Gymnastica Fantastica by Briony Stewart

 

The show is beginning. The little girl has her audience (her dog) and her performance outfit (star top and shorts). She also has her rainbow hoops and long rainbow ribbon. Oh and lots of things to climb and bounce on. 

"Razzley-dazzley, ribbons twirls. wriggly rainbows in circles and swirls, whizzy and dizzy and - whoops now I'm landing onto the wall (they call it 'handstanding')."

The book abounds in exuberant energy and the happiness of this young performer is sure to make you smile a huge smile. I love the ribbon filled end papers, the patience of the shaggy dog and most of all the page where she tumbles through the rings and makes a perfect landing - I can hear the crowd clapping!

The language in this book is perfect. Quick come and see has a powerful immediacy about it - you just HAVE to turn the page. Here are a few phrases:

• bouncing, cat-pouncing, right up to the moon
• loops with some hoops
• backward roll, forward roll, sausage roll too
• I can twizzle and twist

This book has been shortlisted by the CBCA in the Early Childhood picture book category.

Here are the judges' comments: An enticing invitation opens this vibrant picture book, as a vivacious young child confidently demonstrates their gymnastic prowess, bouncing, cartwheeling and flipping their way across the pages. Their dog, a silent but invested observer throughout, provides a lovely contrast. This book conveys so much energy and life which children will connect with immediately. The young child’s voice permeates the tight, joyful rhyming text which includes a rich assortment of verbs, nouns and adjectives. Pencil, ink, crayon, gouache, and digital illustrations are filled with zoom in action and movement matching the equally energetic text. The endpapers are perfect bookends, as twirling ribbons, held in the child’s left at the start and right hand at the end, appear to capture the story. 

The rhyming text and boisterous, colourful imagery help to express the enthusiasm and liveliness of any child as new abilities emerge. This is a joy to read. It will remind adults of when they were young and excitable, and shows kids that it can be fun to try new skills, and that it is okay if it doesn’t work out the first time round. Perfect for ages 3+. Readings Melbourne

I previously mentioned this book in a post about Briony Stewart. Here is her website.  My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a terrific Pinterest collection of books that celebrate dance. 

The Midnighters by Hana Tooke

"Curiosity is the best antidote to fear."

Ema Vaškova is the twelfth child born at midnight on the 12th December, 1877. Of course she will have a special destiny. Ema has an amazing talent but because it does not seem to be scientific her family are not interested in hearing her ideas. Ema does, however, have several very special talents. She can predict disasters - usually connected with the number 12; she can move around her home and through crowds unseen and over looked; and she can 'read' people by observing tiny changes to facial expressions. She is also sensitive to shadows. She can spot lies and her skin itches warning her of impending disasters. 

Over time all of her eleven siblings leave home to pursue their scientific studies and then quite suddenly her parents declare they are leaving too and Ema finds herself living with her eccentric uncle and his Maine Coon cat named Ferkel. From her attic window Ema sees a young girl hanging upside down in an upstairs room of the building next door. Silvie is not a ghost, she is a real girl and she will be the best friend Ema could ever hope to meet.  Silvie meets Ema once a month and she takes her on wild and daring adventures through the city in the middle of the night. Then one day Silvie disappears. All Ema has is fragments of information from Ema and a set of cryptic words which she found under the wallpaper in her attic room - the same room where her mysterious grandmother Liliana died on the night Ema was born.

There are some wonderful words used in this book such as a favourite of mine - splendiferous. Here are a few text quotes to give you a flavour of this story:

"It was a night so dusky the streetlamps looked like fallen stars. A night seized by fierce frost, which crept up the spires of Prague until they glimmered like diamond stalagmites ....  It was a night that would bear a new small life. And, alas, a smidge of death."

"The twelfth child born into the Vaskov family was a girl with hair the colour of spider silk, and candle-smoke eyes flecked with the palest blue."

"When I'm out in the city, I'm constantly being bumped into and trodden on. when I'm home, it seems I'm always startling someone with my presence. That's why I got this bell collar but I've come to realise that no matter what I try, no one notices me. There must be a scientific reason."

