SURI'S WALL by Lucy Estela and Matt Ottley

Reviewed by Carmela Ramos  

 

     Magnificently illustrated and beautifully written, Suri’s Wall immerses the reader into an imaginative and empowering story with messages of hope, wonder and friendship. The intricate details of Matt Ottley’s illustrations not only provide the reader with many amusing scenes to observe, it also adds visual depth to Lucy Estela’s heartfelt story. Here is what Joseph, aged 6, had to say after reading Suri’s Wall.

     Suri likes to walk next to the wall around her home. The wall makes her happy but she is very lonely. Suri is already the tallest but she grows taller and taller and then she can see over the wall. Then a little girl asks Suri what she can see, and Suri tells her she can see lots of beautiful things. Then more children come closer to Suri to listen and then Suri is not lonely anymore.

     Suri is like a storyteller and I think she is nice because she shares her imagination and cares about all the other children. I think the other children would be sad and scared if they didn’t have Suri’s stories.

     I really liked the pictures of the elephant and the big ship. I also like the page with the town because I like the waterwheel and the animal cart. I liked watching the people with carts walking past very tall trees. My favourite part of the story is when Suri is storytelling to the children and she is not lonely anymore.

     This is a truly beautiful picture book to be enjoyed by dreamers, storytellers and readers of all ages. Thank you to Penguin Books Australia for sending us a copy of Suri’s Wall in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 26 August 2015

Author’s Website: lucyestela.com

Illustrator’s Website: mattottley.com

Publisher’s Website: https://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780670077755/suri-s-wall

About the Author

     Lucy Estela's love of writing became apparent as early as age seven when she began writing and illustrating a multitude of storybooks and newspaper columns that were printed up at home and forced upon her family. Since then she has taken a fascinating path towards publishing her first book.

Her university degree focused on languages but rather than becoming a language teacher, Lucy was introduced to the world of computer games and has pursued a successful career in London and now in Australia as a developer of websites and games for the kids and youth entertainment market including such brands as Disney, Warner Bros Pictures, Chorion and Xbox.

Suri's Wall, illustrated by the talented Matt Ottley, is Lucy's debut book with Penguin. Lucy lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

About the Illustrator

     Matt Ottley is a multi-modal artist working across the fields of visual arts, music and literature. He is an award-winning picture book writer and illustrator, with 25 picture books published. He spent his childhood in Papua New Guinea, and has travelled widely throughout Australia and the world. As a teenager and during his early twenties he worked as a stockman on remote cattle stations in the Australian outback, before studying fine arts and music. He lived for three years in Britain working as an equestrian painter, painting some of Britain's finest racehorses and polo ponies.

     He is now one of Australia's most popular children's author/illustrators, and has been published in several different languages around the world. His book and musical work for young adults, Requiem for a Beast was awarded the Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year in 2008, and the Queensland Premier's Award for Young Adult Literature in the same year. His picture book, What Faust Saw was an international best seller. Matt has also worked as a professional flamenco and classical guitarist. He is currently working on two large-scale orchestral projects that will also have visual and literature components.

Mr HUFF by Anna Walker

     Anna Walker has created another gem with her beautiful Picture Book titled Mr Huff. The emotions that accompany a bad day are explored gently with lovely hints of humour. The hope of a better tomorrow is very touching. Here is what Joseph (aged 6) had to say.

     “A Boy is sad in the beginning because annoying things happened to him. A cloud (Mr Huff) that is made of sadness and worries starts to follow him. Mr Huff gets bigger and bigger and bigger! Then the boy feels happy and the cloud gets smaller. My favourite part was when Mr Huff follows the boy into the toilet and when he is in the bathtub too! I also like Mr Huff under the bed because Mr Huff won’t go away! The best bit is when Mr Huff is very small and the clouds outside the window go away and the boy can go out to play with his friends.”

    Thank you to the lovely people at Penguin Books Australia for sending us a copy of Anna Walker's latest Picture Book. 

RELEASE DATE : 24 June 2015

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE : annawalker.com.au

PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE : http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781743484555/mr-huff

     'If you have felt the clouds when the sky is blue, this book is for you.' - Anna Walker

About the Author 

     Anna Walker writes and illustrates children's books and is based in Melbourne. She has won numerous awards for her work. Her charming studio is shared with a printmaker, Rosy the lamp, a few friendly plants, and knitted, woolly creatures.

