4 Stars | Lost in a Good Book

That’s Not A Good Idea! by Mo Willems

14 Jun 2019 2 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, four stars, mo willems

Published: 23rd April 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Illustrator: Mo Willems
Pages: 42
Format: Paperback Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Star

One day a very hungry fox meets a very plump goose. A dinner invitation is offered.

Will dinner go as planned? Or do the dinner plans involve a secret ingredient…?

(Don’t forget to listen to the baby geese!)

This is a creative story that works on nursery rhyme tropes but does so in an interesting way. Willems subverts your expectations and plays with conceived notions, and I loved how there is the little voice of reason from the chick about the dangers and why everything that happens is really Not A Good Idea.

The illustrations cleverly resemble the book version of a silent film, complete with the black screen and decorative border. It affects the way you read it, reading the words then seeing the picture, imagining it playing out as a movie. The text is clear and conversational and Willems makes reading easy and the layout brings the words and the illustrations together.

I can see kids loving this, it’s funny and surprising and a fun read.

You can purchase That is NOT a Good Idea! via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository | Dymocks

Angus and Robinson | Wordery

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Did You Take the B from my _ook? by Beck and Matt Stanton

07 Jun 2019 3 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, The Picture Book Corner Tags: #aww2019, australian women writers challenge, aww 19, aww 2019, beck stanton, children's picture book, four stars, matt stanton

Published: 21st March 2016
Publisher: ABC Books – AU
Illustrator: Beck and Matt Stanton
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Ok. Two things you need to know. Firstly, your favourite thing in the whole world is the letter B. And secondly, you’re about to sneeze and all the Bs are going to be blown out of the book. So until you can get your favourite letter back, you’re about to sound really, really silly …

This is ideal to read aloud as it provides a great chance to make silly noises and say silly things. The book certainly lives up to the claim that it will drive kids crazy because it’s interactive and funny and gets sillier as it goes along.

I liked the simplistic format and the changing colours of the pages. I enjoyed as it became more dire with the missing letter than the previous words came into play which makes reading it aloud more of a challenge and certainly funnier to hear.

The chance to let kids yell things out and have input in a story is rewarding and it teaches them about words that start with B at the same time.

I think the Stanton’s have done an excellent job creating an enjoyable story that both kids and adults can love and it’s clever which is always a bonus with picture books.

You can purchase Did You Take the B from my _ook? via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Jacob’s Toys by Claudia Woods

31 May 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, The Picture Book Corner Tags: #aww2019, australian women writers challenge, aww 19, aww 2019, children's picture book, claudia woods, four stars

Published: 1st May 2018
Publisher: Harbour Publishing House
Illustrator: Claudia Woods
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Jacob tells his mother that he is too old for soft toys and he wants to give them away. His mother washes them and hangs them on the line to dry. But wild weather sets the toys free and sends them on an exciting adventure across the garden.

What will become of the toys? Will they make it to their new home safely?

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author

Woods has written a great story not only about the adventure of lost toys, but also one about maybe not being quite as ready to grow up as you might think you are. When Jacob decides to get rid of his toys he doesn’t realise it is about to send them on a dangerous journey through the wilds of the backyard.

It is a story about the various perils the toys face and what they must endure to get back home. The story is told with repetition and rhyme, the toys names being repeated over and over with a few variations as their adventure dictates. This creates a wonderful melody and rhythm as you read that flows from start to finish. The toys are often at the mercy of the weather or their circumstance but there is still a great adventure to be had.

It is not only the narrative that tells the story, the text and font is designed to add emphasis and intent to the words. With colours, drawn out words and various formatting styles it makes reading engaging and fun.

I liked that the toys accepted their move, there wasn’t a deep personification of the toys, but they still were self-aware enough to know what was happening. I can certainly see kids having favourites out of the toys, though they are all given the same standing, described in a collective bunch rather than separating them.

One of the most notable things about this story is the illustrations. They are a creative combination of different materials; Woods uses pencils, paint and a wonderful mix of natural and recycled components to show off the toys’ adventures. The colours are also bright and pop off the page and when you take the time to study each page you realise how detailed and clever they are. The combination of materials is a unique change from typical illustrations and the addition of a “look and find” feature also provides a fun element while you read.

Overall it was an enjoyable story enhanced by the fabulous illustrations and the creative formatting. One that will be fun to read time and time again.

You can purchase Jacob’s Toys via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Angus and Robinson | Fishpond

The One by Kaneana May

28 May 2019 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Romance Tags: #aww2019, aussie books, australian women writers challenge, aww 2019, four stars, kaneana may, romance

Published: 17th June 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 352
Format: ebook
Genre: Romance
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Fall in love like nobody’s watching…

On the wrong side of thirty, Bonnie Yates wants a happily ever after. Problem is, she keeps choosing the wrong guys. When an ex returns to town with a fiancée in tow, history and temptation collide. Unable to shake her inappropriate feelings Bonnie flees, becoming an unlikely contestant on popular dating show The One. Will she find what she’s looking for?

