Review: Caravan Fran by Cheryl Orsini

Author: Cheryl Orsini

Publisher: Hachette Children’s Books Australia

Amazon – TBD

Release date: 28^th April 2015

Pages: 24

Synopsis:

Three friends are setting off on a beach holiday - but when things go wrong, some quick thinking helps save the day.

Three friends in Spring - Dave, Sam and Joe - with faithful caravan Fran in tow, were heading north for a holiday, off to the seashore, far away.

Three friends have an unexpected adventure while on their way to the beach in Caravan Fran. When Fran hits a bump in the road, the friends' dog, Ray, tumbles out and falls in the creek. Sam jumps in to rescue Ray ... then Joe jumps in to rescue Ray AND Sam. Eventually they all make it safely to the seaside - just in time for dinner!

A gorgeously illustrated celebration of holidays and friendship told in rhyming text.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

This picture book, written by Cheryl Orsini, is a lovely read that will draw your little one into the story with the beautiful illustrations and a sweet story-line with a lovely friendship theme.

Our characters, led by Fran are embarking on a seaside holiday but things don’t always go smoothly and the friends have to work together to make it to the seashore in time for their dinner, it was a delightful adventure and great to see the little friends working together.

Attractive illustrations are also by Cheryl Orsini, they are throughout the book and effortlessly picture the scenery and characters in a way that is a story in itself, the details are wonderful. The text was easy to read and was written in rhyme, always a favourite of ours.

Thank you kindly to Hachette Books Australia for the opportunity for Miss 7 to read Caravan Fran.

Biographical Notes 

Cheryl Orsini has illustrated more than fifteen children's books, including THE ABC BOOK OF CARS, TRAINS, BOATS AND PLANES (ABC Books), POM POM (Viking/Penguin), LET'S DO IT (Lothian Books/Hachette Australia) and COME ON, LET'S PLAY (Lothian Books/Hachette Australia). Her work also regularly appears in magazines and exhibitions. For more visit www.cherylorsini.com

Review: Big Digger ABC by Margaret Mayo

Author: Margaret Mayo

Illustrator: Alex Ayliffe

Source: Hachette Children’s Books

Published by Orchard Books

Release date: April 2015

Hardback: $24.99aud

Synopsis: The ultimate book of vehicles from the creators of the bestselling Dig Dig Digging!

Explore the amazing A to Z of vehicles in this ultimate book of things that go. This bright and busy picture book is packed with all the vehicles little ones love, from diggers and fire engines to spaceships and underwater robots.

Margaret Mayo's lively, rhythmic text is perfect for reading aloud, while Alex Ayliffe's bold and colourful illustrations bring each mega machine to life in glorious detail. With one vehicle for every letter from A to Z, this is an exciting introduction to the alphabet and the perfect picture book for machine-mad little ones. 

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

As a toddler, my son was obsessed with everything to do with vehicles – especially emergency and construction so this book would have been amazing for when he was younger.

The illustrations are wonderfully detailed and are vividly appealing, they catch your eye and hold your interest which I feel is important in a  book such as Big Digger ABC.

It is educational, not only with the vehicles but also with the alphabet – each letter showcases a different vehicle starting with that letter, it is an all-round perfect book but I definitely feel little boys would prefer it. The writing is wonderful and is in rhyme which is always a lot of fun, my 7 year-old daughter read this out loud and thought it was great.

Thank you kindly to Hachette Children’s Books for the opportunity to read Big Digger ABC.

About the author: Margaret Mayo is an acclaimed storyteller and author who has been creating stories for children for over 35 years. She has written more than 50 books, including the bestselling Dig Dig Digging, Choo Choo Clickety-Clack and Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp! A former teacher, Margaret uses her wide-ranging experience with children in her writing. She lives in Brighton.

About the Illustrator: Alex Ayliffe is a bestselling, award-winning writer and artist. Her distinctive papercut illustrations are bright and bold with lots of child appeal. Alex has illustrated many books for children, including the bestselling Emergency! and Boo Barney, winner of the Sainsbury’s Baby Book Award. She lives with her family in Hertfordshire.

Review: Bums & Tums by Mandy Foot

Author: Mandy Foot

Publisher/Source: Hachette Australia

Release date: April 2015

Synopsis: The first lift-the-flap book from best-selling illustrator Mandy Foot.

Who has an orange bellybutton and hangs from a tree?

Who's big all over, but especially on their ears?

Who lives in Africa and has stripes on their knees?

Make a guess from the clue and the close-up picture, then lift the flap to see if you are right!

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I feel Bums & Tums is more for the younger reader, it is a vibrant and wonderfully illustrated lift the flap book that introduces you to some wonderful animals - it was a great guessing game for the kids.

As a lover of all animals, my daughter especially loved Bums & Tums and loved pulling out each of the pages to see which animal was hiding behind it - she made a bit of a fun game out of it and enjoyed learning more about each of the animals.

The illustrations were detailed, I was quite impressed by the quality and talent.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review Bums & Tums.

Biographical Notes 

Mandy Foot is a self-proclaimed animal nut and horse lover and works in a studio in the Adelaide Hills. Mandy's picture books for Lothian include the very popular Captain Kangaroo series and the bestsellers THE WHEELS ON THE BUS and OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM.

For free music and other fun downloads visit www.mandyfoot.com.au or follow her on twitter.com/mandy_foot

• Other details
  
  
• ISBN: 9780734415936
• Publication date: 31 Mar 2015
• Page count: 24

Review: The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend by Felicity Gardner

Author:  Felicity Gardner

Illustrator: David West

Publisher/Source: Hachette Australia

Release date: 24/012/2015

Paperback $14.99

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered what your dog is really thinking? Read this book to find out!

