A sweet story for the sentimental reader.

You Are My I Love YouYou Are My I Love You, written by Maryann Cusimano Love and illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa, is sugary from start to finish. I like this sort of story. Then again, I’m endlessly sappy which means You Are My I Love You is already three steps ahead in my book (pun totally intended).

The rhyming verse follows an ‘I am; You are’ pattern. For example, “I am your dinner; you are my chocolate cake. I am your bedtime; you are my wide awake.” The illustrations depict an adult bear with a little teddy as they experience the daily joys of parent-child interaction.

Love (it’s like she was born to write this particular story) has chosen her words carefully and well. Sometimes silly, sometimes serious, every page evokes a particular memory and moment as I read it. The rhyming scheme is also easy on the ears for my nearly-two-year-old.

I appreciate that the parent-figure is wearing blue clothing. This means that the figure is neutral enough that it could be a parent or caregiver from either gender. This is important because most I Love You stories seem to focus on the intimate moments with mum. This one allows for dad (or other) to read it too, and leaves room for discussion without having to respond to comments like, “but isn’t that his mummy?”

You Are My I Love You, published by Penguin Group, is recommended for children (and sappy parents) 3-5.

A captivatingly dark read.

The City - Armin Greder The City is the sort of book that is read, followed by a glowing silence of reflection. This type of book is important and I highly recommend it for readers mature enough to handle the serious and somewhat morbid subject material.

The narrative begins by focusing upon a mother who loves her new baby dearly and wishes only the best for him. She is shrouded in black robes, as if she wishes to conceal herself and her child from everything. She is depicted breastfeeding him on the very first page, in fact in the very first illustration; this is a serious book and Greder isn’t beating about the bush. These are intimate ideas at work here. Greder’s illustrations are a stunning juxtaposition of shades and shadows against topics of love and protection.

Fearing her child will face hardships that have befallen the city, the mother takes him to a secluded and isolated place. Here, the story shifts focus and settles upon the baby who is now a young boy. This is necessary because his mother dies suddenly. I almost used the term ‘passes away’ when composing this review, but I want to be true to the blunt atmosphere that Greder has constructed. The boy is lost, confused and rather unsocialised because his mother has surrounded him so fiercely with love and isolation so as to keep him from harm that this, ultimately, visits harm upon him.

Greder’s prose is poetic. There are countless ways of analysing and dissecting his narrative and illustrations. If I was still a high school English teacher, I have no doubt that I could dedicate two or three lessons to this book aone. His illustrations are comprised of sketch-like figures, an odd and yet precise combination whimsical, off-putting and foreboding. There are certainly strong undercurrents of fairy-tale embedded within the story, and not of the Disney variety.

I absolutely would not read this to my two year old. I don’t think it would come close to holding his attention, nor would he appreciate it. And that’s OK, because Greder’s target audience is not of the toddler variety. These types of books often struggle to find homes because older readers tend to think of themselves as beyond the picture book phase. Happily for me, I am a firm believer that picture books aren’t a phase but an underappreciated medium which can benefit everyone. Therefore, The City is now counted amongst my favourite picture books of all time (and that’s saying something because I’m pretty sure I could start a library with the amount of picture books I own).

The City is written and illustrated by Armin Greder, and recommended for children 11-16. However, if your children are on the younger end of that spectrum, I suggest you accompany their first one or two read-throughs as the story raises far more questions than it answers.

A relief from alphabetical monotony.

ABC & DoThis book is enchantingly fun. It’s interactive, stimulating and colourful; three aspects which are key to engaging the budding reader. If I’m being honest, I think I like this book even more than my little guy. Whilst he enjoys reading it, half of the novelty elements have been ripped off or nibbled on. The thing is, my little man is obsessed with his ABCs. As you can imagine, the result is that we have piles upon piles of ABC books.

Since I seem to be in the mood for confessionals, I might as well tell you the sheer amount of letter and number books around the house is more for my benefit more than his. Seriously, you can only say A is for Apple so many times a day and in only so many ways! But ABC & DO has found a funky way to keep it fresh and interesting (thank you, Egmont… really!).

One page is a puzzle (j is for jigsaw), another is a refrigerator and freezer, one with food and one without (E is for empty and F is for full), another has a telephone with a spinning dial on it (C is for call). The design of this book is a little bit brilliant.

I bought this book from a Big W which means it is affordable and easily accessible. If your little one is caught up in the ABC craze, do yourself a favour and considering purchasing ABC & DO.

