Bindi by Kirli Saunders and Dub Leffler

Bindi, by Kirli Saunders and Dub Leffler

Title: Bindi
Author: Kirli Saunders
Illustrator: Dub Leffler
Genre/ issues: Middle grade. Verse novel. Indigenous relationship to the land and environment. Family. Bushfires.

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.

What a wonder this book is! Bindi by Kirli Saunders is illustrated by Dub Leffler and it’s as beautiful as you’d expect from his work. In Leffler’s signature muted, detailed style, the illustrations create an embracing sense of the land and community that fill the narrative. And what a narrative it is. An upper-middle grade verse novel, Bindi tells the story of a family and community impacted by the spectre of bushfires.

The use of Gundungwarra language as an inherent part of the way that Bindi sees and talks about her family, traditions and community is a powerful signal as to one of the key concepts of this book – how integral Indigenous culture is to our First Nations people, and by extension, how integral it should be to the way we (non-Indigenous) see and treat the land on which we live. I found this books incredibly moving, and I highly recommend it.

Often books that deal with potentially complex and sensitive subject matter such as this for younger readers can feel heavy-handed, preachy, or overly mature, but there’s a subtlety and sensitively to Kirli’s poetry that balances the serious and the light-hearted so incredibly well. Great for the upper primary readers in your life, right through to adult. A multilayered visual and poetic feast.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 108/100

Happy reading,

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, Poetry | LEAVE A COMMENT

December 23 2020

Nerdy babies: rocks, by Emmy Kastner

Nerdy babies: rocks! by Emmy Kastner

Title: Nerdy babies: Rocks
Author: Emmy Kastner
Genre/ issues: Picture books. Rocks/ geology. Non-fiction. Science.

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.

A lovely picture book, from what looks like a great series, Nerdy Babies: Rocks delves into the complex world of rocks around us! With language that is accessible for younger readers, it also features a great sampling of scientific language and explores the paths that a fascination with rocks can lead you on. I love a good non-fiction picture book, and whilst this isn’t up there with the CSIRO ones for me, it’s super cute and a lovely addition on a shelf for your early readers, or as a readaloud.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 99/100

Happy reading,

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

December 20 2020

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre/ issues: Urban fantasy.

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.

It’s no secret that Neil Gaiman is my favourite author, and I usually love him narrating his own work. Over the past month or so, I’ve gotten to experience The Graveyard Book as read by my all-time favourite narrator – my wonderful partner Jacob.

One of our long-distance date night traditions is us reading something together – which usually means I lay in bed with an unopened copy of the book on my bedside table, and he reads to me. The greatest joy of this particular novel was getting to share the final few chapters in person, curled up on my couch, and not separated by thousands of kilometres.

The book itself? Wonderful. One of my favourites of Neil’s (aren’t they all though?) There’s such depth and complexity to this tale of Nobody Owens, orphaned as a toddler at the hands of a mysterious murderer who would have slaughtered Bod too if he wasn’t adopted by ghosts and granted the freedom of the graveyard. A funny, smart, thoughtful and tear-filled story of life in the midst of death. Bonus review content: Jacob’s potential “serious voice actor” headshot. His work is great, but usually performed to an exclusive audience of 1. I’d recommend booking him for your next narration project but I plan on keeping him pretty busy – we have more Gaiman to get through.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 97/100

Happy reading,

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December 13 2020

Brightly woven, by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Brightly woven
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Genre/ issues: Graphic novel. Fantasy. Magic.

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.

Brightly Woven is a graphic novel adaptation of the 2010 YA fantasy novel by Alexandra Bracken. A lovely story about magic and the balance required to wield it, as well as the power in discovering your own skills. I enjoyed this beautifully illustrated narrative – a great, uncomplicated and accessible fantasy graphic for upper primary or secondary school readers.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 96/100

Happy reading,

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, Graphic Novels | LEAVE A COMMENT

November 29 2020

Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

Title: Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret
Author: Judy Blume
Genre/ issues: Middle grade/ YA. Adolescence. Family. Friends. Religion. Puberty. Relationships.

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 remember reading Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret when I was in year 7 at a catholic high school in a small country town – many, MANY years ago. I have a vague memory that there were a group of us who passed the Judy Blume books around among us, like a clandestine secret, but I can’t actually remember if they were banned from our library, or we had heard rumours about them being banned elsewhere, so we felt all renegade and rebellious. I suspect it was the latter, because I never felt restricted in my reading choices from our small country town catholic school library – I am the reader I am today in part because of the literary journeys I took whilst there.

