This post was added by Rebecca Newman. Rebecca is a children's writer and poet, and the editor of the Australian children's literary blog, Alphabet Soup.
For more about Rebecca visit: rebeccanewman.net.au.
Selected reviews will be published here at Alphabet Soup over the coming weeks. If you are one of the longlisted reviewers above, we will be in touch soon to let you know the date that your review will appear.
Kylie Howarth is an award-winning, internationally published children’s author-illustrator from Western Australia. Kylie has swum with whale sharks, manta rays and humpback whales in Ningaloo, piranha and pink dolphins in the Amazon, braved scuba diving with lionfish in Egypt, marine iguanas and hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and encountered great white sharks in South Africa! Today Kylie is visiting to talk about her latest book, the first in her graphic novel series, Kev and Trev: Snot Funny Sea Stories!
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reader copy of Snot Funny Sea Stories.
From the publisher:
Join Kev and Trev’s epic deep-sea adventure – full of kraken laughs and comic commocean! Dodge flying coconut cannonballs, outrun ghost pirates, escape big sharks, pig sharks, and a punch-throwing pelican, all while hunting for mysterious merpugs and the missing emergency boat snacks! Water you waiting for? Jump on board Kev and Trev’s popcorn powered houseboat … and cross-your-claws it doesn’t sink!
You have published picture books and junior fiction novels and this is your first graphic novel. What brought you to create the Kev and Trev series?
I once made rhyming mini-books for my kids which I’d pop in their school lunchboxes. The kids loved these short, funny stories and often shared them with their friends and teachers. This inspired me to create a graphic novel series, that included lots of short funny stories written by the characters, Kev and Trev.
What tools do you prefer to use to create your graphic novels?
I use sketch books and a pencil for my initial ideas and story planning. I then use a program called Procreate (on my iPad) to illustrate my books. I also use anything from seaweed to broccoli dipped in paint and pressed on paper, to create interesting textures for my illustrations.
Your characters Kev and Trev write and illustrate their own rhyming short stories inside the book. Do you have a tip for kids wanting to experiment with rhyme?
Keeping a consistent rhythm and beat for each line of rhyming text really helps the story flow for your reader. To hear if your rhythm is working, try clapping along as you read your story out loud.
How does your editor feel about being turned into a squid? 😆
Ha ha! Kev and Trev’s editor is a grumpy squid named Mr Happy. Luckily my editor is never grumpy. She is also my publisher so identifies more with the lovely character of Tess the pug-lisher.
The book is stuffed full of puns and hilarious play-on-words conversations. What’s your favourite pun from Snot Funny Sea Stories?
I love the mixed-up book titles like THE BUFFALO (instead of The Gruffalo) and POSSUM TRAGIC (instead of Possum Magic.)
What’s next for Kylie Howarth?
I’m now working on the second graphic novel in this series – Kev and Trev: Snot Scary Jungle Stories.
Kev and Trev: Snot Funny Sea Stories is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
See a short video of Kylie designing a character in the book [Instagram]
Outlaw Girls by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman, Text Publishing, ISBN 9781922790231
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
Outlaw Girls is a great adventure story by Emily Gale and Nova Weetman. It is about two girls. Ruby, who only trusts her closest friends and family, and Kate, a sibling of Ned Kelly who lives in 1878. These two girls are up for an adventure and are ready to break the rules.
Ruby and her friends shoplift chocolate bars regularly. Kate brings supplies to her brother, Ned. When a surprise comes to Kate in the mountains, their two worlds collide. Kate does not want trouble when she meets Ruby so she lies about her identity. As these two girls become friends, they realise they share a common interest: horse riding. They soon are bound to a ride of friendship, courage, and adventure.
Outlaw Girls takes you through the interesting lives of Kate and Ruby. It is interesting to see how they live more than a hundred years apart yet share similarities. This book is never dull and keeps you on your seat. I highly recommend Outlaw Girls to anyone who enjoys adventurous and heartwarming stories. The bond of friendship that develops between Kate and Ruby is truly inspiring, and the way their lives intertwine despite living in different periods is fascinating.
The authors – Emily Gale and Nova Weetman – have created an exciting narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The themes of courage and adventure are beautifully woven into the story, making it a must-read for anyone looking for an exciting and adventurous story.
Mark Greenwood is a history hunter! He enjoys searching for lost explorers and glittering treasure, delving into baffling mysteries and investigating famous cold cases. His many award-winning books examining history and multicultural themes have been honoured internationally. Today Mark chats to us about his new History Hunter series, exploring unsolved mysteries. The first two books in the series – The Vanishing and The Dragon’s Treasure – were released in July 2024.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with reading copies of these books.
