No 11 , March 1998

The summer break was wonderful - short but relaxing. And needed after the Conference season. It was great to meet so many old friends at SEATCCO in Kuala Lumpur and make new ones at ECIS in The Hague and at the Japan Conference in Okinawa but it was hectic!

And already I am getting organised for more Conferences. NESA (Near East South Asia) will be held in Bangkok this year and this will give me a chance to stop off and visit schools in Singapore on the way and in Bangkok while I am there. A week or so break and then it is on to the IB Workshop for Librarians in Amsterdam at the end of April. I do enjoy the chance to get to a smaller Conference just for Librarians where it is possible to talk leisurely (I hope) about interests and needs. We are also endeavouring to learn more about the whole IB program from primary through to Upper years so that we can add to our ever increasing lists of recommended books.

I have finally finished a list of books from New Zealand which is included with this newsletter. It is mainly books for children but also includes a few adult reference books and some collections of short stories. In the past in Australia we have not known a lot about writers from New Zealand except of course for authors like the amazing Margaret Mahy. However that has changed considerably now and authors like Sheryl Jordan, Kate de Goldi and Maurice Gee are well known and most of their books readily available. I did enjoy discovering other writers whose work I hadn’t read. I will continue to add to and improve the list. If you would like more reviews, Magpies Magazine now has a supplement on books from New Zealand containing author profiles, articles and book reviews in addition to the articles, author profiles and reviews of books from Australia. For details, fax 61 7 3356 4649.

This will be a shorter Book News than usual since Ron has also completed an additional recommended list of adult books from the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East suitable for IB level. So there are two additional lists.

Email. Already we wonder how we managed without it. However the address for Austral Ed will be changing again. Hopefully this will be the last time. At the moment it is possible to get through on both the old address and the new one but that will change in a few months so please take note of the new address: kateshep@iinet.net.au

The Children’s Book Council Book Award short list will be announced in April. If you would like a copy faxed or emailed to you let me know and I shall send it so that you get it immediately. There is a lot of interest in the list. Many schools buy all the books on the list (for Older Readers, Younger readers and Picture Books as well as Nonfiction) so that students can choose their own winners. Winners are announced during Children’s Book Week in August.

I hadn’t realised the extent of the irony and humour of Nadia Wheatley’s The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King till I read it aloud at the Conferences last year and saw the reaction. It’s great to get feedback from teachers. Charlemagne is bored and orders the greatest treasures in the world to be brought to him, none of which are of any real interest but he does wonder why a small dusty monk can keep so preoccupied in a corner while waiting for days to speak to Charlemagne. Alcuin the monk has of course been reading a book " because he was a sensible person and never went anywhere without one." He offers to teach Charlemagne to read (and to lend Charlemagne the book after he had finished reading it - after all he was just up to "a very exciting bit and didn’t want to give it away". While Charlemagne is struggling to read Alcuin reads to him each night, even before a battle. And finally Charlemagne discovers that reading opens up all the treasures of the world, a world where he is never bored. The illustrations in this picture book are as witty and humourous as the text and surprisingly informative. There is a wonderful pile of books with titles such asOedipus the King by Sophocles, Hints for Hobby Farmers by Virgil, Levers & Pulleys by Archimedes and Travels and Histories by Herodotus that Alcuin had copied for Charlemagne’s library. It makes an amusing introduction to medieval studies and of course is a wonderful reminder of the magic and importance of reading. Definitely a picture book for all ages.

The Greatest Treasure of Charlemagne the King by Nadia Wheatley illustrated by Deborah Klein hardback $19.95

Highway is another picture book by Nadia Wheatley that has only just been published. A small girl and her smaller brother are highly excited because they are going on a journey down the highway with Mum who used to drive trucks and Dad who is a truck driver. An invitingly detailed map at the beginning of the book shows where they go and what they see. The journey lasts only a day and a night but the observations of what they see and who they meet on the highway are described and illustrated with a keen eye for detail and humour. It is the sort of book which would inspire chidren to keep their own journals and maps of any trips that they might make, no matter how short or long.

