Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love by Joseph Coelho

"Here you will find loving tiny tales plucked from wedding bouquets, found in the fur of much-loved pets and neatly folded in the corner of your favourite hobby. These are stories of love of all kinds."

Check out my post about the first book by Joseph Coelho that explored this idea of ten word tales.

Ten-Word Tiny Tales

Once again Joseph Coelho has invited illustrators to create images to go with, to extend, to blow your mind with their interpretation of his ten-word tale - this time with the theme of love. There are twenty-one illustrators in this second volume including our own Bob Graham! See his page here.

Joseph Coelho says: "I travelled the globe by hot-air balloon, hovercraft and llama searching for the best illustrators to help bring a glimpse of these tales to life."

Here are a few of the names you might recognise: Sydney Smith; Jon Klassen; Mini Grey; Jarvis; and  Ken Wilson Max.

Here is the page by Sydney Smith - winner of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Art by Sydney Smith

"As it poured, he taught him to tie his laces."

I do hope you will read this book - Ten-word Tiny Tales of Love and share it with a class. I suggest reading the pages in this book, perhaps one each day, without showing the illustration. Let it sink in. Let the children imagine. Let them draw or write. Then much later in the day you could show the page.

We danced starlight into the rainbows of our broken hearts.

The kisses in her card grew wings and flowery scents.

He wrapped his little sister in a whispered bedtime story.

The love he held for his bike made it amphibious.

Using a ladder he washed the mud from his dog.

Grandma's hot chocolate was a furry hug in a cup.

The rescued cats kept watch as the lost child slept.

As a bonus there are story writing hints at the back of this book and a page of ways to extend the ten-word tale into a longer story. I love that Joseph Coelho explains his story parts can be presented in any order - this is a wonderful counterbalance to the prescribed (paid) writing programs adopted in many of our Australian Primary schools. 

Joseph Coelho shares his book on Instagram. Here is a full list of all the illustrators in Ten-word Tiny Tales of Love:

Katherine Child * Fruzsina Czech * Diane Ewen * Jim Field * Bob Graham * Katie May Green * Mini Grey * Mark Janssen * Jarvis * Baljinder Kaur * Heather Kilgour * Jon Klassen * Fiona Lumbers * Steve McCarthy * Rikin Parekh * Natalia Shaloshvili * Sydney Smith * Beth Suzanna * Victoria Turnbull * Ken Wilson-Max * Myo Yim

OR you could check out their Instagram pages: @blahjinder @bethsuzanna @bobgraham75 @creativedewen @fiona_lumbers @fruzic @heatherkilgourillustration @jarvispicturebooks @_jimfield @jonklassen @katherinelobster @katiemaygreen @wilsonmaxken @markjanssenpicturebooks @mini3grey @myo.yim.drawing @nataly_owl @r1k1n_parekh @mrstevemccarthy @sydneydraws @vic_turnbull

Art by Natalia Shaloshvili

"The kisses in her card grew wings and flowery scents."

The Boy who Grew a Tree by Polly Ho-Yen illustrated by Sojung Kim-McCarthy

A little girl and her grandfather visit the library each week. They read books together and then the little girl asks her Babu to tell her a true story. A story about the tree. Now we flash back in time and meet a little boy named Timi. Timi's mum is having a new baby and so Timi is sent to after school care and then later to stay with an aunt and her family. Timi is a quiet boy who loves nature and the wonder of growing plants. He has a collection of plants on his windowsill - all grown from seeds. 

He is unsure how to interact with the group of children at the after-school centre but he does follow them to the old library building. One of the boys knows the code to get into the building which is due for demolition. They open the door and Timi, even though he is very frightened, elects to go inside first. At that moment some adults arrive, the kids all run away, and the door slams shut. I held my breath. Inside Timi discovers a very small plant pushing up through the floorboards. Timi knows all about plants - they need water and sunlight. Luckily there is a tap in the building and a small container. He is able to pull back the old curtains to let in the sunshine. He is not locked into the library but when he sees the kids the next day, he decides this discovery needs to be his secret. Whenever he can he heads back to the library to see the little plant only it is no longer little. Each day it grows bigger and bigger at a very surprising rate.

