Gotham's Graphic Guru

Earlier this week I had a chance to chat to Jeremy Bishop, comic book aficionado and manager of the well known Auckland shop, Gotham Comics. I took the opportunity to ask Jeremy a few questions about his enduring passion for comics and to see if he had any hot tips for Create Readers about engaging with graphic novels and what's going to be big for 2008 in the world of comics.

Q. When did you first become interested in comics?
A. I've read comics from about the age of 7, but really got into collecting
comics from about 14yrs old. I'm now 32.

Q. What is your all time favourite comic?
A. Really, James O'Barr's "The Crow". This comic got to me, the creator
being a self taught artist and his use of the medium as a way to deal with the grief over his girlfriend's death, and after that the Brandon Lee movie. It just cemented into place for me. Also Daredevil, this one started off with Frank Miller's (Sin City, 300) first run in the late 70s/ early 80s and the introduction of Elektra, but more so with the modern run by Kevin Smith
(Clerks, Mallrats), Brain Micheal Bendis (Powers, New Avengers) and Ed
Brubaker (Captain America). These modern stories just bring forward a
non-mutant superhero into difficult and trying situations. Daredevil is one
of my only titles I have to read as soon as the new issue is in store.

Q. What are your hot picks and predictions for 2008?
A. Iron Man (Movie due out May 2008), Thor, Ultimates 3, Y the Last Man, Echo (New Terry Moore comic - Strangers in Paradise), Watchmen (movie due out 2008/9), Star Wars Vector storyline & Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Q. Do you have any other words of wisdom regarding reading comics and graphic novels - especially relating to reluctant readers?

A. Reluctant readers, I've found both in Libraries and in the store
environment - like to browse, with a good selection of well-known comic
characters and some of the better written "out-there" material, everyone will
find something to spark their interest. Good examples for me in both
environment's has been Jeff Smith's "Bone", which is an easy story to start reading as it has basic art and design, but the story builds into an epic adventure and so brings the
reader along with it.

Best and Worst Children's Books for 2007

We enjoyed wine and Christmas cake at Christchurch South Library on Wednesday night while we listened to the opinions of Helen O'Carroll, Jilaine Johnson and Gavin Bishop about this year's crop of books for children (young and old).

I will not share the "worst" - what was said in the library, stays in the library!

However it was agreed that some of the best were:

Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett
Tahi: one lucky kiwi by Melanie Drewery, John O'Reilly and Ali Teo
Crusade by Elizabeth Laird
Castle Corona by Sharon Creech
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve (see new review below)
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis (Jilaine thought this would be great to use for as a book for a disaster theme study about year 8)
Shadows in the Ice by Des Hunt
Where Cuckoos Call by Des Hunt
Sleeper Code by Tom Sniegoski
Sleeper Agenda by Tom Sniegoski
The Transformation of Minna Hargeaves by Fleur Beale

And, although Gavin did not express an opinion, everyone agreed that Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley with illustrations by Gavin Bishop was definitely one of the best books of the year.

This is only a fraction of the number of books that were referred to. If anyone who was there (or indeed anyone who was not there!) feels I have left out a book that definitely should be included, please feel free to add it in the comments. See How to comment on the readers blog if you are unsure how to do this.

Here Lies Arthur

By Philip Reeve Published by Scholastic, 2007.

For those people interested in the Arthurian canon, and for those who enjoyed the Kevin Crossley-Holland series set some 700 years later, this version, set in the 6th century and voiced by Gwyna, Myrddin’s servant girl (and, when needed, ‘boy’), will be a fascinating read.

Myrddin is drawn as a cunning and tatty old travelling bard, whose job it is to put some spin on the stories of Arthurs’ bullying, brutish travels around the West Country - not just tales that will sound heroic and gallant around the fireplace, but that will build Arthur a reputation as one of Christ’s soldiers and the greatest hero of all time.

Reeve demands that we not just reconsider the oft-told glossy stories of gallant heroes, round tables and quests, but also think about the way that stories become official ‘truths’ when enough people are prepared to believe them. Year 5+.

