Swings + Roundabouts Winter 2021

Resource REVIEWS ZACHARY QUACK MINIMONSTER Lynley Dodd Puffin; RRP: $17.99 Paperback When mischievous duckling Zachary Quack meets a flicketty-quick dragonfly, he hustles it into the air. But who is really hustling who? Zachary Quack stars in his own big adventure as he chases a dragonfly through some very sticky situations. This little yellow duckling’s charming adventure also features cameo appearances from Hairy Maclary and the gang! A New Zealand-published paperback edition suitable for children aged 3–7. MY ELEPHANT IS BLUE By Melinda Szymanik Illustrated by Vasanti Unka Picture Puffin; RRP: $19.99 Paperback A sweet and quirky story about a child who is stuck carrying around an elephant, wondering if they will ever feel light and free again . . . One morning I woke to find an elephant on my chest. I found it hard to get or move around, to breathe or talk. ‘I’m Blue,’ the elephant said. My Elephant is Blue deftly depicts the experience of low mood or depression, personified by an elephant named Blue, alongside a family who try a variety of strategies, including some well-known ones, like moving your body, ensuring you make time to do the things you enjoy and spending time with loved ones to support a child being weighed down by this low mood. This book isn’t as prescriptive as similar stories about having heavy feelings, but offers a storyline that is warm, empathetic, hopeful and funny with its descriptive text and quirky illustrations. This book can be accessed on different levels and is suitable for pre-schoolers to primary school readers. For children aged 3-7. MOOSE THE PILOT By Kimberly Andrews Picture Puffin; RRP: $19.99 Paperback Meet Moose, a bush pilot who lives in a treehouse. He's had a VERY busy day when he gets a radio call for one more job-a RESCUE mission! With a full plane and bad weather his adventures are even more exciting than usual - three fluffy youngsters need his help! Kimberly Andrews’s debut picture book Puffin the Architect won the Russell Clark Award for Illustration, a Storylines Notable Picture Book Award and the NZ Booklovers Best Children’s Book in 2019. She has now published three visually stunning tales set in Puffin’s world, and her stories have been described as contemporary equivalents to Wind in the Willows and Brambly Hedge. The text is rhythmic and has some rhyming, and although the plot is slim, readers will be captivated by Pilot Moose’s adventures as he flies from destination to destination, with the detailed illustrations stealing the show, offering much to find and discuss and elicit further language and story-telling from young children. For children aged 3-7. June 2021 { 38 }