Did you wait with baited breath to see if some of your favourite reads from the past year made it to “the lists”? I did and was thrilled to see some terrific books included. Read on for a quick dip into just a few of Jennie’s favourites across each category. As she hasn’t read all the books this is just a selection that resonated. Lots left out and lots more to read!
Eve Pownall Award
What I love about Baylys’ work is not just the amazing realism of her meticulous art work but the original and creative perspectives she explores to present the familiar and extraordinary animals across the globe and from all animal families. Her coverage of fast and slow goes well beyond the animals we know so well – such as the cheetah! Wonderful for all inquiring minds the coverage is sure to broaden your knowledge. Careful design is evident with carefully laid double page spreads that compare and differentiate between different groups. Language is engaging and entertaining with some humorous commentary intertwined within the factual coverage.
Hicks, with scientific support from Parsons, presents a colourful and vibrant array of familiar Australian birdlife. An original approach to organising each entry works effectively to focus on 'noticing' differences in birds by highlighting unique features that make each bird stand out from the rest. Double page spreads start with "This bird…" followed by an additional clause “... has a red butt; “…is a hoverer; ‘”…loves cities; etc. Information is accessible, interesting, informative and identifies special attributes to help young bird watchers with identification and location.
Picture Book of the Year
(I have only read one of the books on this list! But it is wonderful!)
This is an enigmatic and challenging tale of the life of a tree told by one of its end products - a pencil. Dark, muted pastels convey the majesty of the giant tree and its surrounding forest and the joy of the visitations from the wanderer, (perhaps a wood sprite?), who relates the passing of time. The bleak devastation of the cleared land is beautifully contrasted with the quiet work of the wanderer to reseed the forest. Sworder's masterful visual storytelling is both thoughtful and thought provoking, exploring nature and the life cycles that support regeneration and reforestation.
Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Tan has reworked an ancient Chinese folk tale about integrity, courage and patience that celebrates ancient Chinese traditions. The old and childless Emperor is seeking an heir and puts a call out for children over the age of five to each care for a beautiful coloured egg. Ren nurtures his egg with patience and care as he watches the other children play with their glorious dragon like hatchlings. On the thirtieth day the Emperor makes his decision based on the evidence. The design, layout, and illustrations are exquisite - richly coloured with artful use of white space and glorious movement and facial expressions in the children.
A cleverly designed introduction to camouflage that presents a range of animals in different environments. With a single descriptive sentence on each double page young readers are encouraged to discover different animals blending into their environment. This is supported with the names - common and scientific - to indicate how many creatures need to found. The artwork accurately portrays both elements with each spread being fully coloured and richly texture to the eye. A glossary at the end includes information about each creature and an image similar to how they look on their respective pages. Perfect for this younger age group, the book is more literary nonfiction rather than story.
Portraying a delightful and cheerful walk along the river, young readers will make many connections with Mum, two girls and the baby as the set off for an adventure. Familiar landscapes and activities to stimulate discussion, the story is simple and familiar. Splashing in the river, hearing the birds, sharing snacks and chasing butterflies are all part of the fun. Robaard’s Illustrations enrich and expand the story with soft watercolours providing different perspectives, shifting the focus of the eye with broad double page spreads interspersed with cameo images that use white space effectively to highlight the action. The placement of the simple storyline adds to the flow of the story. Text is enriched with wonderful alliteration, onomatopoeia and descriptive language, all perfectly placed on each page. The conclusion is very satisfying – they get to see a ….! Can you guess what they were looking for on the river?
Book of the Year: Younger Readers
A fast-paced adventure survival story follows Cas (Casper) who avoids facing his long estranged father by escaping into the bush. He quickly realises that he does not have the necessary survival skills and lost, hungry and thirsty, he despairs, but is unable to find his way out. Discovered by two sisters and their dog he soon realises he has stumbled into a mystery as the girls and their Dad are living off grid and have a secret to hide.
Armstrong explores both physical and emotional survival in this tight, edge-of-the-seat adventure that explores neglect, forgiveness, family, friendship and moral challenges. A great read for older primary and early secondary with a cast of interesting robust characters including a teenager thirsting for civilization.
Similar in style to her engaging and emotive verse novel Way of Dog, Fraillon uses a first person narrative to tell the story of Houdini the octopus, trapped in a tank, who longs with all of her nine brains, three hearts, and 3,154 suckers to be back home in the sea. Houdini narrates her own and three other points of view - Paul the keeper, Juno the keeper’s daughter and Joe the aquarium cleaner - to present multiple perspectives that show how each is pulled in a particular direction. Fraillon artfully immerses the reader into Houdini's caged world to understand and sympathise with her craving for the ocean and freedom. Black and white illustrations are placed throughout, at times twisting between the short verses each starting with a short and evocative heading to highlight the voice and the perspective being related. The illustrations add depth and mood to the narration as well as enhancing the visual appeal and accessibility of the book. A story for primary aged readers that is rather different from the usual fare - and certainly one that will encourage them to think and question the ethical issues around keeping captive animals - though this is not discussed at any stage. Such is the power of seeing into the 3 hearts and 9 minds of Houdini.
Book of the Year: Older Readers
Eleanor continues to plunge head first into trouble in this third stand-alone adventure. Her friends and others at school are all suspects in the first disaster – a house fire that sees one man dead – accident or arson? A note warning Eleanor off suggests the latter. Although trying to do the right thing and pass all information onto Holly, the local police officer, she can’t help but wonder.
Another entertaining thriller with an interesting mixture of teen characters, all with flaws and most with strengths, that will engage teen readers from Year 7 up. Doak handles a number of teen issues and moral responsibilities, including family pressure, toxic behaviour and sexting, boredom, carjacking, thrill seeking behaviours, and that most important first kiss, with dexterity, humour and insight.
Told from different perspectives the main characters include Otto, relocated with his mum from California with a mysterious past that involves a fire destroying a farm and a love of surging. Twins, Jasper and Milly, the brother lazy and laid back, and apparently destined to become captain of the local surf living team of which their father is the manager. Milly, determined to prove her worth to her father and a dedicated life saver. Otto becomes prime suspect for the fires, he suspects Jasper and Milly is determined to prove both innocent. Other characters support or thwart her endeavours. Salmon has crafted a realistic teen fiction story that features three arson attacks, family relationships, the challenges of being new to the town and country, sibling rivalry, family, friendship and community dynamics, exploitation and manipulation and a budding romance. A good read for teens with some detective work, and a strong focus on life saving, surfing and personal relationships.
All the best with your reading adventure over the next few months as we warm up the orchestra for Book Week. Please share one of your early favourites. Now, what will I read nextr?
Jennie Bales
Retired teacher librarian and CBCA Tasmania Social Media Coordinator