Reviewed by Jan

Using picture books to support the curriculum

We here at National Library are pretty excited by the idea of using picture books to promote learning in areas other than literacy and enjoyment

Some of you who attended the New Zealand Reading Association Conference in New Plymouth in late September may have had the opportunity to catch the presentation by our very own National Library's Cecily Fisher entititled "Not Just a Pretty Face: how picture books can add real value to unexpected areas of the school curriculum". Cecily has the grand title of Learning Area Selector, Visual and Early Literacy - which means "She Who Buys the Picture Books for National Library". Some teachers and school librarians around the Canterbury area have also been fortunate enough to catch the talk at network meetings.

The whole idea of the talk was to outline the use that teachers can make of picture books to support all sorts of different topics in the curriculum from Health, to Technology to Change Loss and Grief.

And now there is a great resource online where you can get free resources using picture books in science. You have to register to be able to download the resources but it is all free. And it is all done by New Zealand teachers and using some New Zealand picture books. The science areas include volcanoes, bubbles and forces.

Science Postcards includes activities to discover science through literature. At the moment they have resources using only a few books, but I believe more are on their way.

The Best (and Worst) Children's Books of 2007

Presented by Christchurch City Libraries and The Canterbury Reading Association

Wednesday November 28 (tomorrow!)
South Christchurch Library
66 Colombo Street
7 – 9 pm

Helen O’Carroll (Christchurch City Libraries; 2007 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards judge)
Jilaine Johnson (College of Education, University of Canterbury) and special guest, author/illustrator Gavin Bishop, will look at a selection of the year’s picture books.

Light refreshments and raffle

(so be sure to bring your cash!)

plus a display of some of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award nominations.

Two Good Kiwi Reads for Boys

What Happened That Day by Marie Langley

The author Marie Langley has been a teacher for nineteen years and a deputy principal for seven years. I found her delicate handling of Vinni, the main character truly remarkable.

Vinni finds his life is falling to pieces when his mother decides to leave home and do the things she’s always wanted to do. Vinni runs off to the beach for a bit of solitude and discovers a BMX bike hidden in a bush which he decides to keep a secret. His dad does his best to comfort Vinni about the family situation, but things come to a head when he is teased at school by two very unsympathetic girls.

Then Vinni encounters the notorious PD. This leads to a lot of drama and a rescue.

The book however ends on a hopeful note along with some recompense for Vinni.

The story is told in the first person and that makes it a great little narrative. The theme of the book is family problems and father and son relationships. The book has a good senior primary and intermediate level.

Shadow of the Whale by Celia Davies

Nothing is ever right anymore for thirteen-year-old David!!! He does not like his parents telling him what to do and would rather have a brother instead of his sister Emma.

When David and his sister meet with an accident they awake to find that they have gone back in time. It’s 1838 and they are on a whaling station. Emma, the more resilient of the two adapts well to the situation while David struggles to accept his new surroundings and the demands that he encounters.

A very useful book on early New Zealand, whaling in New Zealand and even immigration to early New Zealand. The book is fast paced and informative. I had to chuckle at times at David. Very senior primary!!!

Both books are published by Reed

reviewed by Janice Rodrigues

Checkerboard Science Library – The Human Body Series/ Author: Kristin Petrie.

System; Nervous System; Respiratory System; Skeletal System

Each title in the series presents the facts in an informative and accessible manner. The information is targeted for students of upper primary to intermediate and combines photography with colourful diagrams, charts and graphs.
Given the complicated subject matter every effort has been made to explain topics and use correct vocabulary. A glossary page referring to highlighted words within the text help the reader, while a page titled “ Saying It” provides valuable assistance for students when attempting to pronounce medical words eg hemoglobin becomes
HEE-muh-gloh-buhn . Added to this page is information about current websites that are routinely monitored on the publishers site, providing timely information.

For a current, energised and informative look at our bodies the Human Body Series is a must for 8-13 year olds.

Check out the cover page

Reviewed by Tracy Dyett

Yo Shark Bait by Vicki Simpson

This book won the Tom Fitzgibbon Award for a first published children's book, and a fully deserved winner it is.

Rory and his friends like fishing and deep sea fishing most of all. When Rory is knocked overboard while his uncle is wrestling with a huge Mako shark, life changes for him. Fears and doubts enter his psyche which will need to be sorted by the end of the book, and they are. Throw in a mystery over who is illegally marketing fish, rivalry between boys, a fishing competition and early male/female attraction, and you have a recipe for a children's book with wide appeal.