Written by Lee Singh, illustrated by Karen Wall. Recommended for children 3-5 years (or parents who are dreaming of apples, boats and cats).

A bit of quick novelty fun.

All Around TownWhen I came across this book I was pretty keen. For starters, the book is somewhat of a novelty; it is shaped like a miniature city – I think that’s kind of awesome. Inside the city, there are cars and roads and six buildings – each building has a dedicated little first-word type book, eg. hospital, school etc. and each book is filled with words related to that building, such as ‘student’, ‘patient’ etc.

Visually speaking, the layout of this book definitely breaks up the monotony of some of the other first-word books that I’ve come across. Unfortunately, I ended up more interested in this book than my son which is not a great thing because, not to boast here, I already knew all the words. I’m not sure I can actually explain why my son isn’t totally into it because it appears to have everything you’d want and/or need in order to attract a very young reader. I’m going to persist with this one because the words inside are actually quite useful, and not often found in a lot of the other ‘baby’s first word’ books.

I am recommending this book, but I’d caution that you test it on your little one before you buy it. I’m thinking of bringing it to playgroup this week and seeing if the other little hands find it more appealing. That being said, I think it’s worth a try. I’d recommend it for children ages 1-3 (though 3 is pushing it).

All Around Town, illustrated by Veronica Klimova, can be found at: http://www.paperchainbookstore.com.au/search.cfm?UR=BI234258&search_stage=details&records_to_display=50&this_book_number=28

My son loves this book.

Dino ShapesDino Shapes, written and illustrated by Suse MacDonald, is really fun. It’s also educational, but in a tricky haha you’re learning and you didn’t even know it sort of way.

The concept is complicated but presented in a seamlessly simple way. Essentially, through a mix of colours and shapes, MacDonald builds a dinosaur page by page. Each page is dedicated to a new part of the dinosaur’s face, and that part is made out of a different shape. My son (17 months) has asked for the ‘dino’ book three days in a row now. Tonight, he startled me by correctly identifying the oval and diamond. He has a firm grasp on other shapes but these are, arguably, more complicated for a little person to grasp. He also identified the ‘crescent’, but he hasn’t quite articulated it properly yet. I’m certain Dino Shapes is a large part of this early learning.

Amazon suggests this book is appropriate for 3-7 years but I think that doesn’t give children on the earliest side of life enough credit. Dino Shapes is exciting and cleverly immersive, especially considering the tiny people for which the book is written. If you don’t have little ‘uns, this one is actually a pretty great gift too. You can purchase the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Dino-Shapes-Suse-MacDonald/dp/1481400932

Baby, I’m baaaaaaack.

I’ve been on hiatus for about a month or so now, my apologies to all! I had a nearly-month-long trip to visit the US. My husband, son and I visited family in NY and CO and it was lots of fun, albeit not very refreshing travelling with a one-year-old. However, the big news is…drum roll please… I met up with my loverley agent, Alison McDonald from The Rights Factory! Yep, I’m signed and I am super excited about it!! It’s so fun having someone to work with on my manuscripts. If you want to contact her regarding my work, she is available via their website, http://www.therightsfactory.com/.

Mustache babyNow, back to the topic at hand: MUSTACHE BABY (Written by Bridget Heos and Illustrated by Joy Ang). When I came across this book I practically ripped it off the shelf in my enthusiasm. What an absurd and endearing concept. I tend to gravitate to (and write) quirky and absurd stories so this is right up my ally. The story is about a newborn baby who, fresh out of the womb, is already sporting a mustache. But the questions remains: is this a good-guy mustache or a bad-guy mustache?

First thing’s first: you won’t find a concept like this anywhere else. If this story tickles your fancy, then you might as well grab this book ‘cuz baby, there’s no other Mustache Children lurking around the shelves of bookstores. Actually, Mustache Children sounds particularly creepy. There’s not much didactic about this story either, which I appreciate. It’s just some odd fun.

The story explores the stereotypes and clichés surrounding different types of mustaches. It’s a story for the sake of the story, which is often the best kind of story. Did I mention this was a story?! That being said, I am more partial to a stronger narrative arc. This is just a personal preference of course, and this one is definitely worth a look if you are a lover of the quirky and strange.

Ang’s illustrations happily embrace the absurdity of it all, whilst clearly conveying the stereotypes and cliches to children who might not really understand mustache cliches yet (there’s a term I never thought I’d use; ‘mustache cliches’). I’d say this would be suited to children in Kindergarten and Year One.

