Tag Archives: #ChildrensLiterature

Bringing Children’s books to life

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When a story is lifted from the pages from a book to take life in another form (film, theatre production or a television show), I don’t know about you but I often hold my breath. Sometimes it can soar from the pages and sometimes….well, it can crash (let’s be honest).

With school holidays knocking on the door, we find two of our favourite childhood classics have been converted to film: Yet another Peter Pan adaptation is released in Pan and the all-time Australian favourite Blinky Bill.   If you are thinking of taking the kids to see either of these movies this school holidays, it’s a great opportunity to read the books first so you can discuss differences between the two.  We’re also super proud of Tim Minchin’s production of Matilda, showing to rave reviews!

Here are some other great book to movie adaptations: http://www.tipsonlifeandlove.com/parenting/kids/12-great-films-based-on-beloved-childrens-books

The Adventures of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

https-::covers.booko.info:300:peter

We all know the story: a mischievous boy that never grows up and leads a band of ‘lost boys’ who have adventures battling pirates and occasionally meeting ordinary children when they venture outside of Neverland.  This publication from Boomer Books is specially designed and typeset for comfortable reading.

 

 

 

Pan, directed by Joe Wright

Set as the prequel to the Peter Pan story we all know, this is the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny – to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan. (IMDB)

https-::covers.booko.info:300:blinkyThe Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall

Similar to Peter Pan, Blinky Bill is also a mischevious boy (just in the form of a koala). He is a national icon and one of Australia’s most well loved and best known characters. His friends are well known Australian animals such as his kangaroo friend Splodge, his platypus friend Flap, Marcia the marsupial mouse, and his mentor Mr Wombat or Wombo, as Blinky prefers to call him. In general throughout the stories he does things that are realistic for koalas as well as things that child readers would like to do. The author speaks directly to the reader through the stories.  Great for younger readers.

Blinky Bill: The Movie

Blinky Bill is a koala with a big imagination. An adventurer at heart, he dreams of leaving the little town of Green Patch and following in his explorer father’s footsteps. Mr Bill went missing in the Outback some time ago and Blinky is the only one who believes his father is still alive.

When Blinky discovers a mysterious marker that hints at his Dad’s whereabouts, he embarks on a journey that takes him beyond the boundary of Green Patch and into the wild and dangerous Outback. He quickly makes friends with Nutsy, a zoo koala, and Jacko, a nervous frill-necked lizard.

Pursued relentlessly by a vengeful feral cat who has a personal score to settle with Blinky, the trio must learn to work together if they ever want to survive the rugged Australian landscape and find Blinky’s father! Source: blinkybill.com.au

Make sure you download the app so the kids can add Blinky Bill characters to their photos and movies!

https-::covers.booko.info:300:matildaMatilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda Wormwood’s father is a mean crooked crook. And her mother’s just plain stupid. They think Matilda is a nuisance who should watch more TV and read fewer books! But her lovely teacher Miss Honey thinks Matilda is a genius. Matilda has a few extraordinary tricks up her sleeve, so her horrible parents and even more horrible headmistress had better watch out.

 

Matilda the Musical, music and lyrics by Tim Minchin

Matilda The Musical is the multi-award winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

Winner of 50 major international awards, including 12 for Best Musical, Matilda continues to delight audiences both in London and on Broadway before arriving at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from July 2015.

 

 

Inside Out

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Inside Out is Disney / Pixar’s big mid-year movie release.  This engaging story about a young girl and her five emotions (Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger and Sadness) has been praised for its accurate portrayal of psychology, and its positive messages about the value of different emotions.

If the children in your life are interested in, or have enjoyed Inside Out, this can be an opportunity to discuss how to recognise and manage emotions.  Here are some additional resources, suitable for different ages, to help you further that conversation.

For the youngest children: 

When I’m Feeling Lonely by Trace Moroney (and other titles)
Trace Moroney has written a series of picture books, each focussing on a single emotion (such as anger, jealousy, kindness, love).  She uses a bunny character and lots of descriptive language to help children understand what each emotion means, and how to deal with it.    Each book also contains teaching notes written by child psychologists for carers / teachers.

My Big Shouting Day by Rebecca Patterson

My Big Shouting Day won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and it is easy to see why.  Bella is having a Big Shouting Day because nothing seems right – it’s either too hot, too cold, too wet and even too minty!  Luckily, her very patient mum reminds Bella that everyone has those days sometimes, and that things may be better tomorrow.  Parents and children alike may giggle at the all-too-familiar situations and the increasingly frazzled expression on Mum’s face (After reading this book, my friend laughed, then ruefully said “this is not comedy, it’s documentary”).  The ending, with a cuddle and a shy apology, is upbeat and reassuring.

