Booking in October
This was a busy month for us – we moved house after 8 years at our current home. So our school holiday activities were punctuated with soritng, packing, cleaning, and organising. The move also meant starting at a new school, which also meant 2 weeks of commuting over to the new school every morning and afternoon. But we still had plenty of time for reading some really marvelous books.
The girls and I even managed to get out to a bookish event during the holidays. We went to The Little Bookroom in Carlton to have a crafternoon with the terribly talented pair of Jane Godwin and Anna Walker. We have enjoyed many books from these creators, and it was a privilege to meet them, let alone get a book signed, do some craft and hear about the inspiration behind and production of their latest picture book, Tilly.
Tilly is about a young girl who loves collecting ‘treasures’ and hiding them away in her secret spot in their family home. Both my daughters love little tinkets and treasures, but there is one in particular who is a real bowerbird. She finds little items on the ground – at school, the park, the shops – and brings them home. There is the unspoken assumption that these items are all equally precious and must be treasured.
Needless to say this book we a real hit. The story is very sweet and relatable for young girls and the illustrations are, of course, tremendous, as you would expect from Anna Walker. She somehow manages to express emotion and movement in a quiet and calming way.
Picture Books
All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors, by Davina Bell and Jeny Lovlie – From the cover, you might think this book is for little boys who love tractors, diggers, trucks and other heavy vehicles. But this book is, very cleverly, much more than that. Frankie has an obsession with tractors. His mum, the person who knows and loves him best, just doesn’t understand it. Many of us have been (or will be) in Frankie’s position – misunderstood and challenged by those closest to us – and he is a great role model. He is determined and unapologetic about his passion and interest. He displays that brave and fearless stubbornness you wish your kids didn’t exhibit at home with you, but out in the world with their peers. It’s another ripper of a book but the talented Davina Bell.
Animalphabet, by Julia Donaldson and Sharon King-Chai – I now many parents have huge reservations about alphabet based books. But kids just love them and as far ss the genre goes, this book is certainly less overtly about the letters. The idea is pretty straight forward, the alphabet is presented one animal at a time. The really beautiful thing about the book is the illustrations, cut-outs, and flaps that make it interesting and enjoyable.
Kindness Grows, by Britta Techentrup – We have enjoyed a few of Britta Teckentrup’s works and this was another really delightful read. The rhyming text, presenting an encouraging message about the power of kindness, will be absorbed by kids while they are distracted by the evolving illustrations.
The Smeds and The Smoos, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – The newest book from this pre-eminent pair of creators. My kids totally loved it, after the first read they straight away asked for it again. Julia Donaldson’s text is, again, terrifically entertaining, especially her success in creating an alien setting for the characters. I especially loved that she created new words for the new world just like Suess and Dahl. Axel Scheffler, who has been outspoken about matters of unity in Europe, has again brought life and colour to Donaldson’s work, in a wonderfully imaginative way.
The book is dedicated to the children of Europe, but I think the message, of kindness trumping xenophobia, is needed for children and adults the world over. It is Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending.
Lights on Cotton Rock, by David Litchfield – We love David Litchfield’s illustrations, each book is a work of art. This one, with its extraterrestrial storyline, feels original and stands out. I also love that the story follows a girl from her childhood to her older age, I can’t think of many other books that do this in such an interesting way.
Cloudette, by Tom Litchenheld – This has been on high rotation for the preschoolers. That has been fine with me as the pictures are really lovely and the story, about a little cloud who learns she can achieve big and important things, has gentle pedagogy.
Middle-Grade Fiction
Freya has continued on with the Daisy series, and fortunately, I am too. We’ve even found a Jack Beechwhistle novel at our new library, which will hopefully be a hit too.
A few cool books Jude got to read this month include:
- A mash up of two of his favourite graphic novels by Ben Hatke, Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl.
- The lastest in the Mac B: Spy Kid series, The Secret Smackdown by Mac Barnett and Mike Lowry
- Positively Izzy, by Terri Libenson
- A few in the 5 Worlds series by whole host of authors
- Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier
Booking for Mum
My Brilliant Career, by Miles Franklin – I’m not really sure what to say about this, other than I loved it. It is Jane Austen in the Australian outback. Do yourself a favour and read it (or listen to it on Borrow Box as I did).
The Clockmaker’s Daughter, by Kate Morton – After reading (listening) to this I am getting on a real long Kate Morton streak. Don’t you love it when you find a great author and realise they have a long back catalogue for you to go through?
This complex and intriguing story has been masterfully woven with threads from so many characters and through so many periods of time. It kept me entertained and interested right to the end. And I have to say that Joanne Froggatt’s performance narrating the audiobook was spectacular.
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