The Fabulous Friend Machine by Nick Bland

02 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , ,

Published: October 2016Goodreads badge
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Illustrator: Nick Bland
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Popcorn is, quite simply, the friendliest chicken at Fiddlesticks farm! When she finds a Fabulous Friend Machine in the barn, she sets about making some brand new friends. But behind the screen of the Fabulous Friend Machine, maybe her new friends are not so friendly after all…

This is a fantastic book about the innocence of using the internet as well as the dangers. Popcorn’s innocent quest to find more friends soon becomes an out of control situation she has to try and contain.

I loved that Popcorn isn’t really seen to be at fault in this, her naivety and her pure hearted intention comes up against the unruly and unregulated internet world in the “friend machine” and what happens is a great metaphor for the kind of situation to find yourself in and one a great message can be drawn from.

Being wonderfully kind and fabulously helpful is a great trait but Bland shows us that being so wonderfully kind and fabulously helpful can get you into trouble, especially if it comes at the cost of losing your real friends.

The illustrations are great, Bland made them colourful and realistic while also having a cartoon quality, especially with the personification of these animals. The line is blurred between acting natural and having human behaviours and they easily captures the everyday life at Fiddlesticks Farm.

The message not only about being internet safe, but also about not forgetting about the real world and real friends is gentle and not preachy which could have been an easy choice to make.

You can purchase The Fabulous Friend Machine via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Who’s Your Real Mum? by Bernadette Green

25 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 31st March 2020 Goodreads badge
Publisher: Scribble
Illustrator: Anna Zobel
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

‘Elvi, which one is your mum?’
‘They’re both my mums.’
‘But which one’s your real mum?’

When Nicholas wants to know which of Elvi’s two mums is her real mum, she gives him lots of clues. Her real mum is a circus performer, and a pirate, and she even teaches spiders the art of web.

But Nicholas still can’t work it out! Luckily, Elvi knows just how to explain it to her friend.

This is a great story about what it means to be a “real mum” and how having two mums doesn’t make one more real than another. I enjoyed this story because it is playful and light-hearted even though it’s about a sensitive question.

Green’s approach to this was excellent because kids have questions, adults have questions, and whether or not they are right to ask those questions it’s going to happen. Having Elvi deal with Nick’s constant questioning about her “real mum” with humour and heart is a great way to point out to Nick and the reader that there is no such thing as only one “real mum”.

I liked how Zobel’s illustrations start to capture the more outlandish answers Elvi gives. It plays into the notion that Elvi’s mums are superheros in a way being able to do all these fantastical things with a great tongue in cheek that Elvi is completely messing with Nick. The use of blues against the brown and yellows in Zobel’s pictures highlight the fanciful answers and it’s a great way to show that both mums can do these things in Elvi’s imagination. I also liked how Zobel incorporates the more creative answers in and around whatever real life activing Nick and Elvi are currently doing whether it’s playing in the park or walking down the street.

Overall, it’s a nice gentle story that points out how impolite it is to even ask such a question, but the curiosity of kids covers this and Green shows a nice friendly and humorous response to Nick’s questions.

You can purchase Who’s Your Real Mum via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Amazon Aust

I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

18 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , , , ,

Published: 4th September 4th 2014Goodreads badge
Publisher: Dial Books
Illustrator: Shelagh McNicholas
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn’t feel like herself in boys’ clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz’s story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.

This is a wonderful and easy to understand story about Jazz and her journey as a transgender kid. Jazz introduces herself to readers and tells them the story of her life being a girl but looking like a boy to everyone else.

I liked that Jazz first introduces herself to us through her favourite colours, what she likes to do and who her friends are. Only then do we learn about her being transgender. This is an important move because there are so many other things that make Jazz Jazz and when asked to tell us about herself favourite colours is the best place to start.

As Jazz tells more of her story she mentions she rarely played with trucks, tools, or superheroes and instead liked princesses and mermaid costumes. While it isn’t the best distinction to class these are “girl things” versus “boy things”, I understand for kids it might be an easier thing to understand, even if it isn’t the best phrasing.

