Cheerio me hearties! I’m a little bit behind on my review schedule this week, so apologies that you had to wait two extra days for this round up of worthy picture books. Since there’s no time to waste we’re going to ride straight in – yaa!
The Night Gardener (Terry & Eric Fan)
*We received a copy of The Night Gardener from Allen & Unwin for review*
Two Sentence Synopsis:
William looks out his window one night to discover that the hedge in the yard has been sculpted into a beautiful owl shape. As the days continue, more hedge shapes appear around the town until William discovers the secret and begins to share in the work of the night gardener.
Muster up the motivation because…
…this is an atmospheric picture book with a story that unfolds through the imagery as much as the text. Not to be confused with Jonathan Auxier’s middle grade novel of the same name, this book contains many visual cues and clues for the keen-eyed reader to collect on the way to a charming finish. The palette of deep greens and blues, alternating with sepia page spreads highlights both the sense of mysterious night-time gardening and the historical setting of the characters. The colour palette changes as the story progresses and we are treated to the glorious browns and golds of autumn, the sweeping whites and greys of winter and the bright, busy colours of spring and summer by the end of the tale. The mini-fleshlings were mildly interested in the story of William discovering the identity of the night gardener and taking on the secret himself, but were entranced by the illustrations. This edition came with a dust jacket featuring the cover image above, that hid a beautifully etched drawing of leaves and lawn tools on the hardback cover, and some gorgeous line-drawn endpapers. The Night Gardener is a visual feast and will bring to life the sense of adventure that goes along with discovering a secret for your mini-fleshlings.
Brand it with:
Terrific topiary; hedging one’s bets; walks in the moonlight
Lucy’s Book (Natalie Jane Prior & Cheryl Orsini)
*We received a copy of Lucy’s Book from Hachette Australia for review*
Two Sentence Synopsis:
Lucy loves visiting the library and always checks out her favourite book. When Lucy tells her friends about the book, they check it out too and take it on all sorts of adventures…until the book is no longer able to be borrowed.
Muster up the motivation because…
…this is one for the book lovers, the library lovers and the lovers of unexpected discoveries that stay with us forever. If you’ve ever had the experience of finding a wonderful book at the library and have had to come to terms with the fact that other people are also allowed to borrow it, take it away and – gasp! – possibly damage it, you will definitely relate to Lucy here. As well as the immense joy that Lucy gets from sharing her favourite story with her friends, and thus multiplying the level of joy she finds in the book, there is also the lingering sense of irritation that she doesn’t get to have the book with her all the time. When Lucy arrives at the library one day to find that the book is no longer in circulation, and subsequently, out of print – oh the horror! – Lucy discovers that while other books and stories may temporarily fill the gap in Lucy’s bookshelf, nothing will ever plug the special story-shaped hole in her heart that the disappearance of her favourite book has left. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it will restore your faith in the support found in the bookish community and have you believing the claptrap that The Secret tries to have us believe. This is definitely one for the mini-fleshling of your acquaintance who has that special appreciation of time spent with a favourite story.
Brand it with:
Lost and found; Try Abebooks; Neverending book club
Little People, Big Dreams: Marie Curie (Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Frau Isa)
Little People, Big Dreams: Agatha Christie (Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Elisa Munso)
*We received copies of both of these titles from Allen & Unwin for review*
Two Sentence Synopsis:
These two books are from a series of narrative nonfiction picture books about the lives of famous women. Other books in the series focus on the lives of Maya Angelou, Emilia Earhart, Ella Fitzgerald, Audrey Hepburn, Frida Kahlo and Coco Chanel. You can check out the full list of titles at Goodreads here.
Muster up the motivation because…
…these little gems are the perfect way to introduce mini-fleshlings to the biography format and the lives of some truly inspirational ladies in an engaging way. I originally requested the Agatha Christie one for obvious reasons, but was sent both and I am highly impressed by the quality of information and the gorgeous illustrative styles. Each book seems to be illustrated by a different person, so while the books are part of a series, each book has its own individual style.
Little People, BIG DREAMS: Agatha Christie by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Elisa Munso. Published by Allen & Unwin, 22nd February 2017. RRP: $18.99
Agatha Christie’s edition relies heavily on black and white with splashes of red and a certain Deco flair. I particularly enjoyed the page recounting the number of books Christie wrote, accompanied by an image of the lady herself looking over a field of tombstones – each carved with the name of a victim from her novels! Marie Curie’s edition is awash in shades of blue, green and brown and cleverly, yet subtly, highlights the struggles of Curie as a woman making her way in science. I actually learned a lot from this little picture book. I knew the basics of Curie’s life of course – her work in discovering radium and so forth – but expanded my general knowledge in discovering that she is the only woman to have so far won two Nobel Prizes in two separate subjects – Chemistry and Physics. Each book also includes a short timeline at the end featuring actual photos of the women along with some important dates in their lives and a quick overview of their lives in traditional non-fiction style. If you have a mini-fleshling about the place who is interested in nonfiction (or even one who isn’t, because these don’t read like your typical nonfiction picture books), you should definitely leave some of these lying around in plain sight.
Brand it with:
All the awesome ladies; little people, big brains; narrative nonfiction
Where’s the Ballerina? (Anna Claybourne & Abigail Goh)
*We received a copy of Where’s the Ballerina? from Allen & Unwin for review*
Where’s the Ballerina? Find the Hidden Ballerina in the Ballets by Anna Claybourne and Abigail Goh. Published by Allen & Unwin (HardieGrantEgmont), 25th January, 2017. RRP: $19.99
If you have been waiting for the day when information about classical ballets is combined with a search and find picture book, then wait no longer! This book retells the stories behind famous ballets from around the world along with fun search and find scenes related to each ballet.
Muster up the motivation because…
…as well as a fun search and find book, this book cleverly provides brief, illustrated retellings of famous ballets from around the world. From Swan Lake and the Nutcracker to India’s La Bayadere and Spain’s Don Quixote, each ballet is retold in a beautiful double page spread, and followed by an eye-popping double page illustration in which mini-fleshlings are encouraged to find particular characters. The double page illustrations bring to life the colours and settings of each ballet, so young readers can clearly see the differences in each story and come to understand that not all ballet involves pink tutus and dying swans. This would be a fantastic gift book for a young one who is entranced by dance and wants to know more about ballet in particular, while enjoying a fun activity at the same time. Similarly, this would be a great book for a classroom library, to trick entice youngsters in with a search-and-find activity before they realise they are actually learning something.
Brand it with:
Dance like someone’s scrutinising every page; international ballet; fun with tutus
Clearly you will forgive my lateness in posting given how stunning these titles are and I will graciously accept that forgiveness and promise not to get behind on my schedule again. Until the next time I have too many books and not enough time.
Tally ho my friends!
Bruce
The Bookshelf Gargoyle 
Will you STOP telling me of more books I’d like to read!
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At least these are picture books, so don’t take up too much time!
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