Buffy: An Adventure Story by Bob Graham

Buffy is an assistant to Brillo the Magician but he is not famous. In fact, we see his home is a cardboard box outside the theatre and on the poster advertising the show Buffy's name appears in tiny writing right at the bottom. The trouble is Buffy is becoming more popular than Brillo and so one night he is kicked out into the rain. Yes, it is pure jealousy.

Bookseller blurb: This is an enchanting adventure story about a performing dog. Buffy is a performing dog with HUGE talents. He can play the harmonica, tap-dance and do magic tricks. But when he outshines his master the magician, Buffy is in the doghouse. Kicked out onto the street to fend for himself, Buffy has the blues...until sweet Mary Kelly bursts into his life like a fanfare from Heaven! At last, after all his wanderings, he finds someone who really appreciates his extraordinary talents.

I have been talking about a few Bob Graham books this month because I discovered there are titles I previously had not mentioned here but should have. Buffy was published in 1999, and I well remember reading it to groups of students in my former school library when Buffy was shortlist by the CBCA in 2000 for their Picture Book of the Year award. That copy was a larger format hard cover - mine now is a small format paperback. Sadly, Buffy is now out of print but I am sure you will find a copy in most school libraries here in Australia. In the US Buffy is called Benny.

If you are familiar with Bob Graham books you will recognise the logo on this truck - YES, it is from Max. In fact, there are references to Max in so many other Bob Graham books (like a story within a story) - such as in Ellie's Dragon when Ellie goes to the movies and on the big screen, we see Max. This idea builds on from an earlier one seen in Tales from the Waterhole, where Morris and Billy are seen watching Max on their television. This symbol is also on a tanker truck in Home in the Rain because that is the brand of the petrol station and that same tanker is also seen in A Bus called Heaven.

Companion books:

Three

Mutt Dog

Finding You

The Rabbit's Magician by Shae Millward illustrated by Andy Fackrell

Ziggy’s beloved magician has performed an amazing disappearing trick. But just where is The Amazing Albertino? Ziggy waits. And waits some more. Has something gone wrong with the trick?

This book provides a quiet and comforting way to explain the great mystery of death especially the death of a loved one. The title is sure to generate some good discussions with children about magicians and rabbits and how they might relate to one another.

We do not need to know why or how Alby died – that is not the focus of this story but I imagine children will infer he had grown quite old.

"I really miss him. I'm worried something went wrong with the trick - he should have reappeared by now. 'No, dear Ziggy, it worked ... In fact his last magic trick was his greatest ever. But it wasn't a disappearing act. He is not gone. He's all around. You see his trick was changing from one form to another."

I love the slow build up as each of the animals invite rabbit to join them. Owls are always the wise characters in story so this is a recognisable trope. In story terms it feels very satisfying that the wise owl is the one to ask the all-important question – what are you waiting for? 

The low horizon line used in the early story scenes hints at the enormity of the subject matter - a story about love and loss. Turn the page and there are brighter colours and a change of energy.  Ziggy is allowed to grieve and cry but the wisdom offered by his friends is genuinely reassuring. There are quite a few books that feature magicians and rabbits but often the rabbit in a magician's act is seen to be abused or treated badly by his boss.  In this book I loved the tender relationship between Ziggy and Alby (implied by the carrots he offers his friend). Witnessing their relationship helps us understand the depth of Ziggy’s initial confusion and then grief over the loss of his dearest friend.  

See more pages from this book here. 

This book will engage and help readers understand more about emotional responses to the deepest type of loss. 

The publisher gives an age guide of 3-8 years for this book but to me it is way deeper than that and is better shared with readers aged 10+ which I why I put Senior Picture book as a label on this post.  Art teachers in high school could also use this book to study the way Andy Fackrell uses colour. He says: “Colour helped convey the emotional journey; the red earth implied rawness of emotion, the Prussian blue night reflected loneliness, but the time Alby and Ziggy spent together was brought to life with exuberant complimentary hues.” 

Here are some further notes about the art:

Because the book's locations change between exterior to interior – from the Aussie outback to a theatre stage, from outside to inside Alby's house – I needed to find common elements that smoothed the transition. The easiest way was to use a common colour throughout. The purple/blue night sky gave me a vibrant base. So the colour theory was basically 'What looks nice with deep, moody, purple?' Purple looks good with bright green, and also vibrant red. So these three colours are dominant. Some of the details also use complementary colours that sit well with purple; the bunch of carrots (red and green), the bouquet of flowers (pale purple and yellow). I was definitely influenced by Henri Matisse, especially the scene when Ziggy opens Alby's bedroom. Flame red walls, apple green door, pale plum carpet and bright purple bed. I felt Alby would be a vibrant character with an unrestrained taste in colour. The moon phases also provided a motif that I could repeat throughout the book. For instance, when Alby appears from his room, the door is slightly ajar – mirroring the slither of moon in the phase sequence at the top of the page. Other examples are the door frames being half-moons, the circular window being separated by four sections (phases) and Ziggy's most important animal friend, the owl, being perfectly round like the full moon. The most important aspect of illustrating The Rabbit's Magician was how to keep it bright and fun while telling a heartfelt story that happens in the dark of night. 