The most believable aspects of this book are the cutting-edge dialogue between the young characters, and the excitement generated whenever the sharks are on the scene. Most appealing to primary and intermediate aged children.

Published by Scholastic

Reviewed by Bob

Pharaoh: the boy who conquered the Nile

by Jackie French. Published by Harper Colllins, 2007

Jackie French’s latest historical fiction is set WAY back in ancient Ancient Egypt. Like all her historical books, it is quite believable, and you find yourself wondering that it could indeed be true. She has included some interesting historical notes, which may encourage you to find out a bit more about the origins of the magnificent Ancient Egyptian era.

In the story, Prince Narmer suffers a terrible injury and gives up his right to the throne. He travels with a trader and a disfigured girl Nitho, and her tamed wildcat Bast. (Those of you who already know a bit about Ancient Egypt will recall that Bast is the cat-headed goddess of later years.) Narmer’s eyes are opened to the wonders of other cultures, and he wants to use his new knowledge to help people and bring peace to the whole area. But some of the leaders in the region want to keep their own power….

Reviewed by Lynn

International Children's Digital Library

We hear a lot about the digitization of books these days and if you haven't caught up with any digital collections this is a good one with which to start.

A wonderful resource for the children's literature researcher, to get ideas of books from different countries, different subjects, authors and illustrators and award-winning books.

You can even find Sione's Talo by Lino Nelisi in Samoan, Nuiean, Maori and English, Gavin Bishop's Mrs McGinty and the Bizarre Plant and a number of Kevin Boon books.

It is a fascinating website supporting books.

Numero Uno

Flown over to Melbourne at great expense, (nah, he was just passing - ed) your Create Readers roving reporter was lucky to attend the unveiling of the Myers Christmas window display in Melbourne.

And what a lavish display. This year it’s based on the book, Uno’s Garden by popular Australian author, Graham Base.

Deceptively simple, Uno’s Garden tackles the topical issue of environmental sustainability - that delicate balance between preserving the natural environment and societal development. Younger readers though are more likely to follow the fortunes of Base’s cast of fantastical jungle plants and creatures that grace and graze their way through the book.

Admire the extraordinary foldout, spot the Snortlepig, count creatures and receive a lesson in sequential numbering; it’s here in Base’s spectacular garden of delights. And if the enthusiastic gasps and applause at the unveiling (more than one million visitors view the Myers display over the Christmas period) the book looks set to become as popular as Base’s other classics, Animalia and The Waterhole.

Duet by David Hill.

Another gem from David Hill on a subject that could have offended everybody but ends up offending no-one. The subject is teenage love and the consequences for both girl and boy of teen pregnancy.

Rather than thrash out the morality of abortion David Hill looks at the life consequences for both partners in this sensitively written story. But it is not just a story of teenage pregnancy, it is a story of music both classical and rock and roll, of friendship and of families, well told with a good smattering of humour.

David Hill has got the teenage voice just right and has a range of characters that are important to the story and believable in themselves. Kallum and Paige are the two characters that readers will identify with most and their relationship is what brings the drama to the whole story.

A book for teenagers but adult readers will not be disappointed.

Published by Mallison Rendel

Reviewed by Bob

Jan's Christmas picture book favourites.

Christmas is just around the corner! Jan’s Christmas picture book favourites list may be just what you are looking for.

Great Britain:
1. The first Christmas
King James version, illustrated by Jan Pienkowski (Puffin 2006)
2. This is the star
Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe (Picture Corgi 1998)
3. One little angel
Ruth Brown (Red Fox 2000)
4. Jesus’ Christmas party
Nicholas Allan (Red Fox 1996)
5. The story of Christmas
Jane Ray (Orchard 1994)
6. Cat in the manger
Michael Foreman (Red Fox 2001)


U.S.A:
1. The night before Christmas
Clement C.Moore, illustrated Christian Birmingham (Collins 2000)

New Zealand:
1. Mrs Wishy-Washy’s Christmas
Joy Cowley (Puffin 2005)
2. A pukeko in a punga tree
Adapted by Kingi Ihaka (Reed 2001)
3. A kiwi night before Christmas
Yvonne Morrison and Deborah Hinde (Scholastic 2003)
4. A kiwi jingle bells
Yvonne Morrison and Deborah Hinde (Scholastic 2006 – includes music CD))

And for a more sophisticated reader:

The twelve days of Christmas (correspondence)
John Julius Norwich, illustrated by Quenton Blake (Doubleday 1998)

This is very, very funny........