From the publisher:
The Vanishing:In 1978, a young pilot vanishes during a routine flight over a notorious stretch of water. His radio transmission to airport control is one of the most bizarre ever recorded. What did Frederick Valentich encounter? Where did he disappear to?
The Dragon’s Treasure: On a summer morning in 1931, four children on a remote beach make a remarkable discovery. But this is only one of many astonishing finds in the same area: silver coins, hidden chests, mysterious stones, strange objects and an unidentified skeleton. Why is it all there? Where has it come from? Can the truth be found?
Join the History Hunter to unravel these marvellous mysteries.
You’re an avid history hunter, but how did you come to hear about these two unsolved mysteries from 1931 and 1978? (Do you overhear conversations, or frequently look through old newspaper articles to uncover anything interesting?)
I’m drawn to real-life mysteries to search for the truth. The spark to write could be a character, a place, an event, a photograph that teases my imagination, an object or relic, or a tall tale recalled. Sometimes, I wonder if we come across stories by chance – or if stories find us. A curious, questioning mind kick-starts the research process and once history hunters get going, there is no stopping the search for truth.
The Dragon’s Treasure invites readers on an adventure back in time. The premise reads like the plot of a fictional novel – a fabled shipwreck, seven chests of treasure, a mysterious skeleton and 68 desperate castaways abandoned on a bleak coast. But sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
There are many mysteries out there, waiting to be discovered – secrets and hauntings, unexplained occurrences, lost treasure. There are mysteries that solve the disappearance of something or someone. There are mysteries that remain unsolved. Not to mention strange objects, legendary creatures, ghostly ships, freaky phenomena and cryptic codes. For history hunters, a mystery is anything inexplicable, unknown or puzzling. That is what drew me to the story of The Vanishing …
Do you have an opinion about what really happened to the pilot who vanished?
The Vanishing kicks the History Hunter series off with THE question – are we alone in the universe? The disappearance of pilot Frederick Valentich is Australia’s greatest aviation mystery. In 1978, he was on a routine flight over the Bass Straight when he reported an encounter with a UFO. His extraordinary voice transmission with Melbourne flight control was recorded in full. His last words were: ‘It’s not an aircraft …’ Neither Valentich nor his plane were ever found. What on earth (or not of this earth) happened? After years of research, I have formed my own opinion about what happened to Frederick Valentich. I conducted a thorough investigation, and The Vanishing provides evidence and enough information for readers to draw their own informed conclusions.
Has anything strange or mysterious ever happened to you?
Yes – quite a few strange things have happened to me. I’ve learnt to embracethe mysterious, accept it and use the experiences creatively. These private episodes are random and rare, but always welcome.
Your books contain a variety of artefacts and primary source materials, like photographs, newspaper articles, investigation reports and more. How do you gather and store all that information and research for your writing?
I’m a history mystery detective. I collect information, clues and evidence. I keep files on the people in each story, newspaper accounts, photographs, research documents, maps and books about the subject that are valuable sources of knowledge. These are the tools that help me brush away the layers of time so my readers can walk undetected in the past.
Can you tell us a little about what you’re working on next?
I’m thrilled to be working on the next two books in the HISTORY HUNTER series. Each case file invites readers to delve into the unexplained and investigate extraordinary historical mysteries.
Case File No. 3 is the story of a legendary jewel that has crossed oceans and continents, passing from thieves to commoners, kings, and queens. The sinister forces that lurk beneath its indigo surface are said to have origins in an ancient curse.
The fourth book in the History Hunter series is set in the Great Depression – when a hero was needed to lift the spirits of a nation. The call was answered by an underdog with unflinching courage, a tall poppy who refused to be defeated, a battler who defied the odds, and an icon whose glorious life sparked one of Australia’s greatest unresolved mysteries.
The truth is out there …
The Vanishing and The Dragon’s Treasure are out now! Ask for them at your favourite bookshop or local library.
REVIEWED BY CLASS 4K AT GREAT SOUTHERN GRAMMAR, WA
Right Way Down and Other Poems, edited by Rebecca M. Newman & Sally Murphy, illustrated by Briony Stewart, Fremantle Press, ISBN 9781760993429
Alphabet Soup is a co-publisher of this book andprovided a review copy.
Right Way Down and Other Poems is a great book filled with fun and awesome poems. Each poem tells a little story that makes you think. Some even make you laugh out loud.
The poems voted as our favourites were:
‘How to be a Dragon Egg’ by Rebecca Newman – This poem made you feel that you were the dragon in that egg.
