|
 A Crack In
The Sky is a neat wee novel for children starting to read bigger books.
The chapters are relatively small so kids may just read one or two
chapters at a time and then go back to it later. This story has happy
and sad parts to it. When Connor's mum rips her skirt on their sofa they
decide to buy a new one. On their budget however they cannot afford one.
So Connor thinks he is one lucky boy when he sees a red sofa bobbing in
the bay. He runs home to tells his mother. |
Sceptically they manage to get
it home with the help from some neighbours.
The problem arises one day when Connor realises he's no longer at home,
he's in a strange land with people he doesn't know, but somehow when he
starts talking to them he suddenly remembers everyone's names. Connor
then sets off for discovering where he is, how he got there and how he
can get back to his Mum.
This story is very involved and keeps the reader wanting to know what
happens next. But is there a happy ending??
I will be recommending this to others.
www.kiwireviews.co.nz
|
Here's another short, but very insightful, review
http://tvnz.co.nz/lifestyle/crack-in-sky-book-review-3673927 |
Awesome! At first I tho ught
this book looked boring but I'm not a cover reader you
know so I read the first chapter and I couldn't stop myself.
Before I knew it I was at the end.
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Tilda wanted a pet
monkey because she wanted someone who was good at climbing to play with
on the flying fox. She had a fight with Nat because she wasn't good at
climbing and she fell. Tilda thought the monkey would be good to climb
with. Pop Hooper gave Tilda a monkey but it ran away so Pop gave Tilda a
turtle for the night cause they are slow but they get there in the end.
But Tilda was sad she wanted a monkey. Tilda felt cross because Pickle
the turtle was so slow and in the end she put her under her arm to walk
because she could not wait for her.
It was sad when Tilda
and Nat would not be friends and when Tilda lost Pickle and her
friendship bracelet. |
Nat came
and helped Tilda find Pickle and the bracelet and made friends. Tilda
found out that Pickle liked swimming in her pond and that Pickle was a
bit like Nat. Nat fixed the flying fox and Tilda decided to keep Pickle.
It was cool when Nat and Tilda and Pickle went in the flying fox box
together. It was funny when Tilda tried to make Pickle go to sleep in
her drawer!!
Reviewed by Joshua Thompson,7 |
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In
Funny Little Dog
Flynn wants a guard dog and he wants to
name it Chomper. Pop Hooper gives him a little dog that can’t protect
him called Pumpkin. It was a very cool book and Kyle is a great
author. My favourite part was when Flynns dad thought Pumpkin was cute
and said he should keep him. It was exciting when Flynn lost Pumpkin at
the rubbish dump. I felt sad when Flynn went to take Pumpkin back to Pop
Hooper.
Reviewed by Joshua Thompson,
Blockhouse Bay Primary, Age 6
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Scruffy Old Cat
is a really great book because it’s funny and cute and I didn’t want it
to end. Lily thought that the cat Sardine was really ugly and
disgusting, but she ended up loving him so much that she didn’t want her
perfect fluffy, white cat from Pop Hooper’s Perfect Pets truck anymore.
I think the message is - things and people that seem really perfect on
the outside, don’t always have a perfect personality.
Reviewed for Readings
by Yolanda Tait-Atkin, St Kilda East, Age 8 |
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A complete package
this one : a beautifully produced hardback with sumptuous illustrations
and a heartwarming tale about life and death. Rachel Driscoll's
painterly illustrations and Mewburn's moving prose capture the emotions
of a young hu-hu beetle who can't believe his fearless friend, Old
Hu-Hu, has died. Eventually, little Hu-Hu-Tu realises that Old Hu-Hu
lives on within him and he has to treasure the memories of his friend
flying to the moon, riding a dog and taking a centipede in a boxing
match.
Graham Hepburn Canvas |
Old Hu-Hu
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A treasure appeared in
my mailbox today - Old Hu-hu written by the irrepressible Kyle Mewburn.
... though I always have an unquiet murmur in the back of my mind
when I see animals with human characteristics (have you ever seen a
hu-hu bug with a moustache?) ... I'll forgive this as the overall emotion
and depth of the book is taken to a new level with Rachel's beautifully
crafted illustrations. A labour of love I'd say, from both the author
and the illustrator. There are not many books on this topic and I think
it's been dealt with beautifully... with not a mention of God or Heaven
in sight.
