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[CCBC-Net] Australian books
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From: binawill at aol.com <binawill>
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:17:37 -0400
I adore Shaun Tan's book "The Arrival." The story of an immigrant arriving in a foreign and strange place is appealing at thi time when immigration issues are all over the news. The way Tan makes alphabetical characters that are exotic and incomprehensible beautifully mirrors the way someone who either can't read at all or comes from a culture using a different set of letters. I also love his nuancing of greys and sepia tones throughout the book. Bravo!
Now on to some of my other favorite Australian picture books, authors,?and artists.
First and foremost--in two words: Mem Fox! Mem has created a wonderful,? child-friendly, child-respecting body of work that crosses cultures so easily. Koala Lou and Night Noises are favorites along with Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge which introduces senility to young children in a loving and hopeful way.? Mem's tireless advocacy for children and reading is inspiring both in her books on the subject and in talks she has given. Some?Illustrators: Julie Vivas who did many of Mem's books. A personal favorite:?Our Granny which includes a variety of grannies and their?lumps, wobbly bottoms and all! Very lovingly done. Bruce Whatley who did The Ugliest Dog In The World among many others. The long suffering yet ever patient (and ever ugly) dog is charming.
A book that I wish Kane Miller would reissue in the USA?is My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins which traces a house lot back through?time to when the land was not owned by anyone at all. The artwork has the look of a child's pictures which make this a great book for history projects in elementary schools. If only I had bought a copy back when it was in print!
Two books that are amazing are The Water Tower by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman and its sequel, Beneath The Surface (which is not in print in America.) A dusty old town has a rusty watertower looming over it. When two boys decide to take a swim in the tower, they come back changed forever. We use The Water Tower for our children's lit classes for undergrads and it never fails to lead to interesting discussions of what?the heck is?going on. The art is extraordinary in both books. A third was planned that would finally explain (maybe that is?NOT the right word!) the previous two. Unfortunately, Steven Woolman died before the project came to be. ?These are books where the creativity of the author and of the artist work together to create a much greater whole than either could have alone. Amazing! Speaking of Gary Crew, a number of his books were illustrated by Shaun Tan....bringing this post full circle!
I may be?forgetting some of the?other Australian illustrators or writers whose work I?like, but someone else on the list will?praise them for me!
?Pardon ALL the exclamation points--my enthusiasm is more punctuation driven than eloquent on this gray day in CT. Bina Williams Bridgeport Public Library and Southern CT State University
P.S. on the adult side of things, I love the poems of Henry Lawson and of Banjo Patterson. Very different from each other!
-----Original Message----- From: Bini Szacsvay <binisz at yahoo.com.au> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:54 am Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Australian books
Do keep an eye out for "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan..... a breathtaking wordless icture book, definitely for serious readers!!
ini Szacsvay eacher Librarian ur Lady Queen of Peace Primary School estminster Rd ladesville NSW 2111 ustralia
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, he more places you'll go.? Dr. Seuss
___________________________________________________________ ahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it ow. ttp://uk.answers.yahoo.com/
______________________________________________ CBC-Net mailing list CBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu isit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... ttp://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com
Received on Sat 22 Sep 2007 10:17:37 AM CDT
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:17:37 -0400
I adore Shaun Tan's book "The Arrival." The story of an immigrant arriving in a foreign and strange place is appealing at thi time when immigration issues are all over the news. The way Tan makes alphabetical characters that are exotic and incomprehensible beautifully mirrors the way someone who either can't read at all or comes from a culture using a different set of letters. I also love his nuancing of greys and sepia tones throughout the book. Bravo!
Now on to some of my other favorite Australian picture books, authors,?and artists.
First and foremost--in two words: Mem Fox! Mem has created a wonderful,? child-friendly, child-respecting body of work that crosses cultures so easily. Koala Lou and Night Noises are favorites along with Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge which introduces senility to young children in a loving and hopeful way.? Mem's tireless advocacy for children and reading is inspiring both in her books on the subject and in talks she has given. Some?Illustrators: Julie Vivas who did many of Mem's books. A personal favorite:?Our Granny which includes a variety of grannies and their?lumps, wobbly bottoms and all! Very lovingly done. Bruce Whatley who did The Ugliest Dog In The World among many others. The long suffering yet ever patient (and ever ugly) dog is charming.
A book that I wish Kane Miller would reissue in the USA?is My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins which traces a house lot back through?time to when the land was not owned by anyone at all. The artwork has the look of a child's pictures which make this a great book for history projects in elementary schools. If only I had bought a copy back when it was in print!
Two books that are amazing are The Water Tower by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman and its sequel, Beneath The Surface (which is not in print in America.) A dusty old town has a rusty watertower looming over it. When two boys decide to take a swim in the tower, they come back changed forever. We use The Water Tower for our children's lit classes for undergrads and it never fails to lead to interesting discussions of what?the heck is?going on. The art is extraordinary in both books. A third was planned that would finally explain (maybe that is?NOT the right word!) the previous two. Unfortunately, Steven Woolman died before the project came to be. ?These are books where the creativity of the author and of the artist work together to create a much greater whole than either could have alone. Amazing! Speaking of Gary Crew, a number of his books were illustrated by Shaun Tan....bringing this post full circle!
I may be?forgetting some of the?other Australian illustrators or writers whose work I?like, but someone else on the list will?praise them for me!
?Pardon ALL the exclamation points--my enthusiasm is more punctuation driven than eloquent on this gray day in CT. Bina Williams Bridgeport Public Library and Southern CT State University
P.S. on the adult side of things, I love the poems of Henry Lawson and of Banjo Patterson. Very different from each other!
-----Original Message----- From: Bini Szacsvay <binisz at yahoo.com.au> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Sent: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:54 am Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Australian books
Do keep an eye out for "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan..... a breathtaking wordless icture book, definitely for serious readers!!
ini Szacsvay eacher Librarian ur Lady Queen of Peace Primary School estminster Rd ladesville NSW 2111 ustralia
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, he more places you'll go.? Dr. Seuss
___________________________________________________________ ahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try it ow. ttp://uk.answers.yahoo.com/
______________________________________________ CBC-Net mailing list CBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu isit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... ttp://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com
Received on Sat 22 Sep 2007 10:17:37 AM CDT
