No 15 , February 2000

And so the new millenium has arrived, with much celebration but a minimum of problems. I hope your computer systems at school also withstood the bug. Very best wishes for the New Year from all at Austral Ed.

After a relaxing and very enjoyable Christmas and new Year spent with family and friends in Adelaide. I made a supreme effort to get this newsletter out in the middle of February, before the next bout of Conferences. I am delighted to be able finally to exhibit at TARA, the ATabian Reading Association Conference in Bahrain at the end of February. From there I go to the ECIS Early Childhood Conference in Brussels from 10th - 12th March. I was very pleased to be asked to give two presentations so there will be time to discuss books from Australia and from Asia in much more detail than usual and of course the display will feature many marvellous books for the younger age range. There were a number of other Conferences on at the same time that I would have liked to attend however it is just not possible because of time restrictions. I look forward to meeting many of you at these two Conferences.

I am often asked for a list of the Australian Children’s Book Council Book of the Year winning books. Since lists that are available on the web are not annotated and include books that are no longer in print, I have compiled an up to date list (at least it is up to date for February 2000). It is enclosed with this newsletter. I hope it is helpful.

The Short List for the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards for 2000 will be announced at the beginning of April. If you would like a copy of the list, let me know and I shall fax or email you a copy or better still look for it here at our website. There is still more to do on it but I have already had feedback from people saying that it is simple, easy to use and that they have found it very useful.

A Note For Librarians

Schools are delighted to be able to help to internationalise their collections with recommendations from Austral Ed however some librarians find it a problem that we cannot provide a cataloguing and covering service.

A number of schools have found that the Australian SCIS (Schools Catalogue Information Service) is extremely helpful. About 80% of Australian schools subscribe to the service and the number of overseas schools is increasing. Since Australian schools purchase books and materials from a very wide range of countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Asia and the US, the SCIS database has records which could be very helpful for International Schools.

Their website is www.curriculum.edu.au/scis/

Email address is scisinfo@curriculum.edu.au

Fax 61 3 9639 1616

They are offering a 50% discount on subscription rates if schools take a new subscription before March 31st.

By the way the Children’s Book Council of Australia Fifth National Conference will be held this year from 11-14 May in Canberra. Next year in Perth about the same time. The theme this year is Read On and there wil be a very impressive number of authors and illustrators speaking at the Conference. For more information, email readon@con-sol.com

Nonfiction

I was looking for something special to begin this newsletter and found it in two nonfiction books, this is unusual for me as a most enthusiastic fiction reader.

Fishing for Islands: Traditional boats and seafarers of the Pacific written and illustrated by John Nicholson hb $22.95

John Nicholson designs, illustrates and writes superb nonfiction books. In Fishing for Islands he links his obvious love of boats and his interest in their design, decoration and how they are built with the history of the settlement of the Pacific region. He describes and shows through beautiful detailed illustrations the first boats or rafts that must have been built and how they were used, through to dug-out canoes, outriggers and the double-hulled canoes used by the Polynesians on their vast journeys across the Pacific, navigating by memory or by the stars. Nicholson gives us comprehension of the painstaking way in which the boatbuilders constructed the boats and how they lovingly added decoration making the boat like a living thing. He tells us that the people of Anuta in the Solomon Islands hold a funeral if a boat is lost or sunk. Nicholson’s admiration for these people and their skills in boatbuilding and navigation is evident in the straightforward, informative always interesting text. (9 - 16 years)

Olympia: Warrior Athletes of Ancient Greece by Dyan Blacklock illustrated by David Kennett pb $14.95

I have seen a number of books describing the first Olympic Games but nothing has conjured up for me the spirit of the games and the times in Ancient Greece like the stunning illustrations by David Kennett in this book. Some are striking black and white, some are in colour, some are full page and others are in strips like cartoons but together they give a striking image of the fierceness of the competiion, of the athleticism of the naked bodies and of the reverence for the Gods. Much of the narrative comes from these illustrations while Dyan Blacklock’s text at the bottom of each age gives brief but always interesting and well written background information emphasising a number of points which I hadn’t known or had forgotten. For example the Games themselves started as a way of trying to bring peace to the continually warring city states of Greece and all events related to warfare.

Dyan Blacklock is knowledgeable about this period for she has also written Pankration, an adventure novel set in Ancient Greece pb $10.95 and Nudes & Nikes pb $10.95 a history of the Olympic games in the nonfiction series True Stories which is aimed with great success at readers who may not like fiction but read nonfiction with interest.

