Kev and Trev: Snot Scary Jungle Stories by Kylie Howarth, Affirm Press, ISBN 9781923022164
REVIEWED BY JOHN, 7, WA
The publisher provided a review copy of this title.
Kev and Trev: Snot Scary Jungle Stories is a graphic novel, the second Kev and Trev book. I liked this book even more than the first book because it is even funnier. This surprised me because I really liked the first Kev and Trev book!
Kev and Trev are on a jungle adventure to find pugorillas and other jungle animals and it is hilarious. There are so many funny moments and jokes.
The illustrations are really funny, I loved the jaguar, and I really liked the front cover, the sparkles are really cool and it looks really exciting and the book was really exciting too.
All ages would enjoy this book because young kids can look at the pictures and older kids will love the jokes!
This is John’s first book review for Alphabet Soup. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!
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. She can also confirm that ice-cream bean trees are real and not fiction! (And the fruit does taste just like vanilla ice-cream.) Today Kylie is visiting to talk about her latest book, the second in her graphic novel series, Kev and Trev: Snot Scary Jungle Stories!
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reader copy of Snot Scary Jungle Stories.
From the publisher:
Join Kev and Trev’s epic jungle adventure – full of roarsome new friends and frightfully fun times! Outswing a scary jaguar, steer clear of hairy spiders, poison frogs and cheeky monkeys, and dance like your life depends on it, all the while searching for mysterious pugorillas … and Kev’s missing shorts! Jump on board Kev and Trev’s popcorn powered houseboat and sail to the jungle for their most tree-mendous journey yet.
How long does it take you to create a Kev and Trev book?
The first book took three to four years! Developing a new concept and new characters can take a lot of time, but it’s also my favourite part of the process. At the same time, I was studying how graphic novels work as I had not made one before. Now that I’ve finished Book One and know the main characters well, each new book will become faster to make. I’ll be creating one Kev and Trev book every year.
Book 2 (like Book 1) is laugh-out-loud funny and full of puns. Do you brainstorm a bunch of themed jokes before you start writing the plot? Or do you find the jokes pop up as you get into the story?
Ha ha, thanks! I love humour in books and my family thrives on jokes and banter too. So, the funny bits just pop up naturally once I start writing the dialogue. I’ll then read my rough draft to my kids, who’ll suggest more jokes (usually funnier than mine) and I’ll add those in too.
Which of the characters is your favourite to draw? (We promise not to tell the others.)
My Happy is the easiest to draw and I kind of wish I’d made the other characters just as simple. Then perhaps I could make two graphic novels in a year instead of one! Mr Happy is also my favourite as I draw him with school kids at my author visits. I love seeing him drawn in all the different kids’ styles and enjoy reading the funny speech bubbles they write for him.
Graphic novels and comics feature a lot of speech bubbles. Do you draw the speech bubbles first and then fill in the text? Or put the text in first and then draw the speech bubble around it?
It is always easier to write or type the text first and then draw the bubble around it. That way you ensure the text fits nicely inside and won’t get too squishy. I am passionate about creating books that are inclusive of struggling readers, so making sure the text is clear and easy to read is important.
Excerpt from Snot Scary Jungle Stories by Kylie Howarth
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m excited to be working on Kev and Trev Book 3!!! I’ve plotted a draft outline with another unexpected twist (like Book 2). I am now starting to plan each page by roughing out loose sketches. I still have a long way to go yet, though. The next steps after that will be to write and refine all the dialogue and short stories then research and design the new characters. The research stage will be fun as Kev and Trev are off to the snow in Book 3 and so am I! There will be some very COOL snow animal characters.
One last thing, thank you to all the kids who’ve read Kev and Trev! You are EPIC!!
Kev and Trev: Snot Scary Jungle Stories is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
The publisher provided a review copy of this book.
Higher Ground is a picture book about a grandma, brother, sister and one rabbit who get stranded on a really tall apartment building in the rooftop garden, because of a huge flood and lots of rain. There’s nowhere to go unless they take a boat. The water is filled to the brim.
