The richness of imagination: ‘The Unwilling Twin’ by Freya Blackwood
Several years ago I was lucky enough to see an exhibition of Freya Blackwood’s award winning work at a NSW regional gallery. She is such a talent, one of the many wonderful picture book creators and illustrators in Australia.
The Unwilling Twin is her latest picture book. It’s a quirky take on the rich imaginative world of young children.
It features Jules and her ‘identical twin’ George. They do everything together as twins often do: get dressed, eat breakfast, play, read books, and go to the beach.
It’s on the beach that their difference emerges. Jules loves to build sand castles while George loves to sleep on (or in) the warm sand. Each is an unwilling participant in the other’s preferred activity. Occasionally they argue but always make up over ice creams.
Oh, and George is… a pig!
Freya Blackwood’s pencil and pastel illustrations add a gentle humour to the narrative. I especially enjoyed the framed ‘photograph’ of Jules and George in their matching ballet tutus, and the picture of them doing their daily yoga together.
The Unwilling Twin is a humorous homage to early childhood, families, and imagination.
It is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books on 29 October 2020.
My thanks to the publisher for a copy to review.
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#AWW2020Cute Christmas story for littlies: ‘Rudie Nudie Christmas’ by Emma Quay
A follow up to the original and well-loved picture book Rudie Nudie, this book will delight little ones this Christmas.
Author and illustrator Emma Quay grew up in England but moved to Australia in the early 1990’s and now lives here with her Aussie family. So it’s not a surprise that her delightful crayon illustrations depict Christmas fun without an emphasis on the Northern Hemisphere motifs like snow and holly. Instead, her two little characters run and play, rudie nudie, through bath time, decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, making gingerbread, and waiting for Santa’s arrival.
The text is simple with repetition that allows children to ‘read along’:
Rudie Nudie gingerbread
Rudie Nudie by Emma Quay
will make it twice as fun,
with two more Rudie Nudies
on a Nudie Rudie run.This is a lovely Christmas offering for kids three years and over who love to snuggle up while mum, grandpa or big brother reads aloud; the simple text also makes it perfect for beginner readers.
Rudie Nudie Christmas is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in October 2020.
My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.#rudienudiechristmas
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#Aww2020Gorgeous celebration of love: ‘Aunty’s Wedding’ by Miranda Tapsell & Joshua Tyler
I purchased this beautiful new picture book for my granddaughter and can’t wait to give it to her for her 4th birthday! Picture books are such a joy, aren’t they?
If you have seen the delightful romcom movie Top End Wedding, you will have had a taste of the writing duo Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler, who created and co-wrote the screenplay for this movie all about love and weddings, culminating in a colourful and wonderful celebration on the Tiwi Islands, off the northern coast of Australia.
Aunty’s Wedding is a snippet of that colour and joy, a gorgeous feel-good story for young ones. Beautifully illustrated by Samantha Fry, it captures the things that make a top-end wedding just like any wedding on the mainland – dressing up, special flowers and jewellery, family and friends – and the things that make them that little bit different – the vibrant indigenous designs, the tropical flowers, and the traditional decorations and dances.
I just adore this book and I hope many youngsters will get to share in the joy of it’s simple text, sweetly affirming story and luscious pictures.
Aunty’s Wedding is published by Allen & Unwin in September 2020.
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#AWW2020Droll new series for babies – and parents: ‘Sleep 101’ & ‘Whine Guide’ by Beck & Matt Stanton
I had to consider the question of whether these books (no’s 1 & 2 in the Self Help for Babies series by husband and wife team Beck and Matt Stanton) were written for babies or adults. The answer, I’m certain, is both. A bit like the Shrek movies, these are humorous messages of support for stressed-out parents, cleverly disguised as short, read-aloud stories for the very young.
Other titles to follow in the series help to prove my point: Dummies for Suckers, One Ingredient Cookbook (for infants still breast or bottle feeding, I assume), and Baby Goes to Market. The first books explore two of the frustrations that parents of a baby will experience day to day: the challenges of getting an infant to sleep, and how to interpret your new baby’s cries.
Illustrated with very simple line drawings that manage to capture real life scenarios every new parent will recognise, they are tongue-in-cheek reassurance to hollow-eyed, exhausted parents wondering ‘Is it just me? Am I a terrible parent? Why won’t my baby sleep? What am I doing wrong?’
Here’s an example, from Whine Guide (Find your voice and start sweating the small stuff):
Do you have something to say but no voice to say it?
The Whine Guide by Beck & Matt Stanton
Do you have trouble matching the right whine to each occasion?
This whine guide is here to help.Each double page spread then analyses, in a simple sentence, the various permutations of a baby’s cry, grizzle, whine or full-throated bellow, and pairs each one with the appropriate life occasion. For example:
‘The bubbly. An open-mouthed, gassy whine, requiring attention.
Best served with bicycle legs and a tummy massage.’You get the idea. It’s a delight; something that could be read aloud to a baby while giving a wrung-out parent a much-needed chuckle.
These first two in the Self-Help for Babies series are published by HarperCollins and ABC Books in September 2020, with more available for pre-order.
My thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books for copies to review.
Sweet and colourful: ‘The Polar Bear in Sydney Harbour’ by Beck & Robin Feiner
Kids (of all ages) enjoy incongruities and humour and this is definitely a feature of the new picture book by Sydney-based husband and wife team Beck and Robin Feiner.
‘When Hannah spots a polar bear in Sydney Harbour, she knows something isn’t right…But even worse, none of the adults seem to notice him at all.
The polar bear in Sydney harbour
Can Hannah help her new friend find his way back home?There is the obvious humour in the text – a polar bear in Sydney? – but the clever illustrations by Beck Feiner add another layer, as only Hannah can see the polar bear as they visit well known and beloved Sydney locations. Her parents don’t even notice the bear riding on the roof of their car!
Kids will love pointing out the absurdities in this gentle book that, below it’s humour, is a child-friendly invitation to consider some of the possible effects of climate change on the animals most affected.
The illustrations are stylised with gorgeous blocks of colour, portraying places like Bondi Beach, the Opera House and Sydney ferries, all very familiar to many Australian children.
The brief friendship that develops between Hannah and the bear is heart warming and Hannah is a clever girl to work out a solution to the polar bear’s dilemma.
The Polar Bear in Sydney Harbour is a welcome addition to picture books that introduce children to environmental themes, with humour and a child’s eye view throughout.
The Polar Bear in Sydney Harbour is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2020.
My thanks to the publishers for a copy to read and review.
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#AWW2020A jolly little tale of friends: ‘Pea and Nut Go For Gold!’ by Matt Stanton
Every young child knows that friends can sometimes be… well, annoying. Pea (the panda) and Nut (the pink flamingo) are great friends and occasionally, as in this new picture book for readers 3+, great rivals.
Pea likes nothing more than lazing in the shade, but when Nut challenges her to a race to the end of the pool, she is ready! The only problem is that Nut can be sneaky sometimes.
A jolly story of friends who are sometimes also in competition with each other, Pea and Nut Go For Gold! explores the pleasures and occasional frustrations of friendships. The clean, bold and colourful illustrations perfectly complement the story. Little readers will find themselves barracking for both Pea and Nut as the pages turn.
Pea and Nut Go For Gold! is the second in the series by Matt Stanton (best selling author of the very popular Funny Kid books) about two mismatched but firm friends. It will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in August 2020.
My thanks to the publishers for a copy to read and review.
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