Author: Tobhy Riddle
I was quite surprised when I finally closed this book. I had thought this book was just for children because of the adorable illustrations. When children read this book, they will think the donkey is cute and funny, but I suspect they won't care about the existence of the uncle.
I read the title and thought that this book would be a delightful story about the uncle and the donkey. The donkey was acting like a human: watching TV, playing piano and eating food with a fork. However when I saw the uncle's face I was surprised because his face is so emotionless. The donkey doesn't look sad at all. It looks like it is used to having fun.
It is interesting that the narrator is a little kid. The book starts with the sentence "My uncle's donkey is allowed in the house!". The kid starts to enumerate how donkey acts, and the story ends with the question "I wonder if my uncle's donkey would be allowed in our house?". It seems that the kid envies the uncle very much for having a donkey in his house, and would like the donkey to be in his/her home, too. That is because the kid thinks that it will be great to be with the donkey which is very friendly and funny. But the uncle, it seems, never thinks like that. He looks bored.
We realise that we can't find the uncle in every pages of the book. We only can find him in the pages about eating, working and watching TV. His life is tedious compared to the donkey's life which includes cartwheels, hanging out with friends and staying up late reading a favorite book.. I think Riddle tried to describe a life of a contemporary man who is so busy so he can't enjoy his life at all and so starts to become emotionally flat.
This book is an adorable picture book however I don't think that it is only for children. The narrator is just talking about what the donkey does, but we can find the true meaning of this story through the illustrations. I love this kind of book. An author doesn't need to write a 500 page book to express his thoughts. Through pictures an author can make people understand his opinion just as effectively.
Noelle Lee (Year 10)
Author: Hugh Lunn
This is a solid book, at over 400 pages, but is designed to be fun to read rather than a dense academic work. After his earlier book “Lost for Words” about phrases from his own childhood, the author was inundated with letters from people wanting to share their own memories. He has managed to categorise all this material into chapters like “Wisecracks”, “Name-Calling” and “Parenting” then into sub sections within each chapter. There are photos in each chapter, with added speech balloons, and the text includes both lists of words and phrases and excerpts from letters with personal stories.
I’m not sure I would ever read this cover to cover, but it is a great “dipping” book. Some of the material is poignant but most is entertaining. Australians have a wonderful turn of phrase! I always like the creative nicknames, such as the carpenter called Lightning, ‘cause his hammer never struck in the same place twice… or the thieving workmate called Hydraulic… always lifting things.
I have seen books of Australian slang and phraseology that are rife with the most horrendous foul language and vulgar and demeaning epithets. Lunn has taken a gentler approach, and the worst of the language has been left out. There are still sections on “the dunny” and things inside it, as well as milder swear words, so this is probably not for the younger readers.
I must say one of the reasons the book appealed to me was the discovery of a lot of language from my own childhood home… such as saying after dinner one was “full up to Dolly’s wax”. I’m also collecting great Dad jokes such as “What is the hardest thing in the world to do… Shell Petrol or Milk Arrowroot Biscuits?”
This is an engaging collection of language and stories that will bring back memories for many of us. Just remember before reading it out loud at the table there is a good smattering of mild swearing and references to a range of body parts and functions.
Andrew Lack
Author: Patrick McDonnell
This is a great information book about Dr Jane Goodall, who has recently visited Australia. She is a primatologist, environmentalist, humanitarian and United Nations Messenger of Peace.
Little Jane Goodall and Jubilee (her toy chimpanzee) ramble outside their English country home observing everyday animal miracles and dreaming of a life in Africa, "living with, / and helping, / all animals”. There are simple ink-and-watercolour illustrations . Included is a brief biography, additional photographs and a letter and drawing from Jane herself.
Many publishers are producing information books that are in the picture book style so they can reach children who are visual learners. Expect to see more like this. This is suitable for students from Year Four up.