"He heard it almost as soon as he opened the door, as a breeze swept down the corridor and rustled the leaves. It was now no longer a seedling, no longer a plant, it was a tree."

Meanwhile his sister is born but now mum is even more distracted, and the baby is not very well and so Timi is sent away to another relative. It becomes harder to visit his tree but somehow, he is able to get there. Then one day the other kids discover his secret. 

Have you guessed the connection between this tree and the library where the story began? The cover might help you. 

This little book perfectly demonstrates the power of a story to touch your heart and it only has 117 illustrated pages. I am sure any reader aged 8+ will enjoy this story and the themes of perseverance, teamwork, and community. 

I am just so pleased to read a short novel of this quality and thoughtfulness aimed at the younger junior age-range. It's such a beautiful thing to see a writer and illustrator coming together to create a gift like this, treating their young readers with a respect and intelligence they very much deserve.  A Few to Read Blog

Knights Of are a publisher who never disappoint, and it is very especially satisfying to read something from them which is aimed at a younger readership. This is exactly the kind of high-quality book that should be on offer to children in the infant years. More please! Just Imagine

The Boy who Grew a Tree is a 2023 Empathy Lab title. In this three minute video Polly Ho-Yen reads an extract from her book. 

The publisher of this book is Knights of Media. Here is their set of junior novels:

Ten-Word Tiny Tales by Joseph Coelho

Notice the subtitle: ‘To Inspire and Unsettle.’

Colby Sharp mentioned this book as one he read to his fifth-grade class in April. I was immediately intrigued and then I went down a huge rabbit hole where I discovered more and more about this book which I think would be a wonderful stimulus for class writing. Part of my rabbit hole came from investigating the 21 artists who have illustrated this book. I looked for familiar and unfamiliar names and was not at all surprised to see our own Shaun Tan as one contributor.

Bookseller blurb: Is it possible to spin a tale using just ten words? It most certainly is! In this unique and magnificent compendium designed to spark the imagination, Joseph Coelho brings us stories of underwater worlds, demon hamsters, bears in outer space, and portals to places unknown ... all in just ten words! Each tale has been paired with one of the finest illustrators working today – and, together, the words and pictures will create a space for creativity as young readers imagine how the story might unravel. They might even be inspired to pen a ten-word tiny tale of their own!

Here is a list of the illustrators (my links take your to their webpages): Alex T. Smith, Camilla Sucre, Chuck Groenink, Daishu Ma, Dapo Adeola, Dena Seiferling, Flavia Z. Drago, Freya Hartas, Helen Stephens, Julia Sarda, Katie May Green, Karl James Mountford, Maja Kastelic, Mariachiara Di Giorgio, Nahid Kazemi, Raissa Figueroa, Reggie Brown, Shaun Tan, Thea Lu, Yas Imamura and Yoko Tanaka.

On this blog I have talked about books illustrated by Alex T Smith; Dena Seiferling; Karl James Mountford; Maja Kastelic; Mariachiara Di Giorgio; Nahid Kazemi; Shaun Tan; Yas Imamura; Yoko Tanaka; and Julia Sarda - just pop their name into my search bar. I want to especially mention Yoko Tanaka who illustrated Sparrow Girl - a favourite book of mine and also her wordless book Dandelion's Dream. You could also explore some of these illustrators on the Let's Talk Picture books web page. I would LOVE to see Here and There by Thea Lu - it looks amazing but of course it is way too expensive here in Australia. 

My question (after watching these fifteen minute videos) is how Joseph Coelho assigned the stories. Did the illustrators pick the one they wanted to work with or did Joseph just send each illustrator one random ten-word tale. If that is the case, then somehow Shaun Tan ended up with the perfect text. 