The pictures take us on a journey around the world, where we experience the moon phases and aspects of art and science, magic and invention, and ideas around taking care of yourself physically and emotionally. It shows the power of friendship as well and brings so much to life. I think it is the kind of book that will have different meaning for different ages, because everyone who reads this will see something different in it. The Book Muse

Here are some teachers notes for The Rabbit's Magician. And these notes by Shae Millward are very detailed and well worth exploring and you might also need the associated worksheets which are aimed at very young readers. Here is the trailer from the publisher Ford Street.

Companion books:

The Bear and the Wildcat

Waiting for Wolf

Tricky Nick by Nicholas J Johnson

Nick is not good at sticking with hobbies, sports, or learning musical instruments but finding a magic trick on a box of cornflakes - a magic trick that works - a magic trick that actually impresses his parents - Nick is hooked. He sets off to learn more magic tricks. This is one hobby that he won't abandon.

His mum is a librarian so she tells him to go to SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE POINT EIGHT.  Do you know what that means?  She's sending him to the magic books in the library. On the shelf Nick finds the perfect book. It is old and slightly hidden between other books which tells us this is not just a magic book it is THE magic book - the one Nick needs to make his dream come true. But someone else wants this book - The Encyclopedia of Amateur Magic by J. Mesno. The man who wants it calls himself Mr E. He is a verbose man who (Nick will discover) is very dangerous.

I started reading Tricky Nick on a train journey yesterday. The story was okay but it was just meandering along. I was waiting for a jolt, a shock, a moment of delight, an internal question mark followed by an exclamation mark.  Then along came a young girl called Trixie and the world slightly shifted. The magic she performs at the meeting of The Brotherhood of United Magicians is spectacular. Nick is blown away. Clearly Trixie is a girl to watch but why is Mr E so dismissive of her obvious talent?

Later in the story I found these lines.  I really enjoy the intrusive author voice which Nicholas Johnson uses here - it made me want to race through the book to discover the exciting and weird things that are promised.

"Okay. Let's just stop right here so I can remind you of two things. First, I told you this book was going to take twists and turns and you'd be scratching your head wondering how it could all be true. So don't say I didn't warn you. Second, you chose to read this book. So if it's all too weird and confusing for you, you can put it down now. But if you think you can handle the truth, then you can keep on reading. I promise you, things are going to get more exciting (and weirder)."

Tricky Nick will be published by Pan Macmillan on 25th August, 2020. Readers aged 10+ will enjoy this quirky story of magic, time travel and friendship. Readers may also want to investigate the idea of chaos theory and The Butterfly Effect. Time travel might be fun but travelers from the future must take care in our world. This book is also filled with real magic tricks which do work because the author is actually a professional magician. Nicholas says this book is all true (probably not) but perhaps some parts are autobiographical?

Here is a summary from the front cover of my advance copy (thanks to Beachside Bookshop) of Tricky Nick: "This story is full of magic tricks and secrets, intrigue, humour, heart, time travel, baddies, heroes, adventure ... "

This is also a book with some terrific words: stultiloquent, chrestomathy, athenaeum, enigmatic, chicaney.

You might also like to read more about female magicians. In this book, Nicholas J Johnson mentions Adelaide Herrmann, Celeste Evans, and Lady Frances. Here is a recent picture book biography about Adelaide Herrmann published by Walker Books (Candlewick).

Take a look at this picture book about The Butterfly Effect:

Would follow this book with these:

Disappearing Act

Small Change for Stuart

A necklace of raindrops by Joan Aiken illustrated by Jan Pienkowski

A necklace of raindrops is the oldest book in our school library. It still has the price tag of $5.25. This book was first published in 1968 but recently I saw the audio CD listed in an online catalogue so I quickly purchased it.  I have spent a delightful few days listening to these eight highly imaginative and satisfying stories.

The story titles are  :

• A necklace of raindrops
• The cat sat on the mat
• There's some sky in this pie
• The elves in the shelves
• The three travellers
• The bakers cat
• A bed for the night
• The patchwork quilt

I think my favourites are the first and last in the collection.  In the first the North Wind gives Laura a gift as a thank you to her parents.

"You must put it round the baby's neck, ... the raindrops will not wet her, and they will not come off. Every year on her birthday, I will bring her another drop. When she has four drops she will stay dry, even if she goes out in the hardest rainstorm."

The predictions go on and on all the way up to ten raindrops on the necklace but then comes a warning  the necklace must never be broken or it might bring bad luck.  Naturally there is a catastrophe involving a jealous girl called Meg who wants the necklace. After some wild adventures including a trip to meet the King of Arabia there is a very satisfying happy ending.

