This year’s nominees for the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards have been announced and I’m happy about two in particular.
A hearty congratulations to all the nominees!
Sir Mouse to the Rescue by Dirk Nielandt and Marjolein Pottie, Book Island, RRP $24.99, ISBN9780987669629, Available now.
Another new title from the new New Zealand (new) publisher, Book Island, Sir Mouse to the Rescue is the thoroughly charming tale of Sir Mouse and her best friend Dragon. Suitable for early readers that are almost ready for chapter books, I think Sir Mouse will be particularly enjoyed by girls for its twist on the usual fairy tales of helpless female princesses and brave male knights.
Sir Mouse is a knight (“bold Sir Mouse”) who tries to rescue the Prince, battles Cat (a fellow knight), hangs out with her best friend Dragon and contemplates living happily ever after. She sometimes takes herself a tad too seriously but fortunately Dragon is there to keep her company… plus Dragon may not be so silly as she originally seems.
Sir Mouse to the Rescue has lovely illustrations that are a mixture of cartoon and collage and the stories are broken up into short “chapters”, making this a great present idea for readers who are feeling too old for “picture books” but aren’t quite ready for true chapter books.
A final bonus? Sir Mouse thinks marrying the Prince and living happily every after is a CRAZY idea.
Mouse sighs. “A princess does not wear a suit of armour,” she says. “A princess has no sword. A princess is not a knight. Can you see me wearing a posh dress?”
“It might look lovely on you,” says Dragon.
Mouse sighs.
When Dragon has gone home, Mouse tries on a posh dress. She stands in front of the mirror. Ridiculous, thinks Mouse.
Give this to every little girl you know. 
Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich by Lorraine Francis and Pieter Gaudesaboo, Book Island, RRP $24.99, ISBN9780987669605, Available now.
Sammy is very hungry. So hungry, he could eat the biggest sandwich in the world. So he goes to the kitchen and gets to work!
Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich is one of a trio of gorgeous new books from Book Island, a new publisher bringing European children’s books to New Zealand (in English translations).
The format of Sammy is a large board book, so it’s perfect for reading aloud and perfect for little kids to spend time looking over – the illustrations are large and colourful, and full of lively detail that will catch the eye. The story is very cute and the perfect length for little kids.
All this is just accentuated by the excellent production values. The book is substantial, bright and glossy.
A beautiful gift and a fantastic addition to kids’ books in New Zealand.
The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, Random House, RRP $18.99, ISBN9781849417792, Available now.
Never has a book had a more descriptive title. Fletcher and Poynter do not muck around, so if you don’t want to read about dinosaur poo combined with Christmas, do not read this book.
If, on the other hand, you have the sense of humour of a five year old or you ARE a five year old, you will laugh like a drain.
Personally I think the word “poo” is one of the best in the English language, funny to read, funny to say and about a funny subject.
Danny is a little boy who wants everything for Christmas, even though he’s got quite a lot already. So instead of leaving him another present, Santa Claus leaves him an egg. An egg that hatches into a very hungry dinosaur. A dinosaur who, as it turns out, has a very fast and efficient digestive system…
Last, but not least, and never forgotten
Granny popped out of the dinosaur’s bottom.
The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas is brilliant, hilariously written, perfect for reading out loud (with a similar cadence to The Night Before Christmas) and it has vibrantly large illustrations. I suspect little children everywhere will want this one read to them every night for months.
Mr. Gloomingdale’s Downpour: A soakingly amusing tale by A. Patrick Conlan, Gracewood Hollows Books, $9.99 (from the author), ISBN9780986454929, Available now.
Why do kids get all the best books? At the moment I think my reading passion is surviving on a diet of great kids books and Hilary Mantel. Thank god for Hilary Mantel.
To get back to the point… kids books! They’re awesome because they are funny, pretty and quirky… like Mr. Gloomingdale’s Downpour – not a “new” book but a “new to me” book – by New Zealand author and filmmaker A. Patrick Conlan.
Mr. Gloomingdale has a lot of facial hair and he is not happy. He is, point of fact, a grump. A grump who is (un)lucky enough to live with a lot of very happy, smiley faced daisies and some cute little creatures who sort of look like hairy ghosts. Whatever, they are very cute. Mr. Gloomingdale wishes for less cheeriness in his life which, according to the rules of kids books, goes terribly wrong and we find out Mr. Gloomingdale might not be the horrible grouch he insists he is!
This is a very individual book with lively and quirky illustrations, and a great story. I do have one quibble, and its production related – the font is too spaced, making it hard to read. If that problem was fixed it would be near perfect.
Mighty Moves: Heavy haulage and house moving in New Zealand by Bee Dawson, ISBN 9781927158050, RRP$29.99, Available now exclusive to Whitcoulls.
I know what you’re thinking (sorry for alluding to those awful ANZ ads): Heavy haulage? BookieMonster that’s RIGHT up your alley!
Yeah, not so much. But I was asked to look over this and look over it I did… I don’t like to turn down polite requests from nice people about well-made books written by lovely authors. That’s my motto.
Mighty Moves is a great-looking hardback about a slightly niche subject, but it will also appeal to fans of New Zealand social history, fans of big trucks and fans of photographic history. It’s got a wealth of illustrations, and a comprehensive but never tedious history of hauling rrse. Well, houses. And boats, buildings, swimming pools, boilers, parts of electricity generation equipment, elephants… basically anything big.
A coffee table book for the trucker in all of us.
Mangu & Ma: A real-life first-focus book for little Kiwis by Megan Bowers-Vette, HarperCollins, ISBN9781869509958, RRP$14.99, Available now.
You know that cute unfocused look that babies have? Yeah, so turns out that babies take the world very literally… i.e. the look is unfocused because they can’t focus. Improve your metaphorical understanding, babies! But while you’re doing that take a look atMangu & Ma . It’s a cute little book just for babies, with clear black and white photographs of interesting Kiwi-flavoured objects, as well as thick cardboard pages for chewiness and that extra piquancy.
There’s gumboats, buttons, sheep, a tiki… and even other babies, all shot in black and white that helps babies focus and improve their concentration (apparently).
Mangu & Ma is a lovely object, that will look just as good sitting immaculately on display as it will after being well-loved by baby. Well, maybe not. But it will also make a great gift!