For early- to middle-primary:

Inside Out Driven by Emotions by Elise Allen and the Disney Book Group
This is a novelisation of the movie, aimed at junior readers.  Each of its five chapters is a retelling of the Inside Out story from the perspective of a different emotion – Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness.  A creative way to illustrate how different emotions can change our perception of events.

The Emotions’ Survival Guide
This non-fiction accompaniment to the Inside Out movie aims to be a survival guide for  school-aged children, with expert advice on how to recognise and deal with feelings.  Available for pre-order (to be published September 2015)

For pre-teens and teens:

Understanding Myself: a Kid’s Guide to Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings by Mary C. Lamia

Understanding Myself is written by a clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience.  It defines and explores 18 feelings, including love, envy, shame, loneliness and anxiety, in a supportive and non-judgmental way. Not only can this book be used by young people to understand and manage their emotions, its vocabulary offers a framework to help them articulate and discuss their concerns with peers and adults.

 

Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens by Sheri Van Dijk

Teenagers often have to deal with new experiences and emotions that leave them feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope. This is a workbook that uses a structured approach to guide teens on how to stay calm in difficult situations, reduce the pain of intense emotions, and manage overwhelming feelings.   The techniques are based on dialectical behaviour therapy, a clinical tool designed to help change unhelpful patterns of behaviour.

Book Week Picks for primary-aged readers

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Children’s Book Week is an annual celebration of Australian children’s publishing, and the authors and illustrators who contribute to this vibrant industry.  Look out for activities, such as special story time sessions, offered by your local schools and public libraries as part of the celebrations.

Book Week also means the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year awards, whose winners were announced last Friday (August 21).  Last week we looked at shortlisted titles in the Early Childhood category.  This week, we spotlight the winning titles in two categories particularly suited to primary-aged children – the Younger Readers award and the Picture Book of the Year award.

Book of the Year (Younger Readers)

This year’s winners are diverse in both style and target ages.

Winner: The Cleo Stories by Libby Gleeson (illustrated by Freya Blackwood)

Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood have achieved outstanding results at this year’s awards, with two of their co-creations taking out top honours (the other title, Go to Sleep, Jessie! has won the Early Childhood Book of the Year). Once again, they demonstrate their skill at observing the minutiae of daily life, and at detailing the dramas of childhood with understanding and affection.

The Cleo Stories contain two short stories about Cleo, an imaginative six-year-old. The first thing you notice about this book is its beautiful design – thick silky pages packed with full-colour illustrations.  It is halfway between picture book and chapter book, and is perfect for early-to-middle-primary readers.

In the first story,’The Necklace’, Cleo desperately wants a necklace of her own, but she will only be given one on her birthday – which is so far away that Cleo decides to come up with a better solution.  Then in ‘The Present’, Cleo is trying to find the perfect present for her mum’s birthday – something that is just from her.  These stories show the enterprising Cleo solving her dilemmas with enthusiasm, creativity and humour.  A sequel is already in progress and will be available later this year.

 

Honour Book: Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks
This dark mystery-thriller is a departure for Tristan Bancks, previously known for sassy school stories for pre-teens and teens. Ben is a slightly-chubby, slightly-gawky boy who just loves the comfort and security of his bedroom.  Then the Police arrive at Ben’s house looking for his parents. Minutes after they leave, his parents arrive and bundle Ben and his little sister Olive into their car to go on a “holiday”.  But Ben’s parents behave strangely – they are not using their credit-cards or mobile phones, they cut their hair and they lie to the police – what’s going on?  As Ben uses his amateur detective skills to gather evidence and understand the events, he realises that his parents are in serious trouble, and that he has some tough decisions to make.

First and foremost, Two Wolves is a tense, action-packed story.  Tristan Bancks’ background in acting and filmmaking is evident in his vivid descriptions, and dramatic opening – readers are thrown straight into the action, creating many questions that are slowly resolved as the story progresses.  The language has a terse rhythm that builds a sense of urgency and threat.

What lifts it out of the ordinary is the convincing portrayal of flawed characters, and of Ben’s personal growth – his developing resourcefulness, self-belief and ability to make difficult decisions.  Those moral and ethical dilemmas – about right and wrong, honesty and loyalty, also test us readers and hold our interest right to the last page.