An older, wiser dog offers hilarious advice to puppies about how to be a pet, including quickly grabbing any snacks left laying around before your owner changes their mind, helping out by 'sorting' the rubbish and always leading the way on walks.

All dog-lovers will laugh with recognition at this very funny story from a talented husband-and-wife duo.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend by Felicity Gardner is a wonderfully illustrated and humorous story about how to choose your new best friend - your pet dog.

My daughter was able to read this book easily and with understanding, with large text and some wonderful humour, it was written from the point of view of an older, wiser dog, you get a glimpse into what they're thinking which the kids found to be quite funny, we could relate to their antics.

The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend is a delightful, easy read that I highly recommend, especially for dog lovers. The pictures by David West are detailed and vibrant.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend.

Biographical Notes 

Felicity Gardner is an illustrator from South West Sydney who studied illustration and design at the Design Centre, Enmore. Her work has featured in various magazines, advertisements and exhibitions and she is the illustrator of WHERE'S MY POTTY, SNOWY AND SNUFFLES, MY GRUMPY DAY and THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND. As well as illustrating THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND, she also co-authored the story with her husband David West. They based the story around their own dog, Banjo, who is the bossiest member of their family.

David West is a primary school teacher from South West Sydney. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND is the first children's book that he has co-authored with his wife Felicity Gardner, but this is not his first book. With the help of his students, he has created multiple other books that have been self published and distributed around the playground.

• Other details
  
  
• ISBN: 9780734415424
• Publication date: 24 Feb 2015
• Page count: 24

Review: Good night, Me by Andrew Daddo

Author: Andrew Daddo

Illustrated by Emma Quay

Age: 3+

Publisher: Hachette Children’s Books

Pages: 32

Release date: 25th November 2014

Amazon

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Someone’s ready for bed, but it’s going to take a long, long time to say goodnight.
A baby orang-utan is sleepy and it’s time for bed, but not before saying ‘Good night, me,’ from head to toe. This captivating, unique gift book celebrates that precious moment when a parent tucks a child into bed at the end of the day. Anyone who is a parent, or is about to become one, will appreciate the simplicity of this enchanting picture book.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Good Night, Me is the most perfect bedtime story! I now read this book nightly to my daughter to help her wind down and she is actually beginning to memorise the book which I think is wonderful.

We are introduced to a little Orangutang who is going through his nighttime routine and resting parts of his body starting with his feet and ending with his eyes in preparation for slumber.

This is the second children’s book I have read by Andrew Daddo now and he has a real knack for storytelling and engaging the child with his natural way with simplistic wording; it is also an easy book for Miss 7 to read and understand.

The illustrations are beautiful detailed with the orangutang relaxing each part of his body whilst in bed, the colours are muted and not vibrant – perfect for night-time reading.

Thank you to Hachette Books Australia for the opportunity to read Good Night, Me

About the author: Andrew’s published 24 best selling books for children, and one for bigger kids.

He started writing late last century, and after a pretty woeful attempt at a picture book called The Big Green Smiling Wobbly, found his voice with the Sprung! series for Hachette books.  It’s a series about a kid called Fergus Kipper and his family, and it’s really about growing up and doing the sorts of things kids do and the things they do because they shouldn’t. There are six books in the series and it’s been very successful in getting boys who don’t normally like reading into books.

Since then, Andrew has gone on to write two series of chapter books – one about a family who move from the city to the country, the other about a sleepwalking dog called Skoz.  There are two novels – Youse Two and Muffin Top – for older readers and a growing list of picture books which, as we all know, are for everyone.

Andrew’s been published in lots of different countries and languages, he’s got one brand new book called Ned and at least two (maybe three) new picture books on the way.

He talks in schools throughout the year, and does dinners and breakfasts for kids and parents to talk about the importance of sharing stories, reading and writing.  And he tells lots of funny stories!

VERY GOOD LIVES: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling

VERY GOOD LIVES: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling

Hachette Australia announces the publication of an illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement speech,Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination. The book will be illustrated by Joel Holland and will be published worldwide in the English language on 14th April 2015.

About the book:

In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University. Now published for the first time in book form, Very Good Lives offers J.K. Rowling’s words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life, asking the profound and provocative questions: How can we embrace failure? And how can we use our imagination to better both ourselves and others?

Drawing from stories of her own post-graduate years, the world-famous author addresses some of life’s most important issues with acuity and emotional force.

Sales of Very Good Lives will benefit Lumos, a charity organisation founded by J.K. Rowling, which works to transform the lives of disadvantaged children, and university-wide financial aid at Harvard University.

Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said, “I have heard and read many commencement speeches, none more moving and memorable than J.K. Rowling’s. Years after her visit to Harvard, people still talk about it—and still find inspiration in her singular evocation of the idea that living a meaningful life so often means daring to risk failure. What a powerful example she embodies, and what a remarkable gift her speech was, and is, for all of us privileged to hear it then—and to read it now.”

About the author:

J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series of seven books, published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than 200 territories, are translated into 77 languages, and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. She has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s schoolbooks within the novels: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages were published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group (now known as Lumos) and quickly became the fastest-selling book of the year. Her first novel for adult readers, The Casual Vacancy, was published in September 2012 and her first two crime novels, written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, were published in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, as well as being the founder and President of the children’s charity, Lumos, which works to end the institutionalisation of children globally and ensure all children grow up in a safe and caring environment.