Highway by Nadia Wheatley illustrated by Andrew McLean hardback $19.95

Aboriginal Art

Desert Dreamings by Deidre Stokes hardback $19.95 (part of the Australian Library series)

This is an excellent introduction to art from the desert regions. It’s simply written but contains a surprising amount of interesting information so that it will be useful for middle school students as well as elementary. Different types of art and materials are described, examples are given of how the paintings tell stories, and of the different styles of various artists living in different regions. A map shows the various regions in the vast desert area of central Australia and there are many photographs of the paintings and also of some of the artists showing where they live and how they paint.

Aboriginal Art series by Alex Barlow and Marji Hill hardback $24.95 each book

A First Look at Aboriginal Art Art of the Desert

Art of Arnhem Land Rock Art

The Many Forms of Aboriginal Art Passing on the Traditions of Aboriginal Art

A Closer Look at Aboriginal Art Artists and their Work

This is wonderful series enabling a closer and more detailed look at Aboriginal art in Australia today and also from earlier times. For many years there has been no material on Aboriginal art written for hildren so it is marvellous to see this series which discusses in very accessible terms the many different types of Aboriginal art, its history and how the art has changed in the twentieth century and also how its role in the Aboriginal communites has changed. The work of many artists is shown and discussed. There are many colour photographs, maps and a glossary and bibliography in each book.

History has always been a love of mine and Australian history at the moment is fascinating because we are continully learning about important chunks of which most of us have been completely ignorant. When I went to school history was about the courage and determination of the white explorers and pioneers who opened up the country. Now there are also books describing the heroism of Aboriginal people who fought fiercely against the white encroachment of their lands. An outstanding example of this is Jandamarra. His story is told for younger readers (9 - 12 years) in Kimberley Warrior: The Story of Jandamarra by John Nicholson pb $9.95 and for secondary and adult readers in Jandamarra and the Bunubu Resistance by Howard Peterson and Banjo Woorunmurra pb $24.95.

Now another fascinating story. The 1920s in Australia was a time of huge expansion in cattle stations throughout the Northern territory. The Aboriginal people lost their land and then provided much of the labour working with the cattle. Of these Aboriginal drovers, apparently half were women. Often they were forced to work and live with white drovers and they were paid nothing. Later when it was illegal to employ Aboriginal women in this way, they dressed as boys. The Drover’s Boy is a moving tribute to these women. Told in the form of a song by well known singer and songwriter Ted Egan, the story is beautifully illustrated by Rober Ingpen, winner of the Hans Christian Anderson Medal. The words are simple, understated but open up a wealth of discussion about race relations, relations between men and women and exploitation. In a remarkable way, this is also a tribute to the love one of these white drovers had for the Aboriginal woman, "the drover’s boy", who shared his work, his bed and his life. This is in picture book format but it is not for younger readers, it is a sophisticated work of art for Upper primary, Middle School and Secondary students. A page of background information gives a valuable insight into the story. Free teachers’ notes are also available.

The Drover’s Boy by Ted Egan illustrated by Robert Ingpen hardback $19.95 (10 years up)

Border Line by Dianne Wolfer pb $11.95

When I first drove on the long three day trek from Adelaide to Perth, I was amazed to hear about a small outpost on the edge of the Nullabor where an expert team from the Agriculture Protection Board search for and destroy starlings to stop these birds from making their way into Western Australia which is so far free from this introduced pest. In Border Line Cassie’s father accepts a job as a patrol officer with the starling protection team and Cassie is at first dismayed at the thought of leaving her friends and school and city life.The way the whole family adapts to this very different way of life in an isolated outback community makes fascinating reading. (11 - 15 years)

A place like this by Stephen Herrick pb $12.95

What a wonderful surprise. One of my favourite books of the past few years, love, ghosts and nose hair, has a sequel. I don’t know why I didn’t even contemplate a sequel - maybe because it was witten as verse narrative and seemed so perfect just on its own. But the sequel is also just right and I did enjoy readng the next episode about Jack and the love of his life Annabel. They decide to toss in their University course and take a year off, to buy an old car and just to wander. They don’t get far, just a few hundred miles away before they stop and work at a farm picking apples. They become very involved in life on the farm and the family living there. As in love, ghosts and nose hair, Jack is the main focus but there are also poems from Jack and Annabel and from each member of the family on the farm, giving another perspective on their thoughts about life and their hopes and what’s right and wrong. Funny, sad and full of vitality. For young adults