"During the day, Prague was a phantasmagoria of colour. The spires gleamed, the red-tiled rooftops battled the turquoise church domes for attention, stone gargoyles grinned downwards and saintly statures gazed upwards."

"Fairy tales breathe truth into the world. They are more real than you and me."

If you have seen the movie The Greatest Showman the scenes in The Midnights, where we enter a strange midnight full moon circus, have a similar, slightly surreal feel. 

When I saw Hana Tooke had a new book I eagerly purchased it from my local bookstore. I adored her previous book The Unadoptables. 

Read some reviews of The Midnighters:

Kirkus Star Review

The Kids Books Curator (this review contains a detailed recount of the plot).

Books for Topics - An interview with Hana Tooke

Up to page 99 I was enjoying this book thoroughly and I filled the pages with markers to note passages I wanted to share here on my blog then from page 100 to page 347 the story expanded into something unexpected and complex with a huge cast of characters and my reading became a little more disjointed. In the final scenes from pages 348 to 392 everything finally fell back into place and my enjoyment was restored. So all of this means I was going to give this book 5 stars, then 4 and now I am not sure. I think readers aged 10+ with good reading stamina, a love of fantasy, and readers who pay attention to tiny plot details will enjoy this book.

There is some delicious sounding food in this book including kolache.

And babovká and rohličky:

Christmas is coming to Australia read Wombat Divine by Mem Fox illustrated by Kerry Argent

Over the past few years I have shared twelve books of Christmas as we count down to the big day. This year I will begin with one of the best Australian Christmas stories - Wombat Divine by Mem Fox illustrated by Kerry Argent. In 2019 Wombat Divine turned 25!  If you click the link below the cover you can read more about this book. 

Wombat Divine

I am in love with this book. (I can hear my mother tut-tutting: ‘Boasting again, are we?’) It obeys my favourite maxims, which are that in any good story ‘character is everything’ and ‘only trouble is interesting.’ Whenever I read it aloud I almost always have a lump in my throat towards the end when dear old stage-struck wombat hangs his head and hopes he won’t cry. I also like the very gentle religious reminder to return Jesus to the centre of the Christmas story, which is missing from many Christmas books. And I like the way I played with the two meanings for ‘divine’. Mem Fox

In the US and UK the cover is different:

I had a plan to focus this year on books with an Australian flavour but I am not sure I will have twelve of these so I may pop in a couple of other (non Australian) Christmas books too.

You might like to begin with a quick look at my previous Christmas offerings. You can click the label Christmas in my sidebar or dip into one of these links:

2020 Twelve Days of Christmas

Nativity Picture Books

Truffle's Christmas by Anna Currey  This is close to being my favourite Christmas book to read aloud to a group of young children

2018 Twelve Books of Christmas bonus post - 24 titles

The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke

Over the course of a year five babies arrive at the Little Tulip Orphanage in Amsterdam. The Little Tulip doesn't that sound delightful - of course it is not!  Each arrival breaks one or more of the three rules set my matron Elinora Gassbeek. Wait a minute. Look at that name. Grassbeek. Sounds bad?  Yes she is!  Now back to those rules:

RULE ONE: The baby should be wrapped in a cotton blanket.
RULE TWO: The baby should be placed in a wicker basket.
RULE THREE: The baby should be deposited on the topmost step.

So what about our five babies.
Lotta arrives in a toolbox which has been wrapped in an emerald green ribbon
"a baby with coca-bean eyes and blonde fuzz on its head."
Egg (Egbert) arrives in a coal bucket wrapped in a soot-stained shawl
"A raven-haired infant... "
Fenna is found in the matrons picnic basket along with the sandwiches and almond cake
"It had a shock of curly red hair and was babbling incessantly."
Sem comes in a bucket wearing a wheat sack
"She looked at the baby's wonky ears, its gangly limbs and the wheat-coloured hair that stuck out from its head at the unruliest of angles."
Milou is found on the roof inside a coffin-shaped basket along with a cat puppet
"It had hair as dark as midnight and eyes that were almost black."

