19 Aug Book Reviews: Just in Time for Book Week!

A wide selection of new books have come out this past month. The Bushfire & Climate Change Books are particularly timely.  Here are a few picture books for 0-6 year-olds that are worth looking at.

The Bushfire Book:  How to Be Aware and Prepare

by Polly Marsden & illustrated by Chris Nixon (Hachette Australia, HB RRP$19.99 EBook, $11.99)

An accessible and reassuring picture book that teaches children what they need to know about bushfires so they can understand what’s happening and be smart and prepared, not scared.

The Bushfire Book offers factual information based on national RFS guidelines in simple language to help reduce children’s anxiety. It is the perfect teaching resource for parents as well teachers and classrooms and it includes a pull-out poster with key information and graphics for use at home or school.

A Climate in Chaos

by Neal Layton (Hachette Australia, PB RRP$15.99) Age Group 5+ years

Our world is warming up, and it’s a big problem. Award-winning author-illustrator Neal Layton is here to explain what climate change is, what’s causing it and why it’s dangerous for animals and humans alike. But he’s also FULL of ideas for how you can help! From eating lots more veggies to walking and cycling and thinking carefully about what we need to buy, this book will get young readers excited about how they can make a difference to keep Planet Earth happy. Also available in this series: A Planet Full of Plastic.

You Can’t Call an Elephant in an Emergency

by Patricia Cleveland-Peck & illustrated by David Tazzyman (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, PB RRP$14.99) Age Group 3+ years

Silly situations with animals pictured as the unlikely creatures to call in an emergency feature in this read aloud book. “Don’t’ let a panda fly a fire fighting plane” or “Don’t let a hairy highland cow operate a snow plough”. Kids will love the laughable rescue situations and the quirky illustrations to match.

We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt

by Martha Mumford & illustrated by Laura Hughes (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, PB RRP$14.99) Age Group 2+ years

The bunnies are at it again – off on an adventure that is sure to be fun as they look for the 10 missing Gold coins hidden under flaps on (nearly) every page. Lots of ‘yo-ho-ho’ and ‘arrrrr!’ pirate type noises when you read this aloud!

Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter

by Emily MacKenzie (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, PB RRP$12.99) Age Group 3+ years

This is a sweet little book about a rabbit called Ralfy who loves reading books, especially in a quiet corner away from his noisy baby brother. Until the day Ralfy is in the library. Then he discovers his library book has a big bite out of it! Ralfy is determined to find out who or what is eating his books. Cute illustrations by the author (with amusing ‘rabbit’ related book titles in the library illustration like ‘Lord of the Bunnies’, ‘Bun in Boots’ & ‘The Hopit’!) make this a fun read aloud book.

Bandits

by Sha’an d’Anthes (Lothian Children’s Books, HB RRP$24.99) Age Group 4+

Sha’an d’Anthes is an author and illustrator from Sydney. Her work is vibrant, playful and curious; delighting children and adults alike. Her addictive YouTube series demonstrates some of her illustration techniques and charts her creative adventures in Sydney’s Inner West

Bandits is an adventure story that can be a jumping off point for parents to talk about more complex topics like friendship, the environment, urbanisation, prejudice and diversity. It’s about a chosen family and discovering your own truth. Available at the end of September.

In the City (A Look and Find Story)

by Holly James & illustrated by Hannah Tolson (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, PB RRP$14.99) Age Group 3+ years

Lucy and Oscar explore the big city. They travel there by train and discover new city scenes as they wander the shops, museums and parks. Each page has named illustrations to find and a question, asking for items or objects to search for (‘What can you find in the windows?). The illustrations are intricate and the people are busy. There are lots of things to look at on each page.

The Goody

by Lauren Child (Orchard Books, HB RRP$24.99) Age Group 3+

Chirton Krauss is a good child – the very goodest. He does everything he is told, when he is told. He even does good things without being told. He eats his broccoli, he goes to bed on time and he never, ever sticks his finger up his nose.

Meanwhile, Chirton’s sister, Myrtle, is NOT a good child. She stays up late, she never cleans out the rabbit’s hutch and she drops her choco puffs all over the carpet! But what will happen when Chirton Krauss decides that being THE GOODY isn’t so good after all? A charmingly funny story about the importance of kindness, and allowing children the freedom to be themselves.  Lauren Child, is the multi-award-winning creator of Charlie and Lola and Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate 2017-2019.

The Boy Who Burped. The Tale of Barnaby Glurp

by Felicity McVay (New Holland, HB $17.99) Age Group 3+

A debut book by a Sydneysider about a boy who can burp on command! Barnaby’s friends are amused as Barnaby burps the alphabet on command but he eventually finds that he cannot stop burping! He tries everything he can to stop, until his doctor suggests some changes to his diet— which brings on another problem.

Perfect for littlies, with rhyming text and plenty of talk about burps – bound to get lots of laughs when read aloud.