Have You Seen Tomorrow? by Kyle Mewburn, Illus. Laura Bee. Pub. Puffin 25 October 2022

When I read this lovely picture book I thought of the old WW2 song “Its a lovely day Tomorrow” and I still have it buzzing around my head.

Rabbit didn’t enjoy yesterday and he feels that tomorrow is going to be great. But he can’t find it and seeks the help from his friends. Duck has seen it not far away, Bear can smell it, Tortoise can hear it, but Rabbit is still alone with his doubts.

Then along comes Wolf. What do you think can happen? read it and find out.

Lovely illustrations that make you wonder why Rabbit is so glum.

Great read aloud for pre schoolers and juniors. A likeable Rabbit and scurrilous Wolf will get children interested. helps children understand the concepts of yesterday, today and tomorrow with a theme of enjoying today while it is there.

Rosie the Rhinoceros by Jimmy Barnes, Illus. Matt Shanks. Pub. Angus & Robertson, 2021

When Rosie looks at her reflection in the mirror or in the water she sees a unicorn not a rhinoceros. Whats wrong with being a rhinoceros?

She believes her Pretty horn and dainty hooves are like those of a unicorn. She lives with a rhinoceros family who she finds “impressive but not magical like her’

Nonetheless in spite of her efforts all the other animals know she is a rhinoceros.

Rosie is very sociable and enjoys her day and especially loves the morning. After Mrs Lion and the elephants call her a rhinoceros Rosie gets her friends together to tell them she is a unicorn and shows them her pretty horn and delicate feet to prove it.

The animals all smile but will they accept her as a unicorn? read it and find out.

Great African scenes in the illustrations and a happy story about identity, difference and acceptance.

The author is none other than the rock singer Jimmy Barnes.

Mallory, Mallory. Revenge of the Tooth fairy by James Norcliffe. Illus. Emily Walker. Pub. Puffin, 2020.

This is a delightful children’s novel that is easy to read, exciting, funny and has a message for everybody.

Mallory has lost a tooth and contrives a plot to use the tooth to catch the Tooth fairy and ransom her for money. She captures the alleged tooth fairy and convinces Arthur to allow her to use his budgie cage to imprison the tooth fairy along with Bruce the budgie who doesn’t say much

Mallory is not a nice person and doesn’t deserve Arthur as a friend but the tooth fairy turns out to be something unexpected. Read this novel and find out what it is.

The Tooth Fairy of course has magic powers and takes Mallory, Arthur, the bird cage and Bruce to the land of Oralia and the action begins. There they meet the Molars, Maurie and Mollie who are giant piemakers. They also run into The Incisors and the Wisdom tooth. So yes teeth have a lot of prominence in this story.

For a novel to be successful the characters must change but will Mallory change. Loved this story from beginning to end and the illustrations by Emily Walker help enhance the story.

Read chapter 26 Major Rat’s Court, it is absolutely brilliant.

Surely an entry in the NZ Children’s Book Awards this year.

Help! I’m Moving to Mars by Lula Green.

Help! I’m Moving to Mars by Lula Green. Little And Lula Publishing, 2019.

Moving house  is always a traumatic experience for children and adults whether it be from one city to another, one country to another or in this case one Planet to another.

So it is with 10 year old Malia and her large family. Malia doesn’t want to go she will miss her friends, the things she does and places on Earth that she visits daily. Too bad she and her family are off.

The journey will take a couple of months and while there are no details of what awaits them at the other end it is adjustment to the change that is important in this short, large print, easy to read novel for primary and intermediate readers.

How would you like to be confined in a space ship with a snake and a tarantula? Fortunately for Malia she has a Z screen link with Tabitha who is the same age as Malia, and Tabitha would love to be in Malia’s position.

Drama is built up nicely as the landing on Mars is approaching but you will have to read that for yourself.

A self published work. Contact https://www.facebook.com/lulagreenbooks

Two For Me, One For You by Jorg Muhle.

Two For Me, One For You by Jorg Muhle. Pub. Gecko Press, 2019.

An insightful picture book that looks at friendship when the puzzle of 3 into two won’t go is posed, especially when food is involved.

Bear finds three large mushrooms and his friend Weasel cooks them with some style. Bear thinks he should have two because he found them and Weasel thinks he should have two because he cooked them.

Perhaps there needs to be a third party to solve the impasse. Read it and find out.

Simply told with beautiful illustrations of the characters and especially of the mushrooms. I wanted one myself. You can cook for me any day of the week Weasel.

A delight for everybody but juniors will love it.

 

Speechless by Adam. P. Schmitt.

Speechless by Adam. P. Schmitt. Pub. Candlewick Press, 2019.

This superbly paced young adult novel kept me on tenterhooks from beginning to end.

