Joel Blackie - 'Jabberwocky'

Image courtesy of http://www.betterworldbooks.com/lewis-carroll-s-jabberwocky-id-0810935201.aspx

‘Jabberwocky ‘written by Lewis Carroll and illustrated by Graeme Base is a beautifully designed pop up picture book. The images leap out of the book to engage viewers in the story that is taking place, that is, what can be made with some of the nonsensical sentence structure. E.g. ‘the sword went snicker-snack!’ and ‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’

I enjoy the level of interaction that can be taken from the book. On surface, it is the tale of a young male hunting down the beast known as the Jabberwocky much to the delight of the king when the boy returns with the beasts head in hand. The images reflect this, presenting the youth as a friendly looking adventurer, with the king slotting nicely into the role of the stereotypical wise white bearded king.  Throughout the text, the poem warns the reader to beware the claws and teeth of the Jabberwocky leading to the above representation of the beast as an evil entity. However, the first page (and cover) represents the beasts of the wild in a lighter, more social and friendly sense. They wear clothes and appear to be happy and laughing, this contrasts with the end scene of the king laughing gleefully with the presentation of yet another beast head to join the numerous heads that already adorn his wall.

A great modern day working on a classic poem complete with rich diagrams that are sure to engage any reader.

Joel Blackie.

Joel Blackie - 'Beast Quest: The Dagger of Doom'

Image courtesy of http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/adam-blade/dagger-of-doom.htm

‘Beast Quest: The Dagger of Doom’ is a ‘choose your own adventure’ novel from the ‘Beast Quest’ series from author Adam Blade. The story itself is a fantasy based personal narrative that works to put you into the novel as the main protagonist, journeying the land to defeat the evil wizard Malvel and recover the ‘dagger of doom’.

The book features many twists and turns and challenges to overcome with each chapter ending in a choice between two paths that lead to different outcomes. I.e.  Do you approach or run away from the guard?

The text works well to engage the reader by placing you directly in the story, often using phrases such as “You decide to walk onwards” and”You seize one the torches hanging on the wall” to give readers a sense of responsibility, an almost caretaker position for the safety of both yourself and your travelling companions (as many poor options lead to the quests failure).  

A unique aspect of the book lies in its representation of the main character neither as a male or female, allowing for any reader to successfully immerse their self into the story. 

An intriguing read, taking me back to the books I read throughout my youth. The story piqued my desire to finish the quest, that kept me going until I 'solved' the book by attaining the correct ending (eventually)

Joel Blackie.

Joel Blackie - 'Scarlett Silver: The Impossible Island'

Image courtesy of http://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Island-Scarlet-Silver-McConnel/dp/0340989130

‘Scarlet Silver: The Impossible Island’ by Sarah McConnell and Lucy Courtenay is the second book in the children’s novel series based around the family of the aforementioned Scarlet Silver. The book features a the usual quirky characters and plot points found within a ‘standard’ child’s fiction book, ranging from treasure hunting to man eating shrimp (not quite as usual), told through a 3^rd person narrative.

The story itself will catch younger viewers, using a female protagonist in a swashbuckling adventure was an appreciated break from the standard ‘bright pink’ stereotype books that I flicked through before I came across this one, the story and language reflecting this. I.e. “Festering frogs!” Scarlett gasped. The novel is also accompanied with image breaks that help the reader to visualize the presented situation and further define the characters and story progression.

A simple, fun read.

Joel Blackie.

Picture book - “Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night” by Joyce Sidman

Picture book - “Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night” by Joyce Sidman

This children’s book written by Joyce Sidman contains a dozen of poems with amazing illustrations by Rick Allen that make a strong impact on the reader. The poems are about things like nocturnal spiders, crickets, bats, mushrooms, oak trees, great horned owls and woodland snails. The first poem in the book is called “Welcome to the Night,” and it begins with;

“To all of you who crawl and creep,

Who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,

Who wake at dusk and throw off sleep:

Welcome to the night.”

Each poem has a double page spread and they all follow the same basic design of the left side containing the poem and a small illustration and on the opposite page a large illustration with a small column of factual information that relates to the specific poem. 

This book would be ideal to be read to younger children as they necessarily choose other styles of books and avoid poetry. This can change once they have been introduced to various forms of poetry by an adult and this particular book is great because it can provide a creative and fascinating introduction to the world of nocturnal animals throughout forests.

Kris Batsiokis

Novel - “Uncanny!” by Paul Jennings

Novel - “Uncanny!” by Paul Jennings

The children’s novel “Uncanny!” written by the award winning Paul Jennings contains a small collection of nine short stories each written in a first person narrator style, with the main character as the central focus point. Paul Jennings writes these stories with a comedic style, and is about everyday feelings and fears that young children may deal with. Paul Jennings follows a basic narrative structure where he introduces the characters briefly, than the events follow that work through various problems to the climax of the story until it is resolved quickly. Each story is exaggerated by being set in extraordinary circumstances to make it more enjoyable and interesting for the reader. I believe it is aimed at young teens who may be reluctant when it comes to reading novels but due to it containing a number of short stories, it is quick and easy to read.

Kris Batsiokis