"Every year they honoured their son by decorating his skull"

What comes into your mind with this ten-word tale: "My splintered oars are lost as my boat speeds onwards." Now click here to see the illustration by Alex T Smith. 

Here are some other ten-word tales:

• We watched the teacher lead the children through the portal.
• "Invite me in," she says outside my tenth storey window."
• The fisherman's catch is full of astronaut suits and skeletons.
• The diver swims into the carnival: radio contact is lost.
• The second giant’ who ‘cam crashing out of the white cliffs.
• They say they can’t see me, and now they’re fading

" ... this is a book for older children to pore over and let their imaginations flower. With twenty-one different illustrators representing many styles, media, and settings, each of the spreads stands apart so viewers can concentrate on a single page or read the book through for a disquieting experience." The Horn Book quoted by the publisher.

I don't usually talk about books I have not actually opened, touched, experienced - but this one just seems SO good and I have seen many of the pages and watched several of the videos between Joseph Coelho and his illustrators that I feel I can share this book here. I have popped it onto my own enormous shopping list but I might wait for the price to be reduced a little. 

Invoking multiple dimensions in his notes to readers and the tales themselves, Coelho invites illustrators to consider interplanetary space, undersea caverns, and realms between. The interplay of words and resulting double-page spreads—at turns, inexplicable, sweet, or sinister—evokes the work of Edward Gorey and Chris Van Allsburg. Kirkus

In the classroom, this would be an amazing tool to help pupils unlock their creative writing skills. The blank page is often the enemy of the writer however given a ten word tale and the amazing illustration which accompanies it, a young writer would be able to add their imagination by expanding the story. They would be thinking about the character development, what happened before, after, scene description and so much more. Reading Zone

Writing ideas page from Ten-word Tiny Tales

You will want to pair this with the wonderful predecessor by Chris van Allsburg. I once owned this book in the form of a set of charts - I gave them to a teacher - I hope she has made good use of them:

Gooney Bird Green by Lois Lowry illustrated by Middy Thomas

Blurb: There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. What other new kid comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots one day and a polka-dot T-shirt and tutu on another From the moment Gooney Bird Greene arrives at Watertower Elementary School, her fellow second graders are intrigued by her unique sense of style and her unusual lunches. So when story time arrives, the choice is unanimous: they want to hear about Gooney Bird Greene. And that suits Gooney Bird just fine, because, as it turns out, she has quite a few interesting and "absolutely true" stories to tell. Through Gooney Bird and her tales, the acclaimed author Lois Lowry introduces young readers to the elements of storytelling. This book encourages the storyteller in everyone.

The library I visit each week is going through a lot of change. The Teacher-Librarian is on leave for a short break and her replacement has decided to very heavily "weed" the collection. Putting aside the unprofessional and inappropriateness of this task by some one who is just "filling in" I am curious about her criteria. From what I have observed it all seems to be about age and condition of a book and not borrowing frequency or use by staff or value to readers or usefulness in a curriculum sense. And the process is not following the library collection development policy. It is all quite distressing, sad and haphazard.

With this in mind I decided to borrow a few of the older junior fiction books - titles I previously read and enjoyed - hopefully I can save them or at least see for myself if they should be saved. One of these books is Gooney Bird Greene - a book from 2002 - that I first talked about here in 2013. In the past Gooney Bird Greene was a book I often recommended to Grade 3 teachers as a terrific class serial or read aloud book.

I reread Gooney Bird Greene this week and I loved it all over again. What struck me this time, apart from the interspersed "tall tales" Gooney tells her class, were all the wonderful clothing descriptions. Teachers could use these as a writing stimulus for a class.  Here are some examples:

"She was wearing pajamas and cowboy boots and was holding a dictionary and a lunch box."

"Gooney Bird Greene was wearing a pink ballet tutu over green stretch pants, and she had three small red grapes, an avocado, and an oatmeal cookie for lunch."