‘Right Way Down‘ by Sally Murphy – The front cover is such a good design and we had fun reading this poem upside down.
‘Rain!‘ – When we read this poem in class, it was raining, and the poem put words to what we were hearing.
Why It’s Great: The poems are easy to read and have a nice rhythm, so they sound good when you read them out loud and even to yourself. The words are simple but create vivid pictures in your mind.
Pictures: The book has lots of black and white drawings that don’t overshadow the poem and still lets you create your own pictures when reading the poem.
Overall:Right Way Down and Other Poems is a fantastic book for kids and adults. It’s great reading for those spare couple of minutes you find in your day. If you love great poems, you’ll really love this book!
This is the first ever book review from Class 4K at Great Southern Grammar. If YOU would like to send us a book review, check out our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
Cheryl Leavy is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland. She is an award-winning poet and writer who loves to tell stories that celebrate First Nations culture, history and Country. We’re thrilled to be chatting to Cheryl about her first picture book – Yanga Mother – illustrated by Christopher Bassi.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a copy of Yanga Mother.
From the publisher:
Yanga Mother is a poetic celebration of First Nations languages. This powerful bilingual story honours connection to Country and the unbreakable bonds of never-ending motherly love. From award-winning writer Cheryl Leavy comes this beautiful picture book in Kooma and English about a grey kangaroo and her joey, and the unbreakable bonds of family.
Sometimes the author and illustrator of a book discuss the project during its creation, sometimes they work separately on the words (author) and artwork (illustrator). How did you work with Christopher Bassi while he was illustrating Yanga Mother?
On the surface, Yanga is a story about the love between Mother and child. It helps us to reflect on how our Mother is always with us in our hearts, even when she seems far away. It’s something a lot of readers will be able to relate to and lays the groundwork for empathy for the Stolen Generations.
Once the story was written, I thought carefully about how to illustrate it. I chose dhugundu, the grey kangaroo, because they are wonderful mothers and siblings. You can read more about how they love and protect each other in the notes for older readers.
I got started on the book itself by working out what words would go on each page (the pagination) and made notes for the illustrations for each of the phrases that make up the story. I set it out in a table, using a process I made up as I was going along. I wasn’t really sure how to make a book and what people in the publishing industry did. I just I wanted to be able to set out my ideas clearly and simply, and to make sure the visual storytelling reflected Kooma cultural values.
I spent a lot of time considering how I wanted the book to look. I studied many of my favourite children’s books, looking at the illustrations carefully to understand what made each of them so wonderful. One of those books was Aboriginal Tales, published in 1972 by Golden Press, which my mother had recently given me. The illustrations have lots of rich yellows and this made me wonder which colours are best to use in children’s books. I searched the internet and found a piece of research that said yellow was a colour that children prefer in children’s books.
Artist Christopher Bassi was then the obvious choice for the illustrator. He is a famous artist who uses yellow as the main colour in his work. I have loved Chris’s artwork for a long time and we have developed a close friendship. I was so happy when he agreed to illustrate and design Yanga Mother.
From Yanga Mother by Cheryl Leavy & Christopher Bassi (UQP)
We worked together very closely, talking through my suggested illustrations and exploring Chris’s vision for the book. We spent many happy hours together in Chris’s studio in West End, talking about each illustration, pouring over children’s books we each loved, thinking deeply about how we could honour the story and bringing our very best efforts to each illustration. We are both very proud of the final product and are looking forward to a new project together.
On each page, the poetic text of Yanga Mother appears in Kooma first with the English translation below it. When writers translate their work, it’s not always a word-for-word project. How did you go about choosing the words for your translation?
Most of the translation is almost exact. There are some examples where there is a tricky translation, where I have generally followed the patterns provided by the Kooma language. Take for example the concept of everywhen, which is an English word used to describe part of the Aboriginal philosophy of time. I wanted to translate this term from English to Kooma, but there is not a Kooma word recorded anywhere. I already know that “murra murra” means many hands and “gurragurra” means everything. So wandhandja-wandhandja would be everywhen.
Because I am a poet, I sometimes like to use the Kooma language more creatively. The term “yilungga yabangga”, which means everywhere, is a good example. It literally translates as here and there. It is a more playful way of saying everywhere and suits both the genre of a picture book and Yanga’s story. I settled on this choice when I was working with a linguist (language expert) who, like an editor, reviewed drafts towards the end of the project.
Another example of a translation that is not exact is “ngali wadjanbangali”. It literally means we two are going, or on the go. The closest translation that fits with both what I wanted to say and a clear English meaning is, “we two are always together.”
