Beyond the Knock Knock Door

Author: Scott Monk

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This is a cheerful fantasy romp that starts and ends in an Australian suburb, and spends most of its time in a playfully imagined land…beyond the Knock Knock door. The children involved are triplets, though of three different characters, and are not entirely sure that they like each other or want to work together despite being catapulted into hair raising adventures.

This is not classical fantasy. Monk sets up a mechanism in which one triplet is a pirate, one is a knight and one is a space ranger. A little like the old “Vikings” game that started Blizzard on its journey, each has to use the power of their costumes to solve different challenges along the way. They travel to a land where fish swim in the air and islands float as well… but it turns out the people are not what they seem either. Much more would be a spoiler.

I did not find myself really warming to this yarn. There is no real effort to justify the strange sights or physics of the land, so it is a “what if” land rather than a carefully created world. It is a story where the children have to look beyond appearances to work out what is right and wrong. Though the children are described in an enthusiastic and animated style, there was little subtlety or development.

I am more than happy to have the book on the shelves… it will make a thrilling if quirky read for a middle school student.

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

Mummy laid an egg!

Author: Babette Cole

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Children are naturally curious. One question that they really puzzle over is “Where do babies come from?”. Parents need all the help they can get to tell the biological truth in a fun way.

Babette Cole puts a hilarious twist on one of the most difficult yet important discussions necessary in their development. In the book the Mum explains “Girls – sugar and spice and all things nice”. Dad says “Boys, slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails”. Suggestions from the adults include “squidge them out of tubes of baby paste”, “make them out of ginger bread”, “grow them from seeds in the green house” and other whimsical nonsense.

The children in the story decide to illustrate with childish drawings the whole baby making process, so that their parents will no longer be as deluded as their silly answers imply.

Some parents may find the sketches unsuitable for young children. You can check it out on YouTube – or borrow it from the Odell Learning Resources Centre. This is a fresh and delightful way to convey some helpful detail about bodies and babies.

Gayle Davidson
Odell Learning Resources Centre

Cindy- Ella An Aussie Cinderella

By Tom Champion

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The Aussie Gem series is oozing with Aussie bush charm from every page. These stories are packed to the rafters with images of life in the Australian bush, Aussie alternatives to common words and an overabundance of koalas, wombats, kangaroos, gum trees and sheep.

This delightful picture book is an Australian version of the Cinderella fairytale. With plenty of Aussie icons, including the wattle, blue thongs and a red kangaroo, this cute version is unashamedly Aussie and is brought to life with humorous illustrations by Glen Singleton.

Cindy-Ella’s stepsisters Rachelle and Sheryle keep her busy feeding the budgies, cleaning the dunny and cooking meat pies, but she dreams of romance with Steve, the best sheep-shearer in Gundaroo. She finally gets her chance when her fairy god-nanna, with a few waves of her wattle branch, gets Cindy ready for the Gundaroo Singles Mingle Ball.

Review by Mrs Sillar

It’s a Book

by Lane Smith

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This might seem a simple picture book with a few words per page... but it had staff in fits of laughter! The monkey is reading a book, and the donkey can’t’ understand how a book could possibly work if it is not a computer. The humour is very dry, and plays up on our sense of unease at the arrival of ebooks and ebook readers. The illustrations are very interesting as they combine cartoon styles with a strong sense of graphic design.

This is a delightful book to read to children from four up.... but I suspect it is a book you will be showing your guests at the next dinner party as well. I liked it so much I purchased my own copy, complete with the "Its a Book" Book Bag.

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas

By Tony Wilson and Sue deGennaro

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Henrik has a problem. He is a prince, and wants to find a princess to marry. He consults with his brother, who used the old standby when selecting his wife... placing one pea under 20 mattresses to see if his prospective bride was truly sensitive. Henrik’s problem is that the princess he wants to meet should be the exact opposite of his brother’s wife. What can he do to find a no fuss, sports loving outdoorsy girl?

This is a delightful angle on the old fairy story. The illustrations are whimsical but add many details and side journeys to the text. The young reader can be extended by asking them to analyse the parts of the story left for us to discover in the graphics. There is some creative use of fonts as well... each character’s name is in a particular font, as are a number of key words. Again, the bright reader can be asked to attend to the medium and think about why each font has been chosen.

I definitely approve of early readers that have elements to entertain and extend bright children (and long suffering parents).

The Red Piano

Written by Andrew Leblanc, Illustrated by Barroux.

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This poignant story appears at first glance to be a young child’s early reader. It has a large format, with highly energetic and idiosyncratic drawings. Sometimes a full spread is devoted to a picture with no words. In fact the language level is quite complex... “blighted by an eerie moonlight”. The story is harrowing, though with a guardedly optimistic ending. It is part of the true story of Zhu Xiao-Mei, who is now an international concert pianist, but who was consigned to a re-education camp during Cultural Revolution.


This book would suit a younger advanced reader willing to struggle with unfamiliar words. In this case parents should be involved to work through the ideas behind the Cultural Revolution and the unkind treatment the girl receives. It would also be ideal for a parent and older primary student to share as a discussion starter about repression and individual freedom. Not surprisingly the book jacket refers to Amnesty International.


A powerful story, succinctly told.

Free to a Good Home

by Colin Thompson

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If the movie “The Castle” appealed to your view of what are the most important things in life, then “Free to a Good Home” will also touch your heart.


The Smith family is a little bit different. Their home is full of unusual things and their priorities are not the same as their neighbour’s. They have always felt that there is an ingredient missing in their family life, but, on a trip to the shopping mall, the children find exactly what is needed to fill this void – an old lady.


This new title by Colin Thompson is a picture book. It is beautifully illustrated and though children of all ages will love to read it, this story will also appeal to Mums and Dads.


Review by Gayle Davidson