"On Friday, Gooney Bird was wearing Capri pants, a satin tank top, and a long string of pearls. Her hair was twisted into one long braid, which was decorated with plastic flowers. There were flip flops on her feet."

"She was wearing a ruffled pinafore, dark blue knee socks, and high top basketball sneakers ... (and her) earrings dangled and glittered and were very large."

"Gooney Bird was wearing gray sweatpants, a sleeveless white blouse with lace on the collar, and amazing black gloves that came up above her elbows."

I also loved all the individual class characters - shy and silent Felicia Ann; Malcolm who is often found under his desk; Barry Tuckerman who likes to make important speeches; and sensitive little Keiko.

There are six books in the Gooney Bird Green series:

Book 1: Gooney Bird Greene

Book 2: Gooney Bird and the Room Mother

Book 3: Gooney the Fabulous

Book 4: Gooney Bird Is So Absurd

Book 5: Gooney Bird on the Map

Book 6: Gooney Bird and All Her Charms

Here is the web site for Lois Lowry. Her most famous books are Number the Stars (a book that still haunts me) and The Giver. Here is the Kirkus review of Gooney Bird Greene. Listen to the first few pages here - the audio book sounds terrific. 

The front of my copy of Gooney Bird Greene book mentions other feisty girl characters such as Anastasia (Lois Lowry) and the Blossom books (Betsy Byars). I would also add this long out of print book Freckle Juice and Clementine (Sara Pennypacker). Gooney Bird is also a little like the famous Pippi Longstocking. 

A Sea of Stories by Sylvia Bishop illustrated by Paddy Donnelly

Roo goes to stay with grandpa for a few days. He lives in a small cottage by the sea with a wonderful view of the beach and a nearby lighthouse. In his younger days Grandpa was a fisherman and over time he has collected all sorts of interesting objects which now fill his house. Near Grandpa's house there is a small cove. It is a place Roo loves to visit but sadly Grandpa can no longer manage to clamber down the rough path.

Roo and her Grandpa do enjoy their day - playing hide and seek. In the late afternoon they settle down inside and Grandpa begins to tell Roo the most marvellous stories, true stories, using the curious objects in his collection. He begins with a gold dubloon which could be pirate treasure. 

Over the following days Grandpa shares lots of stories but Roo keeps thinking about the Cove. Grandpa loved visiting the cove and so many of his stories are set there, plus it was his favourite place to view the sun setting. Roo is a problem solver and a kind girl. When her parents return she explains the problem and her proposed solution. 

"They parked the car in the Market Square, and went to ask for help. Before long a great crew of people had assembled, carrying spades and buckets and wood and rope and tools of all sorts and sizes."

I will leave you to imagine the next scene and also to imagine the happy ending to this story. You will need to take time on the last page because there is something important and very poignant in the illustration. 

This poignant tale about a girl’s touching relationship with her grandfather is ideal for children who are moving on from picture books. Perfect to explore the concept of the past, it beautifully celebrates the value of sharing stories and memories. The vibrant, full-page illustrations have a dynamic, painterly quality and successfully evoke the wildness and beauty of the coast, bringing the text to life.  Book Trust

The illustrations are delightful, airy and with a frothy texture evoking the soft wildness of the sea in their special cove, and the scenes with the garden and the sea are just so evocative you can smell the salt and green leaves. Little Fae

This book is from a series published by Little Tiger either called Stripes of Colour Fiction. I talked about Little Rabbit's Big Surprise earlier. I really do highly recommend this series for independent reading and also as books to read aloud in a family. A Sea of Stories is aimed at a slightly older audience of 6+. The colour illustrations are especially fabulous. Paddy Donnelly is a children's picture book illustrator and author, originally from Ireland and now based in Belgium. His art reminds me of Salvatore Rubbino and especially the book Ride the Wind. 

You can see more art from this book here. 

And here are some of his books:

Mighty Min by Melissa Castrillón

You're never too small to be mighty.