The book was inspired by your grandmother’s experiences in the 1930s; she was part of the Stolen Generations, when Aboriginal people were often prevented from speaking their own languages. Did you grow up speaking Kooma, or was it something you learned later in life?
When my grandmother grew up on the Barambah Mission, she was punished if she spoke in Kooma. Like many Aboriginal people, this meant she spoke it less and less. I grew up speaking a little Kooma and other Aboriginal language words, but was not able to speak in sentences. There are not many learning resources for the Kooma language so learning it has been very difficult. I hope to be able to change that.
Do you have a tip for young writers who’d like to write their first poem?
If you’d like to write poetry, the best way to start is by reading poetry, lots of it. Carry a pen and paper around with you always. Leave a note pad beside your bed. Write down ideas you have and read over them. This will get you thinking and writing down your thoughts. A poem often starts to take form in this way.
It is great to start a poem with inspiration that wells from within you, but you can also sit down with the intent of writing a poem. You can try using what writers call “prompts”. For example, you might sit down with the idea of writing a poem about your mum. This is often the kind of thing you will do if you join a writing club – read poetry, write down and share your ideas, write from prompts and then keep working on your poems until you feel they are finished. I have poems I have been working on for years!
Can you tell us a bit about your next project?
The book I am working on right now is another picture book called, For You Country. It teaches the water cycle from a First Nations perspective. I am also working on a third children’s book titled Mugirri and Samson. It shares what a nyimanj (native ant) called Backbone learns about himself and his community after he comes across the first-ever yarraman (horse) on his Country.
Yanga Mother is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or local library.
We know Term Three is always jam-packed. In case your calendar has fallen off the wall in protest: this is a reminder to get your entries in for our Young Book Reviewers’ Competition by this Friday, 9 August 2024!
There are prizes in two age categories and also for the school with the highest number of entries. (Entries can be made as individuals via a parent, or multiple students can be entered via a teacher.)
Shirley Marr is an award-winning author and first generation Chinese-Australian living in sunny Perth. Shirley describes herself as having a Western Mind and an Eastern Heart and writes in the middle where both collide. She bases her stories on her own personal experiences of migration and growing up in Australia. Today we’re chatting to Shirley about her novel Countdown to Yesterday.
From the publisher:
James wishes he could go back in time. Back to when his mum and dad were together, when he had one home, when his family laughed and climbed hills and went to the movies. After meeting the enigmatic Yan, a girl who looks at the world differently, James discovers time travel might not be impossible after all. But if James can live forever in one of his six favourite memories, which one will he choose?
Can you tell us how you choose a title for your books?
Sometimes the title is the very first thing that I come with, but with Countdown to Yesterday, the quest to find the perfect title was a very long and drawn-out process that ended up involving my literary agent, my Australian, UK and US editors! I guess trying to find something clever, that also summed up all the big ideas in the book, was quite tricky. My working title was Tin Foil Tin Machine and other suggestions (among many more) included The Yesterday Machine, My Life in Six Memories, See You Yesterday, If We Go Back, Ground Control to Major Tom and My Favourite Yesterdays. I am interested in what the readers think of these alternatives!
If someone turned up with a time machine and offered to send you back in time … would you decide to go?
I don’t think I would try and go back to change anything, even the very worst of my memories, in case it changes the life I am living today. Right now, I am a full-time author who gets to write every single day and I feel I’m living my best life. Even though it took a long and hard time for me to get to this position. If I had a chance though, to be part of the audience at the very last Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars concert, I would definitely say yes! I would just watch very enthusiastically and be very careful not to do anything to affect history.
What’s your favourite cake in the Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book? (Have you ever had it for your birthday cake?)
That is the hardest question because I love them all. I’d have to say that like James in my book, I think the rocket cake is the best. I have never had it for my birthday, but I am hoping someone will bake it for my birthday next year.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I am hoping that I can go back to Christmas Island either this year or the next. I grew up there as a child before arriving to Perth on the mainland and I would love to write an authentic and unique middle grade about the jungles, the basalt cliffs and the unique birdlife. I think the way that the red crabs migrate down to the beaches each year is a beautiful analogy for human migration.
Could you suggest a word prompt for young writers wanting to start a new story?
How about the word TIME?
Countdown to Yesterday is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Deborah Abela is an award-winning author and trained as a teacher before becoming writer/producer of a national children’s TV show. She has since written 30 internationally published and awarded books, including the Max Remy series, her climate change trilogy – Grimsdon, New City and Final Storm – and The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee. The Book of Wondrous Possibilities is about the power of books to save us when we feel lost. Today we’re thrilled to host Deborah to talk about her latest book: The Kindness Project.