Jan

Getting Kids Reading - Reading Challenges that Work

Most young people love a challenge, whether they are competing with their class-mates, or just reaching goals for themselves. Just like with computer games, where you strive to earn lots of points and get to the next level, and then the one after that, reading challenges can provide a real incentive to get kids reading. Here's an example from over the ditch.

Premier’s Reading Challenge
This is a literacy initiative carried out in several Australian states. The aim of the Challenge is to promote a love of reading. It is a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

Students have to read a certain number of books, usually from leveled lists provided, and keep an online record of their reading. Those (in their thousands) who have completed the challenge get a certificate from the State Premier. A combination of factors - a list of great books, the online component of the challenge, and the recognition from the Premier him/herself, helps to make this challenge a great success in getting kids reading.

The challenge works best in schools where teachers and librarians get behind it, displaying and promoting books from the list, and encouraging kids to take part. Parental support is also important. Each state's Premier's Challenge website includes teaching hints. Have a look here for an example from the NSW Challenge, and here for the Queensland Challenge's hints. On this Queensland page, I found a link to an excellent article by James Maloney on getting boys reading.

How about having a Principal's Reading Challenge at your school next year? Its the perfect time to start planning this (those school reports can wait!). Or, get together with other schools in your area, and approach your local mayor for a Mayor's Reading Challenge. As a starter for your booklist, have a look at the Whitcoull's list, for the 50 books that 40,000 Kiwi children have chosen as their favourites. Like the lists of Books Boys Buy on this blog here and here, we know that these books are the ones that children themselves are choosing.

Return soon, dear reader to find out about a homegrown Reading Rewards programme that is making a real difference in local schools.

•

What comes next?

This is a handy website to bookmark - entitled "Children's Book Sequels" this is a quick reference site that lets you search by book title or author to give you information about "other" books in a series. It also includes some good links to authors' websites.

The author of this site is happy for you to contact her with suggestions and additions - so take a peek!

Children's Book Sequels

How to comment on the Create Readers blog

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Two titles explore the polar regions

Antarctica The Big Ice. Exploration.Science.Inspiration
By Neville Peat. Published by Otago Museum, 2007

This book celebrates 50 years of New Zealand in Antarctica. The most notable features of this book are the fantastic images. The book begins with a contents page and the next few pages focusing on where Antarctica is now and its origins in Gondwana. Overall, the book is clearly formated so that each double-page has images or maps and interesting facts written in short paragraphs. It is a delight to read with several new topics covered: the International Polar Year 2008, tourism and astrobiology. Climate change and geology are also given an equal airing with other chapters. Even though there is no glossary nor index, the 71 page book is easy enough to flick through and scan relevant pages. For those who already have basic knowledge of Antarctica and are seeking to find out more about exploration, science and inspiration then this book is for you!


Survivor's Science in the Polar Regions
By Peter D. Riley. Published by Hodder Wayland, 2004

A gem of a book packed with information about what people and animals have to cope with when living or visiting the polar regions: Arctic and the Antarctic. When humans need to keep warm with shelter, clothes and food - these basics are easily explained with exciting science experiments to try. For example, which fabric is the best one to wear in freezing temperatures? Or compare how polar animals lose heat? Or testing materials for sliding and gripping when travelling across icy surfaces. See how being skilled in the science area will help you survive on an expedition and for understanding life in the polar regions. The layout is made interesting with each chapter including easy explanations, coloured drawings or photographs with fact boxes. This book would strongly appeal to primary, intermediate students including those who need ideas for the science fair.