Young Min lives with her four aunts in a tiny house at the bottom of the garden. Min thinks she is too small to do anything heroic but one evening she is whisked away by a huge owl. He explains there is a monster in the garden and many of the smaller animals need to be rescued. 

Firstly Min finds the lost babies for a mother rabbit. Then she untangles the tail of a small mouse. All night she is kept busy. A beetle needs help to flip off his back; a grasshopper needs a bandage on his leg; and two snails need reassurance it is safe to come out of their shells.  But who is causing all of this terror? Min comes face to face with an enormous cat. She could run away but no, our little Min finds the perfect solution. She tames the cat by tickling it. Think about this. It is such a beautiful way to resolve the conflict. When she returns home she is so delighted to share her own mighty tale. You can see inside this book here. 

Here are some other books illustrated by Melissa Castrillon:

Nano

Dear Little One

If the idea of miniature worlds interests you here is a fairly new picture book you could investigate. 

I would also pair this book with a very old (long out of print) book I adore:

You might also look for the movie Arrietty from studio Ghibli which is based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton. 

The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Marie Lafrance

The full title of this book is:  The Lady with the Books: A story inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman

"The Lady with Books is most timely and highly recommended, especially for school libraries. Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to IBBY's Children in Crisis Fund, to support storytelling and book delivery to children who lives have been disrupted by war or disaster." Dr Robin Morrow Magpies Magazine vol 35, issue 4, September 2020.

"Let us set this upside-down world right again by starting with the children. They will show the grown-ups the way to go." Jella Lepman, 1945

Blurb from Kids Can Press: The lives of Anneliese and her little brother Peter have been forever changed by the war. One day, while wandering the ruined streets of Munich in search of food, they stumble upon an exhibition. The great hall is filled with more books than they can count! There are books from all over the world, in all different languages."

What is going on here in Germany?  It is 1946 and the wonderful Jella Lepman has organised an amazing exhibition international children's books. Having seen the destruction wrought by the war on cities in Germany, Jella wisely sets about collecting children's books from all around the world. In 1936 Jella herself fled Germany with her two children. During the war books were removed from libraries, shops and homes. In 1945 Jella returned to her home country. She visited many places and people in Germany. In a conversation with a bookseller she recalls in her biography (A Bridge of Children's Dreams):

They "spoke with urgency about the people's hunger for books, especially books that were from the free world and banned to them for twelve years. 'And children's books?' I asked. 'Children's books? Oh, there aren't any of those left whatever. Those are more needed than all the others."

Jella then has the idea of creating an exhibition of children's books - books that would create "bridges of understanding." Jella wrote letters to twenty countries. In 1946 the exhibition of 4000 books travelled across Germany. 

"It was a beautiful, never-to-be-forgotten day, that July 3, 1946, especially in the afternoon when the doors opened wide to admit the children. In they streamed, in happy packs, their faces radiant as though they were entering a magic ring."

Are you wondering about the books? Jella asked the children vote for their favourites: Tom Sawyer; Huckleberry Finn; Emil and the Detectives; Heidi; and Pinocchio. Also mentioned in The Lady with the Books are Pippi Longstocking; Babar; Winnie the Pooh (see author's note); and The Story of Ferdinand.

Next, Jella set about finding a more permanent home for the books, thus the International Youth Library was established. In 1983 the library moved into Bluntenburg Castle where today you can find 30,000 books in the lending library and 600,000 books in the reference library which is used by scholars from all over the world.

IBBY   In 1951 Jella organised a conference and this led to the formation of IBBY - The International Board on Books for Young People. Today there are more than 75 countries with their own sections of IBBY including one here in Australia.

"It occurred to us that we might provide a common platform for all those interested in children's books, by holding a conference for such people as writers, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, librarians, educators, art teachers, psychiatrists" and representatives of the media - film, radio and television.