Their grandmother teaches them ways to survive with a scarce amount of food. She taught them how to tie knots and how to eat every part of a fish. She teaches them all of the knowledge she has so they can pass it on in the future.
My favourite page is where the illustrations show how they have all grown up over time. You can even see at this point, in their faces, that they have lost hope.
They end up never giving up and have enough hope that something great will happen. The moral of this book is to never give up and keep on pursuing what you believe in.
My favourite thing about this book is that there is always a cliffhanger to keep it interesting.
The book itself feels really high quality with an embossed cover and thick pages of illustrations.
I really enjoyed this book and people that like big cliffhangers and that are into adventure books and like learning new things would enjoy this book too.
Tull Suwannakit is an award-winning illustrator and author with a background in animation and fine art. When Tull is not writing and illustrating, he runs art classes and workshops for children and adults at his art school in Melbourne. Today we’re excited to hear from Tull about his latest book: Higher Ground.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Higher Ground.
From the publisher:
After a great flood, a grandmother, her two grandchildren and their pet rabbit must learn to survive living on their rooftop garden, relying on scarce resources and limited space. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, but through life lessons and words of wisdom, hope emerges.
Higher Ground is illustrated with watercolour, graphite powder, gouache and acrylic paints. Can you tell us a bit about your approach to illustrating the book?
After I am happy with how the storyboard looks, I transfer each rough sketch onto a final piece of watercolour paper. Multiple layers of transparent sepia-toned washes are applied to give the illustration a base tint of light and dark. Additional mediums are used in order for me to capture a particular mood and tone of each scene. For instance, soluble graphite powder helps with muting down the scene, and giving it a dystopian feel. For dynamic scenes, I will add in a thick application of gouache and acrylic paints. In contrast, luscious and lively scenes are injected with a dab of bright coloured pigments using a combination of watercolour, gouache and/ or ink.
From Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit.
Higher Ground is a dystopian tale, with a small family – Grandma and her two grandchildren – isolated following a natural disaster. Thanks to Grandma’s wise, calm guidance, the characters maintain hope and a focus on doing what they can do to survive and thrive in this new challenging environment. The book in our hands becomes a sort of stand-in for Grandma when we come to the end of the story – we can hold onto her instructions for survival skills, food preserving and preparation, and seasonal information. Is the Grandma character based on someone in your life – did you have someone who hands on life skills, family recipes and other knowledge?
Although the time spent with my grandma was brief, her teachings left an everlasting imprint on me. I learned a thing or two from her about how to go about preserving fruits and vegetables, and how to take care of the garden. Growing up and living away from home at the young age of nine to attend boarding school, I learned early on valuable life lessons and skills from the wonderful people that I met along the way. I learned to cook for myself and others, I mastered a handful of essential skills and gained many words of wisdom, all of which manifested into the character of Grandma in Higher Ground.
The main characters aren’t named. Was there a reason you decided not to share their names with readers?
This has always been my debate right from the start – whether or not they should be given names. In the end, by not giving the characters names, I think it allows readers to be a part of the journey in a more immersive and empathetic way.
The younger sister sketches and take notes about their everyday activities. Were you also a diary or journal-keeper when you were growing up?
I was more of a visual oriented child, and expressed much of my feelings through pictures. So, when I first moved from Thailand to Singapore, there were huge cultural and language barriers. I found journaling, through simple writing to accompany my pictures, helped me understand and connect with myself and the world around me. This practice continues to this day.
Can you tell us a bit about what’s next for you?
I have just wrapped up an anthology of Australian Poems, which I did the illustrations for. It is a collaboration with The National Library of Australia with Libby Hathorn and Jude Fell and will be out later in 2025.
Higher Ground is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library!
Act by Kayla Miller, Walker Books Australia, ISBN 9781760654931
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10, VIC
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this title.
You should always stand up for what you believe, right? Olive thinks that it is unfair that kids have to miss out on field trips just because they are expensive. She knows she has to fix this problem but she doesn’t know how.
Olive knows she has to act and change the problem (this is why the book is called Act). She decides to run for the school council. She works really hard and makes really cool posters, speeches and talks to her peers about why the problem matters.