Her teacher, Ms Skye, thinks kids can change the world with a Kindness Project. Nicolette wants to but how can she when Layla treats her like she’s invisible and DJ picks on everything she says? Leaf thinks Nicolette can be a superhero. So maybe if they work together they just might do it …
You’ve written 25 novels – what led you to write this one as a verse novel?
I’ve LOVED verse novels for so long. They’re like a regular novel, but instead of chapters there are verses. This means they have to get to the point very quickly, so they’re often real page-turners. I also LOVED playing with the look of the words on the page, so if something is
BIG
I wanted the word to look big. Same if a character felt scared or lonely. That was fun.
Did you need to learn any new skills before you started writing a novel in verse?
The big skill was learning how to tell a big story with not so many words. That meant I had to concentrate really hard on finding the exact word for everything that happened.
How did you feel about group projects when you were at school?
That depended on who was in my group. If I was with my friends, it was fun, but sometimes I had to be in a group with people I didn’t know, and that was hard, but if we were excited about the project, it worked out really well! So when Ms Skye puts Nicolette into a group with kids who don’t like her, I totally understand why she’s nervous.
Do you have a writing tip for kids who would like to try their hand at writing a verse novel?
Think about a something that has happened to you that made you feel happy or nervous or excited. eg auditioning for a play, getting your first pet, the soccer grand final. Tell that story, including how you felt, but only writing a few words per line. Include only the really important parts of that story. When you’re happy, look at the verse and see which words you can make look like their meaning. Here’s an example from pages 16 and 17. in The Kindness Project.
[Pages 16 & 17 from The Kindness Project]
What’s next for Deborah Abela?
I am working on two junior fiction ideas and a middle grade novel, but I have a new picture book coming out in February 2025 called No More Room in the Bed. It’s about a dark and stormy night and a bed that becomes full of frightened creatures who all want to squeeze in beside Dad. Until it all becomes too much!
The Kindness Project is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or your local library.
Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a wildlife scientist, science communicator and author.
Vanessa’s research is extensive, she has even used drones to collect whale snot, and computer algorithms and AI for the detection of illegal wildlife trafficking! Vanessa is the author of three books, with more on the way. Today we’re excited to be talking to her about her latest children’s book: Oceans at Night, illustrated by Cindy Lane.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Oceans at Night.
From the publisher:
As night-time nears, a world of creatures comes alive in our oceans. Settle in and explore the wonderful world under the waves, and see what animals do from sunset to sunrise. From penguins to sharks, giant squid and plankton, discover the fascinating after-dark lives of ocean creatures. Oceans at Night showcases the beauty and wonder of life below the sea, so dive deep and discover what happens while you sleep!
What dangers does a marine biologist face while conducting research?
Working with animals, like whales, can be dangerous because they are so big! We also have to make sure that we don’t touch anything that could be harmful as many sea creatures can bite and sting. When we conduct science, we always make sure that the animals are safe and so are humans. This means lots of planning and asking questions before we even go into the sea. Thankfully, we can use new technologies like drones to gather scientific information from whales without having to be close to them or needing to touch them.
Do you have a favourite sea creature from those included in Oceans at Night?
Yes! I LOVE sunfish. These are the biggest bony fish in the sea! They look like aliens and flap their flips on the top and bottom of their big bodies. We sometimes see them off Sydney, Australia. I also swam with them in the Galapagos islands. I wanted to make sure this book showed some of the incredible creatures I love and have seen. I have yet to see cuvier’s beaked whales or dumbo octopus. Perhaps I can go on a quest to meet the creatures of Oceans At Night one day.
Some of the sea creatures in the book live in very deep ocean. How do you study these creatures – can you get down there yourself somehow?
That’s true! The dumbo octopus and angler fish are a great example of this. I think I would need to go down very deep in a submarine. Or, perhaps we could send a remotely operated underwater vehicle to try and spot one. Getting to the ocean depths is dangerous and expensive so I am not sure if I will ever get to see these creatures. Perhaps through ongoing scientific research, we might get to see one of these creatures in the near future.
What do wish more people knew about our oceans?
How important it is for all of us. Many of us might not know that the ocean is so important for our everyday lives here on land. The ocean helps provide the air we breathe, and regulates our climate. Whales, for example, are very important for eating in one area and pooing in another – moving nutrients (good things for our ocean) around. Whales are kind of like a cow on land, they eat and then their poo helps the grass grow.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I LOVE writing books and I’ve been thinking about something very special for a long time now. I love being able to educate and explore different worlds inside and out of the school classroom. Watch this space.
Oceans at Night is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
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