Reviewed by Fiona

Josefa and the Vu by Tulia Thompson

You have never read a book like this before and in many ways that is quite refreshing. Josefa and his Fijian family are struggling to make a living in New Zealand. They clearly have talents but have problems at work and school. Josefa the youngest son is being bullied by Jack, the son of his father's employer. When Jack steals a whale tooth tabua from Josefa's home he invokes a battle in the spirit world that erupts into the living world of Josefa and his school friends.

This is an enlightening tale of Fijian beliefs and of the struggle islanders have in establishing a life in New Zealand.

It will not be everybody's cup of tea but it is written at some pace and has a gripping ending that will satisfy the adventuresome amongst us. Essentially for intermediate and junior secondary children.

Published by Huia You will find a teacher study guide for this book on the Huia site.

Reviewed by Bob

Nick & Norah's infinite playlist - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

"I know this is going to sound strange, but would you mind being my girlfriend for the next five minutes?' Nick has just seen his ex-girlfriend walk into the club he's playing at, and the sight of her with a new guy sends him into a spin. Norah's response to this totally unexpected query is to kiss him!

I devoured this book last night, completely caught up in the story of Nick and Norah's all-night first date. It's a night filled with passion - for punk music, dancing, life, each other. As straight edge music lovers they don't drink or do drugs, but some readers may consider the situations described and the language used to be objectionable. However, I just wanted to read more and more about Nick and Norah, and didn't want their night to end!

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a fantastic book, alternating each chapter from Nick's or Norah's point of view. Check out their website to find out more about Nick and Norah.

So what would you put on your infinite playlist?

Reviewed and loved by Fiona!

Kate Greenaway and Carnegie Medal Nominations for 2008

It is always interesting to look at the latest nomination lists and to see how many of them you have picked as winners (or even read!)

CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2008 nominations for outstanding illustrations include many well known names from Pamela Allen to Michael Morpurgo to Nick Sharratt and Helen Ward.

Michael Morpurgo's name also appears in the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2008 nomination list for his Alone on a Wide Wide Sea (see Bob's Best on this blog)

Have a look at the lists and see if you have bought them for your library!

Danger in the Dark - Horror series for intermediate/secondary high interest- low vocab readers

By Peter Lancett. Published by Ransom, 2006

This horror story, in the Dark Man series, is specially written for intermediate, junior secondary, high interest - low vocab readers. The 34 pages are divided into 4 chapters. The vocabulary is controlled and simple, and the sinister, shadowy illustrations lend atmosphere to the story of the Dark Man leading a girl with secret powers to the Old Man, but first they must walk through the bad part of the City where demons lurk.

Reviewed by Fiona

100 things you should know about deadly creatures

By Camilla de la Bedoyere
Published by Miles Kelly, 2007

What a joy to read this book about deadly creatures. The 100 bitesized facts are easily arranged on each double page. Each page has a topic heading, detailed illustrations, an "I don't believe it" box and clear consistent layouts in font and colour.

Each new fact is explained, so for example, you know what different types of teeth are used for food. There are five facts (6-10 lines to each fact) to each double page with more facts to accompany the illustration including question/answer quizzes, games and cartoony type creatures.

This book would interest both children and adults for teacher share, inquiry learning and reading on your own from years 5 upwards.

Reviewed by Fiona

Another guest author is coming to the South Island Children's Librarians' Conference, March 17 and 18th 2008 in Christchurch

British author Dennis Hamley is a prolific writer across a variety of
genres; fiction as well as information books.

Among his best known works are The hare trilogy (including Hare's
choice); The war on Freddy (shortlisted for the Smarties Award); the
Joslin de Lay Mysteries (described by Jan Mark as "...a juicily macabre
series of page turners."); and, most recently, Ellen's people, a story
of the first world war - published in England by Walker Books and soon
to be published by Candlewick in the United States.

Dennis will be presenting a session on how, during his frequent visits
to schools, he engages children with books.

This session will replace "The Big Sell: book talking with a twist"
which will now be offered as part of Wednesday's professional
development opportunities, post-Conference.

Take a look at the varied programme

Books Boys Buy (Part 2)

Here is Part 2 of this list of books that primary and intermediate boys are choosing to buy with their own pocket money. Thanks to Jacqui from Paper Plus Napier.

