Since the last children’s book round up, we’ve had a brilliant 14 books reviewed. It’s so good to see the wonderful Australian women who are writing for children being noticed and reviewed!

April and May brought Easter, ANZAC Day and Mother’s Day to us, and Jess from The Never-Ending Bookshelf provided reviews of books about all of them! The Easter Bunny’s Helpers by Anne Mangan gave an alternate look to the ‘spring lamb and rabbit’ Easter stories we often see.This one was a hit with listeners who “were particularly fascinated . . . as it featured Australian animals and was all in all a bit special because of that.” There’s been some great books recently looking at events traditional to the Northern Hemisphere and how they translate to our Southern Hemisphere differences, and this looks like another one. For ANZAC Day, Jess looked at Gallipoli (Kerry Greenwood) and A Day to Remember (Jackie French). Jackie French is well known for turning historical facts into relevent and interesting stories, so it’s no surprise that this book does the same:

French has tried to cover all the different aspects, beliefs and experiences of war and its aftermath in a way that both children and adults alike can enjoy and take something from it.

Jess also covered Mothers Day with three books including My Mum is a Superhero by Ruby Brown which uses vibrant and bold colours and words to turn the everyday actions of mothers into superhero deeds.

Away from event books, Welcome to My Library has reviewed Song for a Scarlet Runner by Julie Hunt. This is the story of  Peat who is declared unlucky and an outcast because of her red hair before discovering the power of story telling:

Julie Hunt has woven an easy to read, fast paced and well written fantasy adventure story about a brave girl in a suspicious world, who will do anything to find her way back to her sister. Peat is a well crafted character – a strong, independent heroine who pulls you along on a journey full of adventure.

Welcome to my Library also reviewed The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie by Kirsty Murray which is a time-slip adventure, possibly one of my favourite children’s genres! In this book Lucy slips through painted scenes into the past in rural Australia – a setting which reminds the reviewer of childhood adventures away from the watchful eyes of parents.

Finally, My Book Corner has reviewed A New Friend for Marmalade by Alison Reynolds. This picture book is a follow up to A Year With Marmalade, and deals with different people doing things in different ways – which is ok. The review particularly points out the author’s use of language:

I love the range of adverbs she employs, emboldening her narrative with a vibrant feel.

and the way creative typography really brings the story to life, particularly as a read aloud book.

We’re slowly approaching Book Week and the announcement of the winners of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards. Lots of books on the shortlist are written by Australian Women Writers and I’d love to challenge reviewers to read and review some of these wonderful books before my next round up! Let’s see how many we can cover!

About Me

I’ve had a strong interest in children’s fiction since Grade 1 when a fabulous teacher bribed me with Famous Five novels. I continued reading children’s and YA books  long after I was supposed to ‘grow up’ – something which served me very well when I became a teacher and was known all over the school as ‘the teacher with the books’. I’m currently on maternity leave, enjoying the rich world of picture books with my toddler and sporadically blogging over at Adventures of a Subversive Reader