It is said that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family, this is teenager Jimmy’s problem and has been for the whole of his life.

Jimmy’s mum has a twin sister who is needy. She has a son called Patrick who is the same age as Jimmy and they have been around every important occasion in Jimmy’s life and much of other times too. Jimmy can’t stand Patrick because he ruins every event and prevents Jimmy enjoying any occasion and having friends of his own. Patrick is unpredictable and volatile and Jimmy is nearly always the victim.

Now Patrick is dead and Jimmy is told by his mother that he has to make a speech at Patrick’s funeral. He doesn’t want to, he feels even in death Patrick is beating him.

The action opens at the wake before the funeral and many people from Patrick and Jimmy’s life show up. Jimmy recounts some of the episodes that happened and he can’t for the life of him think of anything positive about Patrick to say.

Throughout this novel I was desperate to learn two things. Firstly how Patrick died and secondly what and if Jimmy would say anything.  Adam Schmitt draws you in and strings you out magnificently.

One of the best novels of late. You will feel the same as me, I bet. The ending will move you to tears.

 

Little Wise Wolf by Gijs van der Hammen & Hannecke Siemensma

Little Wise Wolf by Gijs van der Hammen & Hannecke Siemensma. Pub. Book Island, 2019.

Nobody is an island unto themselves, not even little wolf, but he acts as if he is.

Little Wolf is very bright. He reads plenty of books and all the other animals go to him with difficult questions but he hasn’t got time for all their questions.

Then he receives a letter from a very sick king wanting help. He hasn’t got time but the crow tells him that when the king calls you go.

He sets off on a long journey to the king and his friends help him on the way without his knowledge. When he finds the king he is humble about his abilities but manages to help the king.

He understands now that his friends helped him and wants to return to them a changed wolf. Now he has time for everyone and still gets done what he needs to.

Wonderful lesson for everyone.

Beautifully illustrated especially when Little Wolf is on his journey to the king. His animal friends are hidden somewhere in the full page illustrations . See if you can find them.

Lola Dutch. When I Grow Up by Kenneth & Sarah Jane Wright

Lola Dutch. When I Grow Up by Kenneth & Sarah Jane Wright. Pub. Bloomsbury, 2019.

Lola Dutch is inventive, she is imaginative and best of all she is confident. She puts her mind to the task of deciding what she is going to do when she grows up.

She tests her ideas out on her animal friends – Bear, crocodile, pig and crane. They of course let her run with her ideas and help her in every way possible as she imagines being on the stage, an inventor, a botanist an Egyptologist and many other things.

Bear puts his finger on the pulse “Lola what do you want to be right now?” Lola’s answer is the key to the whole story. Check it and find out why.

Simple text, complimentary water colour illustrations and a heroine to be admired.

Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce.

Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce. Pub. Bloomsbury, 2018.

Ellie and her friends are in middle school but Ellie is in a class of her own. She regards herself as an engineer, she wears a tool belt, designs projects and is always dismantling things or putting things together.

Ellie has a best friend called Kit and school girlfriends, who she calls The Presidents because their first names are all Presidents of USA, I wonder where Jackson Pearce got the idea? She also has boy friends who won’t let her play football with them because she is a girl.

All these friends including the boys are going to assist Ellie to build a doghouse for her friend Kit, in secret mind, for Kit’s birthday. But are they acting on wrong information? Read it and find out.

Ellie is a fine character who understands that “people who are organised are way more efficient than people who aren’t”. But she may be neglecting her people skills.

Do you know what Ding Dong Ditching is? Well the boys do it and they are going to get caught. A good section on tools in the back of the book.

Easy to read in short chapters with big font and a load of laughs. The sequel Ellie Engineer. The next Level is also out now. Great holiday reading for young middle school girls in particular. Get into it.

 

Invisible Jerry by Adam Wallace, Illus. Giuseppe Poli.

Invisible Jerry by Adam Wallace, Illus. Giuseppe Poli. Pub. EK Books imprint Exisle Publishing, 2018.

This is the sort of picture book that makes you go awwhh. It’s from a new publishing company that promotes itself as  publishing “Books with heart, on Issues that Matter”. I can’t do better than that in my review.

Jerry is a lonely boy, nobody laughs at his jokes and he never gets picked when choosing sports teams. He feels invisible. Then Molly comes with her flamming red hair and riding a unicorn play horse. She asks what he thinks, laughs at his jokes and makes him feel king of the castle.

Can Jerry do the same thing for someone else in the same predicament? Read it and find out.

Brilliant water colour illustrations that enhance the text and the loneliness that Jerry feels. You can tell what is happening without reading the text. The true test of a good picture book. Excellent for dealing with feelings with juniors..