It’s difficult to find history books, which are not written as text books, for the 13 - 16 year old age group, let alone books that are well written and interesting. I am impressed with a new series call History in Writing from Evans in the U.K. Where possible the series uses original documents, including diaries, letters, songs, speeches and legal documents to bring the period to life. Well illustrated through paintings and engravings from the period and photos and maps, the series also tackles a number of topics not so commonly undertaken at this level.

Slavery: From Africa to the Americas by Christine Hatt hb $45.00

The history of this brutal period comes to life through the voices of shipowners, plantation owners, abolitionists and especially through the writings of slaves themselves. The book starts with information on the African Kingdoms of the 15th and 16th centuries and on the slave trade which took at least 24 million Africans from their homes by force. It looks at how slaves lived in North America and in the Caribbean and highlights their constant fight against slavery. Finally it examines the developments in Europe and the USA that brought slavery to an end. The emphasis is on the US and the British colonies in the Caribbean but there is also some information on the Spanish and French colonies in the Americas.

Other titles in the History in Writing series are:

The Crusades

The Industrial Revolution

The Settlement of Australia

The American West Each title is hardback and costs $45.00. (13 - 16 years)

Amazing Facts about Australia text by Pat Slater pb $9.95

A very helpful book which contains much information on Australian landmarks, historical facts and geographical information all illustrated with a large number of excellent photographs. As well as covering each of the states and the capital cities, there are details also on a number of the country regions within each state. There are many maps, information on state flags, emblems, a time line as well as an index and glossary. Excellent value. (8 - 12 years)

Other books in the series are:

Amazing facts about Australian Landforms

Amazing facts about Australian Mammals

Amazing facts about Australian Birds

Amazing facts about Australian Frogs and Reptiles

Amazing facts about Australian Insects and Spiders

Amazing facts about Australian Marine Life

Amazing facts about Australia’s Heritage Each book pb $9.95

Upside Down World Maps Paper $9.95 Laminated $19.95 (841 x 594 mm)

I was recently asked to supply a number of Upside Down World Maps to be given as prizes for students in Japan and I thought that others might be interested. For those of you who have never heard of an Upside Down World Map, it is drawn from the perspective of those living in the southern hemisphere. (After all, although the tradition of the first European cartographers and explorers has always presented the map with the northern hemisphere at the top, there is no reason why it must be this way up.) The Upside Down World Map is centred round the Pacific Ocean and of course Australia.

Some of you may remember some quaint very early maps where the inhabitants of the Great South Land were portrayed as walking upside down. And of course Australia has long been called the Land Down Under. This map will certainly promote some interesting discussion and gives students a different geographical perspective.

Poetry

Waltzing Matilda meets Lazy Jack chosen by Moira Robinson illustrated by Craig Smith pb $16.95

A very welcome collection of Australian poems for children because surprisingly there is very little in print at the moment. It is a delightfully refreshing selection. Moira Robinson chose the poems because they were all revealing in some way about Australia and its people. Many of the poems are traditional ballads and were written about the turn of the last century when people became aware of the beauty of the very different, often harsh Australian landscape and of the difficulties of settling and living in this country. There are poems of intense sadness (especially by Henry Lawson), some very beautiful poems and many that celebrate the very distinctive Australian humour, "‘We’ll all be rooned,’ said Hanrahan." There are short rhymes as well as poems by Australia’s best loved Aboriginal poet, Oodgeroo. It’s a selection which will be most enjoyed when read aloud. It makes a wonderful introduction to Australia, the land, its people and to some of its myths.

Craig Smith’s black and white illustrations are excellent. They help set the scene, add humour but never overwhelm the poem as sometimes happens in illustrated picture books. (8 - 14 years)

