.  Will Zoe be able to get Beans back to normal or will he be stuck as an elephant forever?

Their most recent adventure was Christmas themed.  In Zoe’s Christmas List, Zoe and Beans travel to the North Pole to deliver her letter to Father Christmas, and meet a cute, fluffy friend along the way.  Their next adventure (due out in June 2012) is called Pants on the Moon and sounds fantastic!  The illustrations are gorgeous and the stories are that rare blend of both cute and funny.  Zoe is brimming with confidence and a love for adventure that children can relate to.  Children will beg for them to be read again and again, and I’m sure parents will be only too willing to.  Perfect for reading one-on-one or as a read-aloud for groups (a particular favourite at my library Story Time).

5 out of 5 stars for each book

Picture Book Nook: The Story of Bo and the Circus that Wasn’t

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It’s great to start off the year with a picture book by my favourite New Zealand author and illustrator, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley.  Their junior fiction series, Dinosaur Rescue was among the best New Zealand books for children last year and I’m sure we’ll see more in the series in 2012.  Their first picture book together is called The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t and was written in collaboration with Telecom customers.

The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t is about a sheep called Bo who has always dreamed of being an acrobat.  He’s not going to let the fact that he’s a sheep or that he’s afraid of heights get in the way of his dream.  However, Bo lives in a country where circuses are forbidden, so he works in secret on his sparkly blue uniform and his ‘sheepachute’.  His friends are right behind him and want to help him live his dream, but can he overcome his fears?

This story about a brave wee sheep has all the excitement, thrills and colour of the circus.  For a story that has been pieced together from different people’s ideas it flows really well and it will enthrall children.  As I was reading I could still hear Kyle’s humour shining through.  I always love Donovan Bixley’s illustrations and this book is no exception.  Donovan’s colourful characters leap off the page and brighten up their dreary world. 

The Story of Bo and the Circus That Wasn’t is a wonderful story that children will love.  Everyone should go and grab a copy from their local bookshop as all the royalties from the book go towards “helping the Telecom Foundation make real, measurable improvements to the lives of children all around New Zealand.”  Available in stores in February.

4 out of 5 stars