Are you wondering about those names.  I won't go into the details here but they are all the invention of Matron serving to emphasise the nastiness of her character. What you do need to know is that each of these children is blessed with a special talent such as mathematics, engineering, knot tying, sewing, map making, cooking and an affinity with animals. Milou has a fragment of information about her own family and she is desperate to find her parents who she is sure are out there somewhere looking for her.

When the group of kids escape from the orphanage they use this scrap of information having fled the matron and an evil man called Meneer Rotman who says he wants to adopt all of them but who is clearly planning something truly awful. Milou has over-heard the matron and Rotman talking:

"Then we have a deal, Matron. In return of a steady supply of orphans each year, I will provide you with coin and rid this place of vermin: both the rodent variety and the urchins you can't shift."

So now the kids are on the run. Where they go, who they meet and the way each of their talents are needed is thrilling. This story is a wild roller coaster ride. I am certain you will not anticipate the ending. When and if you need further reason to read this book pick it up and read chapters 28 to 30.

I especially loved the wonderful character descriptions:

Here is Matron Gassbeek - so many delicious words here:

Her "boots emerged a moment before the rest of her: twin points of polished, blood-red leather, with low, pointed heels, that were just as sharp as the expression on the matron's face ... (she had) the brutal sneer of a gargoyle, the soulless eyes of a werewolf, the skin itching screech of a banshee ... her vileness had transformed her features into something monstrous."

Meneer Rotman Have you noticed the name - Rotman (yes he is rotten!).:
"His face was half covered by a huge mustachio, which erupted from under his nose in two long curls and spread out towards his mutton chop whiskers. There were rings on almost every finger and a long tobacco pipe hung from his mouth." His smile was a parody "all teeth and no soul." His laugh "like a seagull cawing."

A little shiver ran up my spine this morning when I saw an announcement that it is only eight days until The Unadoptables hits the shops! SO grab your order form, email your local bookseller, lobby your local and school library NOW because you are really going to ENJOY this wonderful new book.

Unfolding with the clarity of a fairy tale, this sure-footeddebut casts a delightfully spooky spell. Kirkus

The story is set in nineteenth century Amsterdam, and Tooke, who is half Dutch, brilliantly evokes both the city itself with its narrow streets and tall, crowded-together townhouses, and also the countryside with its patchwork quilt of fields, canals and windmills. The Nerd Daily

Here is a web site for Hana Tooke with a terrific book trailer. I am also including the cover of the Advanced Reader copy which Beachside Bookshop kindly supplied earlier this year. You might be interested to see how covers evolve. My copy of this book only had draft illustrations. You can see the art here by Ayesha Rubio.

Aspects of this book reminded me of A series of Unfortunate Events. I would also link The Unadoptables with these books:

For a younger audience take a look at The Dunderheads:

Kirkus review: The plot is deliciously outlandish

Eloise and the bucket of stars

Skycircus

The Secret Hen House Theatre

I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak

"Dogs are also superior in the following ways: we acknowledge danger when humans won't - their capacity for denial is much, much greater.  We forgive readily and often.  And we do not feel one emotion while displaying another; take, for example, the prevalence of humans claiming  'I'm fine', when they are not fine at all."

Cosmo is a Golden Retriever. He is the narrator, you surely saw the "I" in the title. Cosmo tells us about his family and especially his best friend Max. Cosmo is a old dog. He is thirteen years old and his hips often ache. The good thing is age has also made him a wise dog. He has an amazing level of emotional intelligence.

"Max once told me that he loves the sky the way I love tennis balls and perhaps this is true. A ball is never just a ball; it's the smell, the bounce, the memories. It's camping trips and barbeques, winters and summers, Max and I playing fetch in dewy fields."

"I feel the urge to pace as we enter the room. Straightaway, I can sense a dramatic shift in the air, like Max and I have walked directly into a thunderstorm and our paws are getting wet."

Of course he also sometimes causes havoc - not that he intends to do this. The incident with the turkey at Thanksgiving was is very funny and yet so terrible!

