children’s picture book | Lost in a Good Book

Thanks, Mum by Matt Cosgrove

10 May 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: aussie books, children's picture book, five stars, matt cosgrove, mother's day

Published: 1st April 2019
Publisher: Scholastic Australia
Illustrator: Matt Cosgrove
Pages: 23
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

Snuggling up for a bedtime story. Kissing a sore knee to make it better. Pushing the swing as high as the sky.
There are a million different reasons to say… thanks, mum!

This Sunday is Mother’s Day here in Australia and to celebrate I am looking at Matt Cosgrove’s new book all about the wonderful things mum’s do for us.

What I love about this story is it goes a bit beyond the simple “I Love You Mum” kind of stories you see around Mother’s Day. I love this one because it is funny, relatable, and one that shows off just how much mum does for you all with humour, rhyme, and adorable illustrations. It is sweet without getting sappy and shows appreciation without being too serious.

In true Cosgrove style the illustrations are bright and colourful, with absolutely adorable characters. There is a mix of Australian and other animals and there is even a sneaky cameo of our friend Macca the Alpaca.

The story is lyrical with fantastic and creative rhymes and whether reading out loud or to yourself it’s hard not to get swept up in the melodic tone.

This is a must for all Macca and Cosgrove fans and it is an ideal book for everyone because it’s a great story and one that is easily read and appreciated every day of the year but especially around Mother’s Day.

You can purchase Thanks, Mum! via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust

Once by Kate Forsyth

03 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

Published: 1st April 2019
Publisher: Wombat Books
Illustrator: Krista Brennan
Pages: 32
Format: Paperback
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Once, a long time ago
My grandmother’s grandmother
Travelled far, far across the seas

Kate Forsyth tells tales of her ancestors’ lives in Australia in this beautifully illustrated picture book. From the first perilous journey to a new land, to the great wars and civil rights movements, readers live through key moments in Australia’s fascinating history.

This is a beautiful story about the power of stories and the impact they have on those who listen. Forsyth tells us the story of her family and the stories they passed down as they lived through all the important moments in Australia’s history, not to mention the strength of the women who experienced them. It is a beautifully simple tale about telling your own story, and the power your own story has.

Brennan’s stunning illustrations accompany Forsyth’s words with colour and vibrancy. The full page, complex scenes are beautiful and filled with rich colours, each page telling its own visual story as well.

There are not many words or rhyme, but there is a repetition and a pattern that becomes more powerful the further the story progresses. It makes you realise that in a few generations the world can change, but it also is brought to life through those who remember it.

Forsyth’s words are simple but impactful and evoke a lot of meaning. I loved that we see the generations of now and long ago, cherished and remembered through a connection of stories.

You can purchase Once via the following

Dymocks | Amazon Aust

Booktopia | Angus & Robertson

Digger by Mike Dumbleton

26 Apr 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: ANZAC Day, children's picture book, five stars, mike dumbleton, robin crowcher

Published: March 2018
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Illustrator: Robin Cowcher
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars

The poignant story of a toy kangaroo that goes to war with a young man who doesn’t come back.

When her brother, James, went to war, Annie stitched the name Digger onto her toy kangaroo and gave him to James as a farewell present.
‘A Digger for a digger,’ she said, hugging her brother.
‘I’ll keep him safe,’ James promised.

Digger is the story of one toy kangaroo, one Australian soldier and two girls, in two countries on opposite sides of a world at war. It’s a quiet reminder of the casualties of war, and a tribute to the French schoolchildren who once tended the graves of Australian soldiers who died on the Western Front in the heroic battle for Villers-Bretonneux in April 1918.

I think these kinds of picture books are absolutely fantastic. Based off true stories, photographs, or personal family histories are beautifully pure and honest, even if they are a bit heartbreaking. From reading the dedication alone I teared up.

Crowcher’s illustrations are roughly sketched but beautiful watercolours that match the tone of this story incredibly well. The subdued colours and the outlines capture the story without needing to be finely detailed. They express beauty and peace, and show the chaos of the battlefront without ever needing to show anything traumatic.

