The Riding Gallery by Sally Murphy illustrated by Martina Heiduczek

The horses are four abreast in 14 rows. 

There are also two hand carved wooden elephant carriages. 

One elephant is white the other is grey. 

Tell me about this merry-go-round: It was the largest portable steam riding gallery seen in Australia, with a mechanical system allowing it to carry fifty tons without noise or vibration. It carried forty-eight ornately carved horses galloping four abreast; a steam-engine of brass against a highly decorative mirrored background; twisted brass upright bars and an elaborate organ with moving mechanical figures. The carved wooden horses, imported from Germany were impaled on brass bars made in Scotland. They were brightly painted with coloured glass on their harnesses and gargoyles on the rear of their saddles. The horses were all named after popular racehorses of the time. 

The carousel and organ were installed on the Esplanade of the Melbourne bay side suburb of St. Kilda adjacent to Luna Park, the recently built (December 1912) amusement park modelled on a similar American establishment at Coney Island. The carousel travelled the rural “show circuit” during the winter months for a number of years, before being located permanently on the Esplanade at St.Kilda. Anton Weniger, a German immigrant ran the carousel until he relinquished it to William Kelly after about fifty soldiers arrived at the Esplanade in January 1916 during the First World War and attacked Weniger’s Riding Gallery because he was German. (from “St.Kilda - The Show Goes On” by Anne Longmire, 1983). It is likely that the organ facade was damaged at this time since the maker’s name (Gebruder Bruder) was emblazoned on it above the Glockenspiel. The board bearing the maker’s name and the wings, which carried the drums, are missing from those parts of the facade that still exist. Source

You can see the merry-go-round here in Canberra. 

Sally Murphy saw this actual merry-go-round in Canberra (more about how it came to be there below) and this inspired her to do some research and then create a story told as a verse novel. 

I only had enough money

for one ride.

It had to be Mr Weniger's of course.

Rory wasn't so sure.

There are bigger rides

he said.

But he followed me anyway

and I could see he was impressed

that Mr Weniger

knew me.

And let us ride for free!

Afterwards though

he said something funny.

Something that shocked me.

Something I am not even sure is right.

Mr Weniger is all right,

he said.

For a German.

The story is told in three voices - Anton Weniger, Evelyn who has moved to St Kilda from Wodonga where she previously met Anton Weniger and Rory who has three older brothers who have just enlisted. The year is 1915 and Australia is now part of the war that is being waged in Europe. 

Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. Here is a detailed review from The Bottom Shelf. There are useful references included at the back of the book.

More background information: The story begins with Herbert Thomson, born in Melbourne in 1890. By age 19, he had helped his father install machines in coal mines and built a steam engine used in a boat launch on the Yarra River. By 27, he had set up his own business producing steam engines and boilers. In July 1899, he revealed his tour de force – a self-propelled, steam-driven vehicle – or, to put it another way, Australia’s first car. It reached a top speed of 24 km/h, hit during a 56 hour, 36 minute maiden journey from Bathurst to Melbourne. The Thomson Motor Car Company was born, and subsequent models reached 40 km/h and even beat a Benz imported from Germany. The company went out of business in 1912, but not before Herbert had designed a steam-powered carousel for St Kilda beach. It was a properly international effort. The animals, including 50 horses and two elephants, were hand carved in Germany, and sit four abreast in 14 rows, while the twisted brass poles were made in Scotland. Jaunty accompaniment was taken care of by a steam-powered 69-key pipe organ, also from Germany. It drew crowds in Melbourne until September 1973, when Canberra locals collectively raised $40,000 to purchase it from a public auction. Source

Listen to this ABC interview with Sally Murphy.

My friend tells me this book will be welcomed in our New South Wales schools because one of the 'set texts' for the English syllabus is Worse Things by Sally Murphy - sorry I have not been able to find the unit of work but she explained how she creates sets of books for classrooms filled with books to further extend these prescriptive English units containing books by the author being studied or books from a related genre or theme. I hope you can hear me cheering her hard work.

Here are some other books by Sally Murphy I have talked about on this blog:

Worse Things

Pearl verses the World

Toppling

Queen Narelle

This book by Pamela Rushby would be the perfect companion book to extend readers understanding of the way German citizens were treated in Australia during World War I.

Interned

Other books about Merry-go-rounds:

Merrylegs

The midnight fair

Right Way Down and other poems compiled by Rebecca M Newman and Sally Murphy illustrated by Briony Stewart

Over thirty-five Australian poets, many from Western Australia, have poems in this sweet little anthology which would be a perfect addition to your own shelves and should be an essential addition to every Primary school library. 

The poems are organised under five headings - Come on in; Creative Thinkers; Creature Features; The View from here; and Heading Home.

The title comes from a poem by Sally Murphy (one of the compilers of this book the other is Rebecca Newman). Several of the poems have been previously published (these details are included at the back of the book), and some are from our wonderful NSW School Magazine. There are also brief biographical details about each poet.