     Working with pencil, ink and collage, Anna develops her characters and enjoys spending time with them before they venture out into the world. Her illustrations are inspired by the everyday details of life and the amusing antics of her menagerie.

How Big is Too Small? by Jane Godwin & Andrew Joyner

Reviewed by Carmela Ramos

     Sam’s big brother excludes Sam from playing because he is “too small". Sam ponders the question of ‘how big is too small?’ by comparing himself to the world around him. When Sam’s brother calls on him to climb and get back their ball, Sam easily completes this mission because of his size. While Sam is up high finding the ball, he meets another boy who shares a different perspective on size, and it doesn’t take long for these two boys to become new friends.  

      Jane Godwin is definitely in tune to the thoughts and struggles of a younger sibling feeling lonely and left out. Her writing is emotive, effective and appealing. Not only can the story easily connect with a young reader, it is also beautifully written in rhyme.

     
     The brush and ink drawings of Andrew Joyner look spontaneous and fun, and successfully help the young reader to understand the content of the story.  The illustrations are meaningful, energetic and entertaining. Andrew Joyner’s illustrations always make me smile, there is a familiarity about his drawings that is so appealing (They posses a similarity to the old picture books I was fond of as a child). I also liked the use of collage and vintage cutouts, from the plants around the house to the toy trains and scotch tape in Sam’s bedroom.

How Big is Too Small? is a picture book to treasure and will surely impress.

Thank you Penguin (Australia) for sending us a copy of this brilliant Picture Book.

RELEASE DATE : 22 April 2015
ILLUSTRATOR'S WEBSITE : http://andrewjoyner.com.au

For more information on the book go to http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780670070756/how-big-too-small

Jane Godwin (AUTHOR) 

     Jane Godwin is the Publisher for Young Readers at Penguin Books Australia. She is also a highly acclaimed author of many books for children. Her work is published internationally and she has received many commendations. Together with Anna Walker, Jane has created several bestselling picture books, including Little Cat and the Big Red Bus, All Through the Year and its companion volume Today We Have No Plans and, most recently, Starting School.

     
Andrew Joyner (ILLUSTRATOR)

     Andrew Joyner is an Australian illustrator and author. His books have been published in more than 20 countries, and they include Tim and Ed and The Terrible Plop, both written by Ursula Dubosarsky; The Swap, written by Jan Ormerod (winner in 2014 of the CBCA Book of the Year, Early Childhood, and the WA Premier’s Children’s Book Award); and the Boris series.

Harold and Grace by Sean E Avery

Reviewed By Carmela Ramos

     This creative and intriguing picture book, will definitely be a teacher’s delight. Harold and Grace is perfect for Kindy to grade 3 children. Written in simple and suitable language with enough unfamiliar words to expand children’s vocabulary, Harold and Grace will fascinate as it educates. Not only does it explore wetland ecosystems and the life cycles of butterflies and frogs, the reader will also be gifted with a beautiful story of an unlikely friendship between a plump, cute, furry caterpillar named Grace, and an adventurous, loveable, buck-toothed tadpole named Harold.

     Sean E Avery’s process of using a combination of traditional art and digital art is exciting and fresh. The sketchy ink drawings together with the runny green and purple tones are unique and effective. The colours successfully enhance the feel of a wet, slimy, leafy environment. The characters' expressions are fun and filled with emotion. My six-year-old son pointed out that “on the front cover Grace feels furry and Harold feels slippery.” I was also amazed when my son observed how Harold and Grace’s colours changed from the beginning of the book to the end. He stated, “They swapped colours!”.

     The story of Harold and Grace opens up discussions on friendship, bullying, feelings, the environment, and the wonders of metamorphosis. With so much to explore, Harold and Grace makes an ideal addition to children’s libraries and lower-primary classrooms.  

For more information and access to some great Teaching Notes go to the publisher's website  www.fremantlepress.com.au  

About The Author

     Sean E Avery is an internationally acclaimed sculptor, author and illustrator best known for his animal sculptures made from CDs and electronic waste, some of which are featured in the SciTech (Perth) and Ripley's Believe It or Not (USA) exhibitions. He has presented at various Writers festivals and represented Australia at the International Waste To Art exhibition in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2014.


AUTHOR'S WEBSITE : http://seaneavery.com/home.html