The Lady with the Books tells the story of that first exhibition. This is a book, as Dr Robin Morrow past President of IBBY Australia states, that should be an essential purchase for all school library collections. You can read more about IBBY Canada and their invitation to Kathy Stinson to write this important picture book. I especially love the way Kathy Stinson gently shows Jella Lepman's vision in action. At the start of the story Anneliese sees a group of women working to clean the streets in her neighbourhood. Compare these text extracts:

"Women were still clearing away chunks of broken buildings and pavement with brooms and their bare hands. Couldn't they see that the street would never be what it had been before the war?"

After visiting the library and hearing stories Anneliese thinks:

"Tomorrow, Anneliese decided, she would join the women with their brooms. She would help clear the street around the damaged library. Any maybe someday, the building would again be filled with books."

Read more about Jella Lepman ( the quotes in this post come from this book):

Marie Lafrance is the illustrator of another book I loved reading:

Christophe's Story by Nicki Cornwell

Christophe is only eight but in his short life he has experienced distressing and utterly terrible things, things a child his age should never have to see or feel. Living in Rwanda he watched as the streets filled with soldiers and guns, he sees his father taken into custody and later, as the family flee, Christophe himself is shot. The bullet grazes his skin and injures him but, even more distressing, another bullet kills his baby brother. After a long and terrible journey the family finally arrive in England. Christophe has limited English and he has missed two years of school.

Adding to his struggles Christophe has been told about the importance of stories by his grandfather:

"A story should be kept in the head and told from the mouth! That's what Babi says. and he knows about stories. He's a storyteller ... This is how you tell a story like this! You have the story in your head, and when you tell it, you use a big voice or a little voice. And you tell it with your hands, like this! And when you finish, the story flies back into your head. Like a bird going back to its nest!"

When the teacher tries to read stories to Christophe, when she asks Christophe to read stories, and when she tries to get him to write stories, Christophe is filled with fear, grief and confusion. School is torture for Christophe and it is made worse by the class bully. In one scene this boy, called Jeremy, drops a live worm into Christophe's plate of lunch spaghetti. The whole scene made me shudder.

Luckily Christophe has a kind teacher. She gives Christophe time and space to tell his story and gradually she shows him that nothing is lost if a story is indeed written down and in fact this is an important way to share his story with children Christophe himself might never actually meet.

Nicki Cornwell has some teacher notes on her web site. Have you read The Colour of Home. If not find it NOW and read it before you pick up Christophe's story.

Christophe's story was first published in 2006. I have read reviews which question the suitability of this book for children but I think over the last 14 years our exposure to the plight of refugees has greatly increased and in Australia and other countries there are huge numbers of picture books and Primary level novels for young readers which explore all aspects of the refugee experience. Some reviewers list this book for children aged 8-14 but I would suggest it is better suited to older students 10+.

"In writing stories about asylum-seekers and refugees, I hope to find a wide audience for their voices. I try to depict the heroic courage with which they face events over which they have little control. I try to show their moral strength, their courage and their heroism. They are individuals caught up in a web of other people's attitudes and the choices that governments make. We cannot change what has happened to make them flee from their countries, but we can try not to add to their problems by stigmatizing them for seeking asylum." Nicki Cornwell

… a sensitive book which, in addition to tackling a delicatesubject, has the added responsibility of making it accessible to primary school readers. Books for Keeps

By having Christophe speak with chilling simplicity directly to his classmates—and to the reader—Cornwell is able to convey the horror without the distance of an outside voice. It’s a powerful indictment of the savagery of war and its effect on those caught in its path.But there’s also a catharsis in the telling and a glimmer of hope for the future. Kirkus

There is a second book which continues the story of Christophe (I have added it to my to read list but sadly it is out of print.)