Honour Book: Withering-by-Sea: a Stella Montgomery Intrigue by Judith Rossell
This Honour Book commendation caps off a successful year for Withering-by-Sea, which has already won two awards – the Indie Book Awards (Children’s and YA Book of the Year), and the Australian Book Industry Awards (Book of the Year for Older Children).

High on a cliff in the town of Withering-by-Sea stands the faded glory of the Hotel Majestic.  Here, Stella feels stifled by the strict and dull upbringing given her by three dreaded Aunts.  She is constantly getting in trouble for unladylike behaviour, because she prefers adventure to deportment and needlework.  One day, while hiding in the hotel’s Conservatory with her Atlas, she sees a man hiding a package in a potted fern.  Thereafter she is swept along in a mystery that is full of danger, black magic and even singing cats!

Judith Rossell has used period language and the conventions of the Victorian Gothic genre to great effect, resulting in a moody, spooky mystery.  The cold mist-wreathed setting seems quintessentially English and echoes the misery of Stella’s predicament.  The illustrations, similar in style to Edward Gorey, add great visual impact.  A subplot relating to Stella’s mysterious background and parentage is intriguing and paves the way for future instalments.

Picture Book of the Year

Books considered for the Picture Book of the Year award are typically aimed at older children but can be enjoyed by all ages (including adults!).  Compared to the Early Childhood category, these stories tend to be more complex, and may also include mature or challenging themes such as death or trauma.

Winner: My Two Blankets by Freya Blackwood and Irena Kobald

2015 is a great year for Freya Blackwood.  She has just won a hat-trick at the CBCA awards – each of her three shortlisted titles (Go to Sleep, Jessie!, The Cleo Stories and My Two Blankets) has won in its category.  In fact, she is the first creator in the awards’ 70-year history to have been honoured three times in the same year.  These wins add to her already impressive tally of past honours, including three previous CBCA wins, and the Kate Greenaway Medal, a prestigious international prize for illustrators.

My Two Blankets offers a child’s perspective on life as a refugee.  Cartwheel left her home to escape the war, and has sought safety in a new country.  Everything is strange in her new home, making Cartwheel feel isolated and lonely.  She seeks comfort in her own language – her “old blanket” of familiar words and sounds.  Then Cartwheel meets a friendly girl at the park. As their friendship grows, Cartwheel gains new words – words that she uses to weave a new blanket that is just as comfortable as her old one.

Irena Kobald’s heartwarming story of friendship and acceptance marries beautifully with Freya Blackwood’s gentle, dreamy illustrations. The use of colour and the creative depiction of the abstract concept of ”language” are particularly noteworthy.

Honour Book: One Minute’s Silence by Michael Camilleri and David Metzenthen

A roomful of bored modern-day students are led to imagine themselves in the midst of the Gallipoli campaign as they observe one minute’s silence.  One minute’s silence is enough to imagine the thousands of wild colonial boys  charging into relentless gunfire; it is also enough to imagine how the Turks felt, trying to defend their homes and their lives, as they watch slouch-hatted strangers run uphill towards them.

One Minute’s Silence is a heartbreaking story conveyed by considered, evocative language and intricate illustrations packed with meaning.  By showing the Battle of Gallipoli from both sides, the story extends beyond the history of a single battle, but instead reflects upon the senselessness and horror of all wars. It is a visually stunning, affecting addition to the range of books created to commemorate the centenary of World War One.  One Minute’s Silence deserves every one of the three honours it gained in this year’s CBCA Awards – winner of the Crichton Award for New Illustrators, Honour Book in the Picture Book category, as well as Notable Book in the Information Book category.

Honour Book: The Stone Lion by Ritva Voutila and Margaret Wild

Sometimes, stone animals get a chance to become warm, breathing creatures for a short time – if they desire it greatly with a generous heart.  The stone lion outside the library longs to become alive, to run free.  He is finally granted his wish one snowy day, but two young children desperately need his help – will he sacrifice his own desires for their sake?

The Stone Lion is a poignant story about compassion and selflessness, and also a celebration of libraries.
We see and rejoice in the lion’s transformation from heartless and indifferent – unable to comprehend human emotions – to humanity, with the ability to sympathise and the desire to help.