Digger’s point of view conveys a lot of the actual conflict, his experience of the noises and the sensations. But Dumpleton doesn’t stick with this perspective as it shifts from Annie, the James, to Collette on the other side of the world. This was incredibly clever because it flows seamlessly and fits in not only with history, but with engaging storytelling.

Even though you may know the outcome, it remains a touching story because it is based on truth. It is based on these boys who went to fight in a war, who were far from home, found care in unexpected places, and the importance memories of home were.

There is nothing explicitly mentioned about injury or death, but the implications are there through other characters. I really liked this approach because it actually felt more impactful to have a different soldier bring Digger to be sent home, to have a simple sentence saying James had given instructions that had to be passed on. It felt real, it felt suitable, and it was heartbreaking.

This is a timeless book because while it focuses on WWI, it still is about soldiers who fought for this country and who are still fighting, as well as those who never got to come home.

You can purchase Digger via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

The Easter Bunny’s Helpers by Anne Mangan

19 Apr 2019 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: anne mangan, australian women writers challenge, children's picture book, easter, easter bunny, tamsin ainslie, three stars

Published: 1st March 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Illustrator: Tamsin Ainslie
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

From the author of TRUE BLUE SANTA and THE GREATEST MOTHER’S DAY OF ALL, comes a delightful Australian book for Easter.

The Easter Bunny needs help delivering the Easter eggs this year and who better to help him than some Australian animals?

This story puts an Australian touch to Easter and highlights all the wonderful things you can do during Easter time. The Easter Bunny is looking for helpers and each of the Australian animals do their best to try and impress.

The narrative is told in basic rhyme, easy to pick up the rhythm and keep it going, even if you pause to look at the fantastic illustrations from Ainslie. It is a bit wordy but nothing too complicated. I think the rhyme might have benefited from better formatting because some lines felt a bit long.

Each animal uses their skills to help the bunny. I found it so adorable than both koala and kangaroo use their pouches to carry eggs. It is expected of a kangaroo in pop culture but I was impressed Ainslie included koala’s as well.

The illustrations are lovely oil paintings, cute representations of our national animals. There is a lot of detail in the scenes but it’s also focused enough on the story that there are no extra, unnecessary distractions.

The story is sweet and the wonderful message about helping out is clear but not openly directed to the reader. It’s a cute book for the holiday with a great Australian focus that can show off our unique wildlife.

You can purchase The Easter Bunny’s Helpers via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

I Wanted a Giant Chocolate Egg but all I Got Was this Stupid Book by Merv Lamington

12 Apr 2019 2 Comments

by Amy in 3 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: children's picture book, easter, easter eggs, makoto koji, merv lamington, three stars

Published: February 2018
Publisher: Affirm Press
Illustrator: Makoto Koji
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

I wanted a giant chocolate egg but all I got was this stupid book. You too? I know just who’s to blame for this outrage. Come on, let’s go find the Easter Bunny…

Join an Easter egg hunt of a different kind in this journey from disappointment to elation. The perfect (non-edible*) gift for any kid who’s ever felt that the Easter Bunny could have done better.

*Note: this book is not made of chocolate. Sorry.

With an author named Merv Lamington I don’t know how much more Australian he could be. The story is good, funny, interactive, and a decent plot. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was fun. It would certainly entertain children with the humour and antics, not to mention the hunt for the Easter Bunny.

The narrator addresses the reader originally, or some off page character who provides hints and clues for the search for the elusive bunny. The hunt then starts all over town looking at clues the Easter bunny has left behind, running into friends who are enjoying their chocolate eggs to varying degrees of success.

I enjoyed the inception Koji creates with his book within a book, the illustrations matching their larger counterparts. The colours are vibrant and the focus is on the key characters, the background getting generic attention if any. The thick bold outlines and humorous expressions bring the story to life and give the narrative an additional layer beyond childish complaints.

This is the ideal book for kids who are unable to have chocolate or who didn’t get any Easter eggs and feel hard done by. It also helps explain rules about chocolate and dogs and with a few punny jokes in there you can’t help but laugh at.

You can purchase I Wanted a Giant Chocolate Egg but all I Got Was this Stupid Book via the following

Booktopia | Dymocks | Fishpond