October 20 2020

How to make a bird, by Meg McInlay

How to make a bird

How to make a bird, by Meg McInlay and Matt Ottley

Title: How to make a bird
Author: Meg McInlay
Illustrator: Matt Ottley
Genre/ issues: Picture book. Creativity.

Happy book birthday to this gorgeous thing! How To Make a Bird is a stunning story by @megmckinlay which explores the process of creativity and bringing to life your vision. I’m endlessly in awe of picture book authors who convey such insightful messages with such a brevity of words. Combined with this is the magic of @mattottleyart’s illustration, which is utterly breathtaking, and captures the joy and hope of McKinlay’s story so beautifully. This is a gorgeous picture book and I’m glad I read it when I did – it reminded me of the power of the hope that lies within me. Highly recommended for all ages.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 71/100

Happy reading,

Tamara

 

 

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, Picture books | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 18 2020

Picture book weddings

Julian

Julian at the wedding, by Jessica Love

Title: Julian at the wedding
Author: Jessica Love
Genre/ issues: Picture book. Love. Personal expression. Queer representation.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, you can find this book on Booktopia. or support your local independent bookstore. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

Julian is a Mermaid was one of my favourite picture books last year, and Julian is back, this time for a wedding! Julian wears a gorgeous purple suit, and when he and his friend Marisol go playing in the gardens, her dress gets dirty, so Julian comes to the rescue. Featuring two stunning brides, an adorable dog, and a cacophony of colours, this book is an utter joy. “A wedding is a party for love”, this book tells us, and I love everything about it. I particularly love that the default background colour is kraft brown rather than white – it feels significant and appropriate in a book that celebrates the joy of a wedding party filled with people of colour. If you’ve not read Julian is a Mermaid, pick that up when you get this. Both delightful reads, and I hope we get to see more of Julian from Jessica Love.

Aunty's wedding

Aunty’s Wedding, by Miranda Tapsell and Joshua Tyler

Title: Aunty’s Wedding
Author: Miranda Tabsell, Joshua Tyler and Samantha Fry (ill)
Genre/ issues: Picture book. Love. Personal expression. Queer representation.

Another wedding book! Vibrant colours and a simple and accessible storyline feature in this lovely story about a family preparing for Aunty’s Wedding. It celebrates the cultural traditions of a Tiwi wedding, and includes a Tiwi language glossary at the end. Sweet and engaging- well worth adding this lovely book to your collection!

 

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 69/100 and 70/100

Happy reading,

Tamara

 

 

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, Picture books | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 17 2020

Migrants by Issa Watanabe

Migrants

Migrants, by Issa Watanabe

Title: Migrants
Author: Issa Watanabe
Genre/ issues: Wordless picture book. Migrant/ refugee experiences.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, you can find this book on Booktopia. or support your local independent bookstore. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

Migrants by Issa Watanabe is a stunning wordless picture book. Brightly coloured animals stand upright in human dress, and are forced to leave the forest. They share a tough journey as they cross borders and seas to find a new home.

This is a visually stunning and compelling picture book, that effectively portrays both the diversity and commonality of the migrant experience. Whilst there is some strong and potentially challenging imagery (the character who tells the animals to leave has a skull head, for example) there’s nothing too confronting about this book that would make it inappropriate for very young readers. Similarly, whilst the reading path is simple with a linear picture progression and no text, it provides an emotionally impactful story that could be enjoyed by older readers. Truly one of those books that’s accessible and meaningful for all ages of reader.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 68/100

Happy reading,

Tamara

 

 

Category: Book chat, Picture books | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 17 2020

Dog, by Shaun Tan

Dog

Dog by Shaun Tan

Title: Dog
Author: Shaun Tan
Genre/ issues: Picture book. Animal friendship.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, you can find this book on Booktopia. or support your local independent bookstore. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

I love Shaun Tan’s work, and one of the sheer thrills of my job is that I had the privilege of interviewing him a couple of years ago at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. His art is detailed and gorgeous, and the stories he tells are thoughtful and compelling.

Dog was originally part of Tan’s Tales from the Inner City, and has been reimagined in this stand-alone book, which represents the enduring relationships between human and canine across time and stages of life. It’s as stunning as you would expect from such an incredible artist, and I keep going back to examine each page, stroking it with my fingers to try and absorb the depth and texture he manages to bring to something that is so fundamentally 2 dimensional. If you have a picture book lover, and art lover or a dog lover in your life, this would make a perfect gift.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 67/100

Happy reading,

Tamara

 

 

Category: Book chat, Picture books | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 17 2020

Diamonds by Armin Greder

Diamonds

Diamonds, by Armin Greder

Title: Diamonds
Author: Armin Greder
Genre/ issues: Picture book. Consumerism. Diamond trade. Inequality. Corruption.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, you can find this book on Booktopia. or support your local independent bookstore. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

I read 6 picture books last night, so be prepared to be bombarded with reviews. Diamonds by Armin Greder is as complex and thought-provoking as you’d expect a Greder book to be. A child asks their mother where her diamonds come from, and after a detailed explanation of the buying and gifting process, the mother eventually mentions that they’re mined in Africa. “Where Amina comes from”? the child questions – and what follows is a nightmarish depiction of the process of diamond consumption from the ground to the consumer, with the corruption and exploitation of the industry illustrated in signature Greder style.

The majority of the story is wordless – a few pages of text at the beginning and end provide a frame for this powerful parable of the deeper impacts of greed and consumption. It’s hard to describe this book as enjoyable, but it’s certainly powerful and important. Greder’s work is always one of the ones I mention when people say that picture books are for kids!

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 66/100

Happy reading,

Tamara

 

 

Category: Book chat, Picture books, Serious Adulty Books | LEAVE A COMMENT