In the final story Mrs Noot makes a beautiful quilt as a gift for her grandson Nils.  "Mrs Noot sewed twelve pieces into a star. Then she sewed the stars together. She sewed them with gold thread and silver thread and white thread and black thread."  Meanwhile the wizard Ali Beg likes to fly around on his magic carpet stealing things that take his fancy.  His poor camels are starving so one night they eat the carpet - all except for a tiny square underneath Ali Beg. He is furious and so he tells the carpet to take him to a new carpet.  He eventually arrives at the home of Mrs Noot.

The good news you can still buy this book.  It now costs around $20 and still contains the very special illustrations from Jan Pienkowski.  You can see a couple here.

If you now have a taste for short stories you might like to look for The witch word by Margaret Mahy and The Puffin Book of Five Minute stories both of which you can find in our school library.

Magic has never been more elegantly shaped than in these effervescent short stories

The Haunting by Margaret Mahy

If you have been following this blog you may know I am a huge fan of Margaret Mahy.  We always include a selection of her picture books into our literature program each year.

I bought home some of our older books (and new ones too) to read over the summer and among them was The Haunting a novel for Middle Primary readers.  I did think I had read this many years ago but only sketchy parts of the plot seemed familiar.

Barney is the quiet child of the family. He is the youngest.  His mum died when he was born but he now has a wonderful step mother who gives him unconditional love :

"Claire had come as a wonderful surprise, giving him a hug when he came home from school, asking him about his day, telling him about hers, arranging picnics and unexpected parties and helping him with his homework."

Claire is expecting a new baby.  Barney has not told anyone but he does feel anxious and he is desperate not to upset Claire so when an apparition or ghost appears his certain Claire must not know. Coinciding with the appearance of the ghost the family receive the news that an older relative Great Uncle Barnaby has died.

As the 'ghost' comes closer and closer Barney becomes quite ill.  His sister Tabitha is determined to unlock the mystery about Barnaby but also about another long lost Great Uncle named Cole. He was the black sheep of the family who drowned when he was quite young. Troy, Barney's other sister watches all the family coming and goings and sees her brother is distressed but she also seems to be moving even further away from the family.

"Troy was the one who picked up, folded, straightened and brushed down - everyone in the family knew that. Yet today ... Troy's tidiness ... was shocking - something eerie and astonishing. The books in the bookcase were in exact order of size, pulled out to the very edge of the shelf and not a quarter of an inch forward to back."

Eventually everything comes to a head.  Misunderstandings are resolved and Barney discovers the truth about Cole and Barnaby and his sisters.  This little book is a terrific one to read but our copy has such small print - I know this aspect will not appeal to readers in  my school library. I may need to source a replacement copy.

Here is a very detailed and positive review in Kirkus.  In New Zealand they made a movie of this book which won the Carnegie Medal in 1983.  Here is a three minute audio sample from the first chapter.  Oddly this book is out of print but there is a new audio version coming soon.

Disappearing act by James Moloney

Disappearing Act.  This book has it all!  An intriguing plot.  A very recognizable Australian setting. Magic and mystery. History and flashbacks. Love and loathing. Alchemy and science. Greed and the urgent search for truth and justice.  All of this is contained in just 181 pages!

Matt Cooper finds a book in a language he does not recognize with detailed drawings showing the process for a series of magic tricks. Matt tries out the tricks, simple ones at first, and discovers he has a talent.  When he visits a city dentist with his mother he sees an old man writing phrases in chalk on the footpath.  He has no idea what this writing says but he recognizes the letters from his magic book and so he takes a piece of chalk and completes the phrase (see below).  The old man is ecstatic.  "I've waited so long - a whole lifetime."

The next chapter of Disappearing Act sees the action switch to 1946.  We meet Mattheus Coperneau, a magician who has been given the honour of presenting a special performance before the royal family of Montilagus.

"Europe is not one country, but dozens of them.  Everyone has heard of Germany and France and Italy, but if you study the map closely you will see tiny specks among the larger ones, like pebbles in a rock wall.  These countries were never important enough to deserve a king and so they make do with princes.  That's why they are called principalities."

In a grand finale to his magic show Mattheus makes the Royal Sceptre disappear.  Naturally the second half of this trick should mean the sceptre reappears to the sound of great relief and applause but on this occasion the trick has failed and the sceptre is gone.  Magic is not to blame.  This is a crime but with no one else to accuse Mattheus is sent to the dungeon.  Chapters in this book now alternate between Australia 2011 and Montilagus in 1889.  At this earlier time Prince Edvord of Montilagus sees power coming from gold.  He enlists the help of a scientist called Joachim Tassisalus and an alchemist Augustine Rey.  Joachim knows alchemy is just trickery but the prince is determined there must be a way to turn ordinary metals into gold.

Look closely at these names Matthew Cooper and Mattheus Coperneau.  The story of Joachim and his love of Princess Agneta is also linked with Matthew Cooper but I don't want to go into these details and spoil the terrific twist at the end of this complex and highly rewarding read.

I will make one of my predictions that this book will be short listed for our CBCA awards in 2015. I do hope I am right!

Here is a set of teaching notes.  If you enjoy this book you might also look for The book without Words by Avi,   This book also reminded me of The Medici Curse. You can read more about James Moloney here.

Only the heart knows magic is real.