Category Archives: Family

Happy Feet’s Incredible Journey

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Picture books and tagged with ,

Happy FeetWe loved Happy Feet, the wandering emperor penguin, though it would have been better had we been given closure, as they say. In other words, it would have been nice to know what happened to him. But in time for the Christmas market, we have a fundraiser for Forest and Bird with this bright and colourful book. It is a mix of story (told in the first person by Happy Feet) and side bar boxes with factual information, and a combination of bright illustrations and photographs. It is not great literature or great art and is unlikely to stick around bookcases for years to come, but it is topical and accurate and a story for the here and now. Children under the age of eight will enjoy it because it is about an event that they will remember from this very year.

Happy Feet’s Incredible Journey (Penguin: ISBN: 9780143306924) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Rahui by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Malcom Ross

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Middle childhood, Other children's books, Picture books and tagged with ,

RahuiUsing 17 pre-existing paintings from the late Malcolm Ross, the author has written a simple, almost stark tale of summers at the beach. When cousin Thomas drowns, a rahui is placed. It is a beautiful and unusual book with extraordinary illustrations which are not within the usual range expected in children’s picture books. It is also a book with a very strong sense of place and people – unmistakeably anchored in Maoridom. Will it be popular with children? I think the answer is yes in families who treat this book as a taonga, a precious gift to be shared. If you just hand it to a child, I suspect only a few will appreciate it. It is a book which deserves more reverence and dignity, as befits the subject matter and the intensity of the illustrations. It is not a book for everyone, but it is a book that will be treasured by some and it has the capacity to enrich experience and understanding through the reading experience. It is best suited to sharing with children aged 4 upwards and comes in both Maori and English language versions.

Rahui by Chris Szekely, illustrated by Malcom Ross (Huia; ISBN: 978 1 86969 470 8) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

D.E.S.I.G.N. by Ewa Solarz and illustrated by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Middle childhood, Other children's books and tagged with

D.E.S.I.G.NFrom the publishers of curiously good books, comes a really interesting non fiction book for middle childhood readers aged upwards of 6 or 7. It takes 69 household objects, from bentwood chairs in 1859 to the octopus juice squeezer in 1990, to the mirror ball and a host of other objects both known and probably unknown to the readership. The history of each thing’s creation or evolution is briefly described, along with the motivation of the designer, accompanied by bright illustrations. It is quirky, it is zany. It is a celebration of creative design made real and presented at a simple level able to be understood by children and adults. Expose your children to original thought and attention to detail – that is what good design is all about.

D.E.S.I.G.N. by Ewa Solarz and illustrated by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski (Gecko Press; ISBN: 978 1 877467 83 7) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

Just Right by Birdie Black and Rosalind Beardshaw

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Picture books and tagged with

Just RightChristmas stories should be full of joy and warmth and this is a delightful tale. The king buys a bolt of beautiful red cloth to make grand cloak for his princess and the remaining cloth is placed outside the back door. With the offcuts diminishing in size each time, a succession of characters use the cloth to make special gifts for someone close to them, finishing with a little scarf for Billy the mouse. It is a perfectly rounded tale of loving and caring and giving, albeit set in a cold northern hemisphere setting. Recommended for children aged 3 upwards, this is a lovely book to share as a family.

Just Right by Birdie Black and Rosalind Beardshaw (Nosy Crow; ISBN: 978 0 85763 030 8) reviewed by Abbie Jury.

The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Jane Ray

Posted by Abbie Jury in Family, Picture books and tagged with

The Twelve Days of ChristmasI am a big fan of special Christmas picture books and I think every family should have a small collection to bring out the week before Christmas to read aloud as part of the countdown to the big day. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a classic song. The artist has taken no liberties with the traditional text and her illustrations are simply gorgeous – highly stylised and detailed, colourful and utterly charming. It is as lovely a version as I have ever seen. Buy this to share with your littlies from 2 or 3 upwards and it will stay in your family bookcase for decades to come, being savoured each year. It is a beautiful book from a very talented UK illustrator.

The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Jane Ray (Orchard; ISBN: 978 1 40830 703 8) reviewed by Abbie Jury.