Kids

One Minute’s Silence by David Metzenthen & Michael Camilleri

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

The clever juxtaposition of placing contemporary young adults in a depiction of Australian troops landing at Gallipoli makes this moving book even more powerful. Sitting through a minute’s silence on Remembrance Day, a class imagines the horrors of war, picturing…

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Vanilla Ice Cream by Bob Graham

Reviewed by Emily Gale

By cleverly imagining the chain of events that might lead to a small child accidentally having their first ever taste of vanilla ice-cream, this new picture book by Bob Graham will have wide appeal. Children will enjoy identifying with the…

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Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

Margaret Wise Brown was the author of one of the most famous picture books, Goodnight Moon. Shewas prolific and had many books published, however, the poems (except three) in this book have neverappeared in print before.

Written with the…

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Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley

Reviewed by Kim Gruschow

In Monkey Boy, young Jimmy Grimholt joins a loathsome crew of misfits and bullies and sets sail on the warship H.M.S Fury. As the smallest person onboard, Jimmy is picked to be a powder monkey with the dangerous job…

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Messenger: The Legend of Joan of Arc by Tony Lee & Sam Hart

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

This is a fascinating introduction to the iconic figure of Joan of Arc in a graphic format. From her youth as a normal child who loved to dance around the fairy tree, the story shows her first vision from God…

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Let’s Play by Gabriel Alborozo

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

From the author of Let’s Paint comes a delightful romp through the instruments of the orchestra, their unique sounds and the colours that seem to magically arise from them. There’s plenty of action, with each instrument producing a different colour…

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Loyal Creatures by Morris Gleitzman

Reviewed by Athina Clarke

It’s 1914 and 16-year-old Frank and his dad volunteer for war; Frank’s excitement is palpable as the pair set sail for a great adventure in Egypt. But father and son are swiftly parted as Dad is deployed to Gallipoli. Bereft…

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Jim’s Lion by Russell Hoban & Alexis Decon

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

There are some books where, though you understand the central idea, there are aspects that are only tenuously interpreted and require re-readings. Intriguingly, these are precisely the books that stay with you.

Jim’s Lion is about confronting your fears. Jim…

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The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

This is a story about an ancient castle riddled with secret passageways, mysterious sounds and strange lights. It’s also the story of desperate people searching for the Fountain of Youth. When Price, Ephraim and Brynn move to an old castle…

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Figgy in the World by Tamsin Janu

Reviewed by Emily Gale

Figgy has the most fantastic outlook on life. She really only has one complaint, and that’s her unusual name. The rest of her considerable energy is spent pondering the big wide world, until one day her thoughts are taken over…

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