Humourous Books, eg:
Andy Griffiths - the newly published Just Shocking.
Other books of his, such as the series beginning with The Day my Bum went Psycho are also very popular.
Paul Jennings - his newest is Spookiest Stories. He has also written the very popular "un-" series.

For intermediate and above, especially Anthony Horowitz fans:
The Devil's Breath by David Gilman. This new book is similar to the Alex Rider books, with action on every page.
The Cherubs series, by Robert Muchamore. Action-packed, with great character development. Note that as the main characters grow up, the later books in the series have some content which may be more suitable for teenagers.

Non Fiction
This year seems to be pirate year, with pirate books outselling dinosaur books. Some popular examples are:
Pirates (Usborne Beginners)
1001 Pirate Things to Spot
The World of Pirates (Kingfisher)

The other big topic this year is castles and knights. Some popular books are:
The Usborne Book of Castles: Internet Linked
Knights and Castles, (INsider series), by Philip Dickson

Don't forget to check out Part 1 of this list, and have a look at our post about Boys and Reading.

Coming soon ... reading challenges that make a difference.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

An award winning graphic novel from America and a very good one at that.
It sometimes amazes me how much depth there can be in a graphic novel and this one fits the bill.

Three stories are told consecutively and all are linked to provide a superb ending.

The first is of a monkey god who sees his success allied with the human habit of wearing shoes. The second is about a shy Chinese boy who falls in love with an American girl and the third involves an over-the-top stereotypical Chinese boy who visits his Americanised cousin in America.

Racism is at the heart of this story which explores this subject with a great deal of humour. Asian students will love it but it is really aimed at all of us. The graphics are excellent and the text brilliant. A must-read aimed at intermediate and secondary school students

Published by First Second (Pan Macmillan)

Reviewed by Bob

Books Boys Buy (Part 1)

One way to get boys (and girls) reading is to buy the books they like, become familiar with them, and promote these books. Do a book talk, read them aloud in class or at lunchtime in the library, display in a central place and make them very accessible.

Following on from last week's post about Boys and Reading, we are pleased to bring you a list of books that primary and intermediate boys are choosing to buy with their own pocket money. Thanks to Jacqui from Paper Plus Napier for this list.

Kiwi and Aussie Bites/ Nibbles/ Chomps are always popular.

Sports Series, eg:
Toocool series, by Phil Kettle. All about Tommy Toocool and his sporting adventures. "The books are short, manageable novels with appealing illustrations supported by the rules of each sport, interviews, and more!" (From the website)
Maxx Rumble Cricket series, by Michael Wagner. (NB the Footy series is about Australian Rules Football)

Geronimo Stilton - these are currently the shop's best selling books for young boys. Colour illustrations on every page of these early chapter books really make a difference.

Horrid Henry, by Francesca Simon - this series is also very popular. A quite old-fashioned storyline, with good honest pranks.

Beast Quest, by Adam Blade (team pseudonym) - The creators of Rainbow Magic researched what was missing in the market, and were asked for a fantasy series for boys. Here it is...

Stink (Judy Moodie's younger brother), by Megan McDonald

Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey. Hugely popular with boys for many years, Jacqui says that the stories are also very well written.

Zac Power, by H I Larry. "24 hours to save the world... and tidy his room"

Watch out for Part Two of this list coming soon...

Fairy Tale Feasts. A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters

by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Semple
Crocodile books, Massachusetts, 2006

This is a collection of fairy stories and related recipes. All the stories are followed by at least one recipe. For example, Brer Rabbit is followed by a carrot soup recipe, and the Little Mermaid has Seaweed Stuffed Shells and a tomato sauce recipe. There are 19 relatively well known fairy tales, including 'The Great Turnip' and 'Cinderella' and one newly invented story titled 'Seven Hills of Sweet, all retold by Jane Yolen. Jane's daughter Heidi Semple has tested and refined the recipes.

The chapters cover breakfast, lunch, soups, dinners and desserts and side panels on many of the pages give additional information about the fairy tales and the food. For example, the note along side 'Stolen Bread Smells' tells us that there are versions of this story in 'Swahili, French, Burmese, Cambodian, Japanese and English', and gives us six facts about the history of bread.

