Pilgrim by Jo Oliver

A boy's first time on the sea with his father in their boat Pilgrim is a journey of wonder, intimacy and at the same time a celebration of the legacy of  past Australian war heroes. It is primarily about a spiritual journey and the idea of arriving home safely; a father and son moment as they set out on their first fishing trip together in a boat the young boy's great grandfather (an ANZAC) built. This book was produced primarily to commemorate ANZAC day and the beautiful lino print illustrations tell it all. The young boy protagonist attempts to come to terms with his fear of the sea and is able to appreciate his new experience. This book reminds me so much of another picture book by Peter Goldthorpe called First Light, although that particular book does not have war references. 

Lone Pine by Susie Brown & Margaret Warner

Lone Pine by Susie Brown and Margaret Warner is an emotionally charged picture book which focuses on the Battle of Lone Pine, the loss of life, and the ramifications it has on the home front which was a very lonely existence of waiting for many women whose sons and husbands had gone off to war. It is also a book about remembrance and the tree which lives on today in various propagated forms as a symbol of hope and endurance. The book is based on a true story. The story commences in Turkey in August 1915 at the well- known Battle of Lone Pine describing how the trees were used by soldiers on both sides to disguise and protect their trenches. At the heart-wrenching conclusion of the battle a brother collects a pine cone to send home to his mum. Some time later on the mum takes the cone from the drawer where she has kept it and plants out some of its seeds. She nurtures three saplings which have grown from the seeds, but only two survive, just as only two out of three of her sons returned from the war. One tree is planted at Inverell where the boys grew up and the other at the Australian War Memorial in 1934. Today, the pine at the memorial it reaches over 20 metres in height. This book beautifully illustrated by freelance artist Sebastian Ciaffaglione is a welcome edition to my war literature for children collection. Click on the link below to appreciate some of his amazing works of art:

http://www.sebastiancreative.com/index.php?/gallery/picture-books/

Arno the Garbo by Gary Crew & Craig Smith

Arno the Garbo by Gary Crew and Craig Smith is an off-beat book about a boy who basically, smells like and looks like garbage. You see Arno lives smack bang in the middle of a tip and this of course makes him the target of many jokes at school where he is known as Rat Head, Stink Bum, and Arno the Garbo. Academically, his performance is dismal and he has no friends. In fact his only consolation in life is his ability to make amazing inventions out of garbage. One day he decides to build a mechanical boy in his own image; the replica turns out to be smart, heroic and popular with the girls, and best off all minus the junkyard pong. This is certainly not in my top five favourite Gary Crew books, nevertheless the quirky illustrations by Craig Smith are up to his usual standard with many jokes to be had from the illustrations.

Magic Eye A New Way of Looking at the World by N.E. Thing Enterprises

Magic Eye mania hit Australia in the early 1990's and was a popular craze in Japan. You can stare into the seemingly abstract fields of colour and a 3D image will materialise. You don't need any funny glasses! Some students will get the hang of it straight away whilst others will have to work on their viewing technique for quite a while. Grab this book off our bookshelves and start training your gist for deeper vision today. Some simple instructions for how to achieve a good viewing outcome are available on the back of the book.

November and the Truffle Pig by Joan Smith

November and the Truffle Pig, published in 1977, and set in France  takes the reader on a journey into the truffle producing landscape of France, around Rocamadour. It revolves around Jean-Paul and his pig, Pogie,  who was once the runt of the litter and who must now earn her living as a truffle-hunting sow after the death of the family's old truffle pig, sniffing out these precious and rare money-earning delicacies.  Failing this, she will become pork slices in the local butcher's shop. Pogie is a slow learner, so it seems. Grandpere says, "She has nostrils of cement." Jean-Paul is beside himself, that is until he learns of a miracle which could save her life. This little novel really captured my attention as recently I enjoyed six weeks in France and spent a few days in the famous cliff-hanging village of Rocamadour. The ink drawings sprinkled throughout the text are magic, especially if you have ever spent any time in beautiful Perigord.

Rocamadour

Rocamadour as I remember it 2011

The Magic of Verse with poetry selected by Carol Odell

The School Bus Breaks Down is one of my favourites in this compilation of Australian poetry called The Magic of Verse.  I remember learning this poem for an Eisteddfod when I attended Ulverstone Central Primary School...and since I caught the bust to school for half of my school life, it holds a special place in my heart. The chance of missing even one lesson as a result of a bus breakdown was an extremely exciting prospect. This book also contains poetry by C.J. Dennis, Mary Gilmore, L. Porter, Judith Wright, Lydia Pender and Pixie O' Harris.  And of course, no compilation  Australian poetry could possibly be complete or considered seriously without at least one entry from A. B. Patterson. The illustrations by one of Australia's most respected and admired illustrators, Noela Young, are  welcome additions to the poems.

The Most Important Building in Town by Garry Hurle & Mali Moir

The Most Important Building in Town written  by Garry Hurle and illustrated by Mali Moir, is based on a very unusual topic. It is all about a dusky wood swallow spreading the news about the most important building in town. The town pigeons can't decide which building it could possibly be. Could it be the cinema, the fire station, the town hall, the church, the post office, the railway station, the department store, the medical clinic, the museum or perhaps the bank? The little swallow takes them along to the building and all is revealed, especially the power of the written word. The pigeons have to come to terms with the Mincemeat the lethal-lunging feline and work together with fellow animals of the town to convince Mayor Morogetti that the building is not " a terrible waste of council money." The text is quite dense and is suitable for independent readers 7-12 and the intricate illustrations by Moir bring a refreshing vibrancy to this story. The ending is sad and will be predicted by more capable readers.