Fiction

Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman pb $11.95

The new Morris Gleitzman novel Toad Rage may need a little explanation as I don’t think that the peculiarly Australian problem with toads occurs anywhere else. (Kids will love the book however with or without explanation.) Cane toads were introduced into Queensland in northern Australia to try and control one of the bugs attacking the sugar cane. They of course loved Australia and multiplied until they have become a much bigger problem than the original one. They have spread all over Queensland and are now threatening to spread even into Kakadu National Park. Since they have poison glands they are a threat to native wildlife or anything that eats them. They are regarded as a serious menace in Australia and people are forever thinking up inventive ways of getting rid of them. It is with this background that the inventiveness of Gleitzman’s new book becomes obvious for he has written it from the point of view of a cane toad, called Limpy. Limpy can’t understand why humans hate cane toads. He knows that humans do hate cane toads from the way they look at them. And from the way they swerve their trucks or their cars from side to side trying to squash as many of Limpy’s friends and family as they can. Limpy has a loving, very extended family and he is determined to do something to change human’s opinions of cane toads, to do something really radical and even perhaps have cane toads included as one of the official mascots (like the cuddly koala, the wallaby or platypus) for the Olympic Games. And so he sets out on a dangerous and hilarious adventure. This is a very funny book. It is Gleitzman back to his hilarious best, and with his well known mixture of comedy and tragedy for it’s hard not to feel a glimmer of sympathy for Limpy, even if he is part of the cane toad menace. (8 - 13 years)

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay pb $16.95

The Power of One has been an international best seller. Courtenay has a large popular following who appreciate the power of his storytelling though he has received very little recognition from more literary critics, within Australia at least. I had never read him but was intrigued by an article by Carmel Ballinger in an edition of Magpies where she said that The Power of One was extremely popular with Year 9 boys, especially those who normally show no interest in reading. It was one of those books, she said, that made them see the point of reading and made them want to read more. Set in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, it is the story of a young white boy Peekay who learns from the boxing ring that small can beat big and sets out to be the welterweight champion of the world. (14 years up)

The Power of One (Young Readers’ Edition) by Bryce Courtenay pb $12.95

I am not normally a fan of abridged versions however this edition has been adapted by Bryce Courtenay and recently published. It works surprisingly well. It follows Pekay’s life till he goes to high school. Much of the description has been left unchanged but some of the more brutal events are left out or adapted. The power of the story and the strong message against racism certainly remains. For 11 - 14 years old.

Tajore Arkle by Jackie French pb $12.95

Jackie French is a writer with a prodigious output. As well as children’s books she also writes very popular gardening books and books on farm life. When she was just three years old she had a secret or imaginary friend, and it was the secret friend’s sister who told her about Tajore Arkle and this was the world that Jackie then lived in much of the time till she was 14 years old, in preference to the real world. It is an amazing world, harsh with vast deserts of white and red sand, a red sky and a green belt called the Rift country which has poisonous plants. This is the story of three children each of whom is an outcast in their village because of their strange dreams and memories. Two of the children are sent to the Mountain where the Pastseers are sent and from there they set out on a dangerous journey to search for the missing third child, a girl. This is an absorbing story where memories of a far off place called Urrarth form interlocking layers of story between the present and the past and a distant almost mythical past.

Jackie has tried three times to write about a small part of her childhood world of Tajore Arkle and on her third attempt she has succeeded in writing what I hope would be the first of many set in this intriguing world. (9 - 13 years)

Hitler’s daughter by Jackie French pb $12.95

When I first heard the title of this book I was put off and didn’t want to read it. Somehow the whole idea of Hitler having a daughter and a children’s book about it seemed distasteful. However my doubts were unfounded and Jackie French has written an absorbing, thought-provoking book.

The Game was set up as a way to cheer up little Tracey as she, Mark, Anna and Ben waited at the cold damp bus stop on her first day at school. Someone would choose a character and then their story would be told, often over several days. This time Anna chose Hitler’s daughter. Ben liked the idea and expected a story about fighter planes and bombs but it didn’t turn out at all like that. Mark and Tracey became absorbed in the story of Heidi, a little girl with a birth mark who was hidden away because she didn’t fit the Aryan ideal. There is something compelling about the story of this isolated little girl who rarely sees the father she calls Duffy and who gradually becomes aware of the realities around her in wartorn Germany. However Mark also finds the story very disturbing and starts to ask questions about Hitler and the Jews and wonders if a father was evil, would the children be evil as well? Can the children be blamed if a parent does something terrible? Jackie French is a master at writing imaginatively about the past and here the interweaving of Heidi’s story in wartorn Germany with the ordinary everyday events of country life makes it all the more compelling. (9 - 14 years)