Right Way Down by Sally Murphy 
(in the book the words are upside down and you need to rotate the book!)

This is a poem
best read
while you balance
on hand or on head.

It isn't

upside down.

It isn't

wrong way round.

It's simply set

out this way so 

you can maybe

have a go

at reading

while you stand

on your head

or on your hands.

I read this book straight after I purchased it while I enjoyed a cup of tea in the bookshop. I read the whole book and I kept changing my mind about my favourite poem - there are so many great ones selected for this anthology. Some are funny, some are emotional, some are lyrical and some are sure to make you think!

There are so many ways you could share the poems from this book with your class in Grade 2 right up to Grade 6. You could pair the poem above for example with the double page of poems about shoelaces in the book A Whale of a Time page 182.

Here are a couple of other poems from Right Way down:

Cutting Reply by Sharron Hough

You're just a piece of paper
How can you scare me?
Without a pen or pencil
You're blank for all to see
Not a line or picture
Not a scratch or scrawl
Plain and dull, uninteresting
No character at all
Look how straight your edge is
You lie there, flat, inert
My fingers glide so easily
Ouch! That really hurt!

Puppy Love by Lisa van der Wielen

Pick me! Pick me! I really want a home.

I promise to follow you, wherever you roam.

I might bark at the postie or chew uour best socks

Or even dig holes or ruin my box ...

I might fetch my lead, and beg for a walk.

Whenever there's food: I'll watch like a hawk.

But please take me home, and hug me with pride,

I promise to love you and be by your side.

For I might be cheeky, and act like I'm royal,

But I'm playfulk, devoted, affectionate, loyal.

I'm cuddly, adoring, and awfully smart,

If you give me a home - I'll give you my heart.

Autumn Leaves by Sian Turner

Orange plumes take flight

Fluttering in the wind

Fragile gossamer wings that stretch to kiss the sky,

They leave your trunk bare.

Your flamboyant masquerade has slipped away.

Now you stand still

And exposed to the coming chill.

It will be a full season before you are clothed again

And your mask is mended.

But your leaves, blown away,

Are even now a gift - 

Leaf litter.

The reviewer from Lamont Books has listed his favourite poems and I am thrilled to see this book was included with their first standing order offering this year. See more pages inside Right Way Down here. The publisher have also written some general teaching notes. 

BUT I so wish the publisher of this book (Fremantle Press) had been braver and that this book had colour illustrations, a larger format and perhaps even be hardcover. Briony Stewart has added glorious illustrations to Right Way Down but they would really shine if they were in colour.  This IS a poetry anthology to cherish but I think it will be overlooked partly because the format is fairly plain and partly because bookshops do not really feature Poetry books. I had to hunt through two of our city bookstores to find my copy and this book was only published last month. In the 'olden days' Australian publishers were prepared to take risks as evidenced by the wonderful book Beetle Soup - later renamed And the Roo jumped over the Moon complied by Dr Robin Morrow illustrated by Stephen Michael King.

Queen Narelle by Sally Murphy illustrated by Simon O'Carrigan

I am Narelle.

Narelle is me.

I am the Queen of this place.

Ruler of the domain.

Keeper of the kingdom.

You would do well to know it

and pay me due respect.

Queen Narelle is the family cat and she knows she is truly the Queen of this Kingdom. Her servants (mum, dad, Maddie and even baby Will) mostly understand Narelle and her daily needs - food, hugs, time outside in her run, and of course someone to attend to her toilet box. 

In alternating voices, after meeting Narelle with her pompous entitled tone, we then meet young Maddie. Things are going badly at school. She has had a falling out with her two, supposed best, friends and now they won't talk to her and worse they seem to be spreading rumours about her with the rest of the class. Her family seem too busy to listen but at least Narelle can see something is badly wrong. Maddie suffers so much at school each day and at night she cries in her room. For all her superior ways, Narelle realises mum needs to talk to Maddie, so instead of running to her food dish in the kitchen she waits with Maddie until mum comes looking for her and this gives Maddie and Mum, finally, a chance to talk about school. The answer to the bullying is not simple but mum gives Maddie some strategies and mum also goes to school to privately talk with the teacher. 

The end of the story is hopeful but not unrealistic. Maddie will need to reach out to others and be brave enough to take new steps to find different friends.

This is a junior verse novel for readers aged 8+. I loved the distinct voices of Narelle and Maddie. As with all good verse novels, Sally Murphy tugs at our emotions. This beautifully balanced against the antics of little Will who calls Narelle 'Relle. He just wants to chase her.

The smallest, noisy one

adores me loudly,

following me for hours,

calling my name and wanting to carry me.

The verses are upbeat at times, but also have a heaviness at times that give a sense of what so many of us go through at all stages in our lives, and how hard it is to lose friends and to have friendships end – sometimes over silly little things, sometimes because we just grow apart. The Book Muse

Here are a couple more text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

And they do not see

the midnight dreams that disturb

My Maddie,

making her toss

and turn

in her bed.