This book is suitable for children from about years 4 to 8 to read and, with supervision, cook the recipes themselves. It can also be read to children from years 1 to 3, and in schools, ties in well with traditional stories / fairy tales, and healthy eating units.

Reviewed by Heather McVeagh

Art: Icons from Te Papa published by Te Papa Press

This book is part of a series including History, Natural History, Pacific and Taonga Māori, all featuring images from Te Papa’s extensive collections. The book starts with a brief introduction to the museum and its history, and is followed by representations of the works in their collections. It features a range of media from sculpture, painting, and design to photography, and covers a range of eras, the earliest being the year 1514 through to 2003.

Each reproduction is followed by a one page description. The book is purposely pocket sized to accompany the viewer when on site. This attractive and well produced compendium gives a great visual overview of this country’s major artists. The beautifully produced illustrations and minimal text would make this title ideal for school students, from juniors right through to secondary level. Recommended.

Click this link for other titles produced by Te Papa Press.

ISBN 1877 385 212

reviewed by Suzanne Hardy

The Marae by Warren Pohatu

Nau mai haere mai ki te marae - welcome to our marae, welcome to our culture

How often has a teacher said “Where is a good book about marae visits? Our school has one coming up next month!”

Well this is the book.

Written and illustrated by Warren Pohatu, the first part of the book goes through a powhiri from the start to the finish of the speeches. The second part describes and explains the functions of each area of the wharenui. The book is well set out, each page dealing with a separate topic. Glossaries on each page explain the Maori terms.

The Marae will be useful for classroom teaching, enabling teachers to approach the unit in a structured way.

There is a separate wall chart showing a marae which links to the book.

Check out Warren Pohatu' s earlier books:

Traditional Maori Legends (Reed 2000)
Te Tai Korero (te reo Maori version)
Maori animal myths (Reed 2001)
and his, just published, Taniwaharau -guardians of the land (Reed 2007)

These are all re-tellings of legends with text on one page and facing illustrations.

Published by Reed

Reviewed by Kathy

Three Green Picture Books

Fiction picture books with a re-cycling/conservation theme are happily on the increase, and these recent examples cover three different aspects of the topic. All contain enough factual information to make them useful and attractive additions either to classroom study or for simply raising awareness. And, most importantly, they do it with a sense of fun.


George saves the world by lunchtime by Jo Readman, illustrated by Ley Honor Roberts
is set to become a re-cycling classic. Led by his feisty Grandpa, George learns how he can save electricity; dramatically reduce rubbish; cancel carbon miles by shopping locally, etc, etc--next step World Peace, perhaps? This true Super Hero in re-cycled clothing from the Op Shop will probably manage that as well. Jo Readman's earlier book The world came to my place (2004) seems oddly in denial as far as food miles are concerned, but, like George, it has the suitably green credential of being inspired by Britain's famous Eden Project

Published by Random House


Lucy's cat and the rainbow birds by Anthony Hill, illustrated by Jane Tanner

Lucy loves her cat (Jane Tanner's superb illustrations would make it hard not to love this animal) and Lucy's cat loves catching native birds. Set in Australia, this book deals with what is an everyday dilemma for many New Zealanders, and provides a sensible workable solution... although one which the birds probably appreciate more than the cat does!

Published by Penguin

365 penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental, illustrated by Joelle Jolivet.

This is a big book in more than one sense of the word, measuring an impressive 36 x 28 cms and covering a wide range of topics, from various aspects of maths through a lot of useful penguin information to the melting of the polar ice caps. When the first penguin arrives on their doorstep by post the family are intrigued and amused. By penguin number 50 some of the shine has worn off, and on New Year's Eve ..

"..365 guests in dinner jackets were in the house.
But we had New Year's Eve (outside) on the lawn."

All is revealed with the arrival of ecologist Uncle Victor, on a one-man mission to rescue as much wildlife as possible from the melting of the polar ice caps. He takes the penguins away, to the great relief of their hosts.....But Uncle Victor has now turned his attention to the North Pole, and the parcel that arrives on the doorstep next year is MUCH larger..

American weights and measures feature briefly on one page of this book. However, these are easily translatable, and could perhaps be seen as an occasion for inquiry learning!

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Reviewed by Cecily Fisher