For older students I would suggest another book about the power of storytelling:

Books do not need to be long to be "good".  I love the fact that this powerful and emotional story is told in just 72 pages.  Here are some other short books for senior primary readers:

Oranges in No Mans Land

Secret Friends

Lawn Boy

The Peacock Detectives by Carly Nugent

There is a lot going on in Cassie's life right now. On the surface two peacocks have escaped from the holiday flats across the road. Cassie knows she has terrific powers of observation and she has also had some success, in the past, as a peacock detective. Cassie enlists the help of her friend Jonas and they set off to look around their town even crossing the bridge to The Other Side of Town.

"I'm not allowed to go over the bridge by myself, because over the bridge is The Other Side of Town."

All of that would make for a simple detective or mystery story but The Peacock Detectives is so much more.

Just as we saw in The Elephant by Peter Carnavas something is wrong with Cassie's dad. He is sad, he spends a lot of time in his study and strangely he keeps buying small china ornaments which are stored in their boxes on every spare shelf in the house. Then to top all of this off mum says she is moving to a flat on The Other Side of Town, Cassie's sister Diana is now sleeping in a tent in the backyard and practicing Buddhism and Grandpa is very ill in hospital and Cassie is not allowed to see him.

Here are a set of Book Club questions. Text Publishing also have a set of teaching notes. Take minute to read the comments by Kids Book Review.   The Peacock Detectives is a 2019 CBCA Notable book (Younger Readers).

The gift of Dark Hollow by Kieran Larwood

Great storytelling continues in this latest Longburrow adventure. Kirkus

 A modern-day classic that is not to be missed, with stunningly detailed fantasy illustrations by David Wyatt. BookTrust

A few weeks ago I talked about The Legend of Podkin One-ear by Kieran Larwood - my new favourite book. This week I have read the second book from this series - The Gift of Dark Hollow and it is just as good as the first.

Once again it is the bard who is telling the story of our hero Podkin. Along with his sister Paz and baby brother Pook, they are caught up in a series of fierce battles against the Gorm. They have now acquired three more 'gifts' with magical powers which brings their total to four of the twelve from the ancient tribes.

• Starclaw -  The magic dagger of Munbury it can cut through anything except iron
• Moonfyre - A brooch that lets you jump in and out of moon shadows the gift of Dark Hollow.
• Ailfew -   The magic sickle which is the gift of Redwater Warren.
• Surestrike - The hammer of Applecross can make weapons that pierce the Gorm's armour.

As the group travel to Applecross to retrieve Surestrike they meet Zarza, a bonedancer, Vetch of Golden Brook and Yarrow the bard.  Right from the start I didn't trust Vetch and I am fairly sure we will meet him again in future installments.

"He seemed desperate for someone to like him. A bit too desperate perhaps."
"And as for that Vetch, well I trust him about as far as I can throw a giant rat."
"Vetch, wrapped in his exotic cloak, sidled up to Podkin at one point, giving him a nervous smile. His eyes kept darting to the dagger on Podkin's hip."

Vetch returns to Dark Hollow with a rescued farmer, his wife and children. Meanwhile our heroes travel on to Applecross to find and open the mysterious bridge over to Ancients Island. It is a furious race to outrun the Gorm, retrieve Surestrike and make it home.  You will be on the edge of your seat gripping your sword and holding your breath through the scenes that follow.

I love all place names and rabbit species we meet in this series - "The other surviving rabbits were refugees from all over Gotland and Enderby. Some were from Munbury and Redwater warrens but there were also sables from Cherrywood and Ivywick, lops from Applecross, and brindle-furred rabbits from Stormwell and Hillbottom. Some came from tiny warrens Podkin had never heard of, like Toadleton and Muggy Pit. There was even a shield maiden all the way from Blackrock."

The gift of Dark Hollow employs a rich vocabulary with words like: priority, brusque, comatose, loamy, vulnerable and bandoliers.

Listen to an audio sample from the first book (page 6-8) and here is one from The Gift of Dark Hollow. Take time to look at the web site of the illustrator David Wyatt it is brilliant.

