Welcome to Children's Corner book reviews from 4MBS Classic Radio FM in Brisbane. Here you will find short annotations of the children's books reviewed by Kerry Neary in Children's Corner on 4MBS, together with the details you need to find them at your favourite bookstore. Any prices shown are the publisher's Australian recommended price and may vary depending on where you shop. You are welcome to use these reviews for newsletters and the like with appropriate acknowledgement.

Aug 2, 2016

Books reviewed 14.04.16

Reviewers like to review in themes. Here are some books that arrived too late for their theme.
Blue Whale Blues

Peter Carnavas
New Frontier Publishing
ISBN: 978192505941
RRP: $24.99

Music in Stories 26.11.15

Blue Whale feels blue when he has trouble riding his bike. Care-free Penguin tries to help but then Blue Whale’s bike helmet doesn’t sit right. When turtle rides into the story, Blue whale realises his bike is not a bike and his helmet is not a helmet. Thankfully he sees the funny side and all enjoy a good laugh about it – until his guitar breaks. Refreshing illustrations in gleaming watercolours and collage show there is a bright side of life to return to.
Stanley

Colin Thompson
ABC Books [HarperCollins]
ISBN: 9780733332852
RRP: $24.99

The lives of dogs 18.02.16

Stanley is a family pet, though there’s not much to the family – just Gerald, his beloved Human, and Gerald’s mum. They live in a fairly empty house, but it’s not empty of love. One day Stanley is playing ball with Gerald in the park, with his beloved red ball. A wiry little intruder grabs the ball; she won’t give it back and runs away. The next day there’s a knock on the door; a knock that changes Stanley’s life, and shy Gerald’s life, and his Mum’s life - forever. Contrasting, almost discordant, colours give an edge of something waiting to be grasped and run with. This is not really a pet dog story, it’s a love story.
Warthog

Birdie Black, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Nosy Crow
ISBN: 9780857635709   
RRP: $19.99

Unusual animal characters 25.02.16

A young Warthog, looking cuter than you’d expect, rollicks through the pages across the grasslands gathering up numbers of things with no real purpose other than the fun of rhythm and rhyme. Then there are those ten large footprints at the end of each count; where will they take us? The text is somewhat reminiscent of a humorous folk song. Brightly coloured illustrations with patchwork decoration have a jolly line. Novelty flaps and die-cut holes along the way accentuate the fun. Actually a counting book, Under fives will ask for this book to be read over – and over.