The book offers an informative but simple story of her life and how she experienced life at school and home and how once her parents understood they started to support her. Jazz talks about the term transgender and her visit to a doctor, and also how she felt being told she was a boy or had to do boy things she didn’t want to do and how it took time for everyone to understand.

The illustrations are coloured pencil sketches and support the words on the page. There is a mix of full page illustrations and numerous smaller scenes surrounded by white page. I like McNicholas’ style, especially in this book, because it offers simple pictures for enhancement to the story and flesh out the scenes being told but don’t need to overshadow or take over the page.

This is an educational book and one I think would benefit all audiences. The range of picture books about characters/experiences being trans are useful tools as well, there is a lot of power in first hand accounts which I Am Jazz can provide.

You can purchase I am Jazz via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

11 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 1st May 2018 Goodreads badge
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Illustrator: Stevie Lewis
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

In this modern fairy tale, a noble prince and a brave knight come together to defeat a terrible monster and in the process find true love in a most unexpected place.

“Thank you,” he told his parents. “I appreciate that you tried, but I’m looking for something special in a partner by my side.”

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far from here, there was a prince in line to take the throne, so his parents set out to find him a kind and worthy bride. The three of them travelled the land far and wide, but the prince didn’t quite find what he was looking for in the princesses they met.

I love this book so much.

The story follows the same fairy tale style as you’d expect but the prince doesn’t want to choose from his line-up of princess suitors – he wants a suitor of a different kind. I love this because it maintains the fairy tale structure without diverting or changing it and instead it substitutes one character for another with no consequences.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. I cannot stress enough how beautiful Lewis’ illustrations are. They are colourful and full of depth and a few of them I even wanted to hang on my wall they were so wonderful.

This is a fabulous story and one I’m glad exists. It has all the classic fairy tale elements like a prince looking to marry, dragons, kingdoms in peril, everything you need but with some more diversity and representation.

You can purchase Prince & Knight via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Wordery | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart

04 Jun 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, LGBTQIA, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , ,

Published: 1st April 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Larrikin House
Illustrator: Scott Stuart
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

My Shadow is Pink is a beautifully written rhyming story that touches on the subjects of gender identity, self acceptance, equality and diversity.

Inspired by the author’s own little boy, ‘Shadow’s’ main character likes princesses, fairies and things ‘not for boys’… he soon learns (through the support of his dad) that everyone has a shadow that they sometimes feel they need to hide.

This is an important book for a new generation of children (and adults alike) which exemplifies the concepts of unconditional love, respect and positive parenting.

This story is a great example of defying gender norms and being your true self, also a great book showing examples of positive parenting and accepting friends. Stuart tells us that our shadows show us what’s inside, who we really are no matter what is presented to the world.

There is so much to love about this story. The fear of liking things “not for boys” is explored so well and there are so many different interpretations of what this could apply to. Stuart doesn’t specify but instead explores how whatever the reason, a pink shadow is ok and a boy with a pink shadow is not something to worry about.

The narrative is told through rhyme which has a lovely flow and it fits in and around the illustrations so you can compare and appreciate each one as you read. The themes are easy to understand for kids and the feelings of acceptance and loneliness in a new place like school are explored well and succinctly. I loved the dad a lot. His shadow is big and blue but at the same time he is anxious for his kid on their first day of school but doesn’t prohibit what they want to wear.

The illustrations are wonderful. I loved the colour contrast and the expression of the different shadows. Stuart shows how they can be their own individual self but connected to a person as well. The pink/blue scheme was an interesting choice given the theme, but as a base starting point it was clear Stuart was using well known and established gender colours to show young readers in the simplest manner about gender identity and defying gender norms.

This is a beautiful book that made me tear up at the end because from the start where there is so much uncertainty and worry, with the dad saying things are “just a phase” I was curious where the story was going. But seeing him come out and be supportive in so many different ways was amazing. It is a super adorable story that doesn’t have anything too complicated in it, the message is simple – people can be different on the inside to other people in a lot of different ways and there is nothing wrong with that.

You can purchase My Shadow is Pink via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

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