NZBooksforkids.blogspot.com
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With
Duck's Stuck!
this team has
produced another lively picture book somewhat reminiscent of the
traditional tale
The
Turnip.
However, there's a
twist in the tale here. Greedy duck has spied an open sack of grain in
the shed and squeezed his head through a crack in the planks to feast on
the unexpected bounty. Alas, he cannot pull it back and one by one, the
other farmyard animals come along to inspect the situation.
This is a story that
reads aloud well, there's a cadence to the language which rolls off the
tongue satisfyingly and will lead to many re-readings. Perfect for
pre-schoolers. A great addition to home and library collections.
Ellen Carter, Magpies
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Duck's stuck!
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Duck smart. Duck clever. Sees hole. Smells food. Sticks in
head. Gets stuck. Stupid duck. In a nutshell, this is the problem faced by
our duck and all the farmyard animals try various methods to resolve the
problem. As is often the case, it is the meek that inherit the earth, and it
is a rat that comes up with the final solution, and is amply rewarded for
its good sense. Echoing the brevity of the duck's quack, language here is
reduced to its essence as the focus of each sentence highlights a dramatic
moment in the ongoing resolution of duck's dilemma - a delightful play
with patterns of language.
John McKenzie Reading
Time
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WHEN
SIAN
CAN'T
SLEEP SHE
counts
sheep
from
one
to
ten,
then
she
counts
them
again. She never counts the eleventh sheep. One night the eleventh sheep
jumps into Sian's dreams. Then each night Sian and the eleventh sheep have
fun together...
But the eleventh sheep dreams of being back in the fields with the other
sheep.
With
some
rhyming
text,
delightful
full
colour pictures
and an enchanting little story, this hard cover picture story book will be loved by children as young as three.
It gives you a lovely warm feeling as you read it.
This is
a perfect bedtime story and a wonderful stimulant for discussion
on dreams with a humorous ending.
Joan
Steinman Ballarat Courier
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The eleventh sheep
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For anyone who has trouble sleeping this early childhood book should appeal with its emphasis on the's' and 'ee' words and sounds that provide a link to numerical concepts.
Sian cannot sleep so sHe calls on rollicking ruminants to help her. The occasional rhyme, tongue twister and onomatopoeia ensure that this is a read aloud shared experience picture book between adult and young child. The illustrations
use big images with a bright colourful palette depicting the narrative
without too much confusion. A dream sequence moves into familiar fantasy
territory and at the end, there is a cute twist.
Helen Martin Reading Time
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No Room For a
Mouse is wonderfully
crafted nonsense that echoes the easy, playful inventiveness of an
earlier generation of children's writers. It has an internal logic that
renders mum's eccentric activity and the various bizarre circumstances
of the people's homelessness as perfectly natural, not to forget the
curious cast of house guests and their daffy names.
And there is Freya Blackwood's
illustration that captures superbly all the bedlam and whimsy in
Christopher's house. Crowded rooms everywhere yet every person a
distinct individual engaged in their own activity. Amidst the chaos, the
fussy, intent image of mum amusingly oblivious to it all. Like Christopher, little
readers will wander wide-eyed across the pages lighting on all the
different activity and wondering where it will all end up.
Kevin Steinberger, Magpies
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No room for a mouse
This is an entertaining story about a
boy, Christopher, who lives in a large rambling house with his mother.
She runs the local pigeon post and is extremely busy but slightly absent
minded. Christopher is a compassionate child. The mouse is his pet
mouse, Sneaky who spends a lot of time exploring the illustration plates
in the book. Together, Christopher and Sneaky encounter a number of
people who are down on their luck and in need of a place to live.
There's the family whose house was flooded, the Orchestra who's concert
hall was invaded by bees and the circus whose big top was eaten by
termites. Chris and Sneaky invite them all to live at their big old
rambling house ... and that's when the fun begins.
This picture book operates on a number of
levels and gets more interesting with each read. There are novels of
information and side stories in the marvellous illustrations. The
pigeons alone could do with their own franchise. A highlight is the
Viking who learns to ballet. Suitable for ages 5 and up.
David Murphy Reading Time
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No room for
a mouse is a wonderful,
beautifully designed picture book created for children by a writer and
illustrator of talent who have applied themselves to delighting their
audience, rather than sending their own talents for a run around the
park
Wondering why
there are so many empty rooms in the house he shares with his mum, a boy
invites a bunch of increasingly weird people home. Mum - whose
distracted personality is perfectly pinpointed by her polka dot dress
is too busy working for the pigeon post to notice, until the house is
full and there's no room for the mouse.
Author
Kyle Mewburn
gets the tone of
playful nonsense perfectly without a forced note, while Freya
Blackwood's skill and
delicacy make her very special indeed.
If there is a
message in this book, it is about that rare commodity, generosity of
spirit, but it is so much a part of the book's texture (and one suspects
its creators) that it is never difficult to swallow.
Meg Sorensen, Sydney
Herald
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This story is about a
situation familiar in most families: the small boy who flees when his
aunt arrives, demanding kisses. When the sloppy kisses come (Kiss! Kiss!
On the left cheek. Kiss! Kiss! On the right cheek.) Andy thinks to
himself Yuck! Yuck! On each weekly visit he finds a better hiding place
- the pig pen, the chicken coop, under the house - but Aunt Elsie always
lures him out. Then Aunt Elsie falls off a camel in Australia and breaks
her leg. Andy waits in vain for Aunt Elsie. Finally she arrives - on
crutches. Andy runs to meet her and gives her two big, sloppy kisses.
Picture and text combine
perfectly in a single narrative drive. The deceptively simple
illustrations are a skilful mix of pencil drawings and collage (using
photos and fabrics) with some digital detailing done by computer. (Aunt
Elsie's dresses - in colourful floral fabric - are particularly
impressive.)
Trevor Agnew, Magpies |
KISS!KISS! YUCK!YUCK!
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Kissing aunties are
probably dreaded by most young children and Andy's rotund Aunty Elsie is
no exception. Andy always hides when she comes and the artists, who
share equally with the writer in telling the story, help create tension
by picturing her from Andy's view point. We can see Andy hiding under
the bed or in the chicken house, but all we see of Aunty Elsie
are her legs in
to die for shoes, as she gets
closer and closer to his hiding place. As I was reading I wanted to
shout, 'She's coming
Andy'.
One week, when Aunty Elsie is due,
Andy hides, but Aunty Elsie doesn't come that week or for weeks after
that. When she does finally arrive all we see is the bottom of two
crutches and a foot in plaster. There is a delightfully heart warming,
humorous twist at the end and the story is satisfactorily resolved.
This quality picture book won
the Joy Cowley award. Highly recommended.
Margaret Kedian, Magpies
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Ant's
Pants
Slightly carnivalesque
in its humour, this story tells of the mayhem that is caused when Ant's
mother buys him baggy pants, the fanicest pants he had ever seen, but
when he sneezed, the pants fell down to his knees. Misadventure piles on
misadventure, and both Ant and his pants undergo a transformation. The
end may leave you splitting with laughter. Inconsequential perhaps, but
no doubt aspects of the tall tale may well amuse the emerging young
reader.
John
McKenzie Reading Time |
Ant enjoys wearing his
new fancy pants until they fall to his ankles exposing smiley-faced
underwear. For children, much of the fun in this over-the-top story will
revolve around this exposure (think of the popularity of Captain
Underpants) and in Ant's final dilemma. A good read aloud too.
Around the bookshops |
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"Muddletopia was the most
confusing planet in the galaxy". Everyone looks alike and all the buildings
look the same, so people often end up in the wrong place.
Then Malvina the Magnificent, Queen of Muddletopia, sick of
being mistaken for the cleaning lady, enacts a new
law, that everything in Muddletopia will be clearly
labelled, including people's "Official
Muddle-free Hats".
At first all goes well in
the process of UnMuddlefication but then young
Karley decides she doesn't want to
wear a hat labelled Child.
Then an amazing series of unexpected events leads to a change of hats for
everyone.
By the end of this amusing
allegory, Muddletopia has become the most interesting place in the universe.
Dave Gunson's lively cartoon illustrations add to the fun.
Trevor Agnew, Magpies
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Muddletopia
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Muddletopia is a confusing
place to live - everything
and
everyone
looks the same! When
the Queen
decrees that
everything
must
be labelled, Karley
is very
disgruntled by her ill-fitting hat
that
labels her
as 'child'.
