WINTER 2011 WRITING COMPETITION – WIN A $20 BOOK VOUCHER (& see your poem here on the blog)
Entries close 29 July 2011
Imagine that you wake up one morning and you have grown wings. Using this idea, write a poem up to 12 lines long (shorter is fine).
Include a competition entry form. This may be printed from the website (see competition rules), photocopied, or contact us to have one emailed or posted to you.
Your entry can be handwritten or typed. Make sure you read the competition rules!
Raven’s Mountain by Wendy Orr, Allen and Unwin, ISBN 9781742374659
This book was selected for review from the editor’s own collection.
Raven isn’t thrilled about moving—and leaving her friends behind. When her step-dad decides to take Raven and her sister Lily mountain climbing they aren’t thrilled about that, either. But when Raven gets to the top first, she is ecstatic and does a
crazy jumping, waving my arms, spinning, Top-of-the-World Dance
and that’s when the rock tilts and everything goes wrong.
Raven has to find her way back down the mountain on her own to find help for Lily and Scott before it’s too late. She’ll have to summon up enough strength and courage to keep going. And going.
While Raven is trying to make her way down the mountin, she has a lot of time to think—she worries about Scott and Lily, she thinks about the friends back in Cottonwood Bluffs, her mum, the bear family they saw on the way up the mountain (and the advice Scott gave her about bears), and her dad who left the family when Raven was very young. It’s a physically and emotionally demanding journey for Raven but she is determine to save her sister and step-dad.
I didn’t want to put this book down. It’s highly recommended if you love adventure and stories of bravery … and possibly if you love being outdoors and mountain climbing—though hopefully you’ll never find yourself in Raven’s situation!
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre are running School of Puppetry Workshops in the WA school holidays (July 2011).
Come to the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre to craft and perform your own puppetry show. Participants will also enjoy a performance of the current production as part of their workshop fee. Don’t forget your morning tea & lunch!
One Day Puppet Making Workshop for 4 – 6 year olds
Cost: $75.00
When: 9am – 3pm
Wednesday July 13th
Thursday July 14th
Friday July 15th
Wednesday July 20th
Two Day Puppet Making Workshop for 7 – 12 year olds
Cost: $140.00
When: 9am – 4pm both days, with a special 3pm performance featuring the newly created puppets on the second day!
Monday July 11th –Tuesday July 12th
Monday July 18th – Tuesday July 19th
Thursday July 21st – Friday July 22nd
For more info and bookings: phone (08) 9335 5044. (Bookings are essential)
The Bush Concert, written and illustrated by Helga Vissre, Omnibus Books for Scholastic Australia. ISBN 9781862918863
A copy of this book was sent to us from the publisher.
There’s a terrible drought in the bush and the birds decide to put on a concert to cheer themselves up.
It hadn’t rained for a very long time.
Food and water were hard to find.
Everyone was feeling low.
What could they do? Where could they go?
The birds get dressed up and put on a show. There’s music, singing and dancing, clowning, acrobatics and a lot more. And the concert ends with the perfect finale …
You’ve probably read a few stories about the bush that feature Australian animals. In this rhyming picture book, the story is about Australian birds. The detailed and colourful illustrations are in ink and pastels and show a wide variety of birds—pelicans, penguins, an emu, galahs and many many more. At the end of the book there is an illustrated glossary of the birds in the book. All 171 of them! Test your knowledge of Australian birds—how many can you name?
JULY 2011 BOOK LAUNCH for picture book, The Grumpy Lighthouse Keeper
written by Terrizita Corpus, illustrated by Maggie Prewett
When: 6 – 8pm Friday 8th July
Where: Magabala Books, 1 Bagot St, Broome WA
For more info: Nic Murray, Marketing Manager (08) 9192 1991
Here’s a bit about the book (taken from the Magabala Books press release):
Meet Cassius the hermit crab, Jacob the jellyfish, Bruce the bluebone and more sea creatures as they hurtle themselves over rocks and up the lighthouse staircase in a race to get out of a wet and wild storm — all while the lighthouse keeper is out checking the lamp for passing ships. When he returns and discovers what the sea creatures are up to, he is, indeed, grumpy.
The Grumpy Lighthouse Keeper is inspired by the iconic Gantheaume Point and the remains of the old lighthouse keeper’s house on the edge of world-renowned Cable Beach. Gantheaume Point attracts thousands of tourists each year with its ancient rock formations, dinosaur footprints and historical references.
The Last Viking by Norman Jorgensen and illustrated James Foley. Published by Fremantle Press, ISBN 971921888106.
(A review copy of this book was sent to us by the publisher.)
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Josh’s pop is always talking about ‘exciting stuff like Vikings, and Spitfires and Redcoats, though not usually when Nan’s around.’ Josh is staying with Nan and Pop for the holidays and that’s when he decides to become a Viking, and change his name to Knut. Although he’s not very brave, when trouble arrives, Josh summons up some Viking courage and discovers just how brave he really is.
