Kids

The Water and the Wild by Katie E. Ormsbee

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

A gorgeous jacket made from a wood-cut illustration sets the scene in this adventure story for fantasy lovers aged 10 and up. Poor Lottie is an orphan living with a dour spinster, whose only friend in the world, Eliot, is…

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Too Much For Turtle by Cat Rabbit & Isabelle Knowles (illus.)

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

Creative Melbourne duo, Cat Rabbit and Isobel Knowles, have produced a crafty, quirky picture bookabout a reclusive turtle that learns to come out of its shell and get to know the neighbours.

When a terrible flood strikes the village, Turtle…

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The Greatest Gatsby: A Visual Book of Grammar by Tohby Riddle

In The Greatest Gatsby, Tohby Riddle makes grammar come alive with stylistic images and typography. The premise is simple: grammar is the intangible building blocks of our language and the best way to make an abstract concept understandable is…

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Why I Love Footy by Michael Wagner and Tom Jellett

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

Why I Love Footy perfectly reflects the experience of going to an Australian Rules match. For kids who love to go to the footy it mirrors their experience and for those who haven’t been it’s a great introduction.

It shows…

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A River by Marc Martin

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

Reading A River is like being in someone else’s dream. As the languid waterway meanders through city, fields, forests and waterfalls you succumb to the rich patterns and serpentine serenity that feels almost meditative.

A child is drawing in their…

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The Island of Dr Libris by Chris Grabenstein

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

Escape From Mr Lemoncello’s Library was one of Readings’ bestselling kids’ books for 2014. It was wonderfully puzzling and compellingly un-put-downable. The Island of Dr Libris is not a sequel but is once again a fun romp through literature.

Twelve-yearold…

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Mum Goes To Work by Libby Gleeson and Leila Rudge

Reviewed by Isobel Moore

Originally published in 1992, Mum Goes To Work has been updated and re-illustrated for this new edition, and it’s absolutely adorable. The text is simple and engaging but the real treats here are the illustrations by Leila Rudge.

At first…

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I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Reviewed by Isobel Moore

Emily and Sam fall for each other against the odds, despite their jarring backgrounds. At first glance this seems like a fairly stock standard romance but Sloan does not let that illusion last long.

The real focus of the story…

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Home by Carson Ellis

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

The notion of home is beautifully and imaginatively explored in Carson Ellis’s first picture book. She isknown for her ethereal illustrations in the Wildwood novels and here her talent shines on its own.

Children will get lost in the detail…

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Thunderstorm Dancing by Katrina Germein and Judy Watson

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

A good, robust thunderstorm is a fine thing. The world goes dark, ominous and kind of thrilling. A young girl’s holidaying family embraces the storm as it rolls in from the sea. They scurry inside and then have a wonderful…

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