Grabbing a 'Fire Chief hat
after a convenient
earthquake
shakes up everyone (and their
hats), Karley
embarks
upon an amazing series of wacky adventures
as life
becomes even
more
chaotic than before. Mewburn's
crazy
story, ably
extended
by Gunson's illustrations,
has a string of amazingly convenient coincidences.
This should appeal to kids who
appreciate
the drama
of a belly-laugh,
for others
it may well be
incomprehensible.
Ellen Carter, Magpies |
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This story is
going to cause some knowing looks from quite a few mums and will sound
alarmingly familiar for many dads. Josh is a brave young lad. Not only
is Josh very brave but he is full of great ideas and has a huge
curiosity. One night as he is curled up asleep in his bed he is woken by
a loud, grumbling, growling sound. Josh quickly realises there's a bear
in his parents' bedroom and they might need saving.
But this bear is
almost as clever as Josh and Josh has to devise and revise a very
cunning plan to catch the bear and save his parents.
Deborah Hinde's colourful illustrations are very appealing and capture
Josh's personality perfectly. This is an
amusing picture book that gradually escalates until it reaches the
amusing (and surprising?) climax which will leave young readers giggling
but also included is a twist in the tale.
Marlborough Express |
The Bear in the
Room Next Door
Josh is woken up
by a snuffling sound. He notices a shadow on the wall and knows it to be
a bear in his parent's room. Fearlessly Josh attempts to track down the
bear. This involves snapping on the light while his parents are sound
asleep. Repeatedly Josh tries new tactics to find the bear and
repeatedly the parent's light is snapped on. After the story is
satisfactorily resolved there is a twist at the end which then leaves
the story open-ended -a clever technique. This is detective fiction
for three- to four-yearolds. It's a heart-warming tale of a small child
whose imagination keeps him awake at night and very relatable for this
age group and their parents who will be reading it to them.
The double-spread
realistic paintings by Deborah Hinde are boldly colourful. Her clever use of complete lack of white space has the effect
of drawing us into the rooms where the story takes place. Recommended.
Margaret Kedian, Magpies
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In this delightful fantasy designed to
stimulate the imagination, careful examination of the final illustration
reveals that all is not what it seems. The ironic relationship between
image and narrative comes to the fore as we learn to doubt the voice of
the narrator and the concept of normality! The illustrator has precisely
captured this play on expectations. The cottage gardens are suggestive
of utopia. Butterflies flutter and a dog lazily sleeps on a lounge
chair. But there are unsettling details as we begin to read the
illustrations: caterpillar handles, mushrooms growing through the floors
and (surprise) a magazine entitled Saurian Way! That's just the
beginning ... This is a good introduction for the middle school child to
begin to acquire new skills in decoding picture books using such
ideas as intertextuality, irony and double coding. Highly recommended.
John McKenzie Talespinner
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The Hoppleplop
Addressing the
reader directly, the writer invites us into his house on a search for a
missing Hoppleplop. Every room is visited and in each a different
creature is revealed all enjoying themselves in various ways. Some are
quite ordinary like a sleepy cat but others quite extraordinary -
the Ooblangitan from next door and the Gobbling which came down in a
thunderstorm and moved in some years before. This is a wonderfully
imaginative story with plenty more ideas to discuss in the
illustrations.
Around the Bookshops
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The storyteller
takes the reader on a journey through his very fanciful house in search
of the Hoppleplop, which lives there. It's a quaint house with doorknobs
of a mushroom, cupcake and caterpillar. The basin is a shell resting on
a branch and there are snails, mice and ladybirds galore. Tension is
cleverly created in the story by author and illustrator who carry equal
weight in telling the story.
As
the reader hurries
through the text to find the Hoppleplop we are constantly delayed by the
detail of the illustrations.
Deborah Hinde's
illustrative style is reminiscent of the artwork in the Pookie Stories
of forty, fifty years ago. Perhaps
artwork is like fashion. If you've been around long enough the style
comes back in again and those of us who have done it before are filled
with nostalgia. If you are a middle-aged buyer go and buy the book and
see if you agree with me.
Margaret Kedian, Magpies
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