I tried and tried, but I couldn’t think of a theme that would link the books for today’s Round-Up, so you’ll just have to bear with me. We have a picture book based on a classic dance hit, a fairy tale retelling for early chapter book fans and a book of stats and facts for the upcoming T20 Cricket season here in Australia. Let’s saddle up and ride into this diverse herd!
Footloose (Kenny Loggins, Dean Pitchford & Tim Bowers)
* We received a copy of Footloose from Allen & Unwin for review *
Two Sentence Synopsis:
Footloose by Kenny Loggins, Dean Pitchford & Tim Bowers. Published by Allen & Unwin, 26th October 2016. RRP: $19.99
When the zoo closes down for the night the fun really starts! A reimagining of the classic hit song featuring a crowd of dancing animals.
Muster up the motivation because…
…I’m pretty sure nobody needs a reason to bust out a few moves when Footloose comes on the radio and so it will no doubt be with this lively, colourful picture book. Let me say up front that I’m not the greatest fan of the songs-to-picture-books trend, mostly because the songs are generally awesome on their own and the added book just slows them down, trying to squish slightly awkward text into a pre-existing lyrical framework. I did find that was the case here to a certain degree. Footloose is one of the younger mini-fleshling’s favourite boogie tunes and while there were a few smiles throughout the reading of this one, she didn’t express the unbridled glee that I expected, or indeed that she exhibits when she’s throwing down the moves to the song. The illustrations are certainly inviting and animated and its obvious that the animals are having a cracking time cutting footloose. There’s also a CD that comes with the book so you can experience the tune in your own home. Overall, I think little kids will love the vivid illustrations and the general fun vibe of the book, but for me, some of the text didn’t quite work as a read (or sing) aloud, which kind of defeats the purpose of the book, in my opinion. If you are a fan of the song, you will no doubt end up checking this book out, so do let me know what you think.
Brand it with:
Dancing leads to animal frivolity, 80s dance hits, busting a move
Big Bash Book 2016-17 (Daniel Lane)
* We received a copy of the Big Bash Book 2016-17 from Allen & Unwin for review *
Two (well, one) Sentence Synopsis:
Big Bash Book 2016-17 by Daniel Lane. Published by Allen & Unwin, 9th November 2016. RRP: $29.99
A photo-filled look at the players and teams who will feature in this season’s KFC T20 Big Bash league.
Muster up the motivation because…
…if you are a cricket fan, this book will no doubt provide hours and hours of viewing pleasure…much like test cricket itself. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or in a country that doesn’t really play cricket) it will have been impossible not to notice the dramatic rise in popularity of the Big Bash League. Colourful, loud, reasonably priced and family friendly are words that describe both the League itself, as well as this high quality tome. It is well known that I have a rather lacklustre attitude towards cricket of any kind, but even I can’t help but get sucked in to the energy and excitement of Big Bash cricket. This book is much the same. While I have little to no interest in the contents of this book, I couldn’t help but pick it up and have a flick through. It is full colour throughout, with big photographs of players and teams, and I’m pleased to note that both men’s and women’s teams are featured. I immediately flicked through to the Brisbane Heat sections of the book and read up on Chris Lynn (he of the big six hitting capability), while saying a little prayer that the Heat win more than one game this season. On my flick through the book I also managed to catch a glimpse of one Jake Lehmann, sporting a moustache that is as alluring as it is disturbing. That aside, predictably, I suppose, when I left the book out in plain sight in the dwelling, it was immediately snatched up by the he-fleshling and the mini-he-fleshling, who began poring over it and discussing their memories of last year’s season (during which the mini-he-fleshling managed to attend a game at the Gabba…the only game of the season that the Heat actually won, so at least they got their money’s worth). This is clearly a niche market book but would make a fab gift for any cricket fan of your acquaintance.
Brand it with:
I don’t like cricket…(no really, I don’t); family entertainment; fun with fielding
The Spell Thief: Little Legends (Tom Percival)
*We received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley*
Two Sentence Synopsis: 
When new kid Anansi moves to town, Jack (from the Beanstalk) can’t shake the feeling that there is something shady about him. After Jack tries to prove his theory, things start going from bad to worse, and Jack must decide how far he is prepared to go to get to the truth.
Muster up the motivation because…
…as early chapter books featuring rehashed fairy tale characters go, this one is of quite a high quality. The Little Legends series features all your favourite fairy tale characters (including, but not limited to, Jack (of the beanstalk), Red (of the riding hood) and Rapunzel (with the hair)), as well as Jack’s talking pet chicken Betsy (although the only thing she can say is “Whaaaat?”). The books aren’t retellings of the original fairy tales, but rather feature the familiar characters in fairy tale-like adventures. In this story, Anansi, who those of African heritage may know as the trickster spirit, arrives in the village and is spotted by Jack engaged in mildly suspicious activity involving imps and trolls. Jack then sets out on a quest to prove his theory that Anansi is a troublemaker, but predictably ends up causing far more trouble himself. The book is illustrated throughout, which adds immensely to the story, and although the kids feel a little bit too “Disney” for my liking, the characters are all true to age and true to form, in dialogue and behaviour. There is also a satisfying mix of male and female characters here, so the book isn’t particularly skewed toward one gender or the other. I quite enjoyed the story due to the fact that it was a quick read and the action kept moving, with some interesting twists and characters that one might not expect from a fairy tale world. I think my favourite part of the world is the concept of the great Story Tree; a tree that sits in the middle of town and grows a new branch every time a resident creates a new story through their actions. As this is the first book in a series, I can imagine that the Story Tree will be sprouting a lot of new branches as the stories keep coming.
Brand it with:
Not your Nanna’s fairy tales; trick or be tricked; water-soluble solutions
It’s an unlikely collection, I’ll admit, but hopefully at least one of these tomes has caught your eye and inspired you to go out and round it up.
Until next time,
Bruce
The Bookshelf Gargoyle 
Reblogged this on zackred1's Blog.
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