"The stool wobbles. The tray wobbles.  And in slow motion, the whole thing topples on to the linoleum, spraying turkey guts and juice and soggy carrots in a delicious arc. 
I'm caught between feelings of terror and  absolute joy. There is turkey on the floor!"

There were times I laughed out loud reading this book and moments I gasped with sadness. Luckily Max has his beautiful dog and he has his wonderful Uncle Reggie and both help him in the most perfect ways as he navigates the breakdown of his parent's relationship and the challenge of change in is life. Max himself is in turn so gentle with his little sister Emmaline.

I should mention Max is training Cosmo to dance so when you read this book grab a copy of the movie Grease so you can dance along with them. If you click this link you can see an example of a dog and his owner competing with their dance routine. (Thanks Ms Yingling).

Cosmo knows a lot about the human world. He has listened to stories such as Harold and the Purple Crayon - Dinosaur Days and Calvin and Hobbs. He also loves to watch television especially the Discovery Channel.

I do enjoy books told from the dog's perspective. I loved (for older readers) Dog by Daniel Pennac; A dog's life by Ann Martin; (and for younger readers) The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan; Spunky tells all by Ann Cameron; Choosing Crumble by Michael Rosen; and  Good Dog McTavish by Meg Rosoff.

Read more plot details by clicking these review comments:

The narrative is very thought-provoking whilst also dribbling with turkey juices and doggy humour. The more you read, the sadder the story gets, so get ready with the tissues! The story is very sensitively told and is an insightful view of modern-day family life. Mr Ripleys Enchanted books

I,Cosmo is a joyful exploration of the inner world of dogs, a celebration of the relationship between a little boy and his best friend, and a kindly story about how families can confront and manage difficulties and move forward despite them. I loved it. The Bookbag

Cosmo’s narration combines wit, heart, stubbornness, and a grouchy dignity, all ably tugging at funny bones and heartstrings alike. Kirkus Star Review

Cosmo understands more about his humans than they do themselves, and he is keenly aware of Max's emotional state. This is the dog book that we all think our OWN dogs would write. Ms Yingling

I, Cosmo has a different cover in the US. Which do you prefer?

Listen to Carlie read from her book. Here is her web site.

Lucy by Randy Cecil

Here is a book with a difference. It has 144 pages so you might think it would take a little while to read - wrong! It is a story in four acts so you might think there will be a complex plot - wrong! Will you love this book with it's black and white illustrations looking a little like a silent movie. Yes you will!  Open this book. What do you see? Every page has a spotlight style illustration and only one or two or perhaps three lines of text. I have added Junior Fiction, Easy chapter book and Picture Book as tags for this book as it is all of those things and so much more.

Image source with a link to the All the Winders podcast: https://twitter.com/nickpattonillo/status/759078646384627713

There are three characters in this story. Lucy, a stray dog who has memories of a special toy. Eleanor, a lonely girl who longs for a dog, and Lucy's dad who is a skilled juggler but he suffers from terrible stage fright. Each of his evening performances at the Palace Theater end in disaster. Lucy lives alone on the streets of Bloomville. She is a little like Mutt Dog by Stephen Michael King. When she wakes up each morning Lucy sets off to the home of Eleanor who ties a piece of her breakfast sausage on a string and hangs it from her first floor window for Lucy. Each day Eleanor's father practices his juggling and packs objects to take to the theater that evening even though he fails every time. I loved the idea of juggling snow globes. Over the four acts the daily routine of each character is repeated but with slight shifts and of course the street scenes change too. I found myself flipping back and forward comparing each scene. In the final act the lives of these characters come together providing a perfect happy ending.

It is wonderful to find a book that is so different. You will probably think of Hugo Cabret and other books by Brian Selznick when you see this book. This is a five star book - it needs to be added to every Primary school library.

How did I find this book? I was reading a School Library journal post by Elizabeth Bird - one day I hope to meet her!  She was discussing easy books for children aged 6+ and highlighted some new titles to look out for. I added heaps of titles to my 'to read' list and then I spied Douglas by Randy Cecil. The cover just jumped out at me. It is due out in September this year. In her description of Douglas, Betsy mentioned Lucy and when I visited a library this week Lucy had just arrived. How splendid!

