The wonderful world of children’s literature
Four new books for children have arrived on my doorstep over the last little while – the best kind of mail! I absolutely love children’s literature and some of my fondest memories of my own childhood and that of my son are reading them, having them read to me, and reading them to another.
First off there is an illustrated chapter book by the wonderful Alice Pung, Millie Mak the Mender, a follow up to the earlier Millie Mak the Maker (which I have not read.)
Millie is eleven, and lives with her parents, her toddler sister, and one of her two grandmothers (the Chinese-Australian one) while also spending a lot of time after school at her other grandmother (the Scottish-Australian one.) Immediately we know we are in a world of inclusivity, one that embraces the richness of Australia’s multicultural life.
Millie has a talent, her ‘superpower’, which is her skill in designing, sewing, making and mending things. In the first part of the book she sees first-hand the loneliness of many residents at the aged care home where her mum works. She decides to design and make a warm winter hat for each, hats that are beautifully aligned to each resident’s own individual passions and interests.
A rather bossy and shallow girl at Millie’s school gets wind of the project, steals Millie’s idea and tries to scoop the glory by starting a ‘Hats off for Humanity’ project at the school – one which involves her in a ‘coordination’ role but not actually doing much else. Undeterred, Millie presses ahead with other projects to help her friends and their families.
The upshot of all this is that Millie and her three best friends are invited to be interviewed on a popular TV program for children. It’s all very exciting, but turns out to be a great disappointment because the show’s producers want to showcase stereotypical ‘ethnic children’ in what they think are traditional outfits. They don’t listen to the girls and Millie and her friends are left feeling they have been used.
It’s a hard lesson to learn and along the way they deal with lots of other life issues: ageism, racism, the difference between popularity and worth, the importance of family and of being a genuine friend.
The story is beautifully told, with natural language and everyday scenes, and the black and white illustrations by Sher Rill Ng bring Millie’s world to life.
A gorgeous addition to the early chapter book shelf, Millie Mak the Mender is published in September 2024.
The next three books are picture books.
What Do You Call Your Dad? by Ashleigh Barton and Martina Heiduczek is the next in the What Do You Call…? series (I have reviewed the ealrier titles on this blog.) Continuing on the theme of diversity and the joy of family and language in all their forms, in this one we hear the words for ‘dad’ spoken by children in Hungary, Ireland, Samoa, Nigeria, Portugal and Brazil, to name just a few. Once again the full colour illustrations allow children to be immersed in scenes from other cultures and homes.
What Do You Call Your Dad? was published in July 2024.
Before We Met by Gabrielle Tozer, illustrated by Sophie Beer, also celebrates families. It’s all about the anticipation and excitement that families feel while waiting to welcome a new child. We see all sorts of families as they plan and prepare for their new little person: adoptive parents, same-sex parents, IVF parents, parents far away. All filled with hope and plenty of love to share.
Before We Met is published in September 2024.
And last but not least, a Christmas offering: On the Hunt for Santa by Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King. Three friends – Hare with a honey pot, Cat with a candy cane, and Pig with a plum pudding – set off on a mysterious trip.
Where were they going that snowy day, out in the cold so far away?They encounter all sorts of dangers and have adventures, never giving up, even when they hear the howls of hungry snow wolves on the prowl. Their destination is – of course! – the North Pole where they are greeted by a happy Santa, who clapped his mitts. It was Christmas Day. He was thrilled to bits.
On the Hunt for Santa is a gentle, jolly read-aloud book perfect for Christmas time snuggles, published in September 2024.
The four books are all published by HarperCollins.
My thanks to the publishers for review copies.Teenagers’ dreams and parents’ worries: ‘Can’t Say it Went to Plan’ by Gabrielle Tozer
At the risk of giving away my age, I can safely say that when I finished high school, the end-of-school phenomena known in Australia as ‘schoolies week’ did not exist. My cohorts and I celebrated the completion of our formal school years by outings to the local public pool and a restaurant dinner. Not with youth hostel (or five star) accommodation at a resort, youth oriented all night parties, dances and concerts, and all the other accoutrements that make up many a young Australian’s schoolies week.
A cross between a let-your-hair-down relief from the pressures of final school studies and exams, and a first step into the adult world without parental supervision, schoolies week is something that many young people dream of (and their parents have nightmares about).
Can’t Say it Went to Plan is a new young adult (YA) novel which follows the schoolies experience of three very different young people and their friends and family. Zoe, Samira and Dahlia have each planned the perfect schoolies week, but of course they also bring with them their individual concerns and preoccupations: anxiety and grief, parental expectations and sibling rivalry, boyfriend troubles, worries about their next steps in life. With alternating viewpoints, the author captures these perfectly along with the language and internal dialogue of this age group.
I cringed a lot reading this novel in recognition of the all-consuming self centredness of many youngsters and also, winced at the inevitable mistakes made by each of the three protagonists as they navigate their way through the ups and downs of a week in which plans are turned upside down. Parents may well turn green reading some of what they get up to, but in the end, the mistakes are not too disastrous and each character learns from their experiences.
Ultimately the novel is about what is really important: friendships and family, courage, perseverance and hope. By the novel’s end, the three girls’ trajectories meet, if only briefly, and they are able to reflect on what they’ve learned from their schoolies weeks.
Can’t Say it Went to Plan is published in May 2021 by Angus & Robertson, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
My thanks to the publishers for a review copy.