Margaret Wild is a well-loved author who has won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award three times in a career of over thirty years.  The period setting used in Ritva Voutila’s drawings makes this story dreamy and timeless – a bittersweet fable reminiscent of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince.

Book Week Picks – Early Childhood Book of the Year

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Book Week is fast approaching – as advertisements spruiking dress-ups remind us. Book Week also means the CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) Book of the Year Awards, the most prestigious awards in Australian children’s publishing. This year’s winners will be announced on Friday 21st August, the day before Book Week, a week long celebration of children’s books, literacy and publishing, from August 22-28.

This year, CBCA celebrates its 70th anniversary with the theme “Books light up our World”. Here’s a run down of the different award categories and some titles to watch out for.

Book of the Year (Early Childhood)

The Early Childhood category was first awarded in 2001, to differentiate these works from ones judged under the general Picture Book of the Year category, that may contain more mature, challenging subject matter. The need for two separate awards in picture storybooks reflect a growth and diversification of this format away from the idea that “picture books are only for young children”. In fact, a picture is still worth a thousand words, and the combination of text and graphics offers a multi-layered, powerful approach to storytelling.

This year’s shortlist is dominated by established authors and illustrators, many of whom are past winners.

To further your reading experience, many of these titles come with teaching notes available from the publisher’s websites.

A House of her Own by Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley
Audrey is bigger than she was yesterday, so now she needs a bigger house – a house of her own. Luckily, Dad is there to help her build a wonderful house at the top of a tree, with a bathtub for snorkelling, a blue bed for hiding secrets under – everything that a girl could want. However, when it’s time to turn in, Audrey is not so sure that being big is such a good idea afterall…

Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley have created a delightful heroine and an endearing story. The story, told almost entirely through dialogue, builds a vivid picture of a loving father-daughter relationship (with a single-parent subtext), and captures the essence of an almost-big girl who wants independence but who also longs for security.

 

Scary Night by Lesley Gibbes and Stephen Michael King

Stephen Michael King is a prolific and versatile author/illustrator who has three works shortlisted for this year’s CBCA awards – two in the Early Childhood category, and The Duck and the Darklings competing for the Picture Book of the Year. In Scary Night, he illustrates the story of first-time author Lesley Gibbes.

Once upon a scary night, a hare, a cat and a pig set out on a journey. They must keep going, even though there are lots of dangers lurking! The story unfolds into a happy surprise as the friends finally reach their destination. The use of repetition and sound effects in the text ramps up the pace and fills it with tension; it is perfect for a dramatic read-aloud. The cute-but-spooky illustrations – I especially love the wide-eyed apprehension in the friends’ faces – will bring delicious shivers to the audience.

Go to Sleep, Jessie! by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood

Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood are both multiple award-winners with formidable track-records at the CBCA awards. This year, two of their collaborations – Go to Sleep, Jessie! and The Cleo Stories – are shortlisted for the Early Childhood and the Younger Readers awards, respectively. Moreover, Freya Blackwood has also been shortlisted for the Picture Book of the Year Award, as illustrator for My Two Blankets.

Baby Jessie screams every night at bedtime. Mum, Dad and Jessie’s big sister try all sorts of tricks to help Jessie sleep but the peace and quiet never lasts. The big sister (narrator) grows increasingly frustrated and looks set to snap… fortunately an endearing twist gives the story a gentle, happy ending.

Go to Sleep, Jessie! is a charming, tender story reminiscent of the award-winning The Runaway Hug, that will resonate with many parents (and older siblings!). Once again Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood show their great skill in illuminating the drama of everyday life. The use of some comic strip-style layouts add visual flow to the illustrations that help to propel the action.

Other shortlisted titles are:

Snail and Turtle are Friends by Stephen Michael King

A very simple, gentle and cute story about Snail and Turtle, friends who love to spend time together even though they are different. The humour and cheerfulness is guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s face. This is the second of three works by Stephen Michael King in this year’s awards.

Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey

Pig the Pug is greedy and selfish in every way. When Pig refuses to share his toys, it starts a chain of events that leads to a nasty end for Pig! The rollicking rhymes and Aaron Blabey’s distinctive drawings will have children following the story with gleeful giggles. A sequel, Pig the Fibber, is just released and already a bestseller.

Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach by Alison Lester

Noni the Pony is friendly and funny. In this new adventure, Noni and her farmyard friends have lots of adventures on a fun day at the beach. It has the same musical rhymes and adorable illustrations of its predecessor and is a joyful story for even the youngest children.