Here is a very interesting interview with Randy Cecil where he talks about his original ideas for this story and the processes of planning the text.  I also made the discovery that we had some books illustrated by Randy Cecil in my school library - Gator, Duck and One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab. Lucy is a title on our NSW Premier's Reading Challenge where the review says it's  "a truly original, book for dog (and underdog) lovers of all ages." You should also listen to an interview with Randy on All the Wonders. The publisher site has a full list of review quotes. Read about other books by Randy here at Seven Impossible Things.


Children ready to move beyond early readers will appreciate the pace of the page turns and the chance to discover visual details that characters miss. Kirkus Star Review

Sweet Adversity by Sheryl Gwyther

"Addie gasped. ... Through the front window was a magnificent sight. A huge arch spanned the inlet - the new Sydney Harbour Bridge, its curved spans almost joined in the middle. Up on its highest point, bridge builders climbed over the span like tiny ants. 'People will be able to walk to the other side of Sydney one day' Addie said ... "

Adversity is the perfect name for the main character in this book. Adversity McAllister is only twelve years old but her life is filled with adversity.  She is living in an orphanage and, as is the usual way with orphanages in stories, this place is filled with cruelty and injustice. Addie is told her mother and father are dead. Her parents are Shakespearean actors and they think they have left Addie in a safe place while they try to make enough money to survive during the hard days of the Depression in 1930s Australia. The orphanage is awful but Addie has worked out ways to survive and has befriended the cook and the gardener. Later they will prove to be important allies. The other children adore her storytelling and acting especially with her co-performer, a cockatiel, called Macbeth.  His outbursts of Shakespearean quotes make everyone, except Matron Maddox of course, smile and laugh.  Acting out the plays her parents performed makes Addie so happy but Matron has rules - there will be NO FRIVOLITY, NO SINGING AND NO DANCING.

Addie is constantly at war with the Matron. Addie tries to protect the younger children from Matron's angry outbursts and from dangers such as the laundry boiler. Matron, however, has her own plans for Addie. She makes money selling children to unscrupulous dealers. Addie has a beautiful singing voice and she has recently won the Coal Country Eisteddfod. An evil showman called Mr Barnett E. Scrimshaw arrives and he is determined to get his hands on Adversity and exploit her talent. Matron is very willing to sell Addie if the price is right.

I love the Shakespearean chapter headings in this book:

• This above all: to thine own self be true
• Something wicked this way comes
• My kingdom for a horse
• Exit pursued by a bear
• If music be the food of love, play on

A class could research the origin of each chapter heading - there are 33 of them.

I also thoroughly appreciated the inclusion of historical references and the way they are gently introduced in context. I find so many stories with an historical base try too hard and way too many 'facts' are included in ways that detract from the plot. The opposite is true for Sweet Adversity. There is a true flavour of 1930 here in Australia and especially in Sydney with references to a swagman looking for work, notice of evictions in The Rocks area of Sydney, building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the general poverty Addie encounters as she tries to escape from Matron Maddox and the evil Mr Scrimshaw. The Reading Time reviewer said "The research, while extensive, is woven in seamlessly, never hindering the narrative."

Here is a set of very detailed and very useful teachers notes by Robyn Sheahan-Bright. If you pick up this book and need a text preview read Chapter 19 - it is filled with tension.

Read some reviews (click on each link):

Kids' Book Review: Sheryl Gwyther gets it right. Her ability to immerse young readers into worlds of yesteryear with such a clear strong presence of today is exemplary. Her narrative slides along as alluringly as a sweet mountain brook, mesmerizing readers with plenty of action and emotion.

Just so Stories: This is a tale of courage and resilience set against a backdrop of extraordinarily difficult times and seemingly insurmountable odds. Addie is an impressive hero. Despite her youth and her troubles, she refuses to bow to the immense pressures and evil predation put upon her.