If you don’t know anything about Vikings yet, you’ll know heaps about them by the time you finish The Last Viking. The illustrations are fun and cartoon-like and if you’re a super sleuth, you’ll notice that on some of the pages there are messages written in code—rune carvings. At the back of the book (on the endpapers) you’ll find the key to crack the code.
Keep an eye out for the ravens in the book, too. In Norse mythology they are Odin’s messengers, and in The Last Viking, they keep the Viking gods updated on Josh/Knut’s progress.
The Last Viking is an exciting adventure about courage, imagination and dealing with bullies.
Time to go a-viking!
PS Check out The Last Viking blog where the author and illustrator talk about creating The Last Viking. The blog also has Viking activities and teacher’s notes.
Closing Date: 7 September 2011
Write a piece of original verse, based around an Australian theme or C J Dennis. Verse must have good rhyme and metre. Cost of children’s entries is $2 per poem. Entries open to children from anywhere in Australia.
Children’s Categories:
First Prize $20 plus a book prize
Second Prize $10 plus a book prize
Third Prize $5 plus a book prize
Download your entry form & conditions for entry via the Toolangi & Castella website. (Make sure you download both PDFs, not just the entry form.)
Some interesting information:
CJ Dennis was born in South Australia in 1876, but he moved to Toolangi in the wooded hills east of Melbourne in 1908. It became his home for the remaining 30 years of his life, and he wrote all the books for which he became famous in or near Toolangi. (You might remember his poem, ‘The Triantiwontigongolope’ which we published in issue 3 of Alphabet Soup magazine.)
In 2008 a festival was held at ‘The Singing Gardens’ to celebrate the centenary of CJ Dennis’ arrival in Toolangi. It was a great success, and has now become an annual event. This year, it will be held on the weekend of November 12 – 13. The closing date for entries to the poetry competition is 7 September (CJ Dennis’s birthday).
Here’s an up-to-date list of current Australian writing competitions for kids. Apart from the magazine’s writing competition, Alphabet Soup doesn’t have an affiliation with these competitions. Make sure you read each competition’s Terms and Conditions (i.e. rules).
Good luck!
Australia-wide:
Dorothy Mackellar Poetry Awards (Closes 30 June 2011)
Sally Odgers Aussie Schools Writing Contest (Closes 30 June 2011)
Alphabet Soup‘s winter 2011 poem comp (Closes 29 July 2011.)
Pilot Pen Creative Writing Scholarship writing comp (closes 31 July 2011)
WA:
The West Australian Young Writers Contest (closes 30 June 2011)
Randolph Stow Young Writers Awards 2011 (Only open to Geraldton area. Closes 8 July)
Write a Book In a Day (Teams must complete the challenge by 31 August 2011)
NSW
Sydney Youth Writing Competition (closes 21 June 2011)
—
Do you know of any other writing competitions for kids?
We recently interviewed Catriona Hoy about her new picture book, George and Ghost. Today we’re reviewing George and Ghost—and you can win a copy, too!
George and Ghost by Catriona Hoy and illustrated by Cassia Thomas. Published by Hodder Children’s Books, ISBN 9780340988862.
(A review copy of this book was sent to us by the publisher.)
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George and Ghost are friends but George isn’t sure he believes in Ghost anymore. When George suggests that Ghost isn’t real, Ghost asks him to prove it. Can something be real if it doesn’t weigh anything, you can’t take its photo, and it doesn’t take up space?
Just when you think George has proved that Ghost isn’t real, Ghost comes up with some interesting questions of his own. This is a picture book that will have you asking your own questions, scratching your head and thinking hard.
Cassia Thomas’s colourful illustrations match the story well and you’ll love George and his ghost friend … whether Ghost is real or make-believe.
This is a story about friendship—with a good helping of philosophy and science thrown in!
WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF GEORGE AND GHOST!
We have one copy of George and Ghost to give away. To enter, simply email your name and postal address to editor@alphabetsoup.net.au and put ‘George and Ghost’ in the subject line. We will draw the winner at 5.30pm (WST) on Friday 17 June 2011. We will email the winner and the book will be posted to the winner’s postal address as per the email entry. Good luck!
[This giveaway has now closed. The winning entry drawn was S Burton in Victoria. We have emailed the winner and copy will be posted to them on Monday. Thank you for your interest—you can find out more about George and Ghost on the author’s website.]
28/6/2011 notice: We have been advised that this event has been cancelled.
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (WA branch) runs an annual book-based quiz in the style of ABC TV show, Spicks ‘n’ Specks. It’s called BOOKWIZ! Bring your family and friends along for a fun afternoon and meet local authors and illustrators.
Sunday 3 July, 2-4 pm
MC: MEG MCKINLAY (author of Duck for a Day and The Truth About Penguins
Where: Boulevard Centre, Floreat [beneath Cambridge Library], Western Australia
Cost: $12 adults $6 school students [includes refreshments]
Bookings: Chloe Mauger –cmauger@iinet.net.au– phone: 9295 1328
alphabetsoup.net.au 