Wednesday 26 September 2012

Protecting my Dad's favourite poem - Night Noises by Joan Mellings


Some things about the foreverness of the Internet freak me out.

I hate the idea that some future employer of Wild Man's would be able to Google him and read what I wrote when he was three. But every cloud has a silver lining and in the case of the Internet I think that the lining of the silver cloud of foreverness is that things can be protected.

When I was little we had a book. I have no idea what it was called but there was a poem in it that my Dad loved and used to read to us when we were going to sleep.

All of us can quote parts of the poem even 30 plus years later.

My Dad has searched and searched for the poem online and finally found a version of it in some archived Canadian school reader. He swears that is the only copy in existence.

Whether or not there are others, an archived school reader doesn't fill me with faith that my Dad's favourite poem will be preserved, so I thought I would share it with you and hope that my blog's foreverness can help protect it.

Night Noises by Joan Mellings

After I’m in bed,
And there isn’t any light,
I like to lie and listen
To the noises of the night.

The tap, tap, tap of branches
Upon a window-pane,
The rustle of the leaves in wind
And gentle fall of rain.

Cars that pass each minute,
A lone plane in the sky,
The clock that plays a merry tune
An hourly lullaby.

Cats and dogs and roosters,
I listen to them all,
Every noisy, croaking frog
Upon the garden wall.

All day long I’m happy
In the sunny golden light,
But I like to lie and listen
To the noises of the night.

Joan Mellings, if you ever read this I'm not trying to steal your copyright. I just want to keep your lovely poem safe.



Sunday 23 September 2012

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (No.10) by Megan McDonald - book review

Judy Moody has been around for a while, after all she is up to her 10th book and has a movie out.

I hadn't ever read any of the previous books in the series but they are obviously a bit of a phenomenon so I was interested to see what all the fuss is about.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is a cute little story about managing your expectations and having fun whatever the situation.

Judy is devastated when her friends are away for the summer holidays. How will she have fun without them?

I can see why this series is so popular with girls and their parents. This is a happy, harmless story about friendship and making your own fun, and it is totally appropriate for young girls.

There are great illustrations and nice big font so the books don't feel overwhelming to kids who are just starting to read longer books on their own.

The books all stand alone but I am imagine that little girls would love to collect the series.

Who'll love this: Little girls (these are definitely girls books) who are just starting to read chapter books for themselves. I'd say 8-10 year olds in particular.
Price: $15.95
Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Thursday 20 September 2012

Vanguard Prime: Goldrush by Steven Lochran - book review

I LOVED this book!

I literally couldn't put Goldrush down, which is pretty impressive because I am hardly the target audience.

It is fast paced and exciting and I stayed up until 11.30pm to find out what happened in the end (a pretty big thing when your kids sleep as badly as mine do).

So let me fill you in ... Sam Lee is a normal teenager until he discovers he has superpowers and is asked to join Vanguard Prime, a group of superheroes who keep the world safe. Perfect right? Well it turns out that being a superhero isn't always a great as you think it will be.

The best thing about this book is definitely the writing which creates such a clear image in your mind and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but I also really liked the way that Sam's life is far from perfect now he is a superhero - he's lonely, frightened and has to learn a whole PR spiel about his new identity.

The author, Steven Lochran, says he always wanted to be a superhero and he has really been able to imagine what would happen to a kid whose dream suddenly came true.

The action is pure superhero fantasy but the personality of the characters and Sam's struggles with his new life give the book an added depth.

Apparently 'superheroes are the new vampires' when it comes to books and I can only imagine that the Vanguard Prime series will be leading the charge.

Who'll love this: Boys aged 8-14 (and me)
Price: $14.99
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia    


Sunday 16 September 2012

The Rumpelgeist by Fiona McIntosh - book review

The Rumpelgiest is an adventure story about a Princess and a young nobleman who must protect the kingdom of Floris and all who live in it, especially a group of children who have been captured by an evil witch.

Although definitely fantasy The Rumpelgeist it isn't the Harry Potter style of fantasy where the characters use magic to fight (although there is a little of that). 

This is fantasy where magic is part of the world the characters inhabit but not absolutely central to it. There are magical characters like centaurs, and some of the characters can do magic, but it isn't the over-riding theme of the book.

The central theme is definitely adventure.  

For that reason I think this book will appeal to kids who don't normally love fantasy.

The central characters are imperfect but lovable and, like all great kids adventure stories, the adults are left behind while the kids go off to save the kingdom.

Fiona McIntosh has written a number of adult books and I think you can tell when you read The Rumpelgeist. The story and prose are appropriate for children but there is no lack of sophistication or depth in the story. If you are a fan of her adult books there is every chance you will really enjoy this one too!
  
Although The Rumpelgeist is the sequel to The Whisperer it definitely stands alone as a novel. I haven't read the first book, although having read The Rumpelgeist I really want to.

Who'll love this: Girls and boys aged about 10 plus, particularly those who love fantasy.
Price: $17.99
Publisher: Penguin

Monday 3 September 2012

Heather Fell in the Water by Doug MacLeod & Craig Smith - book review

"Heather was a little girl ... 
who always fell in the water."

Heather Fell in the Water is a picture book about a little girl who falls in the water, any water, all the time.

And she hates it!

In fact she hates falling the water so much that she refuses to learn to swim. Her parents are worried in case she falls in some deep water one day, but what can they do to convince her to try ...

Heather Fell in the Water is a sweet, funny story that will definitely appeal to kids who hate swimming and putting their face in the water.

My favourite things are the illustrations by Craig Smith.

From end paper to end paper the pictures are incredibly bright, engaging and alive.

Little Heather has so much expression and character you can just feel her frustration and the pictures of her being forced to wear water wings (floaties) everywhere are really funny.

The story is just crazy enough to appeal to kids but real enough for parents to use it to encourage kids to try new things.

Who'll love this: Kids who hate the water or struggle with new experiences (and their parents)
Cost: $24.95 (hard cover)
Published by: Allen & Unwin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...