The Book Bubble: In Sweet Adversity, Sheryl Gwyther has produced an adventure story with a strong female hero, a touch of history and some fantastic bad guys who keep the story interesting. 

Sweet Adversity is listed as a Notable CBCA book (Younger Readers) for 2019. I am working my way through the twenty titles.  I have now read twelve. I especially like Shine Mountain, Ottilie Colter and the Narroway Hunt and this book from today - Sweet Adversity.  I also think His name was Walter and The Slightly alarming tale of the Whispering Wars (which I have just started reading) will also make the final list of six.

Just Dance by Patricia MacLachlan

If you want to find the love of your life, go to the Hideaway Cafe in Cheyenne, Wyoming. When a tall cowboy with a ponytail comes up to you and takes your hand, you don't have to speak. It's better not to speak, actually. 
Just dance.

Mum was an opera singer (see music list below) but then she fell in love with a cowboy who loves Willie Nelson and Roy Orbison. The family live on a farm in Wyoming. There are two kids - Sylvie and her brother Nate. Now mum sings to the chickens and cows and she sings every day in the shower. Sylvie worries her mum is missing her stage career. This has become especially concerning as her mum's old opera partner James is coming to perform and he has invited Sylvie's mum Melinda to come to the show. Sylvie worries her mum might want to leave and return to her stage career leaving them all behind.

Sylvie loves to write. It is the summer holidays so her teacher, who is married to the town sheriff, suggests Sylvie could write a column for the town newspaper. It is called Ludolf's Log and is usually written by Sheriff Ludolf. Spelling and writing are not his forte.

Here are parts of their conversation:

"This is a contract to hire you to write Ludolf's Log this summer."
"You're going to pay me? For writing?"
"Yes. You'll cover the town, like a reporter. You can ride your horse sometimes. Or ride with me."
"You can write the log any way you want."
"Could I write poetry?
"You can do whatever you want. Do it your way. Maybe we can call it Sylvie's Summer Log. All righty then!"

All righty then is a trade-mark saying of the Sheriff. I love it! His real name is Rudolph Ludoff. His mother called him Luddy Buddy. Sylvie decides the best name is Bud and there are smiles all round. And yes Sylvie does write poetry. One day doing their rounds of the area she and the Sheriff come across some boys lighting a fire:

Boys too young to say
Build a fire on windswept day
Sent home, ponder deeds


Have you ever thought to look for threads in the books by Patricia MacLachlan?

Music - Just Dance; Fly Away; The Truth of Me; Sarah Plain and Tall
Dogs - The Poet's Dog; White fur flying; The Truth of Me; Waiting for the Magic; Just Dance
Poetry - The Poet's Dog; Just Dance; Fly Away
Farms and rural communities - Fly Away; Just Dance; Sarah Plain and Tall
Seeking answers to questions - Just Dance; The Truth of Me; Sarah Plain and Tall
Family relationships - Sarah Plain and Tall; Just Dance; The Truth of Me; Fly Away

It is truly special to have a book that deals with small and very personal concerns in an honest way.
In this book, as with all her titles, you will find the lyrical language we've come to expect from Patricia MacLachlan. Here is an example. One of the people Sylvie meets is Tinker. He has a pet coyote and he also writes haiku. They become instant friends.

Tinker: "His eyes were sharp and steady. And a blue I had no name for."
Bernie the coyote: "I slowly turned my head and looked into the very close, yellow eyes ... There were black spots like marbles in the middle of the yellow. He was so close."

The family and community relationships in Just Dance are warm and reassuring. There are no big plot moments or catastrophes. This is just a beautiful quiet book. Sylvie observes her community, makes new and surprising friends and discovers something important about her mother and about love.