This is an adventure story, fast paced and tense. It seems that the free rabbits of Enderby will be easily overpowered by the Gorm, with their deadly weapons, armour and devious spies. The fight is to preserve the rabbit race at all costs, but most of all so that rabbits can once again live in peace. The Book Bag

The third book from this series is The Beasts of Grimheart. Due in Australia at the end of October.

His Name was Walter by Emily Rodda

"It's not true that only children can enjoy a really good children's story" Emily Rodda ABC radio interview with Angela Meyer.

Australian author Emily Rodda is a true writing talent. You may be familiar with the Deltora stories and Rowan of Rin books.  Previously here I have talked about Bungawitta and The shop at Hoopers Bend.  My personal favourite among her books is Bob the Builder and the Elves which is a simple junior novel and a delight to read aloud. Now we have His name was Walter which the publisher says is for 8+ but for me is much better suited to upper primary and junior high school readers. This is a spellbinding story which I read almost compulsively.

This book contains, as the cover says, "a story with in a story".  Four students and their teacher are stranded on a remote country road after their excursion bus breaks down. The group take shelter in a derelict house. One of the students, Colin, admires a small desk in the kitchen. He knows furniture like this often conceals hidden compartments.  He takes a closer look and finds a secret drawer. Inside this drawer is a book with a dramatically illustrated story.

To three of the children the house itself feels so strange. There are noises and strong feelings that seem to impact them almost violently. They gather together and begin to read the book they have found. It reads like a fairy tale or folk tale beginning with an orphan of unknown heritage who is living in a horrible institution with little prospect for a happy future. He escapes from this situation taking two tiny things which might point to his identity - a paper which says his name is Walter and a few strands of hair. By chance he meets a beggar woman who tells him a little more of his history but it is the encounter with a kindly witch woman who really settles his fate.

She predicts:
"You'll never be rich in gold but your life will be rich in other ways ... You'll protect a friend. You'll find true love. You'll free a prisoner. You'll champion the weak. You'll save a life. You'll keep the faith. You'll ... "

Having begun like a folk tale, a rags to riches story, the focus then references Beauty and the Beast especially when we read about Lord Vane.

"The man was hunched jealousy over an iron box heaped with gold. To Walter's horrified eyes he looked more like a beast than a human being ... The filthy undershirt that strained over his massive chest and sagging belly was blotched with patches of sweat. Hair like greasy grey straw stuck up all over his head ... Evil greed seemed to cloud the room like smoke."

I especially enjoyed the way Emily Rodda drew all the threads together at the end of this book showing the links between the 'fairy tale' from the book and the past history of life in the house and town. I mentally ticked off each item and felt satisfied all the pieces of this puzzle were once again joined in all the right places.

Here is a review from Readings. The publisher have generously provided you with four chapters as a sample of the text. Here is a special video with Emily Rodda talking about her books and their creation and a very recent radio interview.  I will predict, in fact guarantee, His Name was Walter will feature in our 2019 CBCA short list. Yes, yes it is that good.

Thanks again to Beachside Bookshop for providing this copy.

Our Kid by Tony Ross

"Go straightly to school Our Kid. Don't be late again.

So I shoffled my homework into my bag and took the short cut."

Taking the shortcut is a big mistake. Our Kid is indeed late for school and he loses his homework too.
He tries to explain the series of events that happened on his way to school including the pirates who take his school bag but of course he is not believed and is sent to the naughty corner.

This book is filled with delightful invented and onomatopoetic words:
You have to dunkle your hooves in the water.
I rode on the deck and off be bumpeeded down the road.
These were dinopirates, so some were squiddly, but others were felumpingly big.
I cried, as the pirates sniggled and bounded away.


I do enjoy a tall tale. Books like On the Way Home by Jill Murphy and John Patrick Norman McHennesy the boy who was always late by John Burningham are firm favourites and now I have Our Kid by Tony Ross. Read the Kirkus review. This is a book you must share with a child there is so much to enjoy including the great title - Our Kid (he is a goat!)