When looking at the kinds of stories we read to children as they grow up, it is relatively obvious that many of these house a bear character of some sort. When thinking about it I came up with a list of just some of the bear inclusive stories of my childhood. Goldilocks, Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear were just a few that popped up on my list and this got me thinking...what is it about bears that make them such a popular literary character? (apart from the fact that they are so darn cute!). No Bears, written by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Leila Rudge, tells the story of a young girl named Ruby who has decided to write her very own book. Gaining inspiration from her collection of fairytales, Ruby sets out to start her story however there is one thing you need to know - there is a strict 'No Bear' policy. As the story unravels, we are introduced to Ruby's different characters; princesses, monsters and fairies. However there is one character we are never introduced to in the text but rather through the illustrations - Bear. This is Bear. This cheeky little character hides behind the pages of Ruby's story whilst, unbeknownst to her, helping the story book characters play out their role in the book, making sure he doesn't get caught when doing so. A perfect example of how metafiction can engage an audience as well as challenge the traditional fairytale conventions. The contrast between the story Ruby tells through the text and what is actually happening in the illustrations is a common technique employed by authors and illustrators in the Post Modern picture book world. The Bears work in the story acts as a sub plot which engages the reader as they feel like they know more than the narrator and can giggle as they compare what Ruby says and what the cheeky storybook characters actually do. This skilfully written story time staple allows the child reader to take a peek behind the curtain of storytelling, laugh along as they follow the adventure of the forbidden Bear and fall in love with the gorgeously illustrated all too familiar characters that fill this text. In order for this story to be fully appreciated for its twist on the traditional fairytale, the child reader would of had to of been previously introduced to the traditional tellings of fairytales and fables in order for them to understand the storytelling conventions which are then flipped on their head in this loveable fractured fairytale. After being enjoyed once, I can assure you that children will be asking for you to read it again and again. No Bears is a book I can't wait to share with my class one day, one I'm positive they will enjoy whether it be read aloud or independently in a comfy book nook somewhere. Meg McKinlay has also written a wide variety of other books including: Duck for a Day, The Truth about Penguins & The Big Dig. I do believe you should check them out...that is all.
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Well hello to you. How have you been? Good, thank you (that is me assuming you returned the kind words). Carrying on. I was looking through my bookshelf wondering what book I would do my next review on. That's when I pulled out my copy of The Boy Who Cried Ninja. Sweet sweet memories of first discovering this book then came flooding back and I knew I had to let you all in on the quirky and amusing stylings of Mr Alex Latimer. I have just two of his books (I unfortunately haven't gotten around to buying any more seeing as I am a university student and live off 2 minute noodles) but them alone stand as a fantastic addition to my children's literature library. Background knowledge about the author in a format which will not make you want to scroll down the page...although if you want to...go ahead. No judging here. • Based in Cape Town, South Africa • First book The Boy Who Cried Ninja published in 2011 • Has published several other picture books since then and in his spare time, writes and illustrates for magazines and such. • Also, he has a blog (of course he does...who doesn't have a blog these days). Click here to check it out. 1. The Boy Who Cried NinjaOnto the books! The Boy Who Cried Ninja tells the story of a young boy called Tim who nobody believes as he gives rather absurd excuses to his parents when strange things begin to happen around the house, however this time Tim isn't lying. When the last piece of cake goes missing, Tim explains to his mum that is was a rogue ninja who ate it and when asked why he didn't finish his homework, he explains that it was because a giant squid came and ate his backpack. And so the excuses keep coming. Tim's parents are fed up and send him to go and rake all the leaves up in the backyard. Tim doesn't like to be considered a liar so whilst fulfilling his punishment he creates a cunning plan to prove to his parents, once and for all, that he is innocent whilst shining some light on the actual perpetrators of these strange happenings. A play on the original tale of The boy who cried wolf, this book is witty and lighthearted and humorously addresses ideas around believing children. This picture book is perfect for younger readers. Through absurdism and humour, Latimer gets the child reader on his side as the illustrations clearly prove to the audience that Tim is telling the truth. From the Pirate who lives in the cupboard to the time travelling monkey who has a particularly good aim, Latimer's quirky characters deliver on the cuteness scale as well as depicting the weird and wonderful nature of childhood imagination coming to life. A wonderful story to share with the kids or in my case, the classroom. Onto the next book chaps! 