Music in this book:
Un bel di by Puccini  Page 7
Caro Nome by Verdi  Page 16
Casta diva by Bellini  Page 22
Plaisir d'amour  Page 86
Con te partino  Page 97

A quiet tale about finding your own voice. Kirkus

Ballerina dreams by Michaela Elaine DePrince pictures by Ella Okstad

I am on the hunt for easy to read beginning chapter books WITH a worthwhile/good/engaging story.  I have found one here.  This little book ticks quite a  few boxes

• Ballerina Dreams is a true story (read more at the back of the book)
• Ballerina Dreams is about ballet which is a popular subject with young students
• Ballerina Dreams is very easy to read but does not use simplified language
• Ballerina Dreams has perfect and colourful illustrations
• Ballerina Dreams contains real emotions

Michaela lives in Sierra Leone. Blowing in the wind one day she finds a magazine picture of a beautiful ballerina :

"She wore a short pink dress that stuck out around her in a circle. She had pink shoes on her feet and stood on the tips of her toes. She looked very happy."

Michaela now dreams of ballet. But she lives in an orphanage in one of the poorest countries in the world and worse she has a skin condition called vitiligo which means she has white marks on her brown skin.  The wonderful thing is the way none of these things matter.  Michaela is adopted by Elaine DePrince in America.  She attends ballet classes and through hard work and determination achieves success at the highest level.  You can read more about this here.  Adult ballet fans might also enjoy the book Hope in a Ballet Shoe.  My friend at Kinderbookboard has a good selection of other ballet stories for you children to enjoy.

At its heart is the core message that hard work and determination are the keys to making any dream come true.   Kirkus

Ballerina Dreams is a wonderfully uplifting story about what must have been a truly difficult upbringing. Yet, it is told in such a gentle manner that always leaves room for hope and understanding.   Read and Seek

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

All of these books are in our library and all are illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.  Great Joy is by the wonderful Kate DiCamillo and along with the gentle illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline this is a book that will bring you great joy this Christmas.

Great Joy is not a new book.  It was published in 2007 but oddly today was the first time I had read this important story and I am so glad I did.  Did I tell you Kate DiCamillo will visit Australia (Sydney) in 2017?  Read my review of Flora and Ulysses and Raymie Nightingale.

The adults don't seem to notice the man on the corner, an organ grinder with a monkey but Frances is a caring child.  She is intrigued by the man, the monkey and the sad songs he plays.  She wonders where they go at night as the streets fill with snow. Her mother cannot or will not answer her questions so Frances stays awake and at midnight she looks out through their living room window.

"It was the organ grinder who looked up.  He took his cap from his head and raised it to her."

As Frances and her mother rush to the church for the Christmas pageant Frances stops to invite the man.  "The organ grinder smiled at her. But his eyes looked sad."  Frances stands on the stage ready to say her line in the play but she finds she simply cannot speak.

I do hope you can find this book to read for Christmas.  Here is a treat you can listen to the first four pages of this book.  I would pair this book with A Christmas star called Hazel and The Stone Lion by Margaret Wild. Kate explains the inspiration for her first picture book.  You can see a video of the whole book here with an excellent narration.

It's a wonderful, quiet story about true holiday magic, 

the joy of opening your heart to others, to everyone in need.

Kirkus  : This simple but powerful story will indeed bring the reader great joy. 

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander

Steampunk -

1. Science fiction set in an alternate version of the historic past, especially 19th-century England, and involving advanced technologies usually based on steam power.

I needed to begin this review with a definition of Steampunk because this might be a genre you have not yet encountered.  In our library we have some wonderful examples of this such as Howls moving castle, Mortal engines and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.  I am a huge fan of these books.

Goblin Secrets has a very complex plot.  You must take your time and read this book carefully.  The author William Alexander does not always spell things out.  In some ways reading this book is like picking up pieces of torn paper. As you collect each fragment the you must try to reassemble the whole.  Tiny references near the beginning of this tale do fit  back together until the final dramatic scenes. This book demands patience but you will be rewarded.

While I was reading Goblin Secrets this week I stopped for a moment to find a review.  I discovered this book won the prestigious US National Book Award in 2012 but it is a book that also has critics. 

Early in the story it is easy to see this is going to be an interesting book.  

