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.

School by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins

School by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins takes a comical look inside British schools. It puts kid types under the microscope analysing the school bully, the teacher's pet, the creep, the cry baby, the blabbermouth (you know...the walking megaphone) and of course the goody-goody who presides in every classroom. And please let's not forget those kids who are just plain evil! Every school has those dark and sinister beings courtesy of the today's growing number of disfunctional families. Then there are the dunces, the smokers, and the zombies, and just plain bonkers, known as the twits. You can also explore the curriculum looking closely at lessons and learning. What does clock watching mean?  What does an "x" on your work really signify? Then there is the horror or horrors; the dreaded homework! School would not be complete without nits and zits, now what does that mean for you? This book even has an instructional text on how to deal with those annoying pimples and abscesses. But beware: this section is not for the light-hearted.  If you are not sure on how to conduct yourself, refer to the very informative section  called Mind Your Manners and learn how to socially acceptably deal with burping, boogies, flatulence and excessive snot. Learn what to do when the classroom budget is blown and there are no tissues. The teacher types and traits section is equally entertaining and you are sure to be able to classify your teacher. As for punishments, the mind boggles! Decide for yourself the relevance in this day and age of the cane, lines, detentions, reports and of course the age old tradition of expulsion which simply means everyone in a position of authority has  run out of ideas. The labelled illustrations only add to the fun. read a copy of School today and get ahead! The end papers are just as entertaining, especially at the back. Hmm, I can remember writing at least a thousand times in Miss Vickers class "I must not swing on my chair."

Keri the wonderful kiwi who flew by H.R.Hopkins

Keri the Wonderful Kiwi Who Flew is a beautifully illustrated New Zealand publication of 1969, by H.R. Hopkins. It has been  written in rhyming couplet verse and is all about Mother Kiwi and Father Kiwi who produce an amazing offspring. The story begins with the hatching of Keri who was incidentally named because of the first sound he made: KK-EEE-RRRRR-IIII. On the day his parents kick him unceremoniously from the nest, they discover he has fully fledged wings, but decided that even though he is definitely "queer," they will ignore jibes he might endure from his flightless relations. Then, one day after foraging for food Keri becomes lost in the forest and has to spend night under a log. The following morning he is  rudely awakened to the barks of the super-sniffing farm dog Ranger. It's then that all hell breaks loose and Keri decides to finally use his wings, although  it seems this will result in further grief. The book is a pleasure for children and adults alike and illustrations abound throughout the book.

But Keri flew on in his wobbly course.

He was seen by some girls and a man on a horse.

The girls were out gathering mushrooms for Mum,

And they got a surprise when they saw Keri come.

The Little Worm Book by Janet & Allan Ahlberg

The Little Worm Book by the well-known author/illustrators Janet and Allan Ahlberg, which was first published in 1979, is a tongue in cheek study of worms for little kids with a subversive sense of humour. It looks at the physical characteristics of a worm, worms as pets and what to look out for when buying your first worm, worms around the world, and worms in warfare. My favourite section is the main health hazards which a worm faces:

So if you want something light-hearted which would provoke a lot of philosophical discussion about worms, then this is a great book to share with anyone really, except maybe a blackbird. Just remember worms makes good pets, being more loyal than snails, much more fun than a slug and less liable to fly away than a ladybird.

Flashback the Amazing Adventures of a Film Horse by Gillian Rubenstein

The  novel Flashback the Amazing Adventures of a Film Horse, by Gillian Rubinstein, deals with the trials and tribulations of Antony Abel who was leading a very mundane but safe existence with his very conservative great aunt and uncle on a property of some  two hundred acres called Oonoobooloo.  The one real joy he has in life is his pony, Flashback, whom he has only just started to train.  After an unfortunate accident  on his beloved pony, Antony  loses his memory and  finds himself hanging out with stuntmen, Doggo Slim and Pablo Pequeno (Small Paul),  from the film company Tasman True Productions. They are currently working on a film with the narcissistic and greedy actor, Tasman True, whom even the director Oliver Bolivar can't control. Tasman True insists that he needs someone to play his double to make the dare-devil leap across the very wide gap at Desolution Gorge. I must admit I found this book a bit hard-going in terms of interest stakes, but if you like rough riding and eccentric characters and improbable plots,  then maybe you will enjoy this novel.