Aquila by Andrew Norriss pb $9.95

Such a surprise. I hadn’t thought that this rather ordinary looking book with two young boys wearing crash helmets on the cover would be of much appeal, to kids perhaps, but not to me. However it had received good reviews and had won the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year in 1997 so I started reading and then was delighted with the witty and skilful interplay between two very amusing opposing quests. Geoff and Tom are notoriously disinterested in school work and on a school excursion when they wander off aimlessly as usual, they fall into a cave and discover a Roman skeleton and a small space ship. They become so fascinated that they put a lot of effort into trying to find out more about the spaceship, how it works, how they can keep it safely and where it came from and its connection to the dead Roman soldier. All of this takes a considerable amount of research and questions about maths and Latin need to be asked of teachers and the library even needs to be visited. These are all unheard of activities for Geoff and Tom. The teachers are so stunned by this change of behaviour from two boys who have spent "years perfecting the technique of sitting at the back of a class attracting as little attention as possible" that they are certain that something strange is going on. Maybe the boys are hiding something, perhaps they are really brilliant and have just been masquerading as completely lacking in brain power. (9 - 14 years)

The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price hb $28.95

If you haven’t yet read this book you are in for a treat. This is a stirring tale of the clash between two cultures; the sixteenth century Sterkarms who are brutal and treacherous but also warm, loyal and exuberant and those in the twentieth century who see the unpolluted world of the Sterkarms as a world and culture to be exploited. A tunnel has been built which links the two cultures and enables the "Elfs" from the twentieth century to visit the Sterkarm clan. This is a fascinating, beautifully structured story. It is gripping, very convincing and gives us much to ponder. It was the Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award in 1998.

Picture Books

Since I am attending two Conferences with the emphasis on Early Childhood, I wanted to review a number of new picture books. And I am delighted that Bob Graham now has a new one and an old favourite back in print.

Crusher is Coming! by Bob Graham pb $11.95

This is one of my favourites. First published in 1987, I can’t understand how it was ever allowed to go out of print. Crusher is a big football hero and is coming round to play at Pete’s house for the first time. It’s a big day for Pete. Everything has to be made ready - his room cleared out of soft toys and his mother is given instructions not to kiss him in front of Crusher and to keep his little sister Claire out of the way. When Crusher arrives (or Basher or Cruncher as Pete’s mother keeps on calling him), his tough image evaporates since he spends the whole time playing with little Claire. The illustrations are a delight with lots of subtle humorous details. It is very simply written and will appeal to very young children as well as older ones who will enjoy the way Bob Graham breaks down the stereotype of the tough kid.

The Adventures of Charlotte and Henry by Bob Graham hb $22.95

For many years Bob Graham has written stories about two young children, Charlotte and Henry, for a French children’s magazine. Now we get a chance to read in English about the charming everyday exploits of these two young children. These are gentle whimsical stories, each only a few pages long about everyday moments in the lives of Charlotte and Henry as they visit an art museum, go to the park, sleep over with friends, or pretend to be a rock star. And of course they display Bob Graham’s characteristic warmth and humour and his most distinctive style of illustration.

Impossible Pets by Richard Morecroft, Alison Mackay and Wayne Harris hb $22.95

A picture book with a well known popular theme but which comes to life again in this engaging story. Nerissa wants a pet. She tries a number and her parents are very amenable and her father sees positive points in each one, even the polar bear and the anaconda, but when the polar bear takes over the fridge and the vulture eats the roast lamb off the table, it’s obvious they have to go. This repeated refrain as each new animal is trialled would make this a delight to read aloud. And the repetition and rhythm build until Nerissa herself is taken off by an alien to be a pet and she causes so many problems that she too has to go. Children will really enjoy the twist at the end of the story "Nerissa still didn’t have a pet - but at least she wasn’t one." A good discussion point as well.

Pickle the Perfectly Awful Pig by Diana Lawrenson and Craig Smith hb $22.95

Again this uses a repeated refrain and there is something very satisfying about a well structured story that can use repetition to such good effect. Pickles is the runt of the litter and has been rescued by Jack who looks after her like a baby. As Pickles gets older she ventures forth causing havoc, first inside the house and then in the garden and then in the next door duck pond and each time there is the refrain. "What a perfectly awful pig! ... It’s time she went back to the farm." At last she is so big that even Jack can see that it is time and an enormous pig goes back to the farm to the delight of the farmer and Pickles has her own piglets. An engaging story illustrated with humour by Craig Smith. A delight to read aloud. It also has a page of interesting snippets of information about pigs and piglets.

