Angie's Reviews - Leave Taking

Leaving Taking
By Lorraine Marwood
$14.95, UQP

** SHORTLISTED FOR CBCA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS: YOUNGER READERS **

Among the stellar titles on this year’s CBCA awards shortlists is this touching verse novel about a young boy named Toby, whose little sister has died from cancer. Toby’s family are saying farewell to their home, taking stock and making sure that while they’re leaving their farm, they are not leaving their treasured memories behind. The gentle pace and evocative descriptions of the sounds and sights of the farm provide a kind of safe bubble in which to reflect on Toby’s loss and heartache. It explores the way in which we – both adults and children – often can’t find the right words and actions in times of loss, and reminds us the most important thing is that saying goodbye doesn’t mean forgetting. Leave Taking is a story, and a message, to treasure.

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Angie Schiavone has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and is the former children's book reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, a restaurant reviewer and editor for the Good Food Guide, and a cookbook editor. She's also a mum to two book and food-loving kids.   

If you are a SCBWI member and have a new book coming out soon make sure you CLICK HERE to submit your book to Angie’s Reviews.

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Angie's Reviews - Dinosaur Day Out

Dinosaur Day Out
By Sara Acton
$24.99, Walker Books

This latest picture book by Crichton Award winning author/illustrator Sara Acton has an irresistible pantomime appeal – as the Dad character in the story gives dinosaur trivia to his kids Sally and Max, all the while oblivious that there’s a whole Jurassic spectacle taking place around him (the Dinosaurs roaming the city on their ‘day off’). The divergence between illustrations and text lines up with that between the kids and their father – a nifty, comical gap that puts the kids (characters and readers) satisfyingly in the driver’s seat. In addition to this humorous aspect, the book also delivers a handful of interesting facts about dinosaurs, while watercolour and graphite pencil illustrations complement the whimsical feel of the story. It’s an all ‘round great Day Out!

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Angie Schiavone has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and is the former children's book reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, a restaurant reviewer and editor for the Good Food Guide, and a cookbook editor. She's also a mum to two book and food-loving kids.   

If you are a SCBWI member and have a new book coming out soon make sure you CLICK HERE to submit your book to Angie’s Reviews.

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Angie's Reviews - Ori's Clean-Up

Ori’s Clean-Up
By Anne Helen Donnelly
$24.99, hardcover, published by Anne Helen Donnelly

The third in a series of self-published books about Ori the Octopus, Ori’s Clean-Up looks at an important topic (#WarOnWaste) that’s getting a lot of social and media attention at the moment – and rightfully so. It’s a complicated issue but is covered very simply here, as a way to introduce the concepts of rubbish disposal, reusing and recycling to a pre-school audience. The illustrations and text are quite basic, with plenty of repeated verbs, as Ori and her very cooperative friends clean up the mess on the ocean floor and realise that looking for ways to reuse and compost is more effective long-term  than simply tidying. It’s a worthwhile message, and one that hasn’t been looked at enough (read: good opportunities here for more new picture books and stories on the topic!) 

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Angie Schiavone has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and is the former children's book reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, a restaurant reviewer and editor for the Good Food Guide, and a cookbook editor. She's also a mum to two book and food-loving kids.   

If you are a SCBWI member and have a new book coming out soon make sure you CLICK HERE to submit your book to Angie’s Reviews.

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