2. Penguin's Hidden Talent Can we take a moment, before I continue, to acknowledge the fact that the protagonist in this story - the penguin to the right - is wearing bunny slippers whilst holding a cup of coffee?! This is a freakishly accurate depiction of me in the morning...apart from the fact that, you know, I'm not a penguin. Like the previous book, this story is equal parts cute and quirky. I first came across this book whilst browsing the children's book section of the Beecroft Bookshop. (Side note - I believe the soundtrack to my discovery of this little Children's Bookshop was Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place On Earth). The man on the counter must of thought it was rather weird as I sat in a tiny green chair (either made for children or ridiculously tiny women) and giggled away as I turned the pages of this picture book. The story follows Penguin's (originally named) pursuit to find his own talent. In his town, all the other creatures are preparing for the annual talent quest and Penguin feels rather left out as he has yet to discover his own. In his attempts to discover his talent he realises he can't bake, read a map or juggle household appliances...amongst a list of other things. Feeling sorry for their seemingly untalented friend, the contestants decide to throw Penguin a party which we come to find is a talent none of them house. With a single balloon, an incorrectly spelt banner and a half eaten loaf of bread, Penguin decides to turn the party around and it is here that his true talent is revealed. Alex Latimer has done it again! Who would of thought that a story about a Penguin party planner would be so entertaining but this book is just so darn cute. Not only is it entertaining but truthful in its portrayal of how everyone has a hidden talent and sometimes it takes a particularly random situation or occurrence for it to be brought to your or others attention. Simple, colour blocked illustrations paired with an easy to follow storyline lends this text to be read as a possible bed time story which could then be read independently by the child at reading age. Funny and light hearted, this story is definitely one to be enjoyed. I had come across the name Patrick Ness a couple of times via the copious amounts of book nerds I subscribe to on Youtube (you know the ones who stand in front of their overflowing bookshelves and post reviews and book shelf tours...yep...those ones). But it wasn't until I came across a review from booksandquills about 'A Monster Calls' written by Patrick Ness based on an original idea from Siobhan Dowd. Fast forward to a mere 3 days ago, sitting in a classroom in a children's literature lecture when we are given the instruction to go out and find a children's or YA (young adult) book to give a presentation on to the class. Cue to me flipping through the internal Filofax of children's books stored permanently in my head. I've got to be honest. I struggled to come up with one which was original, foreign amongst my peers and that was new to me. This was until I remembered the name which was popping up rather frequently in my life. Patrick Ness. So naturally I went on a hunt all over Sydney for this book and I finally found it in a small bookshop about 45 minutes away from my house. Fast forward another 76 hours and you've got me curled up in bed with my newly completed copy of A Monster Calls, reaching for another tissue whilst uncontrollably sobbing to my rather entertained mother. I had been reduced to emotions a book had never led me to before. This story is powerful and poignant and here is what I've got to say about it. The story begins with Conor O’Malley, a 13 yr old boy who lives with his ill mother. We assume through mentions of treatment and symptoms of chemotherapy that his mother is seriously ill with some form of cancer however not once does Ness mention the ‘c’ word. Conor has been having a nightmare and he awakes one night from such nightmare to a whisper of his name coming from outside his window. It is a monster. But not the one he has been expecting. This monster is different and it comes in the form of an old Yew tree from the graveyard behind his house. This monster is ancient and wild and is promising to share three stories with Conor as long as Conor shares the fourth. The fourth being the truth. Conor’s truth. The most dangerous thing of all. As the story continues we get to know more about Conor and his problems with peers at school, his relationship with his somewhat distant grandmother and his relationship with his sick mother. The monster’s purpose in the story is highlighted through the telling of the 3 fable like stories and as the story continues, so too grows the complexity of the characters and the tragic reality of their situation. There are so many reasons why I love this book and why I think you should read it. So I thought to myself "What is the best way to communicate how amazing this book is?" and of course it occurred to me. A list. 1. The Illustrations To be honest it was the illustrations which first drew me to the book. I mean look at this cover! From the very beginning, before you even open the cover the tone is set; dark and fantastical. This book is riddled with beautiful black and white illustrations by Jim Kay which cover double page spreads and leak into pages of text; symbolic of the movement of the monster in Connors life. These illustrations align with magical realism, an image of a homely cottage in the shadow of a great tree beast as an example. It helps to build the world of the text, the mood of the text and I believe that for younger readers (those in early high school years) this kind of visual stimulus would really enhance the reading experience. I know it definitely did for me. 2. The way Ness manipulates language. From the opening sentence Ness grabs you and doesn’t let you go until long after you have turned the final page. I do love my figurative language and this book is riddled with it…but there is no overkill. There is a part of the story where the monster is introducing himself and he says "I am the spine that the mountains hang upon. I am the tears the rivers cry. I am the lungs that breathe the wind. I am this wild earth, come