The Hidden Forest by Jeannie Baker hb $24.95

A new Jeannie Baker title is a real event. It takes so long to painstakingly create her wonderful collage constructions that a new book is published only every 4 or 5 years. This one is set in the Tasmanian kelp forests. The collages are stunning, giving an eerie quality of luminous pale green and blue, a marvellously true to life impression of seeing this vast forest looking through the water. Like many, Ben was frightened of the world under the sea but when he dons a mask and snorkel and can see the world beneath the sea he is entranced by its beauty. As usual Jeannie Baker’s collages are made up of natural materials - rock, sand, wood, feathers and seaweed - and there is a strong environmental message.

Previous books published by Jeannie Baker are

The Story of Rosie Dock hb $19.95 pb $12.95

Where the Forest Meets the Sea pb $10.95

Margaret Mahy

I am looking forward to meeting Margaret Mahy again. This time at TARA in Bahrain where she is guest author. It’s hard to keep up with her prolific output but I have enjoyed reading some of the new ones while I was getting together an up to date list of her books that are in print for her upcoming visit to the International School of Manila. Contact me if you would like a copy of the list.

Simply Delicious! by Margaret Mahy Illustrated by Jonathon Allen hb $24.95

Margaret Mahy has such fun with words, sounds, ideas, images in her books. Mr Minky has just bought a double-dip-chocolate-chip-and-cherry ice cream with rainbow twinkles and chopped-nut sprinkles for his little boy, Finnegan. He has the monumental task of getting it home before it melts, and of keeping it away from the butterflies, the toucan, the monkey, the tiger and the crocodile. He takes the short cut home along a jungle track and this is why he is confronted by all these creatures. The challenge for the teacher will be to read and give full justice to the tongue-twisting repetitious play on words with the verve and humour that Margaret Mahy gives to the text. And of course Mr Minky outwits these wily predators and makes it back in time with the double-dip-chocolate-chip-and-cherry ice cream with rainbow twinkles and chopped-nut sprinkles for his little boy, Finnegan. (4 - 7 years)

A Villain’s Night Out by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Harry Horse pb $11.95

When there is no money to buy library books, Miss Rogers has the brilliant idea that the class will write their own. "No way," says Formby Mackinaw but somehow on the way home, a name comes into his mind. Squidgy Moot! And from then on there is no respite. He may not want to write but he has no choice. The story just demands to be written and if he doesn’t write it then Squidgy will. As the story progresses it gets wilder and faster as Formby’s younger sister takes over the story whenever she can and writes about Squidgy’s younger (and cleverer) sister Nina Moot. This is a very witty novel about the way stories have a life of their own and how there are so many just lurking round the corner just waiting to be told.

Biography and Autobiography

Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted daughter by Adeline Yeh Mah pb $12.95

This is the account of Adeline Yen Mah’s childhood, growing up in China and then in Hong Kong up to the age of 14 years. She wrote her full autobiography in the international bestselling book, Falling Leaves pb $19.95. She has written Chinese Cinderella especially for children, with much more explanation of her early years and greater dramatisation of the events. Her mother died soon after she was born and she was always blamed by her elder brothers and sister for her mother’s death. When her father remarried, she was made to feel unwanted and worthless by her stepmother. Her only support was from her grandfather and her aunt who were limited in what they could do to help. However this is a story of determination and in the end Adeline does prove her worth even if she doesn’t gain the love she is craving. The parallels with the Cinderella story are obvious and there is a retelling of the Chinese version which was written over a thousand years ago. There is a need for good autobiography for children and I think many children would be fascinated by this story. (9 - 14 years)

Young Achievers series Pat Rafter hb $24.95

As a country boy made good and twice winner of the U. S. Open, Pat Rafter is a sporting hero in Australia. This is a straightforward but interesting biography giving details of Rafter’s childhood and his rise to tennis fame. Many photographs show the development of the young Pat Rafter. There are also an index and glossary.

Other recent titles of Australian sporting heroes in the series are

Susie O’Neill (Swimming)

Steve and Mark Waugh (Cricket)

Shane Warne (Cricket)

The Woodies (Tennis) (8 - 12 years)

If you would like to order any of the books reviewed in this newsletter or in the accompanying lists, send orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email.

All prices are in Australian dollars.

For additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from Austral Ed, visit our website www.australed.iinet.net.au

© Kate Shepherd 2008.