Darkfall Book One of the Legendsong by Isobelle Carmody pb $24.95

A new fantasy series by Isobelle Carmody is a treat for fantasy fans. It took me a little while to become absorbed in the story of Glynn, who one evening while swimming, is swept away into the troubled world of Keltor with its many islands and different cultures. But as this strange world full of intrigue gradually comes to life, I found it hard to stop reading and hope that the sequel will not take long to appear. A complex novel for young adult readers.

Eye to Eye by Catherine Jinks pb $11.95

I always read science fiction with scepticism because I expect to find a cold technological world which fails to stir me so it’s nice to be proved wrong, yet again. In Eye to Eye, Catherine Jinks builds up a fascinating interaction between Jansi, a young scavenger who has had to live by his wits in the desert, and PIM the computer brain of a damaged star ship. Told in alternating chapters from first Jansi’s and then PIM’s view point, their initial complete lack of comprehension of each other gradually turns to a glimmering of understanding and then respect and even caring. From the writer of Pagan’s Crusade. (10 - 14 years)

Blueback : A fable for all ages by Tim Winton hardback $17.95 paperback $12.95

Tim Winton’s great love for the ocean and the creatures in it is reflected in this beautifully written story of Abel and his mother whose lives revolve around the ocean. Abel has dived with mask and snorkel since he was tiny and when he is just a boy, he befriends a huge groper, Blueback, who lives in the bay. This is the story of Abel’s search to understand the ocean and its creatures and his mother’s determination to conserve the bay she loves. (9 up)

The Excuse by Allan Baillie illustrated by Ned Culic Aussie Bites series pb $8.95

Peter’s teacher seems ready to accept almost any excuse but surely even he wouldn’t fall for the tale about a stranded spececraft and an alien that floats. A wonderful story for beginner readers. It’s funny, great to read aloud and good for discussion, especially about the connection between methane, cows and spacecraft. The whole series is excellent for beginner readers and also for ESL students. Also in the series

Monkey Trix by Raewyn Caisley illustrated by Craig Smith

Snap by Margaret Clark illustrated by Mark Payne

The Too-Tight Tutu by Sherryl Clark illustrated by Cathy Wilcox

Ginger by Christobel Mattingley illustrated by Margaret Power

Rattler’s Place by Patricia Wrightson illustrated by David Cox each pb $8.95

I is for India by Prodeepta Das hardback $24.95

Beautifully photographed, this is an excellent photographic alphabet book which introduces readers to many aspects of Indian life. For example N is for namaste, S is for Sadhu or holy man, D is for Diwali and each alphabet letter has a simple but informative description which gives cultural background and insights into everyday life.

Also is the series are C is for China by Sungwan Su and A is for Africa by Ifeoma Onyefulu. Elementary level. Each hardback $24.95

I was delighted to discover this next series of books as we were browsing after the ECIS Conference in a bookshop in Amsterdam! It is easy to get books on scientists from western societies but there is so little on scientists from the east. The series is called Science Stories of Ancient China and I found them charming as well as extremely interesting. Told in cartoon format the stories are simply told with humour of the life, often from childhood, of famous scientists, doctors and architects and of their inventions or work. I am not usually a fan of cartoon style but this format tells the stories in an engaging, very accessible way and gives a surprising amount of information and because of the format, there are of course many drawings and diagrams of inventions and buildings. For upper elementary to lower secondary.

Architecture of Ancient China Distinguished Doctors of Ancient China

Four Inventions in Ancient China Stories of Scientists in Ancient China

Science Stories of Ancient China by Zhu Kang illustrated by Hong Tao and Feng Congying

paperback $11.95 each.

All prices are in Australian dollars.

© Kate Shepherd 2008.