for you, Connor O’Malley" (page 44). I love how Ness crafts his words with a particular skill to appeal to the senses. Not to mention the rhythmic nature of the writing which makes it almost seem like a crime not to read aloud. This can be seen in one instance when Ness introduces the monster to the reader. "As Conor watched the uppermost branches of the tree, they gathered themselves into a great and terrible face, shimmering into a mouth, nose and even eyes that peered back at him. Branches twisted around one another, creaking and groaning until they formed 2 long arms. The rest of the trunk gathered itself into a spine and then a torso, the thin needle like leaves weaving together to make a green, furry skin that moved and breathed as if there were muscles and lungs underneath" (page 15). Ness' use of language to describe the monster paired with the illustrations helps the reader to envisage this character in great depth whilst experiencing, through the senses, what it would be like to be in the company of such monster. In my mind this monster is much like Tree beard from Tolkien's The Two Towers. So much so that I read his dialogue in a Tree beard like fashion; with patience and permission to pause every few words. But I didn’t mind because this monster delivers some pretty powerful stories. Beautiful imagery is established through Ness’ choice of words so much so that I could see this as a movie being played out in my head. 3. The raw and honest truth. The roots of this story lie in rather heavy human truths. Death and its rather ugly consequences on the life in which its infiltrating is something that Ness does not shy away from in this story. It meets the truth head on but in the most profound way. We follow how Connor is dealing with his mothers imminent death by not dealing with it at all, juxtaposed with the adults in his life who are always wanting to “have that talk”. We travel along this journey with Connor and throughout the book we see how his mothers sickness is slowly eating away at him and how the Monster in the story helps him to heal in a way which the character nor the reader expect him to. For me this book was moving because I very nearly experienced a loss of a parent myself; making my reading experience that much more engaging and empathetic towards the feelings of the boy. It is told in subjective 3rd person and because of this we are able to engage with what Connor is feeling and thinking - making this story that much more personal. Its quick paced nature does not draw from the complexity of the characters nor the brilliance of the storytelling. A good story keeps you turning the page and this certainly did. The pace of the story never left me wanting to skim through and as soon as I started it, I had unfortunately come to the end. This has definitely got to be one of my most favourite YA novels I have read over the past few years and I am thoroughly looking forward to reading more of Patrick Ness' works. Yay! You made it to the end. It was a long one...I know... but as a reward here are some pictures I took of Kay's beautiful illustrations. I know, I know! Another Oliver Jeffers book and it's only my third post. This is true however this book is so profoundly moving and honestly one of my favourite children's books that it would be a crime not to share it with you sooner. The Heart and the Bottle written and illustrated by the one and only Oliver Jeffers, beautifully depicts a young girls experience with love and loss. The story begins with a girl, like any other, who is full of wonder and shares this love of all the curiosities of the world with a man we believe to be her grandfather. He sits in an old pink chair and shares with her his stories of adventures past and all of his wisdom which she devours in awe. Until the day she finds the chair empty. I'm going to add in here that at this point I was on the verge of tears. Yes! Oliver Jeffers reduced me to a weepy child at the local bookshop. I'm also going to share here that this was in no way a one off event. I don't always break into emotional outbursts in bookshops but to this day I get a little emotional when reading this story...remember this is a no judgement zone. Back to the story. Experiencing grief, this little girl decides to protect her heart so she places it inside a glass bottle and wears it around her neck (could the metaphor get any more beautiful!). However in doing so she looses all her wonder in the world and as she ages the heart gets heavier and more awkward to carry. The world to her seems much emptier than before. The story continues and I'm not going to spoil it for you (mostly because I strongly believe you should drop everything you are currently doing and get yourself to the local bookstore to buy this gem...pyjamas and all), but I will say that an unlikely encounter sparks a change in the story. I can say with a smile that this book ends much happier than it begins. Not in a typical "happy ending" sort of way but in a there is a kernel of hope sort of way...the best kind if you ask me. The Heart and the Bottle is a story, which for me, holds particular significance. Not too long ago I came across my own empty chair of sorts. A chair that once housed my grandfathers stories and poems...and if we are speaking literally here, a trail of crumbs and icing sugar from his obsession with German finger buns . It was all of a sudden too and it was at this point I could resonate with the feelings of the young girl in the story; feelings which are all too common for those who have experienced grief of any sort in their lifetime. This book addresses so many weighty concepts, concepts which I believe are important to discuss with our children; realities we can't protect our children from forever. In doing so though, in reading this story we are reminded that ultimately there is always hope. A story to be shared amongst the young and old in an old pink chair of your own if you please.