But I see it all.

...

My Maddie is not asleep.

She is very much awake,

crying silent tears

into her pillow.

I think she needs some love.

Her are some other verse novels by Sally Murphy:

Worse Things

Pearl verses the World

Toppling

Worse Things by Sally Murphy illustrated by Sarah Davis

Using alternating voices Blake, Jolene and Ahmed share with readers the ups and downs of their daily lives. Blake is a sports star but he now finds himeself on the bench because of a broken arm. Blake feels alone for the first time in his life. He no longer 'fits in'. Jolene is being pressured by her mother to become a hockey star but Jolene does not like hockey. All she wants is for her father, who is a doctor working far away, to come home and spend time with the family. She also wishes her mother would listen and not expect Jolene to fulfill her mother's failed childhood dream. Amed is new. He is a refugee kid with very limited English. Amed would like a friend and he would like to play sport but for him this sport is played with a different ball. For now he quietly observes Blake, who is forced to watch the footy from the sidelines, and Jolene who excels at hockey but who does not seem happy.

Between each voice Sally Murphy supplies some definitions. Here is an example:

ALONE
[uh*lone] (adj.)
Single
sole
solitary
separate
sad.
Set apart
unattached
unaided
unassisted
Un-together.

If I was still working in a school library I would ask my students what they think about this cover. For myself I have walked past this book several times because the cover did not appeal to me. This is a pity because inside this cover is a splendid verse novel. I am not the demographic for this book, however, and that is why I would like to know what readers aged 10+ think about the cover and whether it entices them to pick up Worse Things. (Yes you should pick up Worse Things - it is terrific)

"… this verse novel is stunning in every way.  It is an experience not to be missed. Children’s Book Review"

In this blog post Sally Murphy talks about the cover design, and she reads extracts from her book. 

Here is an interview by Joy Lawn for Paperbark Words. And here is a very detailed set of teaching notes from the publisher Walker Books. These notes also include an extensive list of other terrific verse novels. Click the link on my sidebar for other books in this form.

Here are some other verse novels by Sally Murphy:

Pearl verses the world

Toppling

Toppling by Sally Murphy

It is difficult to know where to begin with this little book. If I say too much about the plot it will be spoilt. I know this because after hearing the author speak at the recent CBCA State Conference I knew the whole story before beginning and I am sure this is why this emotional story didn’t quite have the impact I would have expected.

Toppling is a new verse novel from the author Pearl Verses the world.

The premise of toppling over dominoes as a hobby works really well. The idea of a free choice school project is also excellent.

Dominic is John’s best friend …
Dominic Fraser likes footy
and soccer
and cricket.
He likes reading funny books
and motorbike magazines.
He like art
but not maths
library
but not Science
…
He’s fun
and funny
and loyal
and pretty cool.
And he’s my best mate

That is John talking - who is Dominic - who are his friends - what is happening in his life? You will need to read this beautifully illustrated book to find out.

This is a book about the ups and downs of life, about good friends, and fabulous teachers. There are some surprises and you will probably read this book all in one go. Look for it soon - this little book is an important reading experience.

Pearl verses the world by Sally Murphy

Here is another one of those incredibly sad books about the pending death of an aged grandparent. We had a similar theme in Don’t breathe a word and Layla, Queen of Hearts.

Pearl versus the world is a verse novel – this is a format I love to read and so admire. That an author can say so much using such precise words - to me a good verse novel is like very fine embroidery. (See my other blog entries about Sharon Creech and Amy Hest).

Pearl lives in a family of just three people- herself, her mum and her grandmother. Granny is coming to end of her life and this slow deterioration is witnessed by Pearl. Each day the teacher asks the children to write rhyming poetry but Pearl’s world contains no rhyme or rhythm. Pearl is a great writer she just doesn’t fit into these narrow constraints set by her teacher. “There is no rhythm in me. There is no rhythm in my life.”

As Pearl reads her special poem at the funeral I found myself in floods of tears.

She loved mum
And she loved me.
She wasn’t here
For long enough
But I am glad
That she
Was here
At all.

There are some lovely words of wisdom in this book.

Everyday the princess say at her window
Waiting to be rescued by a handsome prince.
I wonder if the prince was as handsome
As Mitchell Mason
He is very handsome
Even though he is not a prince
Just a boy in my class
But I wonder
Why does the prince need to be handsome? I wonder if all princes
Are supposed to be handsome.

And this one :

There is no nicer noise
Than the sound of the bell
At the end of the day.

There are also some salient words for teachers and teacher-librarians in this story. I felt so distressed when Pearl was unable to find a library book in her allocated time. She doesn’t want trucks, trains or transport, and she doesn’t want horses, houses or hyenas. She needs a book to support her through this time of pain and confusion but there is no time to find one.

Pearl verses the world is another title in our Children's Book of the Year competition for 2010. It is good to see a verse novel short listed and I hope it receives an award in August.