Olive is running against two of her best friends. She did not tell them that she was going to run and they felt betrayed. This makes things awkward between her friends and she gets discouraged but does not stop trying.
I really liked Act because it shows you that you do not have to be an adult to lead. You may be a child but you have a powerful voice that you can use. It also shows perseverance and determination.
I would rate the book 5 out of 5 stars. It is so good and is suitable for all young readers between the ages 9 to 13.
Thea Stilton and the Chocolate Sabotage by Elisabetta Dami, Scholastic, ISBN 9780545646567
REVIEWED BY AASHI, 10 VIC
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.
The Thea Sisters set off on an adventure to Ecuador. They are visiting Paulina’s old friend, Antonio, who runs a chocolate factory. He runs Choco Loco with his cousin Hector.
Choco Loco is in the running for the Chocolate Cup award. The award is very prestigious so the competition is tough. Out of the blue there are multiple malfunctions in the factory. The Thea Sisters start to wonder if it is sabotage. Join them to solve the case.
The book is full of interesting and exciting scenes. Every Thea Sister is good and loves different things and together they are unstoppable. Colette loves fashion and is great at designing clothes. Violet is shy but so smart and great at classical arts. Pamela is talented at mechanics and cooking, she loves eating. Pauline likes technology and loves travelling. Nicky is enthusiastic about sports and fitness.
My favourite character is Violet because even though she is shy on the outside, in the inside she has such cool ideas and is so talented at many things.
Thea Stilton and The Chocolate Sabotage is a good fit for people who want to solve a mystery. You will definitely enjoy it if you enjoyed Sherlock Holmes. If you get stuck trying to solve the mystery, there are clues to help you.
I recommend the book for people aged seven to ten as it has some tricky words but lots of colourful pictures to illustrate it. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars as it could have had some clearer explanations.
Remarkably Ruby by Terri Libenson, HarperCollins US, ISBN 9780063139183
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this graphic novel.
REVIEWED BY AASHI, AGE 10, VIC
Remarkably Ruby is a book about Ruby and Mia, two girls who used to be friends.
Ruby is a kind and shy girl who loves poetry. Ruby has irritable bowel syndrome, which means she must go to the bathroom at random times! It is hard for her to make friends as people tease her for rushing to the bathroom. She wants friends and to show people who she is.
Mia is a girl who is popular and outgoing. She is even running for school president. She is nice, sporty, smart and a perfect candidate for school president. She soon starts to notice how her friends are leaving her out and doing after-school activities without her.
Do Ruby and Mia need each other? Are they destined to be friends forever?
The book is very nice and inspiring. It shows true teamwork and kindness, even after fights and disputes. I would recommend the book to anyone who loves friendship and inspiring stories. The age group is 8-14 as it is a fantastic read.
Ask for Remarkably Ruby at your favourite bookshop or local library.
Secret Agent Mole, Book 2: The Boar Identity by James Foley, Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd, ISBN 9781761200168
Reuben received a review copy of this book.
When I found this book in the mail I thought it would be about a secret mission where they had to break into a place and had to disguise as a skunk and a fox. And I was right!
My favourite character is Neil Hamstrung because he is a pig version of Neil Armstrong.
This book can make you laugh your butt off. Anybody who likes graphic novels, space, ham, bugs, and naked mole rats will love this book.
I would rate this book 5/5 premium rib eye steaks. XD
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, Scholastic Inc, ISBN 9780545540629
Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.
Ghosts is a graphic novel written and illustrated by an outstanding author Raina Telgemeier. The main character is Catrina who doesn’t want to move to the coast of Northern California. They move because of Catrina’s little sister, Maya, who has Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a breathing and digestion condition, so they move to Bahia de la Luna which is on the coast of Northern California for cleaner air.
When Catrina and her family get to Bahia de la Luna they move into a little green house. Wild Maya wants to go on the ghost tour run by their next-door neighbour, Carlos. Catrina can’t say no. Will this end well … ?
I rate this book four out of five stars for it uses more perspectives of what other people think besides Catrina, though overall the book was great. It would make a spectacular read for ages 8–11.
Ghosts was a fabulous book, so in 2017 it won an Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12), and the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids’ Comics.
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