Helen Sillar
Author: Fiona Wood
Fourteen year old Dan feels like his whole world has ended. His Dad has lost all their money on a failed business… then abandoned Dan and his Mum, and announced he is gay. Their house has been repossessed, and they have been forced to go and live in an old smelly house provided by a relative. True, the girl next door catches Dan’s eye, and goes to his school, but seems aloof. Every effort he makes to attract her attention ends up a disaster.
Finally he makes a list of six impossible things he wants to achieve, such as getting a job and cheering up his Mum. The story is about what happens when he tries to achieve each of these goals. It is always a great sign when you are engaged as a reader within the first two pages. I was a little disappointed that the author decided on a series of happy endings. A book like Life on a Refrigerator Door touches similar themes of parent and child conflict and family tragedy, is largely positive, yet ends with the teen protagonist realising there are things she simply cannot fix. Despite that reservation, I thoroughly enjoyed Six Impossible Things. It is written with a wry sense of humour.
This is a book that could quite comfortably be given to students down to Year Five, though some of the issues canvased and the general reading level probably points to Year Seven and up. This is not a didactic book, and is not written “to help kids deal with divorce”… that is simply the setting for the opening scenes of disaster facing Dan. It is told in the first person in a diary format. It does espouse the value of tolerance and respect for individual choices.
Andrew Lack
Author: Ruth Starke
Thumbs up for a book that made me giggle while sending shivers of recognition up my spine. Nearby students appeared quite concerned when I evidenced that particular combination of symptoms. Ruth Starke’s “first novel for older readers” is a tongue in cheek harrowing tale of the trials faced by Hailee Moxie when she decides to look for work after leaving school. Hailee imagines this will be easy and casual work a breeze, but it turns out she has much to learn. She journeys into the arcane worlds of fashion sales, checkout chick and untrained “social column” editor for a local newspaper.
Hailee is an engaging character… I was willing her to success and was pleased that after the final page the author added a “what happens next” summary for each of the characters. Hailee tells her own story in diary form. This made me reflect on that most poignant of tales The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 ¾ . Part of the fun of reading a story like this is the dramatic irony. We know Haillee is going to make herself sick on the first day selling chocolates (staff can eat all they want) and we enjoy the sense of “I told you so” when it happens. For me, however, the life of Adrian Mole was very remote (suburban England in the 70s) while the world Hailee lives in is both very Australian and very up-to-date. She is no nerd, but has to keep helping her Dad with his battles with technology (“what’s an ISP thingy?”). The journalism intern who steals her job at the paper but is later fired promptly “defriends” everyone in the office on her Facebook page.
This is a book for teens and above. Bad language is relatively mild (a few bad words are included but “beeped” out with asterisks). There are a few references to other people’s sexual dalliances and drink or drug consumption, but she is a surprisingly innocent young lady and so the tone stays light and humorous. Ideal for Year Ten and up.
Andrew Lack
Author: Ryszard Kapuscinski
Those who plan to travel usually research destinations on line, in guide books or through travel agencies. Then, when they reach their destination, they are surprised by the attitude and life-style of its people. Reading this book will give those planning travel in any African country an understanding of why Africa and its people are the way they are.
Ryszard Kapuscinski is a Polish journalist. This book is a collection of his reports from Ghana (1950) and, more recently, Tanzania. Kapuscinski has covered a revolution in Zanzibar, a coup in Nigeria, civil war in Liberia, and genocide in Rwanda, wars in the Sudan and Ethiopia, child soldiers and refugees. He gives insights about the causes and effects of these brutal and tragic events. He investigates the reasons why colonising Europeans ignored the fact that Africa is a collection of thousands of mini kingdoms. He sheds light on the power struggles and politics, deprivations and survivals, and the constant inflow of foreign aid that never can satisfy the millions of refugees whose survival depends on it.
There are no visuals in this book, just word pictures, with beautiful descriptions, even if the subjects are not so lovely. There is no simple solution to Africa’s troubles. It is a country where the majority of people just want food in their bellies, land to farm, and complete annihilation of their enemies.
Reviewed by Gayle Davidson
Odell Learning Resources Centre