"Stubble said Graba used to be a sailor, or a boat witch, and that she'd lost her legs in a pirate attack ... Graba killed some pirates with a look and a laugh and a lock of her hair before they cut her legs off with rusty swords."  In the opening scene, Rownie is is summoned to oil the witch's mechanical legs.  "She extended a gearwork leg from under her stool.  It was bird-shaped, with three long talon-toes in from and one in back, at the heel.  The whole limb had been made out of cooper and wood."

Rownie is sent to buy more oil but as he runs through the winding streets of Southside he sees poster advertising a play.  This is astonishing because goblins are putting on the play and because all plays have been banned and because Rownie knows his brother Rowan was a performer and these goblins might know where to find him.  Joining the goblins Rownie has so much to discover about his city. The flood is coming but how will a small orphan stop this catastrophe?

Here is a very detailed review - well worth reading after you have read Goblin Secrets first.  After reading Goblin secrets you might also enjoy The Thief Lord, The invention of Hugo Cabret and The Magician's Elephant.

I am adding the alternate cover below - which do you prefer?

Alexander’s world, blending steampunk and witchy magic, is impressively convincing and evocative in its oddities. Though highly textured, it’s tightly woven and reassuringly seamless.

Iris's Ukulele by Kathy Taylor

This book was a winner of the Tom Fitzgibbon Award so I should have expected it to be good. I loved 2007 winner Why I hate School by Kris Stanhope.  Iris's Ukulele is the 2011 winner - this is an award for a previously unpublished writer.

This book is really good and it raises a lot of issues about bullies, gender and the ups and downs of friendships.  The biggest stumbling block for me is the cover.  This book has been on my reading pile for 10 months.  I know that because I bought it home in January.  The cover made me think this title might be better suited to an older audience.  That was wrong - this book is perfect for a middle primary reader.

Iris and Sidney are best friends.  They both love to perform and so when the local shopping mall announces they will host a talent competition is seems obvious that the friends will team up and even win but this possibility is derailed when Iris tells Sidney she wants to perform her Vampire Rap.  Sidney has wild ideas for a glam rock opera about an intergalactic space traveler called Yendis and a fashion designer called Siri. Take a close look the these names - Iris is Siri backwards.  The two best friends have the most horrible fight and leave to prepare their own acts.

The other conflict in the book involves a bully called Che.  Sidney is a boy who bounces to his own beat. He is eccentric but his classmates have known him since Kindy and so have no problems with his love of sewing and dressing up.  "Sidney is wearing his three-quarter length red tartan pants, his black lace up boots, and a white T-shirt with a drawing of the Eiffel tower." Che is new and aggressive and seems determined to ridicule and hurt Sidney and there is nothing Iris can do to stop him.  Meanwhile Morgan seems so perfect and Iris just want Elijah to notice her.

You can read about the author here.  Here is a good review - I agree I would like to read another book about Sidney and also about Elijah and his brother - "I think how gracefully he (Zac) moves; how he sways his hips from side to side just like a dancer.  And as he get closer I see he looks just like a bigger, older version of Elijah ... But then I notice he's also very different.  Zac is wearing eyeliner, and his nails are painted with black fingernail polish.  ... Zac is dressed like a male model ready to stroll down a fashion runway."

Claude in the spotlight by Alex T Smith

If you are in need of a quick read and a terrific laugh out loud book run and I mean RUN! into your library and grab Claude in the spotlight.  I have talked about this cute little hound called Claude before.  I think these books just get better and better.

Claude and his trusty sidekick Sir Bobblysock go on an adventure where they find themselves in a ballet class. The class are rehearsing for a variety show which will be performed that very day.  Claude dazzles the teacher with his splendid dancing (there is a tiny fly inside his jumper) and so the teacher, with the perfect name of Miss Highkick-Spin, convinces him to enter. The prize is simply way too irresistible to say no - "the best act wins a grand prize - all the cakes you can eat from Mr Lovelybuns' Bakery. He is judging the competition."

There is, however, more than just a fly inside Claude's jumper.  There is a fly in the theater in the form of a ghost and all the acts are ending in chaos.  It is up to Claude to save the day, and perhaps he will even win the prize!