THE AMBIDEXTROUS LIBRARIAN

Millie and the Night Heron / Rain May and Captain Daniel (Catherine Bateson) Please remember I have only "officially" been a school librarian for a little over a year, so when it comes to getting to know children's authors, I am but a babe in the woods.  In my latest endeavour to chop back some of the forest I picked up two books, completely separately, and thought "I'll read those".  Turns out those two books were Millie and the Night Heron  and Rain May and Captain Daniel.   I didn't look at the author at all, and it wasn't until I started Rain May  I realised they were both by Catherine Bateson. An author who lives in my area of Melbourne.  Who, for all I know, may even live up the road from me. Anyways, turns out that any self-respecting children's librarian should immediately know of Catherine Bateson.  Well, now I do. I have only read these two examples of her work, and let me say, there are quite a few similarities between the two.

Cicada Summer (Kate Constable) I stumbled across Cicada Summer in a very "professional" attempt to increase my general knowledge of junior fiction. I had heard of Kate Constable, most recently through her acclaimed novel Crow Country , which won the 2012 CBCA Young Readers Book of the Year (haven't read it yet - should do soon!)   Cicada Summer  wasn't quite what I expected, mainly because I totally judged the book by it's cover and didn't read the blurb at all.  Regardless though, I found it to be quite an engaging story, and surprisingly atmospheric for a junior fiction novel. Eloise doesn't speak much.  Actually, she doesn't say anything at all, and hasn't really spoken since her mother passed on a wee while back.  Instead, Eloise speaks through her art, as she is quite a talented artist. Eloise's father, who is an "entrepreneur" and forever chasing his next big bucks breakthrough, has just been given a beautiful, but deca

The Boy and the Toy (Sonya Hartnett / Lucia Masciullo) Those familiar with children's literature will be familiar with the name Sonya Hartnett.  With an impressive list of titles to her name, there is no doubt that Hartnett is an author of quality children's literature, and  The Boy and the Toy  is no exception. Once there was a boy whose father was a great inventor.  He had to go on many important trips, and so he invented the best toy in the world to keep his son company whilst he was away.  The boy and his toy passed the days having lots of fun together, but when the boy started to look for new things to keep him occupied, the toy has other plans... A fabulous tale about "real" friendship, that includes warm and beautifully detailed pictures of the boy and his toy, I found myself thinking on the message of this book long after I finished reading it. Highly recommended as a bedtime read for those aged 4-6.

Grandpa's Gate (Liliana Stafford/Susy Boyer) Grandpa's Gate was a random selection from the picture book shelves of my school library. It's a few years old now (2003), so not sure how easy it will be to find, but I loved the story so much I feel it deserves a review. Young Suzy has a very special relationship with her Grandfather.  They spend many hours together constructing all manner of wondrous inventions in his shed, including a beautiful wrought iron gate which remains almost complete (it could do with a coat of paint).  As Suzy grows older, the family situation requires Suzy to move away.  She is so upset she slowly drifts away from her Grandfather, but when he has to move back into the family home, Suzy is afraid of how much he seems to have changed - will they still be as close as they used to be? A sweet story which is an engaging tale of the bond that exists between Grandfather and Granddaughter.  Maybe I felt a resonance with the story because I rem

Mbobo Tree (Glenda Millard/Annie White) There is no denying that many picture books are beautiful to look at, but when you find one that is not only beautiful, but moves you with it's simple and strong story, you know you're onto a winner. Mbobo tree follows the life of a large, beautiful and bountiful tree within a small African village, and the life of a small baby girl who is found in the branches of the tree.  When the tree is threatened by an outsider to the village, the young girl goes to great lengths to protect the tree that gave her life. This story actually manages to be quite moving in it's few pages.  Definitely recommended as a read-a-long for those aged 4-6 (particularly as some of the African names will require help sounding out).

Bad Behaviour (Rebecca Starford) Scroll back a few posts and you will come across my review of Alice Pung's recent novel  Laurinda , an unsettling story of the nastiness that teenage girls can inflict upon each other in an "exclusive" girls school setting. When the opportunity arose to delve into another account of the sinister world of privileged teenage girls and their power plays, I eagerly nabbed the chance. And so enter  Bad Behaviour,  author Rebecca Starford's personal memoir of her year in an exclusive outdoor education school in Victoria, Australia, Just like the good old "train wreck" from which you can't look away, the behaviour of these girls towards each other, and particularly towards the weak, is both compelling and disturbing.  Read any review of Bad Behaviour and Lord of the Flies is bound to be mentioned at least once.  To be fair, it's hard not to think of William Golding's classic when reading Starford's memoir.