Check it out at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814439-mustache-baby

Not my usual sort of picture book review.

jay p and l 123Usually I go through picture books that have some sort of a narrative, but today I had to make an exception. My son is infatuated with these books! Now that he has started to develop a healthy bank of numbers and words, he is able to achieve a sense of accomplishment when he recognises what he sees in books. It is amazing to watch his first experience of gratification from learning. It’s delicious, really.

The Play and Learn 123 and Play and Learn ABC books are not just numbers and letters. They also include an assortment of pictures, words, colours and interactive elements such as lift-the-flap and slide-the-flap. The variation is enough to keep him entertained. The font size is big and fun, the bright colours are attention-grabbing and the choice of pictures (animals, fruit, body parts) is fantastic. This, combined with his prior knowledge, is enough to keep him motivated. He flips through these books over and over again — but I’m not complaining!

These books tend to be recommended for children 2-4, but my bub is 15 months so really there’s on harm in starting your one-year-old (or younger!) on these books. You can find a bunch of Roger Priddy’s books, including these, here: http://www.amazon.com/Board-Books-Colors-Numbers-Bright/dp/0312502192

An unimaginably clever read…

BeekleA little while ago, I lamented the fact that Drew Daywalt had created such a clever story with his The Day the Crayons Quit, and I was most disappointed that I had not come up with the idea myself. This post follows the same vein.

Dan Santat’s The Adventures of Beekle – The Unimaginary Friend is a wonderfully novel concept; on an island far away, imaginary friends wait to be imagined so they can start their adventures. Beekle, however, is always left behind. What’s an unimagined imaginary friend to do?

Santat’s story is so clever. For starters, there is lateral thought put into both the illustrations and the story. A child reading this can enjoy the surface story but, for the more developed little one, there is rewarding subtext to consider and discuss.

The pictures are quirky and, at times, melancholic, but not in an off-putting way — more-so in an emotionally appropriate way. Finally, the concept is novel and makes me grumble, ‘UGH! Why didn’t I think of this?’.

This story is probably most appropriate for children ages 4-7, but I’d still recommend it to kids on either end of that because…well… it’s wonderful.

Go buy this story. It’s worth it. Meanwhile, I’ll sit here shaking my fist at yet another literary genius.

The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend is available at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295821-the-adventures-of-beekle.

A big shouting day? Why, I’m guessing you’ve encountered a few.

Big shouty dayThis book is silly and fun and terribly, terribly accurate. Written and illustrated by Rebecca Patterson, the story is about a little girl who just having one of those days. Nothings seems or feels right and it is just plain frustrating! We’ve all had those days, but the beauty of childhood is that you can actually shout at anything and everything to really express yourself. Truth be told, I’m a little jealous of the little girl. A passive-aggressive smile just doesn’t cut it for me, but alas that is one of the pitfalls of adulthood; it’ll have to do.

Of course for this little girl, her shouting day is inevitably impacting on a terribly, terribly patient mummy who is, by the end, super frustrated herself. One of the things I love about this book, and I try and incorporate into my own writing (wink-wink/self-promotion/nudge-nudge) is that the satisfying end to this book is that she still retains her spunk; girls need a bit of that!

The story is well written, engaging and so accurate! Have a look at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13632292-my-big-shouting-day

This one’s for you, Auntie Carol!

ImageThe predilection for creative writing runs in the genes. Really, my Auntie Carol should be a famous author. However, she happily cheers me on in all my writing and academic endeavours, for which I am so grateful. Today, I am reviewing this one for her because I know she’d love it!

The Runaway Hug is sweet and imaginative. It follows the story of a little girl, Lucy, and the adventure of her hug. When she accidentally gives away the hug she’s promised to return to Mummy, she must chase it down. Written by Nick Bland (who also wrote the award winning The Wrong Book — a favourite of mine), and illustrated by the delightful and whimsical Freya Blackwood, this one is satisfying. I don’t know if illustrations can be described as ‘lilting’, but somehow this seems an appropriate description here.

The story pangs at the nostalgic heartstrings for this Mummy. Did I mention this book was short-listed for The Children’s Book Council of Australia? It’s easy to see why. Buy it at: http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/book/the-runaway-hug/24740037/?gclid=CjgKEAjwt4-dBRCDnaTUn-mC_0oSJAC4Q6kGj-j0m6TQwNqu-f3cgUuvvba97MfPGTeixF4gRMFjC_D_BwE