Spring. 2009. Tuscan countryside in Italy. The dachshund obsession began. Our next door neighbour on our family trip through Italy owned a little, black sausage dog who fell in love with my dad. She would pop over at random times, sneak through our open villa door and jump up onto my dad's lap. They were inseparable until the day our trip moved onto the next town and my dad and Lisa (the dachshund) had to part ways. When we came home from our trip abroad my dad then decided we needed a Lisa of our own and so we bought our first dog - Monte (long haired dachshund...ridiculously spoilt). I would like to add in at this point that my dad swore NEVER to get a dog...we now have two. From my own experiences, once you own a dachshund (or two) you immediately seek out dachshund related items. It's subconscious most of the time. It's like an inbuilt dachshund radar. You then find yourself purchasing dachshund stationary, "youtubing" cute dachshund videos, receiving witty sausage dog cards on birthdays and wearing doxie printed clothing (thank you Mr Peter Alexander). For me, this obsession extends to literature hence the choice of my next book to blog about. Odd Dog by Claudia Boldt tells the story of Helmut, an old sausage dog with a love of apples, and the sausage dog next door, Igor. I want to start off by saying that I immediately loved this book for two of reasons. 1. The two main characters are dachshunds. 2. The illustrations. Aesthetically pleasing colour palette (clearly biased here as she uses some of my favourite colours) as well as outrageously cute depictions of Helmut and Igor. ...and then I read the book and I fell in love with it even more. In the opening pages of the story we are introduced to Helmut and his rather odd love of apples and hatred of bones. He was rather protective of his apple tree and worried so about about it that he thought Igor, his neighbour, was plotting to steal them. His paranoia acted as an obstacle to get to know Igor and understand that Igor in fact hated apples and loved the traditional bone. This story is rather simply told but embedded with truths that are reflective of our society that is quick to assume and defend. Ending happily with a blossoming sausage dog friendship, this book is fantastic for early readers or for the early years classroom. As an aspiring kindergarten teacher, I am always looking out for texts which I could use in the classroom and I yelled 'Eureka' when I found this little gem. Woven throughout the story are themes such as friendship, greed and sharing which I believe are important concepts to address especially in the classroom. I love this book and I love Claudia Boldt. I am excited to collect more of her books and you can find out more about her if you click http://www.claudiaboldt.com ...you know you want to! As my first blog entry on 'The Lamp Post' I thought there would be nothing more appropriate then to start with one of my favourite children's authors and illustrators. It is none other than the brilliantly talented and uniquely styled *insert drum roll here* OLIVER JEFFERS. I first discovered the works of Oliver Jeffers when exploring a small bookshop on holidays (an all too common past time of mine). I picked up 'Lost & Found' one of his earlier works and thought how gorgeous his illustrations were. I then continued to flip through the rather small picture book and instantly fell in love with his writing...and so the obsession began. 'One Upon An Alphabet', one of Jeffers most recent books, is like no other alphabet book out there. It does not stand in the same category as the cookie cutter cardboard paged books bought and read by parents world wide; A is for apple, B is for bat. This children's literary gem is both witty and creative as it explores the alphabet and the stories that accompany each letter. The picture book is riddled with short stories like 'Dangerous Delilah' who literally laughs in the face of death and 'Sink or Swim' which introduces us to a cucumber who, after watching a documentary about sea cucumbers, decides he might try this new fancy lifestyle. As an alphabet book for all ages, laughter ensues with every page turned whether it be for the young or young at heart. Not only is this book delightful to read but beautiful to look at. Distinctively his, Jeffer's illustrations house a child-like perspective of the world and it is this particular aspect of his artistry which draws me in the most. If you have been unfortunate enough not to of heard of Oliver Jeffers up until now check out the video below to learn more about him and his practice. You won't regret it...I promise.
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April 2017
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