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.

Oct 22, 2016

Books reviewed 21.04.16



Some books are designed to celebrate special days of the year. One of these could be shared on Anzac Day; the others are for grandmothers on Mothers Day.
Reflection

Rebecka Sharp Shelberg, illustrated by Robin Cowcher
Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 9781922179050
RRP: $24.99

Another of the books being published to honour the Centenary years of WW1, the subtitle is revealing: Remembering those who serve in war. A family group is amongst the crowd attending a dawn service; a very spare text suggests their reflections. On each page spread, one side shows the family in thought; the other depicts combat situations. Each of these is annotated in the last page opening. The illustration style of ink drawings over splashed watercolours echoes the stirring of memories. This movingly beautiful book explains why we should remember.
Grandma Wombat

Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780732299590
RRP: $ 24.99

The sixth title in the Mothball the Wombat series features Grandma; whether this is Mothball is unclear - she’s certainly been around long enough to have produced a few generations. If you are familiar with the layout, this senior wombat likes to sleep, scratch, and eat too! Then Grandma Wombat’s best behaved boy escapes while she is sleeping on joey-duty, and the book takes off in hilarious directions to follow his mischief. It’s nice to think that Grandma is Mothball, getting involved with her grand-joey’s upbringing.
Nannie loves

Kylie Dunstan
Working Title Press
ISBN: 9781921504839
RRP: $24.99

Nannie especially loves Sundays, when the family comes to visit to help around the yard and share Nannie’s roast lunch - mm-mm! But she feels joyous for everything she loves; her farm, its animals, and of course Grandpa who helps with all of this. The simple, buoyant text has direct child appeal with repetition and rhythm. The brightly coloured paper cut-out collages, in a child-like style, rove the pages as we follow Nannie around her farm.