Revisiting Margaret today was a joy. I remember feeling completely seen by her – or, rather, in seeing parts of myself in her experiences, and in the paths taken by Nancy and Laura in particular. Despite being 50 years old this year, the struggles of Margaret and her friends hold up now. I think that’s probably a testament to how ground-breaking and revolutionary it was at the time of its original publication. Thank you, Judy. I’ll be revisiting more of your work soon, I think. There are a lot of old friends I feel the need to catch up with. It’s been far too long.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 92/100

Happy reading,

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, YA Books | LEAVE A COMMENT

November 28 2020

A pile of picture books

Title: Alphabetical Tashi
Author: Anna and Barbara Fienberg
Illustrator: Kim Gamble, Arielle and Greer Gamble

Title: Old man Emu
Author: John Williamson
Illustrator: Simon McLean

Title: A walk like no other
Author: Lara Bury
Illustrator: Anahit Aleksanyan

Title: The great realisation
Author: Tomos Roberts
Illustrator: Nomoco

Title: What we’ll build
Author: Oliver Jeffers

Title: The Tree
Author: Graeme Base

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’ve been reading a bunch of picture books today – all lovely for different reasons!

I’ve always loved Tashi by Anna Fienberg, and this exploration of the alphabet provides some beautifully illustrated glimpses of some beloved Tashi characters. A wonderful way to reinforce alphabetical knowledge, with a lovely narrative tour of the Tashi universe. An utter joy.

I’m sure most Australians are familiar with Old Man Emu, and this illustrated version is super fun – I couldn’t help but sing along as I was reading through it! I genuinely laughed out loud at the kangaroo with a tan line once he loses his pants. Super cute.

My friend Lara has just had her first picture book published. I know it’s been something she’s wanted to do for ages, and I’m so proud of her! A Walk Like No Other follows Sapphire as she races home, wanting to be first but also getting distracted by all the exciting things happening in her neighbourhood. Cute and colourful illustrations, and a lovely message about running your own race.

I love Oliver Jeffers’ work, and What We’ll Build is a beautiful story of a parent and child building their future together. As is common with Jeffers’ work, it’s deceptively simple but speaks deeply and powerfully to the kind of world we want to live in – nurturing, accepting, protective and forgiving. So wonderful.

The Great Realisation started life as a poem on YouTube about what we can learn from a time of crisis. A response to Covid, and a call to reflect on what truly matters to us as individuals and as a society. The illustrations are stunning – this one is definitely going into my permanent collection.

And finally, The Tree by Graeme Base. It goes without saying that the illustrations in this are photorealistic magnificence. The story ties nicely with the themes of the other two books in this post – Cow and Duck both live in the same tree, one in the roots and the other up high in the canopy. When a big storm comes, they try to protect their home, but are suspicious of each other. Can they find a way to live together in peace?

If you’re after some great fun read-aloud books, the first three are for you. If you are looking for some picture books to add to a collection which reflects the positive benefits of a diverse and harmonious society, accepting of differences and nurturing the world around us, then the last three would all be great additions.

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 80-85/100

Happy reading,

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

October 20 2020

How to make a bird, by Meg McInlay

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,

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

October 18 2020

Picture book weddings

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, 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,

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

October 2 2020

Lumberjanes, Vol 2 Friendship to the Max

Lumberjanes Vol 2: Friendship to the Max

Title: Lumberjanes volume 2: Friendship to the max
Author: Noelle Stevenson
Genre/ issues: Comics. Mystery. Adventure. Supernatural.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, search Indies to locate your closest independent bookstore, or find it on Booktopia. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

A quick catch up post – I thought I’d posted about this, but then realised I had expected to read a lot more graphic novels last month so was going to post them all together. Instead, this was one of only 4 books I read in September. It’s worthy of its own post, regardless. I love Lumberjanes. It’s smart, funny, quirky and cool. The diversity of strong female characters gives me endless seratonin. Volume 2x Friendship tor the Max, sees the campers encounter some characters you might be familiar with from Greek mythology, but in a whole new way. Such a great comic series!

#TamaraReads #2020readingchallenge 63/100

Happy reading,

Category: Book chat, Children's Books, Graphic Novels | LEAVE A COMMENT

September 28 2020

Hollowpox, by Jessica Townsend

Hollowpox, by Jessica Townsend

Title: Hollowpox
Author: Jessica Townsend
Genre/ issues: Fantasy. Middle grade fiction.

Shop local where you can: For Australian readers, search Indies to locate your closest independent bookstore, or find it on Booktopia. US readers, check out Bookshop.org.

There’s something to be said for reading a book at the right time, huh? When I first read Nevermoor, I remember thinking it was ok but nothing spectacular. I reread it last year when I read Wundersmith, because I thought perhaps I’d not been in the right head space for it the first time around, and I was right. So, what a joy it was today to revisit this wonderful world. Hollowpox is definitely my favourite of the three books so far in this series, with its effortlessly diverse cast of characters, and complex and powerful dilemmas to be faced. I love that we got to see more of Miss Cheery in this book, and I think I’ve found a new contender for favourite fictional library.

Hollowpox deals with some pressing and timely concepts. How do we handle a virus that’s spreading uncontrollably though the population? How do we deal with the even more dangerous spread of intolerance and hatred towards those who are different? How do we decide when and how we take a stand?

This is a fascinating and lovely book, which didn’t end up where I thought it would, but I was thrilled to go on the journey regardless. Jessica Townsend has expanded further on this magical world, and I’m here for it. Hollowpox is out soon – if you’ve got middle grade or YA readers in your life who haven’t discover the joy of Nevermoor yet, get them on it!