Working behind the scenes, Darcy Reed is a driven young producer, dealing with a tyrant of a boss. Despite being surrounded by love at work, her own love-life with long-term boyfriend Drew is floundering. Producing a flawless season is her best chance at a promotion. But with the unrelenting demands of the show, how will she save their relationship while making that shot?

Penelope Baker has relocated to a small seaside town to hide away with her secrets and nurse a broken heart. But with The One beaming across the nation’s televisions, she can’t seem to quite escape the life she left behind…

Before cameras roll on the final ceremony, all three women will discover just what they’re willing to do in pursuit of the one…

Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

This a wonderful story about the different types of love and the unexpected ways you find someone. I loved the different characters and their journeys. Their voices were honest and while they certainly were foolish at times, there is a great human flaw to them. There’s a strange mix of predictability, but also the uncertainty that the story would go in that direction.

There are multiple character perspectives and May seamlessly transitions between them within the same chapter. I was never confused about who the focus was on and it shifted like a camera focus remarkably well. Bonnie is a great character because while she is hopeful and idealistic in her search for love, she is flawed as a result. I wouldn’t call her naïve, but she is idealistic maybe which then affects her actions.

Darcy was an interesting contrast because while I could see where her story was going, I enjoyed the journey we took to get there. May teases it out so that you have all the information and the history without any of the drama involved. I liked this method because it didn’t rely on the dramatics or the conflict, it made it real based on her story and experiences.

Penelope’s role is slightly smaller but I enjoyed her narrative. She brings a great mystery into this love story and following her secretive life allows for a lot of theories to swirl through your mind. The secondary characters were just as well developed as the key players and May knows when to bring a shift to character personalities which make you see them differently. It was amazing to see my own perspectives of them shift within a few key sentences and how the same actions could be reinterpreted.

There are a lot of different romantic relationships happening through this story and while some are inevitable, others are a nice mixture of complexity and realistic development. I really enjoyed all the different relationships and friendships May explores. I wasn’t expecting this story to have as much depth as it does. It isn’t as light-hearted as one would expected but that also doesn’t mean there isn’t wonderful romantic and heartfelt moments. For a book centred around a reality show about finding the love of your life, there is a great exploration of the different types of love and discovering which one works best for you. Even if you aren’t a fan of The Bachelor or those types of shows you will still love this behind the scenes look about what happens to those looking for love. A great read.

The expected publication for The One is 17th June 2019. You can pre-order via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Angus and Robinson | Fishpond

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

The Frankenstein Adventures by Bil Richardson

16 May 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Fantasy, Junior Fiction Tags: adventure, bil richardson, fantasy, four stars, junior fiction

Published: 3rd October 2018
Publisher: Creator Studios
Pages: 136
Format: ebook
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

This is the story of Frankenstein told from the vantage point of Igor, the bumbling, brave boy who will risk everything to save his master’s flawed creation. Hilarious and heart-warming – this is a book that will make you stand up and cheer one minute and fall down laughing the next. Igor’s heart is in the right place even though parts of his body aren’t. He is a loveable, lopsided fellow who has more courage and strength than any of the adults who look down on him. When things go wrong with his boss’s “experiment,” Igor sees it as his duty to save the day – even though most days he is the one who needs saving. Our hilarious hero has to overcome enormous odds on his mission to rescue the most important achievement in human history – the creation of life. Follow Igor on his amazing adventure to prove that he is more than just a not-so-pretty face.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author for review.

The blurb is slightly misleading, and while there is truth that Igor does set out the save his master’s creation, the story is not entirely his as the third person perspective offers insight into many different characters, new and old. While it is a retelling of the traditional Frankenstein story, Richardson takes it further and it becomes a story about family, friendship, and discovering the monsters of the world are not the most obvious.

The writing is straightforward but weave a detailed and in-depth story. The tone is one kids will love; Igor and the other characters are funny, there’s snark and drama and puns, and seeing the domestic side of Frankenstein brings in all the scary, gross, fun kids will love. Where Richardson shines is that while it is light-hearted and silly, there is also heart and warmth.

The first part of the narrative retells the original story with a few extra twists and characters to get to know. We follow Frankenstein’s monster as he flees the castle, we see locals as they hunt after him, and we follow the angst of Igor and his master as they work out what to do. From there we see the story continues through the eyes of various characters as the story moves into one of friendship, jealously, and drama.

The tone is suitable for the intended age group but there is no hiding from the scientific methods or descriptions either. We know Frank is burned, with scars and the traditional story is but a lot of the elements are there about violence too. The characters are sweet and endearing once the story gets going and you see the emotion and their misguided goodness. The violent side is restrained but regular but you see the good versus evil in each altercation and know who the bad guys are.

Richardson demonstrates that Frank (as he’s named himself) is not the real monster, nor is Frankenstein either. There are messages in there about kindness and being a friend and how monsters are made by people and what blind judgement can do. There is also a fantastic message about what makes a family. A great story for kids to enjoy where they can experience the Frankenstein story without delving right into Shelley’s horror masterpiece.

You can purchase The Frankenstein Adventures via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust